Build $500 1992 FJ80 Rebuild
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- #142
On our trip to the cabin last month, the transmission seemed to be slipping while downshifting from 3-2 on hills. It's always been a bit aggressive with that downshift, with a negligible amount of slip that I always related to a previous rebuild. This, however, certainly seemed more pronounced. So we discussed things, looked over numbers, and purchased what will *hopefully* be the start of our winter project:
LS Swap Motor Mounts from Cruiser Matt:
As it turns out, the transmission slipping was a false alarm. The transmission's kickdown cable had backed out slightly. So once that was readjusted, it was back to shifting like normal. However, that scare got the ball rolling on the LS swap we've talked about doing for a while. At least we have time to accumulate parts, plan, and do the swap on our timeframe rather than a slipping transmission's timeframe.
We're buying a friend's "retired" 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 and will be using its LQ4 and 4WD 4L80E, along with anything else needed for the swap. I've read through numerous swap threads on here and am partway through the "8x Series V8 Swap Thread". Those have all been solid resources for a parts spreadsheet I've started. There's still a lot to read up on and numerous questions to find answers on. But I'm feeling pretty good about what we've found so far.
In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for upcoming Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and holiday deals to help lower the overall cost of this swap. Feel free to tag me if you see anything that might be of use.
LS Swap Motor Mounts from Cruiser Matt:
As it turns out, the transmission slipping was a false alarm. The transmission's kickdown cable had backed out slightly. So once that was readjusted, it was back to shifting like normal. However, that scare got the ball rolling on the LS swap we've talked about doing for a while. At least we have time to accumulate parts, plan, and do the swap on our timeframe rather than a slipping transmission's timeframe.
We're buying a friend's "retired" 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 and will be using its LQ4 and 4WD 4L80E, along with anything else needed for the swap. I've read through numerous swap threads on here and am partway through the "8x Series V8 Swap Thread". Those have all been solid resources for a parts spreadsheet I've started. There's still a lot to read up on and numerous questions to find answers on. But I'm feeling pretty good about what we've found so far.
In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for upcoming Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and holiday deals to help lower the overall cost of this swap. Feel free to tag me if you see anything that might be of use.
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- Thread starter
- #143
Small update: the Suburban was delivered on Sunday.
I ordered the Marks 4WD 4L80/HF2A transfer case adapter kit on Black Friday. That came in and from what I can tell, everything's there. There's no packing list to cross reference, so finger's crossed. I read about recording the unboxing if any parts are missing, so I at least have that if needed.
I also ordered the first round of parts for refreshing the LQ4: Cam Motion Stage 2 truck cam, valve springs, lifters & trays, rocker arms & trays, pushrods, timing kit, high pressure oil pump, oil pan (giving the knock-off Holley 302-1 a try), engine gasket kit, and more. Those should be in our hands within the next day or so.
Husband started disassembling the front of the Suburban yesterday afternoon while I vacuumed up all the natural debris (acorns, pine needles, twigs, etc) on the cowl. We forgot to bring our fluid containers, so getting the core support out without disconnecting the radiator was an interesting task. Fortunately it didn't take long. I think we'll see more progress on Thursday when we're back at the shop.
I ordered the Marks 4WD 4L80/HF2A transfer case adapter kit on Black Friday. That came in and from what I can tell, everything's there. There's no packing list to cross reference, so finger's crossed. I read about recording the unboxing if any parts are missing, so I at least have that if needed.
I also ordered the first round of parts for refreshing the LQ4: Cam Motion Stage 2 truck cam, valve springs, lifters & trays, rocker arms & trays, pushrods, timing kit, high pressure oil pump, oil pan (giving the knock-off Holley 302-1 a try), engine gasket kit, and more. Those should be in our hands within the next day or so.
Husband started disassembling the front of the Suburban yesterday afternoon while I vacuumed up all the natural debris (acorns, pine needles, twigs, etc) on the cowl. We forgot to bring our fluid containers, so getting the core support out without disconnecting the radiator was an interesting task. Fortunately it didn't take long. I think we'll see more progress on Thursday when we're back at the shop.
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- Thread starter
- #144
More progress made this past week: fluids were drained, the radiator removed, and all the AC, power steering, cooling, & fuel lines were disconnected. The exhaust merge pipe was seized on one side & had to be cut off. The wiring harness was disconnected & separated at the fuse block between engine & body harnesses. No broken connectors or pins yet. 
Intake removed & lift plate installed. For $30 we were impressed with it's ability to lift & hold the weight of an LQ4/4L80E/xfer case.
Saturday was engine pulling day. We had a few friends stop by to help out and only had one smashed finger when removing the factory transfer case. Not bad at all! Our engine stand is still in use, so two old tires will do as a temporary resting place in the meantime.
I've got another order to make for some missing engine internals & gaskets: valve spring seats/seals & timing cover gasket. I'm sure more will pop up as we get the engine on the stand & start disassembly.
I'm also getting materials ready so we can start looking at wiring and I can't find a color version of the 1992 EWD (WD129U). I've checked the Resources section & reached out to a few people with no luck. I have the 1991 color version, and the black & white schematic from the FJ80 supplemental PDF, but would really appreciate the full 1992 color version if someone has it. Please DM me if you have a digital copy.
Intake removed & lift plate installed. For $30 we were impressed with it's ability to lift & hold the weight of an LQ4/4L80E/xfer case.
