Do you really like your H55?

[TRAIL TAILOR]

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.

A freshly tuned 2F, 4.10s and 33s with the H55F is the cat's meow. 14+ MPG and can cruise at 70mph.

J

 

[Skreddy]

A freshly tuned 2F, 4.10s and 33s with the H55F is the cat's meow. 14+ MPG and can cruise at 70mph.

J

Are the stock 3.7x’s that much worse? I’ve got an 87 and I’m screaming on the freeway with the 4 speed in 4th and 31x10.5’s. But it seems like a lower 1st (and a new clutch) would really help starts too. I plan on going to 33’s regardless.

 

[Dekeman]

Sorry to sidetrack a bit, but is it much harder to add an H55 to an '83 as opposed to a late '84 'n older?
Considering an H55 in my '83.

 

[Godwin]

Sorry to sidetrack a bit, but is it much harder to add an H55 to an '83 as opposed to a late '84 'n older?
Considering an H55 in my '83.

Shouldn't be much of an issue, but you'll have to swap out, or modify, your driveshafts.

 

[batthewmrown]

Thanks everyone for your input thus far. I'll be sure to report back with whatever route I decide to take.

 

[CaptHamster]

My experience was slightly different with an FJ62, but dumping the auto transmission for the H55F was the best thing that's happened to that truck. I also combined the new 5 speed with 33" tires and the 3.1:1 low range which has made a huge difference off road. The high ratio 1:1 stock gear is retained, which is supposedly much quieter on the road than the underdriven high range gears in the 4:1 kits. The '62 also has 4.11 diff gears stock, and people aren't joking when they say that's the perfect combination for the 60 series.

Around town, first is lower than in the H42 which is nice for hill starts but a little short on normal streets. I start off in 2nd most of the time. @OSS is right, the gap between 2nd to 3rd is a little too big. 4th is the same 1:1 gear as the in the H42. The 5th gear overdrive is not as steep as the overdrive in the automatic trans, and results in the engine sitting happily at 2500RPM at 70MPH. Much more responsive at speed, and holds inclines on the highway 1000x better than the automatic ever did, even on stock 29" tires.

For purely highway use, keep smaller size tires and run the 5 speed. Cheaper than switching diff gears. If you want bigger tires, like 31" or above, I would consider changing out diff gears to 4.11's, or run the 4:1 transfer case kit which comes with a slight underdrive in the high range, which will accomplish almost the same thing as the diff gear change. The 3FE benefits from another ~20ish horsepower over the 2F which probably makes a weird final drive ratio not feel so bad, but with an FJ60 I would think you'd really want that thing geared down to make good use of that 135HP.

 

[David*BJ70]

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!

Hey, I'm calling out my seniority on your avatar! This forum is not big enough for both of us.

 

[mczcars]

So you can always do what I did on my 1982 60 I left the 370 gears in 33" tires and I have the H42 transmission I did change the gears in the transfer case to 3.1.On the road I'm cruising down the street 70 miles an hour 2600 RPM. It does seem to drive just fine and when I go wheeling I have 39-1 transfer case gearing with the 3.1 gear change which is the same as the 5 speed with the lower 1st gear 40-1. the big differences is I saved $5,000?? I do have a HJ60 with a 5 speed diesel totally different drive. I will say it's not a rocket ship of course even with a 5 speed it's still not a rocket ship, Just don't get in a drag race with a chevy spark and you'll be okay, I can tell you the chevy spark is faster

 

[Mojofilter]

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.

Godwin - Are you saying no modification to rear driveshaft, swapping to H55? Moving/modifying hole in floor pan? Moving/modifying mounts or crossmembers?
Oh - should mention, completely stock '86 FJ60.
Thanks!

 

[Godwin]

Godwin - Are you saying no modification to rear driveshaft, swapping to H55? Moving/modifying hole in floor pan? Moving/modifying mounts or crossmembers?
Oh - should mention, completely stock '86 FJ60.
Thanks!

Exactly. The H55F is a direct swap for a H42 with the spacer between the transmission and t-case, which your '86 has. No modifications needed.

 

[Mojofilter]

Exactly. The H55F is a direct swap for a H42 with the spacer between the transmission and t-case, which your '86 has. No modifications needed.

Thanks man! I understand I'll have to do the 5th gear oiler thing - I saw it somewhere in here a while back. My 60 only has 120K on it, so I'm wondering about needing a xfer case rebuild.

 

[Skreddy]

Thanks man! I understand I'll have to do the 5th gear oiler thing - I saw it somewhere in here a while back. My 60 only has 120K on it, so I'm wondering about needing a xfer case rebuild.

Rebuild the t-case. Easier while it’s coming apart anyway than to have it leak and do it later.
I did the H55 to my 87 and needed the oiler cup as well. (I rebuilt the t-case with all new bearings and seals/gaskets). I was also able to use the 4 speed shifter with the cup/spacer adapter that’s been listed in other threads. Really pleased with this and 33’s.

 

[Flatlanderfj40]

For me it was great getting that 5th gear but also taking care of all the PM items the PO neglected over 200k miles; seals, bearing, clutch, fly wheel, clutch slave, master, blah blah blah while you’re in there. I plan to leave my 3.70’s since I’m likely swapping 6.0 LS later on…I rarely use the 5th gear now, but it’s nice to have and to me is a better driving experience. Also on 33’s. Do it, you’ll love it.

