Builds BJ42 To UZJ42 Build thread, V8 Engine swap, 1UZ-FE, A343F, HF1A, Electronics, etc. (1 Viewer)

[YvesNL]

Great build!!! Following. Great ideas. Awesome.

if you are willing to part out the H55f shifter linkages and the original transmission cross member please let me know. I will be interested in purchasing them.

thanks!

At the moment I won't be selling the H55F, linkages or split case. But once the project is finished I will have to free up some room in the shop so I might.

Did a small job last night, made it an automatic!
I cut off the Lexus LS400 pedal and welded it to the BJ42 pedal. I also removed the clutch cylinder and pedal.

 

[YvesNL]

Had time to do some things, I started on putting in the brake lines and the load sensing proportioning valve.
I had some Stainless Steel brackets lasercut, put rivnuts in them and mounted the brake-lines to these brackets.
The brackets are mounted with an m8x30mm bolt and a 12mm spacer.

The top and bottom m6 holes will receive clamps for an AN6 fuel feed and return line:

I also started thinking about fuel starvation at the fuel pump. Cut out some cardboard and started measuring, this is the largest box I can fit in through the existing hole. I will use 2 baffles and some small holes (and maybe a hinge) to keep the fuel in.

 

[YvesNL]

Then I spent some time on the diff locker in the HF2A transfer case. I wanted the locker to function the same as in my Land Cruiser HDJ100: Push a toggle button to turn the locker on, push again to turn the locker off. I want the 4WD light to light up when the locker is turned on.

The locker motor has some traces that a wiper "wipes" over, this will provide the rotation direction for the motor. I didn't make a picture of this but I did draw it in my schematic below. You can find a picture of the traces and wiper in @UZJ40 's great build thread.

In the schematic above you can see a few parts, a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) relay, a toggle switch, some fuses, the locker motor and the wiper traces. The motor current flows through the wiper traces, when the trace stops, the motor stops. Once the switch is pushed the relay selects the other trace and switches motor polarity & trace to turn the other way.

If the motor is not in it's "open" position and power is applied it will always return to the "open" position when the switch is not pushed, and always return to the "locked" position when the switch is pushed, even when you turn off & on the ignition half way the process. If the relay coil fails the system will return to the "open" position.

Here is the setup, i used a current limited power supply to test the motor, you can see the current is very low in the video below this picture:

Here is a video of the working schematic:


I identified all the sensors of the HF2A out of a Land Cruiser 100, someone might need it:

I'll be using the 4WD switch to light up a light on the dash. It's simple, +12v to the sensor, sensor to light, light to ground. When the locker is engaged the light will turn on. I can do the same with the Low Range switch and the Neutral switch.

I thought about Dakota Digital gauges but have decided to keep the original instrument cluster.
I will be designing a PCB that provides all the correct signals to the meters, I'll use a PID controlled motor to spin the speedometer.

I want to recreate the original bezel for the tachometer and fit a (round) LCD behind the bezel. On the lcd I will display the tachometer in original style. It would also be possible to display engine temp, transmission temp, oil pressure, etc. Well... that's the plan, but all for later. Let's get the engine in first.

 

[Timberwlf]

Looking good. I really hope you don't regret using rivnuts over nutplates in the future. There's a reason rivnuts aren't used in the aviation world (except in very few circumstances). Once some corrosion sets in on the fastener, it very quickly overcomes the holding ability of the rivnut and spins the nut. Not a big deal in easily accessible areas, but for the confined spaces, it can turn the task of changing out a fuel pump into a nightmare.

Also for the oil tube, did you backpurge the stainless? If not you will have fragments (sugaring) that could break off and damage the pump/engine.

Looking forward to seeing this one complete. Love the use of the 3d printer and laser to bring modern solutions.

 

[YvesNL]

Never thought about the rivnuts coming loose, never had that happen to me, but it is a good point @Timberwlf .
I might just grab the tig welder and make spot welds on those rivnuts to make sure they stay in place.

The oil tube looks very nice like stainless in the pictures, but it is actually mild steel.

 

[cwwfj60]

Cool build @YvesNL , I've done this swap before and I have another one in the works soon for a 62.

