Buying 40 - which engine

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djanis99

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Mar 31, 2004
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Looking to buy a super clean fj-40 and trying to decide if I should go with a v8 or the 2f engine. Previously I had a couple of 80s and a 62... 3fe engine. I live in Boulder, co which is 5,500 feet above sea level and could hardly get my 80 up the hills to go skiing or hiking. I imagine the fj-40 will weigh a bit less, the 2f is really easy to work on.

Should I go with a v8 or stick with a stock engine? Appreciate any input you all have.
 
djanis99 said:
Looking to buy a super clean fj-40 and trying to decide if I should go with a v8 or the 2f engine. Previously I had a couple of 80s and a 62... 3fe engine. I live in Boulder, co which is 5,500 feet above sea level and could hardly get my 80 up the hills to go skiing or hiking. I imagine the fj-40 will weigh a bit less, the 2f is really easy to work on.

Should I go with a v8 or stick with a stock engine? Appreciate any input you all have.
Click to expand...

A lot of times the issues at elevation stem from your carburetor jets and things running richer as the air gets thicker. Switching to fuel injection on either engine would probably go a long way toward helping with that problem. Seems to be a big contingent moving to Sniper injectors lately.

As for V8 vs 2F - that’s a whole can of worms. If you’re looking for a “super clean” “FJ40” then there’s a lot of folks who would reject a V8 swapped truck because it isn’t stock enough.

If you’re spending a lot of money on an already restored vehicle just be aware that the V8 will hurt the resale value, should you ever decide to part with it. An older V8 is also LOUD when you have no insulation between you and the engine bay. Then again - if you’re looking for quiet/comfortable on your way up the mountain an FJ40 should be at the bottom of your list to begin with!

All that being said - I have a carbureted V8 (Gen 1 350) in my truck and an very happy with it. I can keep up with traffic, it gives me some extra leg in the gearing on-road and makes interstate driving slightly less terrifying. It certainly has more “guts” to pull the rig up the mountain if that is your only concern - but again, I think fuel injection (or finding a rig with a modern LS-V8) would be a good move in your case. I don’t have to deal with big elevation changes on the east coast...

Just understand that there are trade-offs to a V8 conversion. I like the power for sure, but it’s louder, hotter (in the cab), and harder to keep the engine cool. You want to make sure whoever did the conversion knew what they were doing and put the engine in the right place and installed a big enough radiator/fan setup to keep things cool when you’re heading up the long uphills. To me a good V8 conversion makes these trucks much more road-friendly, but a bad V8 conversion creates a plague of frustrating issues all along the driveline. Just because the truck LOOKS pretty doesn’t mean it was done right.
 
Thanks Rick! Never thought about the extra heat or noise... I was starting to pick up the resale value quandary as I am looking for a super clean truck and noticed that the v8s take a hit on price.

I wish there was a way to add a turbo or supercharger to the 2f. Forced induction solves the altitude problem. I'll definitely research the Fuel injection too
 
As a note, I live around 9000 ft. You need to look at what you are wanting to use the truck for. The 2f is a dog in higher elevation, even fuel injected. If you are planning on daily driving this, taking it over passes, and hauling the family around with it, you should probably see if you can drive someone's rig with a 2f. It will probably drive a lot like your 80. They really lack power and are hard to push up hills. I always have run a v8 because I like having good power if I need it. You can drive up here with a 2f, but don't expect to be going anywhere super fast, especially if the engine is pretty worn. If you are just wanting a wheeling rig, the 2f is fine up here in low. The gearing is enough that it feels like it has power, and it will take you most places you want to go.

The heat and noise that a v8 gives can be moderated pretty well, and it should have been done if the rig was restored right, but do be careful of the v8 hacks that people do. They will usually hide a lot of problems and will show the quality of work that the PO did.

I would personally choose a v8, as they do add to the driveability of the rig, and that is what I do. I don't have a purist show rig, just because it is not very practical up here. I would talk to @cbmontgo , as he drives a carbed 2f up here with me.
 
As with everything, "it depends". My biggest trepidation would be who did the V8 conversion. is the welding good, what "kit" was used, is it stick or automatic, who modded the driveshafts. Then the big ones Wiring and Cooling. I have seen high $$$ shops do a s*** job and a shade tree guy do amazing work and visa versa. Look carefully take a real Cruiser head with you to look at the truck and be sure it is what you think it is. my $.02

Dyno
 
Thank you Danger Noodle! I would be driving around town mostly, have a nice daily driver that would take skiing or family to mountains. Have flashbacks driving up I-70 with the pedal to the floor doing 45 mph. The 3fe was fuel injected so should have compensated the fuel mixture for altitude.

Only time I would be driving up the hill would be to do some wheeling and once there, your right, plenty of torque in a 2f
 
I can't speak to the V8 but am more of the purist. Up here in Steamboat I think the 2f does fine without any issues. Like you I have driven a 62 series up Eisenhower and it was slow, slow, slow. However just cruising around town and in the hills or trails up here around the boat I never had any issues. It's a trade off for sure. I personally never consider a cruiser with a swap but there is nothing wrong with those that have it. The 2F is just bullet proof and after 10 + years of ownership with several having the 2 F I can't recall ever having a significant mechanical issue.
Cheers and post up what your planning on buying!!
 
