Do you really like your H55? (1 Viewer)

[batthewmrown]

I'm on the cusp of pulling the trigger on a 5 speed and new/ish transfer case and I wanted some real, honest opinions from those of you that have walked this path before me.

I want to know what you would (or wouldn't) change about making the upgrade if you had to do it all over again. 4:1 gears? 10% overdrive? Stick with an H42? I'm woefully ignorant, as well as overwhelmed, and likely have more money than sense, so explain it to me like I'm 5 and why you feel that way.

My driving needs are pretty relaxed. Currently 99% on-road. 30" tires but would like to bump up to 33s eventually. 3.77s. Moderate trails. Imogene Pass is the most "extreme" thing I've ever done and I don't really care to do anything more technical than that.

I've got no intentions of selling my 60 but, if you were a potential future prospective buyer, what would you be looking for or what set-up would you be most excited about?

As always, thanks in advance for the centuries of experience and knowledge you guys will share with a total stranger.

 

[Roonie]

If you are selling to a first time buyer they may not know the difference or care?. But an informed buyer would probably look for the H55 and 33" tires with a 2" lift kit as a starter. What condition the engine is in. If its high mileage over 260k it is going to be needing a full rebuild sooner then later. How much stuff has been updated and how much rust there is on the frame and body in the typical areas. At 35+ years old most things will need to be updated soon to really drive it comfortably.

 

[Roger Martiinez]

Installing a H55 fundamentally changed the drivability of my FJ60. The gearing is great for around town and on the highway. I put 33's on mine (which required a speedometer hack) and I could not be happier. Especially, after doing some light crawling in the Pikes Peak area. Also, I was able to do the install myself really pretty easy after having my drive shaft adjusted. Lastly, I had never done any of this type of stuff before I owned my FJ60. Read the forums, ask questions, go slow. It is such an awesome part of having a Fj60 -- you can work on it! Good luck and have fun!

 

[OSS]

The H55F is definitely nice. The lower 1st & second is even better. The huge gap between 2nd & 3rd gear blows and is the worst aspect of the transmission. (It needed to be a 6 speed). You won’t be using 5th gear very often with 33” tires and 3:70 gears though. Gearing is too high.

 

[batthewmrown]

If you are selling to a first time buyer they may not know the difference or care?. But an informed buyer would probably look for the H55 and 33" tires with a 2" lift kit as a starter. What condition the engine is in. If its high mileage over 260k it is going to be needing a full rebuild sooner then later. How much stuff has been updated and how much rust there is on the frame and body in the typical areas. At 35+ years old most things will need to be updated soon to really drive it comfortably.

Not what I'm worried about. Literally just asking about the trans/transfer.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I'm on the cusp of pulling the trigger on a 5 speed and new/ish transfer case and I wanted some real, honest opinions from those of you that have walked this path before me.

I want to know what you would (or wouldn't) change about making the upgrade if you had to do it all over again. 4:1 gears? 10% overdrive? Stick with an H42? I'm woefully ignorant, as well as overwhelmed, and likely have more money than sense, so explain it to me like I'm 5 and why you feel that way.

My driving needs are pretty relaxed. Currently 99% on-road. 30" tires but would like to bump up to 33s eventually. 3.77s. Moderate trails. Imogene Pass is the most "extreme" thing I've ever done and I don't really care to do anything more technical than that.

I've got no intentions of selling my 60 but, if you were a potential future prospective buyer, what would you be looking for or what set-up would you be most excited about?

As always, thanks in advance for the centuries of experience and knowledge you guys will share with a total stranger.

So what I see is a guy not in a hurry? 99% on road. 5th gear just makes it relaxed. If you are going down this
path get the 5 speed. It’s cost will never be wasted. New clutch and run it for a while. Take a holiday.
I drive sometimes 8000-10000 km on a single trip, 5th gear is a requirement.
If you understand gearing, going up in tire size requires lower gears. Stay at 31” tire say, and then get
taller 3.73 gears and you could feel fuel economy savings. But that would be limited just cause the 2F
just isn’t that economical.
Hills and weight will determine how you want to gear your axles. Research transfer case gear reductions
too while you are looking.
Good luck.

