60 series not built for speed?

[EdenSeen]

Hi there
some inner thoughts
I have read a lot on (and have myself experienced) the fact that the 60 series is definety built for speed. Buy pushing it a love over 65mph, the car starts to be unstable. Isn't there for unsafe to drop a more powerful engine in it that would cause it to run faster than it was designed for?
Thanks

 

[Smithtec]

Mine was wobbly and scary until I rebuilt the front end. It's fine at 70+ mph.

 

[Flight2k5]

I cruise in my 75 all the time

 

[TheBussman]

i've driven a few nice ones at high speed no issues.

 

[EdenSeen]

I cruise in my 75 all the time

impressive. Mine reaches 75 mostly downhill, rarely on flat road, at full throttle

 

[Flight2k5]

impressive. Mine reaches 75 mostly downhill, rarely on flat road, at full throttle

i wonder why that is.

 

[EdenSeen]

i wonder why that is.

So do I.
I got it this way from the previous owner 3 years ago. Over 300k miles. Been over all the place with it ever since,with no issues at all. But top speed has also been 60, rarely 75.

I always thought that was just how fast the 2H could go.

 

[Flight2k5]

So do I.
I got it this way from the previous owner 3 years ago. Over 300k miles. Been over all the place with it ever since,with no issues at all. But top speed has also been 60, rarely 75.

I always thought that was just how fast the 2H could go.

oohhh you have a 2H, I have a 2F

 

[vipergrhd]

I have driven mine cruising at 70 on long trips and it's fine the engine (2F) just screams with a 4 speed.

 

[cruiser86]

My 2h with auto gearbox goes easy 75mph (it takes a while to get there though) and is still solid
Can of coarse not be compared with a modern vehicle....

 

[fitzmooney]

My old girl with the setup below can easily get 150ks when overtaking.

 

[HemiAlex]

I've done 85 mph with my 2F/H55F/3.70 geared 60 series on flat ground. It wasn't scary at all.

 

[AirheadNut]

I broke 80mph in my first FJ62, stock with 31" tires. Felt fine on OME suspension and with reasonably tight steering. That said, simply maintaining speed is only one factor, the ability to stop or execute a quick maneuver to avoid something in the road is quite another and exactly where a 60 could be argued to definitely not be built for those speeds.

 

[hj 60]

My hj60 with 17 inch wheels does about:
85 Miles per Hour = 136 Kilometers per Hour
Everybody knows this is downhill, but even with trailer no problem and save, until not.

 

[roma042987]

Mine feels just fine at 90 mph. Which is where it was happy with 3.70s and 255 85 tires. I did regear ot recently to 4.10 because I have no desire to go that fast. If yours feels unsafe than it probably is and you have some alignment/suspension/steering issues.

 

[NCFJ]

Hi there
some inner thoughts
I have read a lot on (and have myself experienced) the fact that the 60 series is definety built for speed. Buy pushing it a love over 65mph, the car starts to be unstable. Isn't there for unsafe to drop a more powerful engine in it that would cause it to run faster than it was designed for?
Thanks

I have done quite a few swaps in my shop and have had only one customer that heavy interested in speed. Doing a swap in a 60 series is far more than simply to make it fast. Along with all that HP comes a huge increase in torque as well. This is a great benefit for the 60 series that we all know comes out of the hole like a sick turtle. Instead of having to thrash that OEM motor through the gears just to keep up with normal stop and go traffic you can simply roll into the throttle like that brand new Tahoe you are behind at the light. Reliability and a wrench in every town that knows the drive line does not hurt the consideration of a swap either.

The best reason I know of for a swap is to take said vehicle farther into the future than it may have gone continuing with the OEM power plant. Parts availability is also a huge player in reasoning for a swap. A minimum requirement when doing a swap should be to insure that the brakes and steering components are all in good working order. Lets face it, most of these old trucks have been neglected for a while. Rebuilding axles, brakes and steering systems, new suspension components all go a long way to tighten up a 60 series. It's just a Land Cruiser Resto Mod, it won't bite

 

[NCFJ]

Oh, PS

I do have an 80 in the shop getting a Whipple supercharger. Same customer I mentioned above.

 

[Mark W]

A Toyota diesel powered '60 over 70MPH? Gotta see it to believe it.

Seriously though, while the '60 was never intended to be a high speed highway king, if you have the grunt, or simply do not mind pushing your powerplant hard, your '60 should be perfectly comfortable and safe at 70-75mph. If it feels unstable... fix whatever ain't right.

As already mentioned, swapping in a more powerful engine (or modding what you have) is not really about increased speed. Rate of acceleration up to speed (merging in traffic for example), towing, getting up the hills and upgrades, big tires, deep mud... all of these work better with more power.


Mark...

 

[Mark W]

I remember at night a bit over a dozen years ago, somewhere in Alberta, sometime after midnight on the wrong side of a 2 lane highway with my SOA FJ62 on 36 inch Swampers. Pulling away from an FJ60 in the other lane. I was somewhere north of of 85 miles an hour when we decided we'd had enough of acting like stupid 16 year olds and backed off the Go (kinda) Fast pedal.

Oh yeah, just for the record, I spanked that '60. But, to be fair, I had a cam and compression and headers and he was stock as a rock.

What can I say? Redneck hot rod blood just never completely goes away.

Mark..

 

[mudgudgeon]

Isn't there for unsafe to drop a more powerful engine in it that would cause it to run faster than it was designed for?

It's your right foot, not the engine, that pushes any vehicle to an unsafe speed.