84 FJ60 Resto,

[SKINNER]

107 day bump.


Bet's start out at 1/8" of dust?

1/8" . . . come on man, I have a cover on it at least. LOL!

Yes, I am a total failure, I haven't worked on the truck in quite some time.
I do have an entire list of excuses, but none that you guys will want to hear.

Good news is - 1) The 1UZ is in, and I have started working on mounts for the trans/t-case & 2) I am in the process of lining up an appointment with a local body shop to go back through & repaint the 60. Truth is, I haven't been happy with how the clear turned out since it was completed and as a result my perfectionist "wiring" has kept me away from the truck. Bad trait, but it is what it is.

I will be out of the country again (6th trip this year) from 8/24 - 11/10. So, plan is to have everything buttoned up & ready to be dropped at the body shop by the end of August.

Wish me luck.

 

[Pacer]

Damn "wiring"!
Probably why Toyota keeps you so busy....

It's been an educational and entertaining ride Skinner, we're looking forward to seeing if the bodyshop can do it justice.
Excellent work, good luck.

Cheers,

 

[HJ60Kiwi]

Off-topic post, but I figured you guys would enjoy...

Wowww im jealous. I am digging the wheels they are using on several of the rigs, are those the old standard 40 series rims that you can still buy new?

 

[SKINNER]

Got a chance to put some time in on the 60 today - got the engine mounts done for the 1UZ. My goal was to get the 1UZ mounted without having to modify any of the factory accessories, exhaust, etc. I also wanted to keep the trans & t-case high enough to allow a flat pan skid to be run. It was a tight squeeze - but it all fit.

Next step is to get the trans back out & torn apart - I have to swap the 2WD tail shaft housing out with the AW4 housing & output shaft so that I can get the Dana 300 mounted up.

 

[Joe_E]

That thing is gonna be sweet with power.

 

[lndcruz]

bad ass

 

[SKINNER]

Got a few minutes in on the 60. Got the A341E tailshaft housing pulled & the AW4 temporarily installed - fits perfect:

Pic comparing the 2 output shafts:

Test fit of the AW4 output shaft to the Dana 300. No issues here - ordered the clocking ring last night:

 

[SKINNER]

Got some more work done the past few days - forgot to take pics. Here is an update:

Donor Dana 300 case torn down & rebuild kit ordered. Internals looked great, probably no need for rebuild. Guess it's too late now. . .

Took the opportunity of having an empty clean case to do some mock up:

Not an exact representation as the clocking ring hasn't shown up yet (7/8"), but still looks to have just enough clearance - was a gamble on this one; looks like I may have gotten lucky:

Clearance to floor x-member, tape is pulled from top of each flange; may have to clearance this one depending on suspension travel/articulation (still calculating whether or not I need to swap rear diffs):

And, just a teaser pic, but it looks like I'll have no trouble running the case flat enough to clear the bottom of the frame rail. Should look slick having a flat belly skid on the 60 ;p:

 

[Pacer]

Maybe I missed it, maybe it's been too long, but why are you abandoning the cruiser TCase?
And, are you saying that the output shaft of your Aisin AW4 slips right into a Dana 300 TCase?
Is this a Jeep/Aisin application?

A flat belly on a 60 really would be something, seems I've high centered on that damn cross member skid more times than I care to admit...
Cheers to one of the cleanest, most bitchin builds ever!

-amc

 

[Mikesta]

Really nice seeing you move forward on this thing. Skinner, are you ever going to wheel this piece? Its so straight and nice and you put so much time into it. The first dent will be painful.

 

[ndoak]

......................

 

[SKINNER]

Maybe I missed it, maybe it's been too long, but why are you abandoning the cruiser TCase?
And, are you saying that the output shaft of your Aisin AW4 slips right into a Dana 300 TCase?
Is this a Jeep/Aisin application?

A flat belly on a 60 really would be something, seems I've high centered on that damn cross member skid more times than I care to admit...
Cheers to one of the cleanest, most bitchin builds ever!

-amc

AMC - I abandoned the cruiser TCase because I couldn't find any easy way to use it; with it being a split case it's "adaptability" was poor. Not to say it couldn't be done; just all the options I found were pricey. On top of that, the 300 is a killer case - compact, strong, and easy to modify/adapt.

As for the AW4 output shaft; the spline count is identical, and all my research shows it will mate perfectly with the 300 when a 7/8" space is used. We'll see in a few days.
The AW4 & A341E transmissions (& a number of others) are all built on the same Aisin "platform". It just so happens that Jeep used the Aisin trans in the Cherokee in the 90's w/ the same spline count as the Dana 300. Pretty good news if you're wanting to swap a Lexus drivetrain into an early Toyota . . . LOL

It does look like some minor maching may have to be done on the AW4 shaft to allow for the tailshaft / speed sensors to operate correctly. I'm waiting on the trans rebuild kit to arrive before I take the A341E apart.

 

[SKINNER]

Really nice seeing you move forward on this thing. Skinner, are you ever going to wheel this piece? Its so straight and nice and you put so much time into it. The first dent will be painful.

Mikesta - The plan is for it to be my daily driver & weekend warrior. Having said that, weekend outings in Southern Indiana are not what they used to be when we lived in Phoenix (Florence Junction) & Utah (Moab).
I think it's duty will be limited to light wheeling, fire roads, & camping duty.

 

[SKINNER]

Clocking ring came in last night:

T-Case back in & "mock clocked"

View from the rear axle flange:

Unfortunately I've had repair jobs tying up my lift, so it's creeper labor for the 60. . .

 

[SKINNER]

Some more parts arrived this week:

- Picked up a new radiator for the 60 from a Lexus LS - figure I might as well use the same cooling system. Looks like I'll have to fab a few small air dams to direct air through the core support as the radiator is roughly 3.5" wider than the opening.

- Also picked up a transmission rebuild kit for the A341E, a rebuild kit for the Dana 300, a new starter, timing belt, hoses, etc:

Spent tonight getting body panels back on the 60 & getting them fitted. Next week it's off to the body shop for it's new paint job. Then come Friday I'll be out of the country for 11 weeks. Looking forward to coming back & getting this beast finished:

 

[ashack2004]

Nice build dude, I think the Toyota V8 Swap is awesome.

 

[bluehawk]

Where did you find your rear 1/4's ? When you did find some one that had some, did they just cut them for you or did you tell them how you wanted them cut? Looking at getting some for my rebuild and yours looks great. Keep up the good work.

 

[gregnash]

Hope you are coming back soon as this build is rad! Love those JDMs that you posted and cant wait to see this thing going with that v8.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Have you put any thought into how to connect the speedometer cable to your d300?

 

[ashack2004]

Awesome Rig dude!