If your working that hard on making the diff lock work in the t-case, I would assume your intending to run full-time 4wd?

Keep in mind, you have to rely on your front hubs to remain locked at all times, or install full time drive flanges. Otherwise when you put your trans in PARK it won't hold the vehicle.

Full-time 4wd is asking a lot from your front axle, driveline, etc. The Marks conversion spool is the way to go here, it will convert to 2wd, free up the front axle from extra wear, and reduce the load on the engine freeing up some power for you in 2wd.

Just my opinion, great project!

 

[YvesNL]

Hi @cwwfj60 Thanks for you input! Did you also swap over the automatic?

I was thinking on starting out with full time 4WD, I think it will give me good handling on (wet) road (but don't know about torque steer etc).
I know the front axle (and especially the axle shafts/birfields) is a weak point, I was thinking about installing Longfield or RCV axle shafts in the front (and rear) axle + installing full time drive flanges. Will this make it more usable in full time 4WD?

Another interesting think is the driveshafts. These need to me made to length, I thought about a normal one for the rear since the flanges line up.
In the front the flanges don't line up, but a driveshaft with a "double cardan"/CV joints on both ends to help with vibration right?

I've seen the Marks conversion spool you are talking about, nice product. With the spool I will still need the diff lock actuator to turn on 4WD, so there's no waste of time there. But another thing that comes to mind is my 100 series has quite some play in the driveline, not too bad but very noticable. I guess that I will have this in the UZJ42 as well. Having only RWD on the road will effectively half the play I will notice.

There is another option. I might be able to get a HF1A (part time) transfer case. It is shorter than the HF2A so it will give me a longer rear driveshaft, I also won't need the spool.

I really haven't made a choice here, more input is welcome.
Should I stay full-time 4WD or go part-time 4WD?

 

[cwwfj60]

I did use an auto, a343 from a 1999 100 series, it was a 2uz swap though, but similar enough for this conversation The truck I built was on a custom aqualu chassis and tub, and ended up being utilized for hunting duty but the full-time 4wd was left intact. I felt it robbed power that would be more welcome on the street than the all wheel drive stability provided, that was my opinion and I told myself the next one I built would be 2wd converted.

BUT, you clearly have a different climate your contending with, I don't mean to keep you from going down that path if the all wheel power is handy for your needs and driving conditions. Go for it, you could always convert later. Meanwhile aftermarket shaft upgrades and drive flanges are a smart addition.

HF1A would be the way to go if I were in your shoes and had one available

 

[YvesNL]

I've made some drawings for the fuel pump "bucket" / anti surge box and had it bend up last week. Welded it up and mounted fuel pump this weekend. The pump is held in place by a piece of rubber and stainless bands. I've also made a new topplate, only one passage for the positive pump wire, a welded stud for the negative.

Here you can see the electrical connections:

I used the pump wires from the old tank. I could not get a good crimp with my cheap ratcheting crimper & terminals at home so I crimped and soldered on the terminals. A good quality crimp would be better, but didn't had that at this moment, I did have a soldering iron.

I'm using a stainless steel bolt with petrol/E10 resistant laser cut rubber rings. The rings are 30mm in diameter, the stainless washer is 25mm in diameter. The two rings in the middle are 4mm total, the stainless plate only 2mm. The inner diameter is undersized, when tightened down it should provide a good seal.

You can see the connection below, note that this is not the 25mm stainless washer:

All the fuel needs to pass through a single hole, i used the same size as in the Lexus LS400 tank. The fuel return will come back into the "bucket" / anti surge box. You can also see that I placed two spotwelds on every rivnut, so that they won't spin if I ever need to replace the pump on the top of a mountain far from home.

Still haven't decided on full-time vs part-time 4WD, but I am searching for a HF1A. If I can find that I will go part time, otherwise I will just leave the HF2A full-time and can always convert later.

 

[YvesNL]

Look what I found:

It is a HF1A Part-time 4WD transfer case. It is out of a HDJ-80 with 170k km / 105k miles. So, the UZJ42 is going to be a Part-time 4WD.

