Chevy 5.3 to H55 Adapter

[scrapdaddy]

Gentlemen:

Does anyone know how to mate a 5.3 vortec motor to a H55 5 speed. Advance Adapters, said they don't make one, nor does Mark's. So before I scrap that idea and go back to an old 350, any ideas. I would like to use the H55, because I already have a split case and PTO for the winch.

Thanks for any input, Ron

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Does AA make an adapter to mate the GM auto tranny (behind the 5.3L V-8) to a 'split Land Cruiser t-case? This might be the way to go.

Good luck!

Alan

 

[scrapdaddy]

They might make one, but I really would like to stick with the stick . My wife has an auto. and I hate it.

 

[lcwizard]

If you want fuel injection, a second gen motor is much easier and cheaper in your case. Advance Adapters told me the only standards they could mate to a 3rd gen motor were the GM transmissions such as the
SM465 or NV4500. Doing so involved their bellhousing, special flywheel, clutch and then of coarse you transfer adapter... About 1600.00~1700.00 in all

 

[scrapdaddy]

If you want fuel injection, a second gen motor is much easier and cheaper in your case. Advance Adapters told me the only standards they could mate to a 3rd gen motor were the GM transmissions such as the
SM465 or NV4500. Doing so involved their bellhousing, special flywheel, clutch and then of coarse you transfer adapter... About 1600.00~1700.00 in all

Thanks, that's what I'm starting to learn. Gen. II would be what, 5.7

 

[Chamba]

I have a 2000 Vortec 350 which I got brand new. I mated it to my H55 using the AA 350/H42 adapter. While I am sure that my 350 (5.7 litre in the French) is not as efficient as the newer Vortecs, I get better fuel economy on the freeway with my Vortec 350 than I did with my turbo charged 2H. I've been very impressed with my Vortec/H55 setup. In retrospect, however, I would probably have kept the 4L80E with which the Vortec came in order to get the lower overdrive.

Josh

 

[Alexr88]

if u decide to not use the hf55, please let me know ! =*)

 

[scrapdaddy]

Lil' John,

AA told me, the Gen. III have a different crankshaft. How did you bolt up your bellhousing, leave out the top bolts or redrill. That's a ton of money, to be guessing at making it work.

Thanks, Ron

 

[scrapdaddy]

I've never done the 2F to H55 swap, but I thought everything was the same.

As far as the Gen III to H55, that is good news! I wonder why AA has not come out with the proper bellhousing, seems to be alot of this kind of swap. Thanks for getting me straighten out. More research on pressure plates, throw out bearings.

Thanks, Ron

 

[sadam_husain]

If you can mate it to an old Chevy V8, you can mate it to a new one. Look at all the Turbo 350, Turbo 400, SM465, etc that people are mating behind LSx engines... none of them were mated to one originally.

The bellhousing patterns are almost the same... The new ones have a bolt at top and not the upper one on the passenger side.

It would be a simple matter of coming up with the right combination of clutch disk, pressure plate, and throw out bearing.

For my LSx swap, I used an AA kit that mates an NV4500 behind a gen 1/2 motor. No big deal.

I wouldn't spend an equal amount of cash on a Gen 1/2 engine as on an LSx. The LSx engines are worlds ahead in drivability (I ran a TBI in my old FJ40 and it doesn't compare to the LSx in my FJ55)

just like Lil'John says,
I had an old cast iron 350 bolted up to the HF55 in my FJ75 cruiser and used the same bellhousing to bolt up a LQ4 vortec, theres no bellhousing bolt hole in the top passenger side (drivers side in my RHD case) but you skip that bolt and pick up the rest. My engine didnt have the flange cast around the back of the block where the bellhousing bolts up so it sat 2 inches further back than the old 350 did. We made up a twinplate clutch out of a 2F pressure plate and 2x 2F discs and squeezed it in, we made a bush to support a standard 2F pilot bearing in the crank. Still able to run the PTO and the shaft cleared all the exhausts, the only thing that we had to work around was getting the exhaust around the vaccum actuator on the transfer case but that cleared ok

 

[scrapdaddy]

Sadam,

Thank you for all that. Great pictures, all this makes me feel alot better about jumping in. I would really like to have a newer engine. 30 years ago I put a 327 in my FJ40, made up stuff as I went. Ford, Chevy and Toyota parts, worked good.