The biggest problem with 40s is what POs have done. The more work they’ve done the greater the possibility of problems. :D
X10 on how well the conversion was done. I’d recommend finding an online copy of Advance Adapter’s SBC conversion manual (and/or Downey’s) and reading through it.

Noise from a 350 isn’t a given. I’ve got Ram Horn manifolds, single exhaust, and a Walker QuietFlow SS muffler. I could drive through a cemetery without disturbing the dead or the living visiting them... if it weren’t for all the gear noise. The stock SBC air cleaner muffled the intake noise, but I found it also suffocated it. With the open element air cleaner it’s still quiet until the secondaries open up... even then the intake noise is louder than the exhaust. When building the exhaust I found that the length of tailpipe after the muffler also impacted the volume.

If the exhaust doesn’t dump behind the rear wheel, you’ll likely suck fumes into the passenger compartment if you have the roof off. Out the rear will come back for you to breathe.

I personally, in 25 years, haven’t locally seen a V8 swap for sale that I’d not tell you to run away from. More are poorly done and 1/2 assed than done right and those that are done well are seldom for sale.
 
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You probably need to drive one of each. I prefer the V8, I yanked out the 6cyldr back in the early 80's. I like the throttle response, acceleration and added power of the V8. As others have said the quality of the V8 conversion is very important. I can see where folks may not like the added heat, to me its not an issue, but I don't like running a top in the summer anyways. I don't understand the noise comment though. That's something that is determined by the exhaust that is installed. Headers are noisy and the need to be tightened up often and the gaskets usually need to be replaced. I run stk GM ramshorns manifolds and a single exhaust and sneak up on deer all the time with my trail 40 and is maintenance free. My street 40 runs the same manifolds and runs the stk type FJ40 muffler and is very quite. You can tell it has a V8, but it is no louder than a 6 cylder. As for under the hood noise, I would say the 2f is louder with its clacking of valve lash. The resale value comment about V8's is sort of moot if you purchase a 40 at a discount because of the V8. I believe its value will still go up too, unless something catastropic happens to it. You'll pay a premium for stk 40 when you buy it and hopefully receive a premium when you sell it.
 
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Found this one, super clean - nothing was left untouched. Looks like a brand new car on the show room floor. Missing a top is my only hesitation... Side pipes are very loud and would probably get mufflers.
 
My 40 with a 3FE and H55 runs super strong. It feels way more powerful than any 2F 40 that I have driven.
 
DangerNoodle said:
As a note, I live around 9000 ft. You need to look at what you are wanting to use the truck for. The 2f is a dog in higher elevation, even fuel injected. If you are planning on daily driving this, taking it over passes, and hauling the family around with it, you should probably see if you can drive someone's rig with a 2f. It will probably drive a lot like your 80. They really lack power and are hard to push up hills. I always have run a v8 because I like having good power if I need it. You can drive up here with a 2f, but don't expect to be going anywhere super fast, especially if the engine is pretty worn. If you are just wanting a wheeling rig, the 2f is fine up here in low. The gearing is enough that it feels like it has power, and it will take you most places you want to go.

The heat and noise that a v8 gives can be moderated pretty well, and it should have been done if the rig was restored right, but do be careful of the v8 hacks that people do. They will usually hide a lot of problems and will show the quality of work that the PO did.

I would personally choose a v8, as they do add to the driveability of the rig, and that is what I do. I don't have a purist show rig, just because it is not very practical up here. I would talk to @cbmontgo , as he drives a carbed 2f up here with me.
Click to expand...

Listen to this guy...."He knows what he's talking about, concerning a recently rebuilt strong running 2F with a Sniper near sea level, but at altitude, a dog."

Let me clarify my statement above. I've set my rig up to travel on the road and light off road for my area in North, GA (968'). That said, I removed the 4.11's in favor of a set of 3.70's and I have 32" tires.....So, if I had left the 4.11's in, it would have helped a bit with the gearing. None the less, once it was in 4L, the 2F's torque made it to the ground and climbed Imogene (13,114').
 
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I guess I should qualify the noise statement since I seem to be catching some heat from the other V8 guys.

I did my V8 conversion and I’m confident that I did it “right” because I pulled out one that was done “wrong” and fixed it. Ironically - the “right” way and the “wrong” way both acted, drove, and sounded exactly the same - the right way just looked prettier and the welds are way better now 😜.

MY V8 conversion is loud - I have no idea what muffler the shop put on but it’s throaty - it sounds great outside the truck but after 2 hours on an interstate I just want it to stop...I kind of wish I’d gone with something quieter. I also have a huge 18” rigid, belt driven fan (no clutch, always spins at engine RPM) for cooling, and an open element air filter.

The heat thing is because most V8’s get installed with the heads about 3” from the firewall for driveline fitment - if using a stock Toyota transmission, and the exhaust wants to route right under your feet because the transfer case drops to the passenger side. There are ways around all this but it’s the path of least resistance.

All that said - no regrets - I love a stock 40 with a 2F but from a drivability standpoint I love the V8. If I’d had the money - I would have gone to a LS but the Gen 1 was so cheap I couldn’t resist. I also like V8’s because local parts stores generally still carry all the stuff to fix something when it breaks.
 
Buy it with a 2F engine, slowly suffering and enjoying it with a smile on your face
 
Naturally the best solution is one of each - a V8 for ski trip/mountain climbing days, and a 2F for around town.
 
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