 

[YvesNL]

I installed the Power steering box and attached the steering shaft with a universal joint:

I also reinstalled the brake booster & master cylinder. I used AN3 hose and stainless couplings to connect the master cylinder to the brake lines on the frame. I will also be using these to go to the axles.

It wasn't late after I had finished this so I pulled out all of the old wiring, I will redo everything with fresh wires, relays and a lot of fuses. At first I was going to cut pieces of the old harness but it might still have some value, it's nice and complete, there is only one modification for a 12v radio and that's it.

 

[YvesNL]

It's been a while since my last update, worked on the 100-series and went offroading for a few weeks with mates in France.
We did a lot of this:

Last weekend I almost finished the oil pan. I welded in the baffles:

I used some hinges to keep the oil in the chamber. The plate at the front is so that if I brake not all the oil moves forward and up into the engine.

The oil pan fits nicely, you can see the tube for the dipstick in the picture below:

The angled side is perfect:

I welded in a M18x1.5 stainless bung for a magnetic drain plug. In the picture above you can see the orientation, weld is below:

I still need to make two extra mounting points that attach to the bottom two holes of the bellhousing and paint the outside. I've also got a stainless steel plate that will cover the flexplate and torque converter. Hopefully that will keep the mud out.

 

[YvesNL]

I finished welding the oil pan, attached some nuts to use the bottom mounts on the bellhousing and painted the oil pan.
Primer and black paint:

I also lasercut a gasket for the top:

The oil pan is now finished and can be mounted onto the 1UZ. I hope soon after that I can put it in the Land Cruiser.

I also received my AN6 to 8mm adapters so I can mount the bulkheads to the fuel pump. The return line is routed to the bottom of the "anti surge box/bucket" and is held in place by a bit of bent stainless tig filler wire. The hoses and wires do not touch the stainless edges.

I also coated the parts of the fuel tank I welded on with a Petrol & Ethanol resistant coating (for use in fuel tanks). Now that this is done I can mount the fuel tank, fuel lines and after that, the 1UZ-FE, A343F & HF1A.

 

[White Stripe]

Radium engineering makes some nice fuel sender plate stud kits fyi.

 

[YvesNL]

@White Stripe That's good to know, they are quite cheap too. For now I made my own but I might just order some for projects in the future.

There's some more progress, I finished the fuel tank and put it in the UZJ42:

The wires will be sleeved for some better protection. The (positive and negative) terminals on the access panel also received some (glued) rubber caps to project them from debris, corrosion, etc. The screws in the access panel have some thread sealant that is petrol & ethanol resistant on them.

I routed the AN6 fuel lines along the Left / Drivers side frame rail in some nice stainless brackets:

One of the clips is still missing, I need a spacer for that one. I will create a mount for the fuel filter on the same framerail.

Next weekend I will strip the oil filter holder, lines etc off the 1UZ and put on the oil filter relocation kit I bought.
After that the engine (1UZ-FE), transmission (A343F) & transfer case (HF1A) can be dropped in place.

Once the engine is in I can:
- Measure for the custom driveshafts;
- Fit oil, fuel and coolant lines;
- Measure for new radiator, fan & shroud;
- Build new steering rods;
- Build stainless exhaust;
- All the other fun things I can think of;
- Cabling, cabling and some more cabling;
- Twice this list with things I forgot.

I also want to build my own tachometer. I've already received a bezel from a forum member and I'm having that 3D scanned.
I get some PM's from people wanting to buy a 3D printed bezel, that might just happen.

For myself I want to put a nice colour screen behind the bezel. On that screen the tachometer will be displayed in original style.
I also want to put some other sensor data on the display, things like transmission temp, oil pressure & temperature, water temp, inlet pressure, etc.
It's a long term project but several people are showing interest. I might just make a separate thread on this.

Any tips, comments and improvements are more than welcome.

 

[HighOctane]

Nice project! Subscribed.

 

[YvesNL]

This weekend I wanted to remove the stock oil filter holder and install the oil filter adapter plate that I got from Venom Automotive.

But... the adapter plate does not fit the 1UZ when a A/C compressor is mounted.
The block will fit when the A/C compressor is removed, but I want to add A/C.