 

[UZJ40]

just like Lil'John says,
I had an old cast iron 350 bolted up to the HF55 in my FJ75 cruiser and used the same bellhousing to bolt up a LQ4 vortec, theres no bellhousing bolt hole in the top passenger side (drivers side in my RHD case) but you skip that bolt and pick up the rest. My engine didnt have the flange cast around the back of the block where the bellhousing bolts up so it sat 2 inches further back than the old 350 did. We made up a twinplate clutch out of a 2F pressure plate and 2x 2F discs and squeezed it in, we made a bush to support a standard 2F pilot bearing in the crank. Still able to run the PTO and the shaft cleared all the exhausts, the only thing that we had to work around was getting the exhaust around the vaccum actuator on the transfer case but that cleared ok
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh136/sadam_husain_nz/clutch3.jpg?t=1285747941

Damn, that's some good work!

 

[chicago]

just like Lil'John says,
I had an old cast iron 350 bolted up to the HF55 in my FJ75 cruiser and used the same bellhousing to bolt up a LQ4 vortec, theres no bellhousing bolt hole in the top passenger side (drivers side in my RHD case) but you skip that bolt and pick up the rest. My engine didnt have the flange cast around the back of the block where the bellhousing bolts up so it sat 2 inches further back than the old 350 did. We made up a twinplate clutch out of a 2F pressure plate and 2x 2F discs and squeezed it in, we made a bush to support a standard 2F pilot bearing in the crank. Still able to run the PTO and the shaft cleared all the exhausts, the only thing that we had to work around was getting the exhaust around the vaccum actuator on the transfer case but that cleared ok

HOLY SH!T!!!
Very nice work!!!!

 

[chicago]

Aren't there issues getting an auto trans ECU to jive w/ a manual liljohn?
I thought that I remembered you having a lot of problems getting that to work??

I LOVE the 4l60e in mine!!! That 3.06 first gear is very nice w/ the split case, and wheels amazing. I do prefer autos over manuals though!!

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

It is definitely possible to swap the newer 5.3L V-8 in front of an older transmission; a buddy of mine is running the 5.3L mated to a GM SM465 transmission in a (?) '69 FJ40.

Regards,

Alan

 

[scrapdaddy]

AA might have that adapter for the chevy four speed, it's the toyota five speed, they don't have. I don't know why, they didn't mention to me about using their older bellhousing, like Lil' john did. I'm learning

 

[Wasatch Jay]

I'm running a 2002 LS1 mated to a NV4500 and a Toyota split transfer case. Great set up...

The LS1 was originally a Corvette motor so the drive-by-wire throttle body was changed to a drive-by-cable (Camaro/Firebird), and the Corvette oil pan was also changed to a Camaro/Firebird style. Exhaust manifolds are the LS1 Corvette versions.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Wasatch Jay,

Is that in a 40 or 55, how does fit at the firewall. How involved was it to mate to the split case.

Thanks, Ron

 

[Wasatch Jay]

Wasatch Jay,

Is that in a 40 or 55, how does fit at the firewall. How involved was it to mate to the split case.

Thanks, Ron

Ron,

It's in a '78 FJ40. It fits great. IIRC I got the transfer case on ebay and it came with the NV4500 adapter already installed.

 

[badsamaritan]

Just a FYI there are motor mount adapter brackets that I came across that give you a couple of mounting options in one set of mounts. I believe these you can go stock location, 1/4" forward, or 1 1/4" forward depending on your needs. There are other companies that sell similar, I just liked the quality in these:

Billet Aluminum LS1 Engine Mount Adapter Plates LS Conversion Motor Swap Mounts, LS1 Muscle Car Adjustable sbc to ls lsx engine mounts, and Street Rod Engine Mounts. Conversion mounts GM LS LSx LS1, LS2, LS3, LS6, LS7 - Dirty Dingo Motorsports

My FJ currently has a 283 so I am planning on going to a 5.3L and using these brackets to place the new engine in the same location as the 283.