 

[G-Cat]

If you haven’t, look through this build:

Builds - Ole Blue 60 gets a fresh start- EFI and more

I am a convert to the dobinsons shocks. Truly a night and day difference over the Old Man Emu shocks I had before. The suspensions now feels new and completely different. Before every bump I hit it the entire car shook. Now its like I seek out the bumps and they don't even register. One of...

forum.ih8mud.com

@wngrog has formulas for 40 and 60 Series Cruisers and experience with the 4 and 5 speed transmissions in both.

 

[drenmaster]

Yes. The H55 should have been the only transmission option 60/61/62. Its like the Land Cruiser was built around the H55 its a perfect match for any engine. I never heard anyone complain after doing a swap.

 

[wngrog]

It’s a great upgrade but it really is only realized with a 4.10 swap as well which makes it a really big project. Worth it in a 60 series.

 

[Godwin]

I'm on the cusp of pulling the trigger on a 5 speed and new/ish transfer case and I wanted some real, honest opinions from those of you that have walked this path before me.

I want to know what you would (or wouldn't) change about making the upgrade if you had to do it all over again. 4:1 gears? 10% overdrive? Stick with an H42? I'm woefully ignorant, as well as overwhelmed, and likely have more money than sense, so explain it to me like I'm 5 and why you feel that way.

My driving needs are pretty relaxed. Currently 99% on-road. 30" tires but would like to bump up to 33s eventually. 3.77s. Moderate trails. Imogene Pass is the most "extreme" thing I've ever done and I don't really care to do anything more technical than that.

I've got no intentions of selling my 60 but, if you were a potential future prospective buyer, what would you be looking for or what set-up would you be most excited about?

As always, thanks in advance for the centuries of experience and knowledge you guys will share with a total stranger.

I think it's worth it for both the lower 1st and higher 5th gear. You have an '85 FJ60 so a H55F will be a straight swap, no modifications needed. You also have 3.70 gears in your diffs and going with 31" tires will provide a good rpm at highway speeds, ca. 2500 at 70 mph.

 

[LETSROLLEM]

Best thing I’ve done to my rig to my rig to date, hands down. Makes the rig so much more fun to drive. Worth the $$….. Oh and the “best thing I’ve done” part should have actually read “best thing @CenTXFJ60 did to my rig”! Shout out to Jimmy from the famous “What the hell is going on in Jimmys barn” thread. Without his knowledge and attention to detail this would not have happened for a long time. If anyone is in the Central TX area, or anywhere for that matter, and needs ANYTHING Cruiser related, Jimmy has one hell of a setup and really knows his stuff!

 

[CenTXFJ60]

Best thing I’ve done to my rig to my rig to date, hands down. Makes the rig so much more fun to drive. Worth the $$….. Oh and the “best thing I’ve done” part should have actually read “best thing @CenTXFJ60 did to my rig”! Shout out to Jimmy from the famous “What the hell is going on in Jimmys barn” thread. Without his knowledge and attention to detail this would not have happened for a long time. If anyone is in the Central TX area, or anywhere for that matter, and needs ANYTHING Cruiser related, Jimmy has one hell of a setup and really knows his stuff!

Oh man…Daniel, you’re too kind ma man. I will say “I know just enough to be dangerous”. Only because I’ve done a few conversions. I think we all would agree that these 60’s are a treat to work on. Never disappoints as some new challenge comes up every day and half the fun is figuring it out. My goal is alway to keep my eyes and ears open and soak up the knowledge of this group.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Bit of boost, H55, 4.11s and 35s. Works well on the road. The only caveat is you'll want reduction gears for off-road if you don't regear the diffs.

 

[bj70bc]

Bit of boost, H55, 4.10s and 35s. Works well on the road. The only caveat is you'll want reduction gears for off-road if you don't regear the diffs.

exactly this is my experience and setup
i will be doing a 4lo regear to 3.3 to 1 ( just re-gears 4lo), to do a bit more crawling in lo gear

 

[Spike Strip]

I had both at the same time when I owned two 60s, an '85 and an '87. The '85 had the H55f. If you're gonna spend 99% of the time on pavement, and your H42 is in good shape, keep it. Toyota knew what they were doing when they shipped USA spec trucks with the H42. It's way more comfortable to shift/drive around town. If you do highway driving, the H55 with 5th gear is nice.

