- Thread starter
- #301
Good point. Checked the glovebox too and it just seems too dark. Going to see if I can get the fuel door matched instead.
Build Bluebonnet - 5.3/H55 FJ40
- Thread starter SipLife
- Start date
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Good point. Checked the glovebox too and it just seems too dark. Going to see if I can get the fuel door matched instead.
Good work, as usual Liam! I do believe that is the incorrect color for your door. If you will give the inside of that backup light a little tlc and a shot of bright silver paint that light will be 100% brighter.
- Thread starter
- #303
Thanks for the tip Micheal. It’s already pretty bright with the LED bulb in there but it couldn’t hurt to make it a bit brighter to get the attention of those TX drivers that still speed by me as I’m pulling out
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Liam, I found the same thing using the Capri touch up paint, definitely thinking horizontal blue in 73. Trying to rebuild my back up lamp as well. Nice job!
- Thread starter
- #305
Looks like we have twins. Very jealous of the tan soft top on your rig though, way cool. I was able to find a photo of a restored horizontal blue rig on here. Seems to be closer to my rig and has a bit less grey in it than Capri.
- Thread starter
- #306
Put the 8274 to work today. Stripping the s10 frame for my 3100 build. 6.5 HP motor is a workhorse, pulls hard as long as I can keep the 40 anchored.
Sweet. Looks like the Elf Barn needs a forklift!
Yeah, why fight gravity? 
- Thread starter
- #309
Yeah, why fight gravity?
We’ve got one, ground is too soft in the backyard for the forklift. Plus this way is more fun
A suggestion for safety sake: use a section of chain with that synthetic winch rope.
firemanj92
SILVER Star
Slightly the same horse AWHP as the 2.8l that came in that S10. lol
Shoot, that hot rod probably had the Iron Duke
- Thread starter
- #313
The 2.8l v6 in these things had less hp than the mighty 2f lol. The whole car is so cheaply made, can’t believe people invest money into LS swapping them. Could be a fun drag strip rig though.
firemanj92
SILVER Star
I've done a few S10/15 conversions but mainly the 305 back in the day for myself and friends. If I recall, 2.8L 60 degree V6 was around 73 AWHP and 115-125 at the crank with the air cleaner lid flipped.
It's too bad GM rushed the S10/S15 and didn't start with the 4.3 Vortec. But I did get 433K miles out of mine.. I digress.
- Thread starter
- #315
Figured I’d post an update on the swap since I’ve put a few hundred miles on it so far:
The Holley Terminator X system is doing its job. Besides the minor screen issue I’ve had no problems. Would not really call it a “self-tuning” ecu though, seems like a bad marketing idea from Holley imo. My AFRs and idle ramp settings definitely need some adjustments from what I have seen so far. The tuning software seems fairly user friendly and I will be diving into that shortly. Truck runs and operates just fine without it though.
I daily drove my dads stock 76’ 2f 4 speed 40 for awhile while I was in high school. Maxed out at about 65 mph. I live in the DFW area where you do lots of highway driving so I had to resort to taking the backroads to most places. Not anymore. I drive this 40 every day and cruise at 80 mph comfortably on the highway. Seem to be getting around 12.1 mpg while flogging it too. Pretty happy with that.
I will say the 5 speed is completely unnecessary for this setup. Around town I’m always typically in 4th gear and only get up to 5th on the highway. If I were to do this again I’d probably just use a 4 speed but the 5 speed is what I had on hand. Also the LS likes to rev and currently if I’m cruising at 80 mph in 5th gear I’m at roughly 2900 rpm. So getting the revs up a little bit more in 4th wouldn’t be a bad thing. Not too worried about it though cause I can always regear if I wanted to. I do also like the 3-speed 350 setup in @Cowboy45 ’s 40 for around town. Less gear rowing involved in traffic and when getting up to cruising speed.
Cooling system is fantastic, so glad I went with a mechanical fan from the get go. Hottest temps have ever got over the TX summer is 206 degrees and I’ve heard the safe operation threshold is around 210-215 degrees. Most normal days it runs around 200.
Brakes are great as well. Have the fj60 disks upfront and larger 70 series drums in the rear and running a T100 booster. Best brakes I’ve ever had on a 40 series and I haven’t even upgraded to the 4th gen 4 runner calipers and rotors yet. Can definitely tell the rear brakes are locking up better after the parking brake install too. Seems to have tightened up the drum adjustment.
Steering is dialed in. After the last toe in/out adjustment and steering damper install the rig tracks straight as an arrow. Before the damper install the steering was a bit over-responsive and the new Monroe unit seems to have solved that issue. Definitely won’t run without one again. The fj60 power steering setup does the job and slop seems to be within accepted tolerances now.
As far as the noise level I am very impressed. Obviously 40s will always be noisy to some degree that’s just the nature of the vehicle. Also keep in mind I have 0 sound deadening and no door seals in my truck right now. As far as the engine is concerned it’s very quiet. In fact the loudest thing right now is that darn Walbro fuel pump. Need to get it swapped out for a 80/100 Denso unit. My brothers 350 truck screams like a banshee at higher rpms but this setup is very tame. I’m sure some of the credit is owed to the vibrant resonator as well. I also have no heat barrier material of any kind and my feet near the floorboards always remain cool to the touch.
I feel like most swap threads keep out the most important deciding factor for some, cost. I’ve put together a spreadsheet. Engine and Transmission combo including adapters and small bits costed around $4200. Total install cost (Engine, Transmission, Fuel System, Exhaust, Holley Terminator Engine management) set me back $7300. Keep in mind I could’ve kept costs down by doing the wiring and stock ecu ($1500) bringing it down to the $5800 range. With a few more smarter purchases you could be well into the whole swap at the 5k mark.
