Calling all past and present V8 FJ60 owners

[marcfj60]

My dad has a friend with a 60 who lost all the oil and seized the 2F. He's got some decisions to make whether to put another 2F, do a Chevy V8 conversion or sell the truck as is. I'd like to know if any past or current 60 owners with V8 conversions would recommend doing it again. Did you do it yourself or have someone else do it? He's not an enthusiast like most of us are so he's not infatuated with Land Cruisers. He doesn't have any real attachment to the truck.

My suggestion was to post it for sale on MUD with a seized motor. It has low miles for a 20-year-old truck (165K) and no rust so it might be worth a little to someone who was thinking about buying one and putting a Chevy V8 or a Cummins 4BT in it.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

A clean, straight, rust free 60 would be an IDEAL candidate for a 1HZ. Seriously, if my plate wasn't full already with projects to last me the next decade or so, I'd be knocking on your door to find out more right now.

After spending 1000+ miles in my brother's FJ-62 recently, the series has grown on me, and with a diesel in it.....

Sorry I can't help with the V8 question. V8s are silly. Inline 6 cylinder diesels are teh win!

Dan

 

[2manycruisers]

If he's not in love with the truck, he should take his licks and sell it as-is or find a used 2F and drop it in to keep it. V8 60s are great, but not worth the hassle if you aren't an enthusiast.

 

[juane]

I loved my V8 60 and dream of a Vortec in my 80.
But then, I'm just a silly guy.
Totally agree with David about being an enthusiast - for any kind of engine swap other than OEM.

juane

 

[juane]

By the way, sounds like my old V8- 60 is still going strong. Just got a message from the latest owner. A guy in Michigan.

 

[marcfj60]

I've gotten about the same responses as I expected over in the 60-series Tech Section. Find a cheap running 60 and swap that motor into the truck or try to sell it with a bad motor.

Interestingly, they also diagnosed why the engine lost all its oil. There is a pressed in plug in the head above spark plug #5 that is known to work its way loose. This plug is in a hole that was used to drill an oil galley. If that plug comes out, you loose most of your oil very quickly since there is high pressure oil directly behind it. Because the 60-series has an oil pressure gauge, but not an idiot light, you don't always notice there's a problem until it's too late. I'm embarrassed to say that I never heard of this common failure, despite owning a 60 for 5 years. I didn't read every item in the FAQ section apparently.

 

[sirenmoses]

Marc: I only learned about the oil gally plug this spring as well, when I was pondering tween the 2 60's. Dobermobile has had the fix done, and Robby took care of the DMII -- didn't sound like it took long at all.

Curious to see which way your pops friend goes, especially with those used motors available in CO.

 

[pappy]

Interestingly, they also diagnosed why the engine lost all its oil. There is a pressed in plug in the head above spark plug #5 that is known to work its way loose. This plug is in a hole that was used to drill an oil galley. If that plug comes out, you loose most of your oil very quickly since there is high pressure oil directly behind it.

Not just 60's, but all 2Fs and 3Fs, and probably even the old Fs. When I had my engine rebuilt I told Tim to go ahead and fix the head, just in case. I never, ever, wanted to worry about that plug coming out. He was a historic FJ40 owner and he knew about the plug fix.

 

[Cruisergreg]

As a currrent silly V8J60 owner, I would do it again without hesitation. I have an affinity for the 60 series so wanting to keep it in the family would be a factor. A V8 swap in a 60 is almost plug&play and really wakes up the truck, making it actually useful and fun. I haven't caught diesel bug so I couldn't see enough benefit to justify the extra expense and compli9cation of a diesel over an SBC. V8s may be silly but diesels are noisy and stinky.

 

[evanz80]

... but diesels are noisy and stinky.

You forgot TORQUEY!

 

[Ruadhrigh]

Marc,

If they opt for the 2F replacement let me know. I know where a recently running 2F is collecting dust.

 

[pappy]

I loved my V8 60 -- juane

As a currrent silly V8J60 owner, I would do it again without hesitation.

If you look at it I would really study the V8 conversion. I've seen some scary hack jobs. I've also seen some super sweet and clean installs.

These two were probably the cleanest installs I've seen. Two different ways of doing it, but both done right. Juane paid for his. Greg did his.

 

[SteveLCetc]

Speaking of Michigan...

Went to Wendy's aunt's in Detroit. Guess what was down the street? Pics to follow.

 

[Thorton Melon]

By the way, sounds like my old V8- 60 is still going strong. Just got a message from the latest owner. A guy in Michigan.

Yep your old FJ60 V8 is still running great. I could not be happier with a GM 5.7 TBI powered mated to a NV4500 FJ 60, nice low speed power for creeping around in Michigan yet will cruise 75-80 on the expressway.

Speaking of Michigan...

Went to Wendy's aunt's in Detroit. Guess what was down the street? Pics to follow.

It was nice to meet you thanks for stopping in, I would have never thought somebody from New Mexico would be on my street and reconize Juane's old Cruiser. It's kinda of funny you spotted it because it's usally hidden in the garage I just put it outside so I could work on my 4Runner.

 

[pappy]

[play Twilight Zone theme song]

 

[evanz80]

How about that? It's cool that the old Cruiser has a good home. I'm not so sure it was that happy with the immediate owner after Juane.

 

[SteveLCetc]

Speaking of the Twilight Zone, this sighting happened 5 minutes before I received confirmation that my dad's sister's husband's cousin's wife's great grandfather was Wendy's great great grandfather.

He was born in Norway, moved to Minnesota, and a couple of his kids moved to Montana, where my great grandfather moved to from Pennsylvania.

 

[Rattler]

I think I spied it too . . . . . . . a little further north of Detroit though.

Is this the one?

 

[SteveLCetc]

That'd be it!

 

[juane]

Let me see if I got this straight...
My old rig lives on the same street as Wendy's aunt in Detroit???????

Isn't Detroit kind of a big city?

This on top of my running into it in the mountains of Colorado a few years ago. (Me living in NM, the owner of the 60 at the time, BigIngun, living in Idaho. Here we come up a back road in the 80 and met)

Too
Too dang
Too dang weird.

And then Steve finds out he and Wendy are related?

syn·chro·nic·i·ty (sĭng'krə-nĭs'ĭ-tē, sĭn'-)
n. pl. syn·chro·nic·i·ties

1. The state or fact of being synchronous or simultaneous; synchronism.
2. Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory principle on the same order as causality.