My '85 is primarily a trail rig so it got the H55, and with the 4.11s and 33's (as mentioned above) it's perfect... Around town and on grades it blows, and the Bimmer and Prius and Tesla A-holes will let you know it.

 

[The Machinist]

I'm on the cusp of pulling the trigger on a 5 speed and new/ish transfer case and I wanted some real, honest opinions from those of you that have walked this path before me.

I want to know what you would (or wouldn't) change about making the upgrade if you had to do it all over again. 4:1 gears? 10% overdrive? Stick with an H42? I'm woefully ignorant, as well as overwhelmed, and likely have more money than sense, so explain it to me like I'm 5 and why you feel that way.

My driving needs are pretty relaxed. Currently 99% on-road. 30" tires but would like to bump up to 33s eventually. 3.77s. Moderate trails. Imogene Pass is the most "extreme" thing I've ever done and I don't really care to do anything more technical than that.

I've got no intentions of selling my 60 but, if you were a potential future prospective buyer, what would you be looking for or what set-up would you be most excited about?

As always, thanks in advance for the centuries of experience and knowledge you guys will share with a total stranger.

If you are willing to spend the money, its certainly a worthwhile upgrade. The lower first gear and the overdrive make a world of difference around town, on trails and on road trips.

As far as transfercase gearing goes, you can get 3:1 or 4:1 gears with (or without for 3:1s) an underdrive for your high range that will help offset your high range gearing without having to change axle gears. I have 4:1's in my 60 and the underdrive is just about right for 33's in high range.

However, I would also suggest that 4:1 is too low for trails like Imogene Pass. I was definitely feeling sluggish and was running the engine harder than I would have preferred on any of the trails in that part of Colorado that were smoother and less technical. (4:1's are wonderful in slow rocky stuff though!) I would not go past 3:1 if Imogene is the type of trail you intend to spend a lot of time on.

Some people may also note that the H55 feels chunkier to shift than the H42, but to be fair, most of us have only ever driven 200k+ mile H42's prior to swapping them out...

 

[g-man]

The H55 has some notchy feel shifting from 2nd to 3rd but you get used to it. It's like the shift pattern is a bit more angled and if you try to go straight to 3rd gear position you rub the gears a bit turning the corner of the shifter into 3rd position. But you get used to it and can shift w/out rubbing just takes bit of getting used to. Occasionally I still hit that notch though. I did like where reverse position was in the 4 speed ...close to your body and more control. But the 5 speed is a must for modern highway/freeway driving. 1st gear is nice for off road/rock crawling slow hill climbs and decents, its a bit lower than the 4 speed.

The H55 was one of the best upgrades I've made...but also THE MOST expensive!

If you're just doing a lot of back road driving at or below 55mph consider keeping the 4 speed and....

1. OME suspension lift in the $2000 price range. It made my ride MUCH softer

2. Pull the drivers seat and take to a upholstery shop and have them put new foam and refresh the seat. For around $200 you can have a nicer ride.

 

[SteveH]

I have been scared off (a little) by 20 years of people claiming an H55 didn't shift as well as an H42, and I finally drove a well-used H55 the other day, and it shifted like butter. Don't be dissuaded by that!

Go drive something with an SM-465 and that'll learn you about tough-to-shift transmissions, and that's not even the worst of them!

 

[CruiserTrash]

@batthewmrown If you’re going to DIY the swap and need a heated shop you know where to find one. I’d also like to help if you’re doing it so that I get some experience for my truck in the future - I owe you for the help retrieving Matilda. I’m pretty sure us two boneheads could figure it out.

Lots of opinions on this, though, and I think it comes down to math: transmission gears, t-case gears, diffs gears, tire size. Make a table for your proposed change and compare it to what you have now. See what ratios go up and which go down. Somebody who says it feels better with the H55 might have made different changes or have a different tire size than you intend on running. The table will break it down for you based on exactly what you want. There are calculators for this on the internet and stuff like gear ratios for both transmissions can be found on Mud.

This is just an example, nothing to do with Land Cruisers, H42s, or H55s, but shows what it looks like:

Here is a calculator. Maybe somebody else can recommend a better one.

 

[Spike Strip]

A little context for the above chart:

Green = Best Fuel Economy
Blue = Best balance between Economy and Power
Orange = Optimum power to Wheels