I’ve heard a few comments on safety concern so I figured I’d touch base on that. I’m sure many fathers would argue that no teen should have access to this much horsepower. I’m not going to argue with that, how you decide to parent is up to you. I can however say that I don’t fall under that typical teen category. I don’t go around driving this rig at obscene speeds everywhere and am well acquainted with how my vehicle behaves as well as it’s limits. @ceylonfj40nut wouldn’t trust his kids driving V8 powered cruisers if he didn’t think they could handle it. And as much as I hate the idea of cutting my clean floors I have decided this truck will be getting a full roll cage tied into the frame as an added safety measure in the event of an accident.
TLDR; Very happy with the swap. Completely altered the drivability and daily use of this rig.
The Holley Terminator X system is doing its job. Besides the minor screen issue I’ve had no problems. Would not really call it a “self-tuning” ecu though, seems like a bad marketing idea from Holley imo. My AFRs and idle ramp settings definitely need some adjustments from what I have seen so far. The tuning software seems fairly user friendly and I will be diving into that shortly. Truck runs and operates just fine without it though.
I daily drove my dads stock 76’ 2f 4 speed 40 for awhile while I was in high school. Maxed out at about 65 mph. I live in the DFW area where you do lots of highway driving so I had to resort to taking the backroads to most places. Not anymore. I drive this 40 every day and cruise at 80 mph comfortably on the highway. Seem to be getting around 12.1 mpg while flogging it too. Pretty happy with that.
I will say the 5 speed is completely unnecessary for this setup. Around town I’m always typically in 4th gear and only get up to 5th on the highway. If I were to do this again I’d probably just use a 4 speed but the 5 speed is what I had on hand. Also the LS likes to rev and currently if I’m cruising at 80 mph in 5th gear I’m at roughly 2900 rpm. So getting the revs up a little bit more in 4th wouldn’t be a bad thing. Not too worried about it though cause I can always regear if I wanted to. I do also like the 3-speed 350 setup in @Cowboy45 ’s 40 for around town. Less gear rowing involved in traffic and when getting up to cruising speed.
Cooling system is fantastic, so glad I went with a mechanical fan from the get go. Hottest temps have ever got over the TX summer is 206 degrees and I’ve heard the safe operation threshold is around 210-215 degrees. Most normal days it runs around 200.
Brakes are great as well. Have the fj60 disks upfront and larger 70 series drums in the rear and running a T100 booster. Best brakes I’ve ever had on a 40 series and I haven’t even upgraded to the 4th gen 4 runner calipers and rotors yet. Can definitely tell the rear brakes are locking up better after the parking brake install too. Seems to have tightened up the drum adjustment.
Steering is dialed in. After the last toe in/out adjustment and steering damper install the rig tracks straight as an arrow. Before the damper install the steering was a bit over-responsive and the new Monroe unit seems to have solved that issue. Definitely won’t run without one again. The fj60 power steering setup does the job and slop seems to be within accepted tolerances now.
As far as the noise level I am very impressed. Obviously 40s will always be noisy to some degree that’s just the nature of the vehicle. Also keep in mind I have 0 sound deadening and no door seals in my truck right now. As far as the engine is concerned it’s very quiet. In fact the loudest thing right now is that darn Walbro fuel pump. Need to get it swapped out for a 80/100 Denso unit. My brothers 350 truck screams like a banshee at higher rpms but this setup is very tame. I’m sure some of the credit is owed to the vibrant resonator as well. I also have no heat barrier material of any kind and my feet near the floorboards always remain cool to the touch.
I feel like most swap threads keep out the most important deciding factor for some, cost. I’ve put together a spreadsheet. Engine and Transmission combo including adapters and small bits costed around $4200. Total install cost (Engine, Transmission, Fuel System, Exhaust, Holley Terminator Engine management) set me back $7300. Keep in mind I could’ve kept costs down by doing the wiring and stock ecu ($1500) bringing it down to the $5800 range. With a few more smarter purchases you could be well into the whole swap at the 5k mark.
I’ve heard a few comments on safety concern so I figured I’d touch base on that. I’m sure many fathers would argue that no teen should have access to this much horsepower. I’m not going to argue with that, how you decide to parent is up to you. I can however say that I don’t fall under that typical teen category. I don’t go around driving this rig at obscene speeds everywhere and am well acquainted with how my vehicle behaves as well as it’s limits. @ceylonfj40nut wouldn’t trust his kids driving V8 powered cruisers if he didn’t think they could handle it. And as much as I hate the idea of cutting my clean floors I have decided this truck will be getting a full roll cage tied into the frame as an added safety measure in the event of an accident.
TLDR; Very happy with the swap. Completely altered the drivability and daily use of this rig.
I’m curious how it acts in a panic stop situation? Recently had a close call with a clients ‘82 and it was sketchy at best.
It puts you through the windshield.
- Thread starter
- #318
Yep what my dad said. Have done a couple stop tests up to around 75 mph on the road in front of my house. Locks up hard every time.
If I were doing a client rig and updating the whole system I would go with 80 series non-abs master and booster and some 4th gen 4Runner rotors, calipers, and pads. We did this on a client’s 60 recently and he commented that it stopped better than his Mercedes S Class.
Liam please wear your seatbelt!!
...because it sounds like your brakes are really really good.
...because it sounds like your brakes are really really good.
Liam you have done an excellent job on your 40! Enjoy the fruits of your labor young man!! (I think you‘ve done your daddy proud 
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