I bought the version with two 1/8 NPT sensor holes. One of the holes is covered by the A/C compressor mount so is not usable.
I wanted to use the other sensor hole for the original oil pressure sensor, but this does not fit, the sensor hits the engine block:

The adapter block won't sit flush against the block, it hits the A/C compressor, I marked the positions where the parts interfere in red:

You can see a gap between engine block and the oil adapter, you can also see the sensor hole hiding behind the A/C compressor mount.

It is not mentioned on the product page of the seller above but I think it should be. It would be easy to change the design so everything will fit (maybe not the oil sensor). I'll take mine to a mate with a mill and he will address the two problem area's. I'll plug the sensor holes and place those somewhere else.

I you are looking to mount your 1UZ-FE's oil filter in a remote location you can find other vendors with similar products that will fit with the A/C compressor mounted.

 

[YvesNL]

I had a mate modify the oil adapter block, it should fit now:

I also modified the crossmember, I added some tabs for skid plates and some side mounting tabs for strength.
Here I was tacking the side mounting tabs while the crossmember was bolted to the frame:

Tried my best to produce some nice TIG welds:

Mounting tabs for skidplates (8x), 6mm lasercut steel with M10 tapped threads:

I got the paint off the crossmember and sprayed it in primer again:

A few coats of black and it will be done.

I've received a polyurethane body mount kit and will be replacing those as well.

 

[waiting for time]

Nice job, looks stout.

 

[YvesNL]

Yesterday I turned my attention to the transmissions. As far as I know I have two types of transmissions. I took an A342E out of the Lexus LS400 (1995) with the 1UZ engine and bought an A343F from a UZJ100 that had a 2UZ engine. I want to use the 1UZ ECU to shift the A343F out of the UZJ100 but there are some challenges.

In the Lexus LS400 (1UZ & A342E combo) the following valves are controlled by the ECU:
- S1 Solenoid valve for shifting gears;
- S2 Solenoid valve for shifting gears;
- SL Solenoid for locking torque converter;
- Accumulator piston assembly, this solenoid "controls" the accumulator (back pressure?) for smooth shifting.

There was also a mechanical valve controlled by a cable. This cable is connected to the throttle and mechanically controls Line Pressure in the transmission.

In the Land Cruiser UZJ100 (2UZ & A343F combo) the following valves are controlled by the ECU:
- S1 Solenoid valve for shifting gears;
- S2 Solenoid valve for shifting gears;
- SL Solenoid for locking torque converter;
- SLT Line pressure solenoid for controlling line pressure.

There is no mechanical cable action here. As far as I know the more current flows through the line pressure solenoid valve the lower the line pressure is. It might be the other way round, I based this on the following chart:

So, how will I connect the A343F to the 1UZ ECU?
- S1 will go to S1 & S2 to S2, that's the simple part.
- the SL will connect to SL. The solenoid valve looks different and I read somewhere that the solenoid valve is driven by PWM lower that 100%. I'll have to look that up or measure it when everything is installed in the Cruiser.
- The wires from the ECU to the Accumulator piston assembly will be left loose since the A343F does not have this solenoid valve. The ECU might throw a code, then I will have to connect a resistor to these wires to "simulate" the valve. Does anyone know how the A343F handles this accumulator (back)pressure?

Then the hard part comes. The A342E had a throttle cable that regulated the line pressure. More throttle means more line pressure. I want to drive the Line Pressure solenoid the same way.

I'll install a TPS (throttle position sensor) and read the throttle position with a microcontroller. Then the microcontroller will drive the Line pressure solenoid valve with 100-30% (of something like that) PWM. I can control the line pressure proportional to throttle position.

This is just the plan, if someone sees something wrong with this or has any tips please let me know.

I'll post some pics of the Solenoid valves of both transmission and the pinout of the solenoid connectors.
Let's start with the A342E that came out of the Lexus LS400. In the picture below you can see the solenoids. I added the function of the solenoid & the wire colour:

And here is the pinout of the solenoid valve connector:

The A343F looks very different, you can see the valve body below. I added the function of the solenoid & the wire colour:

And here is the pinout of the solenoid valve connector:

Edit 27 October 2020: changes in pictures of A342E.