Builds DomSmith’s H55 build Thread… SBC Fj40 (1 Viewer)

[DomSmith]

In an effort to figure out the best way to secure the tranny I bolted the tranny mount and then crossmember to see what fabrication would be required. I figured this would also give me a chance to see how low (or high) I should mount the ass end of the tranny.

After looking it over and consulting with a buddy who fabricates for a living we decided to scrap the FJ60 crossmember and start from scratch. After bouncing a few ideas around we concluded some stout C-Channel with welded re-inforcements bolted to the bottom of the frame should work quite well. I'll be buying that stuff in the next few days and getting to work on that soon.

 

[DomSmith]

I lifted the motor again and used a grinder with a cutting wheel to cut off the front motor mounts. The motor could be moved forward 1 1/2" to get it away from the P.O.'s "stuffing" the motor rearward and still clear the Taurus fan.

I measured up the placement of the brackets and tacked them up to see how the fitment worked. I did have to move the brake hydraulic line mounting point on the frame from the blue arrow to another hole (red arrow).

 

[DomSmith]

Here you can see the difference in the firewall spacing...


Before...

After...

 

[DomSmith]

Trying to figure out the Downey clutch slave mount has been a bit of a hassle. The directions were less than adequate, and I'm going to be fabbing up a custom mount for that as well (Thanks Mark). It does not align correctly and is also much too short (throw).

Downey slave bracket pic - https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=161612

 

[DomSmith]

The rear driveshaft length is a bit short but I'm pretty sure it will be OK. I measured 21 1/2" from flange to flange and am planning on sticking with a conventional driveshaft. The last time I needed modifications the local driveline shop was good to me. Anyone see a problem with 21 1/2"?

 

[1973Guppie]

if you were SOA I would say get a CV for sure, personally for a driveshaft that short I would have a minitruck CV put on there and you won't have to worry about vibrations for sure. It is the angle that you should be concerned about more than anything. You may be able to get away without one though and just add it if you need to later.

Noah

 

[rockcod]

Dom,

Use a mini truck CV, like Noah said. I have one that was shortened to 19 1/2" to fit with my trans. and dual t-cases. I will look when I get home, I may have a mini truck front CV drive shaft.

 

[ebertotti]

Dom,
Looks like you've been busy lately. Great write-up!
EB

 

[DomSmith]

Thanks Bert. Haven't seen you in a while.

Noah/Tony- I'll check on the mini CV once I get the tranny mount finalized. After cutting the C-Channel and placing it on the tranny I realized it was not ideal for the front driveline so I'm back to the FJ60 crossmember. This is where it sits with the tranny/transfer positioning...

 

[DomSmith]

I'm trying to determine the best way to attach the crossmember to the frame. I was thinking maybe to cut the member just inside the frame rail and fab up some brackets on the inside of the farme...

Suggestions?

Sorry for the hack drawings.

 

[DomSmith]

Here's the rear driveline angle I will be working with. 21 1/2" length...

 

[grant5127]

What year is that cross member?? '80/- 11/'84 is shorter more user friendly....

 

[DomSmith]

Grant-

I would really have to ask someone on the 60 Forum as I have no clue. My inner frame width is about 30 1/2" if I remember correctly and this crossmember is much wider than that as you can see. I could try to get ahold of Cruiserparts.net for specific info but have had SLOOOOOOW responses from them in the past.

I saw the later 40 series crossmember that Poser used and wish I had known about that before. Maybe I'll eat this one and look for one of those.


Dom

 

[DomSmith]

Back at it...

Decided to order the FJ60 "L" Brackets to attach to the inside of the frame and will cut down and use the FJ60 crossmember I ordered from cruiserparts.net to support the transmission. I'm hoping those will arrive Friday.

The new motor mount bushings arrived and I replaced the old worn ones with new, then wired the motor back up now that it is positioned correctly. Then re-attached radiator hoses, fuel lines and the clutch hydraulic line.

 

[DomSmith]

The transfer case I got didn't have the shifter bolt that allowed the shift assembly to mount to the tranny so I bought a used one from $OR and mounted up the T/Case shift assembly. I had to cut away some of the floorboard (beneath the tranny hump) for clearance.

 

[DomSmith]

I had to fabricate a clutch slave bracket as the one that came with the Downey bellhousing was pretty lame. It didn't allow for much throw and positioned the slave in a really bad spot. At the recommendation of Mark (65swb45) I fabbed up my own.

Pic 1: You can see the difference in length of the mounting holes. I also decided to stick with a flat design because it was easy and so the bleed nipple would remain on top when mounted.

Pic 2: I tapped the front hole (red) and slotted the rear hole (blue) for ease of alignment once mounted.

Pic 3: This shows the slight bend in the bracket to clear the starter and for alignment purposes.

 

[DomSmith]

Here are a few pics of the slave mounted up...

You can see where the bend begins (blue).

 

[DomSmith]

I got really lucky in that my speedo cable reached without modification as well as the parking brake cable. I was afraid that I was going to have to pay quite a bit and wait awhile for a custom brake cable but it fit just fine.

Installed the parking brake backplate, brake cable and clip (photo shows the clip before clamping) and the brake assembly..

 

[DomSmith]

Once I get the rear tranny mount fabbed up I'll be sure where the driveshafts need to be.

In the rear I'm using a 4 speed slip yoke (that matches the bolt pattern on the Split Case Parking Brake Kit) slid into my original 3 speed driveshaft which will mate to my pinion flange. I ordered 4 speed driveshaft nuts to attach at the drum and will use the stock 3 speed bolts at the pinion flange.

I had plans to use a 4 speed for the front as well so I bought another 4 speed slip yoke on MUD which actually turned out to be a 3 speed. After a second one was sent I was pretty disappointed that it too was incorrect. The bolt pattern looked different from both the 3 speed and 4 speed so I had a hunch it may be an FJ60 flange. So... I lined it up with my '87 Split Case flange and it was an EXACT fit! Finally some luck. The original front output flange was pitted so I ordered a new one from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters (and added an ARB air locker for the rear for my next project).

In the front I will now be using the new front output flange from the '87 Split Case mated to a matching FJ60 slip yoke (thanks Rolo!) slid into my original 3 speed driveshaft. I also ordered the 4 driveshaft nuts for the front output shaft and will retain the stock 3 speed driveshaft bolts at the front pinion.

With all this said, once the tranny mount is done I'll take the rig over to the driveline shop to be sure my plans will work and to have them adjust the lengths as needed and replace the U-Joints. I don't think the driveline angle is too harsh so I should be OK with conventional driveshafts.

 

[DomSmith]

Well I finally got the tranny mounted up with a crossmember, but this turned out to be a lot more trial and error than I expected. I started with an "FJ60" crossmember which I did not specify the year (turned out to be 84 and newer) and a used tranny bushing. These didn't line up too well. I decided to try some large C Channel on the recommendation of a friend and although it seemed like a good idea, there were clearance problems with the front driveshaft. Back to the original idea... so I bought the "L" brackets that mount to the inside of the frame (80-84 FJ60) to help me fab up this original bracket...