Contemplating GM driveline w/5.7 FJ60

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Elbert

Elbert

Joined
Jul 20, 2006
Threads
244
Messages
9,502
Location
AL, USA
Guys....

I know some of this may be in the FAQ or buried in one of the threads, but I'm going to ask for comments anyway.

Baseline...I have a 1986 FJ60....running a 1999 GM 5.7 Vortec, marks adapter, toyota 5 speed, stock split case transfer case..4.88 gears, lockers front and back, stock front and rear axle housings... I run stock 168 tooth GM flywheel.

For good or bad I'm wanting to go with a GM driveline to the extent possible. This would mean (to me) swapping over to either (NV4500 manual 5 speed or 4L80E auto trans) and then either ...using the advance adapter to mate the trans with the split case transfer case...or explore some kind of NP205 setup.

Given that I will retain the stock toytoa axle housings...with the factory off-set for the driveshafts etc.

I would like to avoid any adapters to the extent possible but that may or may not be possible. I can't pay $2K or more for a custom transfer case by itself.

Option 1 (NV4500 trans with AA bellhousing) I'm usure at this point if I could run a totally stock GM NV4500 setup which would be my preference (GM truck stock type bellhousing, stock internal slave, stock clutch...etc) which would mate with stock FJ60 transfer case via AA adapter.

Option 2 (4L80E trans) using aa adapter to mate with stock FJ60 transfer case.

Option 3 one ofthe above transmissions but use NP205 or other GM transfer case that would bolt directly to transmission and allow for stock driveshaft offsets.

I'm web surfing and looking around. I know that in either case I'll have to modify the trans mount crossmember and the lengths of the current driveshafts.

Thoughts...?
 
let me know if you want to sell the Toyota 5 speed..
 
you'll have to get in line rog.
 
Have you thought about a 4l60? Once I get tired of messing with the 2f in mine i am going to drop a 6.0 with 4l65e with toybox as the adapter to split case.
 
DSLTOY said:
let me know if you want to sell the Toyota 5 speed..
Click to expand...

Well as the world turns my friend Les locally has first call as he helps me with all of my crazy projects and he and I have been talking about this for some time, and he mentioned long ago that he was interested in the yota 5speed... Andy was 2nd as I recall discussing my interest in potentially changing transmissions on hte last ride or at some point in the last few months , Roger you can have 3rd place in line.

I'm fairly sure unless things change my friend Les will buy it or we will work some other trade on something.

I may have some related parts for sale...but let me check before I go futher on that as I don't want to say somethign I'll have to take back.
 
mwalls54 said:
Have you thought about a 4l60? Once I get tired of messing with the 2f in mine i am going to drop a 6.0 with 4l65e with toybox as the adapter to split case.
Click to expand...

Yes... but I was looking at the 4L80E or 4L85E. I have a 5.7 vortec. I was looking at the prices on the pace performance web site for the GMPP transmissions.

Does the toybox come configured to mate to the 6.0 on one side and the split case on the other side? Dumb question I guess..obvious it mates with the splitcase...how does it mate with 6.0 V8?

I generally was looking at 4L80E to AA adapter to split case.

Right now ...over all its cheaper for me to stay with manual trans. All is nto said and done just yet but looking hard at nv4500.


I have 6.0 engine in my 07 silverado 2500HD with 6speed auto trans (not sure of the model number) but I like the power/performance of that combination and the tow/haul mode works very well.
 
Last edited:
Elbert said:
Yes... but I was looking at the 4L80E or 4L85E. I have a 5.7 vortec. I was looking at the prices on the pace performance web site for the GMPP transmissions.

Does the toybox come configured to mate to the 6.0 on one side and the split case on the other side? Dumb question I guess..obvious it mates with the splitcase...how does it mate with 6.0 V8?

I generally was looking at 4L80E to AA adapter to split case.

Right now ...over all its cheaper for me to stay with manual trans. All is nto said and done just yet but looking hard at nv4500.


I have 6.0 engine in my 07 silverado 2500HD with 6speed auto trans (not sure of the model number) but I like the power/performance of that combination and the tow/haul mode works very well.
Click to expand...

The toybox takes place of the aa adapter. It dont matter which motor you run. I mention a 60e because of the gear ratios. The 80e is going to have a high 1st gear and its a big tranny. I listed the gear ratios below. What's your budget? Have you checked local trans shops to see what they charge to rebuild one because if you do go with a auto it will have to be torn down to install a new output shaft for the transfercase adapter.
the down side of the 4500 is having a tcase with center output.
Your silvy should have 6l80e. And to run that you would have to have a separate trans controller.

ok 4l60e ------------- 4l80e

1st-3.059:1 --------- 2.482:1
2nd-1.625:1--------- 1.482:1
3rd-1.000:1 --------- 1.000:1
4th-0.696:1 --------- 0.750:1
 
how does it not matter which engine you run...? toybox bolts direct to GM trans? what is the front end of the toyobox... are those things just avalaible here and there (no steady production from marlin?)