Saturday was engine pulling day. We had a few friends stop by to help out and only had one smashed finger when removing the factory transfer case. Not bad at all! Our engine stand is still in use, so two old tires will do as a temporary resting place in the meantime.
I've got another order to make for some missing engine internals & gaskets: valve spring seats/seals & timing cover gasket. I'm sure more will pop up as we get the engine on the stand & start disassembly.
I'm also getting materials ready so we can start looking at wiring and I can't find a color version of the 1992 EWD (WD129U). I've checked the Resources section & reached out to a few people with no luck. I have the 1991 color version, and the black & white schematic from the FJ80 supplemental PDF, but would really appreciate the full 1992 color version if someone has it. Please DM me if you have a digital copy.
- Thread starter
- #145
Small steps, but it's been a busy few weeks with travel & work. Engine & transmission are now separated and the engine is on the stand. The plan is to clean it up as best as we can (no water access other than a bathroom faucet) before disassembly starts. I also also need to reach out to the transmission shop about adding the VSS ring to the 4L80E and likely replace some seals while it's open.
We also picked up a loaner vehicle as a second car while the Land Cruiser is under the knife: a 2002 Suburban 2500. It's the same drivetrain as the donor setup with the LQ4 & 4L80E, but 2WD instead of 4WD. We took it on a day trip to OKC to pick up some parts and the difference vs the Land Cruiser was drastic. With a 2.5" lift & 34" tires, the Land Cruiser struggles to maintain hilly interstate speeds without constantly downshifting. In contrast, the Suburban cruised around 2000rpms and maybe peaked at 3200rpms when passing traffic up a steep hill. Makes us even more eager to get this swap done.
We also picked up a loaner vehicle as a second car while the Land Cruiser is under the knife: a 2002 Suburban 2500. It's the same drivetrain as the donor setup with the LQ4 & 4L80E, but 2WD instead of 4WD. We took it on a day trip to OKC to pick up some parts and the difference vs the Land Cruiser was drastic. With a 2.5" lift & 34" tires, the Land Cruiser struggles to maintain hilly interstate speeds without constantly downshifting. In contrast, the Suburban cruised around 2000rpms and maybe peaked at 3200rpms when passing traffic up a steep hill. Makes us even more eager to get this swap done.
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- Thread starter
- #146
While in OKC, we stopped by Cruiser Corps. I highly recommend checking them out if you're ever in the area. Adam and the crew were very nice & super knowledgeable. We were able to get a 91-95 center dash trim (both upper & lower pieces) in better condition and a 95-97 air box lid for the LS swap. They also included some fun swag. Their lobby has some nice Land Cruisers on display as well.
I believe you need a 2wd transmission for the marks adapters fyi.
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- #148
There's a kit available for the 4WD 4L80E.
Transfer Case Adaptor - 4L80E to Toyota LandCruiser | Marks 4WD
Transfer Case Adaptor for the Toyota Landcruiser 70, 80, 100, 105 series V8 engine conversion using the 4L80E automatic transmission.
www.marks4wd.com
- Thread starter
- #149
Husband got the LQ4 mostly disassembled yesterday. We need to borrow a valve spring tool & crank pulley puller to get the heads & crank damper off. Then we can see what the pistons & cylinders look like. We were pleased to see how clean the heads were considering this engine's potential mileage (200K+).
I also ordered a VSS reluctor ring for the 4L80E and got a few quotes from the local transmission shop to install that and/or rebuild the transmission. They're going to verify the transmission's condition once it's open and get back to us on what it needs. The ring should be in mid-week, so I'm hoping we can get it all to them before this weekend.
I also ordered a VSS reluctor ring for the 4L80E and got a few quotes from the local transmission shop to install that and/or rebuild the transmission. They're going to verify the transmission's condition once it's open and get back to us on what it needs. The ring should be in mid-week, so I'm hoping we can get it all to them before this weekend.
- Thread starter
- #150
This update is a few weeks later than planned. But our household was down for two weeks with whatever's going around. With that said, progress was made this past weekend.
Heads are off, front accessories removed, oil pan dropped, timing parts, and the stock cam is out. The cam bearings are showing more wear than we like, so husband is going to reach out to a local machine shop to get those & maybe more done. The heads could do with a clean up as well. I don't like the "while we're at it" attitude, but we want to make sure this engine is ready to go another 200K miles.
We also plan to load up & drop off the 4L80E this week for the VSS ring install & a potential rebuild. Fun fact: the owner of the transmission shop has an 80 series he's currently LS swapping. So it's nice to have someone nearby tackling the same project.
I'm also working on clearing out our old storage space and found this. Would anyone nearby want this box of 3FE smog parts before it gets tossed?
Heads are off, front accessories removed, oil pan dropped, timing parts, and the stock cam is out. The cam bearings are showing more wear than we like, so husband is going to reach out to a local machine shop to get those & maybe more done. The heads could do with a clean up as well. I don't like the "while we're at it" attitude, but we want to make sure this engine is ready to go another 200K miles.
We also plan to load up & drop off the 4L80E this week for the VSS ring install & a potential rebuild. Fun fact: the owner of the transmission shop has an 80 series he's currently LS swapping. So it's nice to have someone nearby tackling the same project.
I'm also working on clearing out our old storage space and found this. Would anyone nearby want this box of 3FE smog parts before it gets tossed?