 

[HemiAlex]

I put my H55F into this 60 of mine at 300,000 miles. I'm currently at 348,000 miles. I would say that with a light truck (stock wheels and 33" tires, front bumper, no winch and a stock style steel bumper in the rear) that the 3.70 gears were perfect.

I've only added more weight and further stressed it. I've seen the mileage drop and it get a little slower. But also, this 2F has seen better days. It feels as if 4.10 would be perfect in my current combination.

I will still drive this anywhere fully loaded, but just keep my speed down to 70 max. There are times on the highway that it feels better in 4th gear than 5th, and I think thats telling me that its undergeared. I can get 12mpg in varying terrain and it will do 75-80 with my foot half way down. If I keep it at 65mph, I've seen 15+mpg consistently (adjusted for my gearing)

A proper 2F, 750 lbs of armor, H55F, 3:1 gears in the split case and 4.11 with at least a rear selectable locker would be the perfect balance of on/off road for me in a long wheelbase truck.

In our 3FE 62 with an H55F I'm leaving the 4.11 gears with 28" tires. It may stand a chance at staying in 5th gear over hills like that.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Late to the game but I love mine. I've got one behind the 2F, 1HZ and 12HT, each is unique in it's own way but the smooth shifting and overdrive (albeit short) of the H55F is appreciated for highway driving. I've had the H55F in my 40 for 22 years. As a broke college student building a 40, I had to beg, borrow and steal to get it. I sold a dirtbike and saved my play money to buy one from Jay Marks Toyota for $1750, at the time they were the Cruiser Outfitters go-to for H55F's. We've sold and installed hundreds since that time, I can't say I've ever heard a complaint behind the $$


Plus they are so handsome

For those considering the H55F swap in their Land Cruiser, I've been working on this FAQ guide:

(Work in progress) - So you want to swap a H55F 5-Speed transmission into your 40, 60, or 62?

(Work in progress, tossing this out as I have some time in an Uber this morning :D) So you want to swap a H55F 5-Speed transmission into your 4x or 6x Series? Why? Well, 5th gear and a lower 1st gear. New smooth transmission and the split t-case. The H55F features a 15.5% overdrive (0.845:1 in...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Skreddy]

I put my H55F into this 60 of mine at 300,000 miles. I'm currently at 348,000 miles. I would say that with a light truck (stock wheels and 33" tires, front bumper, no winch and a stock style steel bumper in the rear) that the 3.70 gears were perfect.

I've only added more weight and further stressed it. I've seen the mileage drop and it get a little slower. But also, this 2F has seen better days. It feels as if 4.10 would be perfect in my current combination.

I will still drive this anywhere fully loaded, but just keep my speed down to 70 max. There are times on the highway that it feels better in 4th gear than 5th, and I think thats telling me that its undergeared. I can get 12mpg in varying terrain and it will do 75-80 with my foot half way down. If I keep it at 65mph, I've seen 15+mpg consistently (adjusted for my gearing)

A proper 2F, 750 lbs of armor, H55F, 3:1 gears in the split case and 4.11 with at least a rear selectable locker would be the perfect balance of on/off road for me in a long wheelbase truck.

In our 3FE 62 with an H55F I'm leaving the 4.11 gears with 28" tires. It may stand a chance at staying in 5th gear over hills like that.

Have you done the gear swap to correctly calibrate the speedo? I think mine feels similar to what you are describing (also my speedo is off about 15% compared to gps). I’ve found I don’t use 5th a ton but 1-3 seem much more “in town” friendly.

 

[HemiAlex]

I've only done the math for the percentage split between a 28" tire and my true 33" tires. It's about 15% off. I've just gotten used to it and verified it with GPS.

I'm not aware of a calibrated set of pinion gears for the trans to give you the correct speedometer reading. You could go to 4.11 and be perfect, but thats a lot of work.

 

[cruisermatt]

There are multiple sets of speedo gears available.

 

[matmattmatthew]

My 89 with the stock 3FE and an H55 from one of the POs when I bought it. Mine is also re-geared to 4.56, currently on 33's. The PO had 35s on in when I bought it and I plan to go back to 35s when I overhaul the suspension. The H55 is one of the biggest reasons I purchased this particular cruiser, when I bought it 6 years ago I probably paid about 1k more than the going rate for a comparable 62 with the Auto. But it seemed worth it at the time and I have no regrets, I hadn't owned a manual car for about 7-8 years and wanted my project car to be a manual, for that reason, I was mostly looking at 60's but I really didn't want to deal with a Carberuted motor, so the 3FE plus H55 was the best of both worlds.

Driving the H55 is a delight, you can actually get into the powerband and make the most of the tractor motor. The 4.56 gears are too tall for my 33's, my 1st gear is so low that I barely ever use it, from a stop I start in 2nd gear. Max speed in 1st gear is probably 10mph at most, sucks on the road, but has been great when offroad. 35's will help make the lower gears a little more useable, I've even considered trying to make 37's fit but I think that jump will open up a whole can of worms.

 

[HemiAlex]

My truck with the 3F-E, H55F, 235/75r15 tires and 4.11 gears.

Still tuning it, but it’s really fun to drive.