As I read the instructions on the AA web site..depending on what transmission you run...either the 60LE or 80LE and which version...2wd or 4wd..will depend on what type of mods are required to mate auto trans with aa adapter. One of the versions...requires the tailshaftt to be cut. adapter for the 4500 requires the tailshaft to be cut.
 
engine doesnt matter because the toy box goes between the trans and t-case eliminating the need for an adaptor between say a 4l60e and a split case. if money where no object this would be my pick for a wagon vortec,nv4500,toybox,splitcase. you would have tons of gear options and still be street friendly.
 
OK... as I understand the toybox its what I would call a high/low range box (or it may have multiple ranges) and it sits between the transmission and the transfer case. I was looking at Marlins web site yesterday and it appears they make different versions, one of which is for the split case. So I 'm tracking that the rear of the toybox would be configured to mate with Split case. Seems like the front would have to be configured for different transmission options...that was my issue with understanding. I aslo suspect that you have to modify the main output shaft of the main transmission.

What do those things cost...north of $1K?
 
Guys here is what I got back from Marlin's web site when I asked about the toybox for the splitcase and mating with the NV4500 or 4L80E.

> can the toybox for the FJ60 Split case be configured to mate with a
> NV4500 or 4L80E transmission wihtout going through another adapter?
>
> Do you guys have a regular production run of toybox kits / parts
> assemblies?
Hello Elbert. You will need an adapter to go from either transmission to
the dual case. Advanced adapters should have the adapter you are looking
for. We have the parts to build the toybox, but we build them to order.
thanks!
 
The toybox is the high/ low range front half of a mini truck transfer case with adapters to bolt into the landcruiser.

AA doesnt make an adapter to mount a 4l80 to Minitruck. In order to run a 4l60 you need a 700r4 adapter (P/N 50-5706) | Advance Adapters plus an adapter to go from 4 to 6 bolt on the trans tailhousing (P/N 50-0405) | Advance Adapters.

They do make an adapter for NV4500 to minitruck
(P/N 50-0216) | Advance Adapters

I emailed marlin this week about pricing for the toybox adapters for an '84 and this is what they said

It will be roughly a month before we have more. The front adapter is $649 and the rear adpater is $599
Click to expand...

You would need a donor mini truck transfer case plus the adapters.

I dont understand what you are after here with the GM drivetrain, however. You have a pretty nice drivetrain as it sits, if you want a lower crawl ratio then pop in a toybox. Is there some inherent weakness in the H55F that I dont know about?

If you just want to run an auto, you can get an adapter for either 4l80 or 4l60/65 to the stock split case.
(P/N 50-0408A) | Advance Adapters
(P/N 50-1701) | Advance Adapters
 
Search | Marlin Crawler, Inc.

There are different versions of the toybox, since I have a FJ60 with splitcase...that's the version I'm talking about.

Someone suggested I look at the toybox and I did and I'm just trying to understand the facts

The sugguestion as I took it was ...why run the aa adapter that mates the nv4500 trans to the splitchase when you could run a toybox... or at least thats the way I read it.

What I'm after is .... to remove the marks adapter and go with a GM driveline to the extent possible...others may or may not like that or may not agree.

Where does that take me.... for my $$ it takes me to consider a NV4500 with AA adapter or a 4L80E with AA adapter and split case.

I'm also willing to listen to what others have to say, but then I need to understand what that means and what it takes to make it work.
 
Last edited:
For the $$ I would agree.

If you simply don't like the marks kit, you could always do an aa bell housing, I just don't totally understand what problem you are trying to solve. Keep in mind you have the cost of the trans on top of whatever adapters. Nv4500s typically aren't cheap. I am sure you are already aware of this.

If it were me I would go for the auto.
 
yes I'm considering just swapping over to the AA bellhousing, and bascially everything else stays the same as far as major mechainical items. The AA bellhousing that mates SBC to yota manual trans.

What I want to do along the way is to move the engine back towards the firewall as much as possible/reasonable while allowing a little more room up front between the radiator and front of engine. We'll make the necessary modifications to the other things as well to facilitate that.

The NV4500 was / is the choice if I decide to jump off the cliff.

poor wording on my part above.... I recognize the engine does not matter...I should have said the transmission matters vs. the transfercase.
 
Last edited:
Ok here is another twist to the possible configurations.

SBC Vortec 5.7 V-8 / NV4500 / AA adapter / FJ60 Split Case TC .

still looking

other optons that are fairly expensive

SBC Vortec 5.7 V-8 / NV4500 / NP203/NP205 doubler setup / centered rear axle
SBC Vortec 5.7 V-8 / NV4500 / Northwest fab "black box" +NP205 / centered rear axle
SBC Vortec 5.7 V-8 / NV4500 / AA adapter / NP 205 / centered rear axle

THere may be other options but these seem proven and supported....some are clearly outside my $$ toy budget.
 
Why not a 4BT cummins, power,reliability, and great fuel mileage.
 
I already have the 5.7.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

krice118
Fj40 for a quick wedding send off this Saturday?
Replies
0
Views
465
krice118
krice118

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom