Cookie Cutter 5.3 Swap Into 62

[Dubs2017]

Haven’t had much garage time lately, but finally got my gutters resealed and painted before winter hits in earnest. I had a few small rust spots coming through, and that combined with water dripping off of my drivers side a-pillar grab handle while in the rain prompted a patch and gutter reseal.

Welded patches in, primed, sealed, primed, paint, clear. Lots of useful threads here regarding gutters.

 

[Dubs2017]

More pics.

 

[Dubs2017]

I think it came out decent for a rush job with the propane heater getting the garage warm enough to paint.

 

[Dubs2017]

Have been looking to schedule a visit to the tuner, but unfortunately have a significant t-case whine that makes me very nervous to drive long distance. I replaced the input gear with the long spline when I rebuilt, so am thinking that maybe the new input gear mating with the old idler gear is making the noise. (Or I screwed something up during rebuild). Hoping to find time to drop fluid to check for metal, and at least take a peak in the power take off cover to visually inspect and check idler thrust clearance. Might be throwing gears at it to make sure it’s good to go.

And last couple things on the list are finish welding the tail pipe, mount my center console with heater vent added, and wrap my fuel lines with heat shield where they run next to the exhaust. Looking forward to putting some miles on this thing soon.

 

[Dubs2017]

Working on the t-case whine in this thread in case anyone wants to follow along.

4l60 / Transfer Case Grinding / Is this normal?

I am getting close to wrapping up a vortec swap in my 62, and have noticed some odd behavior from my transfer case. Wondering if anyone has a recommendation, or experience with something similar. Basically it seems like the 4l60 doesn't stop spinning enough for the transfer case to be shifted...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Dubs2017]

Got the t-case back together, and thankfully the whine is massively reduced. I ended up rebuilding everything on the bench, and with some help was able to get it mounted under the truck. Puzzling that I didn't find anything amiss when I took it apart. While I had everything apart I swapped in a new transmission dipstick tube and made sure the full mark was very slightly above the pan mating surface. I also swapped in a corvette servo, which everyone says is a great improvement over stock. It certainly shifts fast and firm, though I did not put enough miles on the stock unit to have a good comparison tbh.

Next on the list is getting it tuned. There are two performance shops within an hour of me who have dynos. One is $600 and the other is $550. There is also a local guy who I have chatted with who will come to me and tune it for $650. I asked him about the dyno, and he said for a street vehicle it isn't necessary. He has a good reputation on the local LS Swap FB groups, but considering the significant cost I am wondering if heading to a shop with a dyno is best.

Does anyone have a strong opinion on a dyno vs no dyno tune?

Also, tail pipe still needs to be welded and one last piece cut. Hoping to find time this week to bang it out.

• Weld tail pipe
• Center console mount and cut out/wire switches
• Assemble roof rack and mount it
• Aim front facing camera and mount switch
• Plug old wiring harness hole in firewall
• Aim headlights
• Charge AC (possibly rewire using after tuner changes signal to 12v)
• Get cruise control working
• Change dash blinker bulbs back to incandescent (with my headlights on, the blinker tap module I got from @LA Z doesn't work right. Hoping this will fix it. It works perfectly with headlights off).
• Program steering wheel radio buttons
• Alignment
• Paint rear seat headrests black

 

[dbbowen]

Got the t-case back together, and thankfully the whine is massively reduced. I ended up rebuilding everything on the bench, and with some help was able to get it mounted under the truck. Puzzling that I didn't find anything amiss when I took it apart. While I had everything apart I swapped in a new transmission dipstick tube and made sure the full mark was very slightly above the pan mating surface. I also swapped in a corvette servo, which everyone says is a great improvement over stock. It certainly shifts fast and firm, though I did not put enough miles on the stock unit to have a good comparison tbh.

Next on the list is getting it tuned. There are two performance shops within an hour of me who have dynos. One is $600 and the other is $550. There is also a local guy who I have chatted with who will come to me and tune it for $650. I asked him about the dyno, and he said for a street vehicle it isn't necessary. He has a good reputation on the local LS Swap FB groups, but considering the significant cost I am wondering if heading to a shop with a dyno is best.

Does anyone have a strong opinion on a dyno vs no dyno tune?

Also, tail pipe still needs to be welded and one last piece cut. Hoping to find time this week to bang it out.

• Weld tail pipe
• Center console mount and cut out/wire switches
• Assemble roof rack and mount it
• Aim front facing camera and mount switch
• Plug old wiring harness hole in firewall
• Aim headlights
• Charge AC (possibly rewire using after tuner changes signal to 12v)
• Get cruise control working
• Change dash blinker bulbs back to incandescent (with my headlights on, the blinker tap module I got from @LA Z doesn't work right. Hoping this will fix it. It works perfectly with headlights off).
• Program steering wheel radio buttons
• Alignment
• Paint rear seat headrests black

View attachment 3562496View attachment 3562490

View attachment 3562492
View attachment 3562503

The guy who will come to you will probably do pulls down the road and take the readings that way and then work on your tune. IMO in order from worst to best..

No tune - Street dyno - actual dyno

Youll get the best most accurate results on a machine... but im biased because one of my close friends is a tuner and ecm programmer

Thats a bummer you couldnt find the whine. I had similar results. I think ive taken apart and put my split case back together about 8 times now trying to figure it out. I swear to god it has to be some kind of deflection or ever so slight misalignment or something on the idler shaft. That is the only thing that has any change or wear marks at all when i inspect it. I even threw a brand new in box transfer case at it hoping the new gears would whine less but its exactly the same.

great work on the exhaust by the way. the diy route is super rewarding on the exhaust


Also...Did you say program the steering wheel buttons???

 

[Dubs2017]

The guy who will come to you will probably do pulls down the road and take the readings that way and then work on your tune. IMO in order from worst to best..

No tune - Street dyno - actual dyno

Youll get the best most accurate results on a machine... but im biased because one of my close friends is a tuner and ecm programmer

Thats a bummer you couldnt find the whine. I had similar results. I think ive taken apart and put my split case back together about 8 times now trying to figure it out. I swear to god it has to be some kind of deflection or ever so slight misalignment or something on the idler shaft. That is the only thing that has any change or wear marks at all when i inspect it. I even threw a brand new in box transfer case at it hoping the new gears would whine less but its exactly the same.

great work on the exhaust by the way. the diy route is super rewarding on the exhaust


Also...Did you say program the steering wheel buttons???

ohhhhhh. It just clicked that when the guy says "street tune" he means driving it on the street to test it. Thanks for that. Yeah, I think ill make the trip down the hill and head to the shop with a dyno. If the street tune was significantly cheaper I would consider it, but at the same cost I'll go for the better result.

For the driveline noise, I think we should just blame AA. That sucks that you've ripped yours apart so many times. Out of curiosity, did you use anaerobic sealer every time or did you switch to something else? Everything I read about it contradicts how Georg and Otramm use it in their videos (with gaskets).

Exhaust has turned into one of my favorite parts, to be honest. Was super intimidating to start, but your list of parts was clutch. I literally haven't made a single cut that wasn't a 90.

And ha, nothing too fancy. I put a head unit in that has a "remote" female on the back, so I picked up one of these direct from china thingys and wired it in. Attached one of the little pucks on the backside of the wheel spoke (didn't bother with the other one). Can't see it unless you're looking for it, and now I have next/back, volume up/down, and play/pause. Programmed it today and it works great.

 

[dbbowen]

ohhhhhh. It just clicked that when the guy says "street tune" he means driving it on the street to test it. Thanks for that. Yeah, I think ill make the trip down the hill and head to the shop with a dyno. If the street tune was significantly cheaper I would consider it, but at the same cost I'll go for the better result.

For the driveline noise, I think we should just blame AA. That sucks that you've ripped yours apart so many times. Out of curiosity, did you use anaerobic sealer every time or did you switch to something else? Everything I read about it contradicts how Georg and Otramm use it in their videos (with gaskets).

Exhaust has turned into one of my favorite parts, to be honest. Was super intimidating to start, but your list of parts was clutch. I literally haven't made a single cut that wasn't a 90.

And ha, nothing too fancy. I put a head unit in that has a "remote" female on the back, so I picked up one of these direct from china thingys and wired it in. Attached one of the little pucks on the backside of the wheel spoke (didn't bother with the other one). Can't see it unless you're looking for it, and now I have next/back, volume up/down, and play/pause. Programmed it today and it works great.
View attachment 3562810View attachment 3562814

Dude. Thay button is so awesome. I had no idea those existed. My head unit has a port for that too. I’ll have to add that to the list. Right after the led indicator side view mirrors haha


Man the exhaust was my favorite part too. It can be as crazy or as simple as you want it to be. Kinda like legos!

As far as the tcase sealant I used the Anaerobic and a paper gasket every. Single. Time. It never leaked. I used orange FIPG on the splines of the output shafts and that stuff though. I think I used the loctite anaerobic the first two times and then blue threebond 1133e, and I’m back to the loctite. The threebond is too hard to get. I’ve never had a single leak

 

[Dubs2017]

Dude. Thay button is so awesome. I had no idea those existed. My head unit has a port for that too. I’ll have to add that to the list. Right after the led indicator side view mirrors haha


Man the exhaust was my favorite part too. It can be as crazy or as simple as you want it to be. Kinda like legos!

As far as the tcase sealant I used the Anaerobic and a paper gasket every. Single. Time. It never leaked. I used orange FIPG on the splines of the output shafts and that stuff though. I think I used the loctite anaerobic the first two times and then blue threebond 1133e, and I’m back to the loctite. The threebond is too hard to get. I’ve never had a single leak

Yeah the button was pretty straightforward. I used one of these to plug in the unit that I got. We'll see how long it lasts. The reviews aren't promising...

LED indicator mirrors for your blinkers or a BSM system? Sounds cool. Guessing this is all on the post axle and suspension swap list...

Great to know about the anaerobic sealer. Not leaking ever is a good benchmark. It was slightly concerning when I broke mine down that I could wipe some of the uncured stuff off with a rag since it wasn't in a metal-to-metal and no air scenario.

 

[dbbowen]

Yeah the button was pretty straightforward. I used one of these to plug in the unit that I got. We'll see how long it lasts. The reviews aren't promising...

LED indicator mirrors for your blinkers or a BSM system? Sounds cool. Guessing this is all on the post axle and suspension swap list...

Great to know about the anaerobic sealer. Not leaking ever is a good benchmark. It was slightly concerning when I broke mine down that I could wipe some of the uncured stuff off with a rag since it wasn't in a metal-to-metal and no air scenario.

My wifes 100 series has the indicator mirrors. Heres a pic from another truck on the forum. They were a dealer add on, but i found the company that makes them and they make them for the FJ62 and i have fj62 mirrors... so its oem-adjacent? haha

Oh yeah man i always put too much sealer on and months after the stuff that squeezes out the sides is still wet. Only gets hard when theres no oxygen but still no leaks ever.

 

[Dubs2017]

My wifes 100 series has the indicator mirrors. Heres a pic from another truck on the forum. They were a dealer add on, but i found the company that makes them and they make them for the FJ62 and i have fj62 mirrors... so its oem-adjacent? haha

Oh yeah man i always put too much sealer on and months after the stuff that squeezes out the sides is still wet. Only gets hard when theres no oxygen but still no leaks ever.

Those will be slick on a 60. Nice.

 

[Dubs2017]

Had a chance to get the tail pipe finished up. Was in a hurry, so the welds certainly could have been cleaner. It tucks up into the quarter panel very well. Only place that might be an issue I think is the sway bar linkage. We'll see if it starts clanging on me.

 

[Dubs2017]

Putting some more miles on the rig between snowstorms and the magnesium chloride applications on the roads. I haven't had time to treat my frame and undercarriage yet, so trying to keep exposure to a minimum.

Couple items added to the list unfortunately... I keep popping a PO332 code (knock sensor bank 2). I replaced both sensors and the harness with AC Delco units when I cleaned the intake manifold, and both sensors read ~100 ohms to ground (in spec). I am going to find time to pull my intake off again and inspect the wires. Fingers crossed it's a kinked wire.

Also my PS pump is groaning. I have done all the iterations of bleeding air out of the system and have no air bubbles, so given the questionable history of the motor I am going to replace the pump. The noise drives me nuts.

Seems most folks recommend adding an inline filter, so I'll find a place to run one of those while I am at it. Can't hurt, I guess.

Had a chance to get the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform put together that has been in the corner of the garage for too many years waiting for my gutters and roof to get fixed. Not a fan of the way the gutter mounts are lining up, so ordered some 30/60 mounts from Gramaviti to use instead. If I didn't already have the Rhino Rack platform, I'd order his rack as well. Oh well.

 

[Dubs2017]

The Gramaviti mounts arrived quickly and I had a chance to get them mounted. Sturdy product for sure. They mount up to the pioneer platform perfectly.

Putting more miles on. Feels good. I also swapped the knock sensor plug wires on the PCM side of the plug and sure enough the code moved from rear to front. So, either a bad sensor, a bad ground through the block, or a bad wire from the plug to the sensor. Thinking I'll find some time to do the PS pump and intake removal at the same time. In the meantime, going to continue driving it.

 

[matmattmatthew]

Damn, your truck has thrown me a curveball. I had convinced myself I was going to paint my 62 a different color, now I kind of want to keep it white. I plan to do the same wheels as yours, so it's swaying me to stay white.

What was it that you didn't like about the Rhino Rack gutter mounts? I plan to do the same platform but hadn't considered using different gutter mounts.

 

[dbbowen]

Damn, your truck has thrown me a curveball. I had convinced myself I was going to paint my 62 a different color, now I kind of want to keep it white. I plan to do the same wheels as yours, so it's swaying me to stay white.

What was it that you didn't like about the Rhino Rack gutter mounts? I plan to do the same platform but hadn't considered using different gutter mounts.

Keep it white! White is the best toyota color, especially the cool ones like 60 series and supras and stuff

 

[Dubs2017]

Damn, your truck has thrown me a curveball. I had convinced myself I was going to paint my 62 a different color, now I kind of want to keep it white. I plan to do the same wheels as yours, so it's swaying me to stay white.

What was it that you didn't like about the Rhino Rack gutter mounts? I plan to do the same platform but hadn't considered using different gutter mounts.

Haha I still haven't seen a color I didn't like on a 60, but have to say I am partial to the white after owning it. It always looks great imo, especially with the black fj steelies and bumpers.

The RR gutter mounts didn't work great for me, BUT, totally could have had something to do with the fact that I just resealed my gutters and filled them up quite a bit. They basically didn't have a good fit with the curve and depth of my gutters. I'll snap some pics of them side by side with the Gramiviti mounts to give some perspective if that helps.

I've got 6 of them with spacers if you want them. Happy to sell them to you for a good deal - I was going to throw them on Ebay.

 

[Dubs2017]

@matmattmatthew here are a few more pics of the Gramiviti 30/60 mounts along with the Rhino Rack RL110S2 gutter mounts for comparison.

I also considered trying the Rhino Rack Backbone mount that they make for the 80 series but was concerned that I might run into the same issues.

I considered trimming the part of this that goes down into the gutter to essentially make it ride lower. It is plastic, so would be a quick mod.

Here you can see the difference in the clamp shape of the Gramiviti version.

 

[Dubs2017]

Now that summer is in full force here in Utah I found some time to get my AC running. I wired it through the GM ECU with a binary switch interrupting the ground side of the compressor harness. Got it charged today. Was about 90 degrees in the garage, so am ok with a ~35 degree drop through the system at standstill.

Also was chatting with @dbbowen about the purge solenoid and charcoal canister to try to manage the fuel system venting. I bought a new purge solendoid, and dug the vortec harness out of storage to get the plug. Wired it into C2:34 and pink to ign hot. Still had my charcoal canister and bracket from the 3FE so bolted it to some open fender space. Hoping this clears up the fuel smell and tank boiling issues I have had in hot weather.

And the biggest update of all... When I had the harness tub out I grabbed the firewall gasket off of the 3fe harness to finally plug this large hole in my firewall.
Never did find a 2 1/8" plug any where for sale...

Now to get my cruise control working.