Engine rebuild/replacement

[Adarcy]

Hi all,

New member here that recently moved to Carlsbad from out of state. The F motor in my 72' FJ40 took a dive this morning, so i'm starting to look at my options to get back on the road. Does anyone have suggestions on a good shop to rebuild or replace this motor?

I wouldn't mind a replacement that has a bit more power to make the longer camping/off road trips more enjoyable.

This might be the right time to go ahead and do the 4 speed swap also.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[Adarcy]

The tow home of shame!

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

Good looking rig! Even on the back of a flatbed! were you thinking of trying to stay Toyota or interested in other manufacturer engines? With a 72 you could even look at putting a diesel in to get better mileage.

 

[Adarcy]

I was originally thinking of staying Toyota, but I should probably broaden my horizons a bit.

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

Don't take it from me to look at other mfgs. I would never put a non Toyota engine in my rig, but I know some that do. No judgement, but just not my thing. I have put two HZs into 40s and love that combo, but some are putting Toyota 2UZs (4.7L V8) as well..

 

[DomSmith]

Great looking 40! Easiest swap is F obviously. 2F and 4 speed would be a nice upgrade and not a lot more work depending on your skills.

Add an Astro fuel injection or even a Holley FI (not a big Holley fan myself) or do a little more work and a 3FE!

Either way nothing is cheap but could be done and lots of knowledgeable people here to help you out. Anything but replacing with an F and you’ll be into exhaust, etc.

How much do you want to spend?

 

[DomSmith]

What are the details on your rig and are you sure the motor is done?

 

[Adarcy]

Great looking 40! Easiest swap is F obviously. 2F and 4 speed would be a nice upgrade and not a lot more work depending on your skills.

Add an Astro fuel injection or even a Holley FI (not a big Holley fan myself) or do a little more work and a 3FE!

Either way nothing is cheap but could be done and lots of knowledgeable people here to help you out. Anything but replacing with an F and you’ll be into exhaust, etc.

How much do you want to spend?

I’m leaning towards a rebuild on the F or replacing with a 2F to keep it simple. I’d like to add fuel injection and the 4 speed while it’s apart.

 

[Adarcy]

What are the details on your rig and are you sure the motor is done?

72’, built 12/1971
F motor
3 speed
Original engine
Dual battery setup
HEI disty
Aftermarket header
Weber 32/36 on a riser
Power steering conversion

 

[DomSmith]

Nice. There are plenty of folks to chime in but there are several local guys with 40’s similar to what you’re looking at for you to check out.

I’m next door in Oceanside and have an FJ45 with 3FE and a 4 speed you can drive. Also have a 40 with a SBC and 5 speed. Another buddy in Carlsbad has a rebuilt F and Holley Sniper FI that I’m sure he’d let you drive.

I don’t know the pricing on the Holley setup but I think it’s an easy swap. Typically rebuilding an F is not cheap. Maybe finding a serviceable 2F or F would be something to consider? The 3FE/2FE is pretty in depth because of the wiring, etc. Cheapest would be to find a used F and just do all the labor and reuse the 3 speed.

Whatever you decide it’s going to take some time so don’t rush it. Sucks to have your rig off the road though.

Did you do a compression test on the motor? Or is it noisy?

Shoot me a PM if you want to connect.

Either way good luck!

 

[sbman]

Cummins R2.8? I don't know if it's been done yet in a 40, but it would be a nice motor.

 

[custyota]

Toyota 1FZ-FE engine

Rebuilt Toyota Land Cruiser 1FZ-FE engine with new pistons, rings, gaskets, oil pump, rebuilt head with valve job, etc. Everything was cut to standard so engine is as strong as ever. No time for this

sandiego.craigslist.org

This would be fun, not sure how it would all match up.

 

[elripster]

Toyota 1FZ-FE engine

Rebuilt Toyota Land Cruiser 1FZ-FE engine with new pistons, rings, gaskets, oil pump, rebuilt head with valve job, etc. Everything was cut to standard so engine is as strong as ever. No time for this

sandiego.craigslist.org

This would be fun, not sure how it would all match up.

I looked into this quite extensively when I had my 60. If you get a complete engine the wiring is 95% done, you just need to route it and hook up things like 12V, ignition, and fuel pump.

The trans is the kicker. The F series mates to the H42/55F gearboxes. The 1FZ mates to the H151F. In my case I had already upgraded to an H55F so it was hard to justify ditching that for the 151. I even found on example where someone had cut two bellhousings in half and welded them together to get the 1FZE to the H55f. If you are already upgrading the trans, I'd consider a used but not abused 1FZE, source a trans from Canada, and have at it. The 40 will have a better crawl ratio and cruise on the highway at much lower RPM's.

Frank

 

[Adarcy]

Finally got a chance to get in the garage. #2 spark plug has the side electrode smashed onto the center and no psi from the cylinder. Video upload coming up. RIP little F motor!

 

[Adarcy]

Put it's final run video on youtube. Link below.

 

[landcruisnman]

Nice looking 40. I'm local also in Carlsbad/Oceanside and if you need an engine stand or cherry picker, just let me know.
Pat

 

[Adarcy]

Nice. There are plenty of folks to chime in but there are several local guys with 40’s similar to what you’re looking at for you to check out.

I’m next door in Oceanside and have an FJ45 with 3FE and a 4 speed you can drive. Also have a 40 with a SBC and 5 speed. Another buddy in Carlsbad has a rebuilt F and Holley Sniper FI that I’m sure he’d let you drive.

I don’t know the pricing on the Holley setup but I think it’s an easy swap. Typically rebuilding an F is not cheap. Maybe finding a serviceable 2F or F would be something to consider? The 3FE/2FE is pretty in depth because of the wiring, etc. Cheapest would be to find a used F and just do all the labor and reuse the 3 speed.

Whatever you decide it’s going to take some time so don’t rush it. Sucks to have your rig off the road though.

Did you do a compression test on the motor? Or is it noisy?

Shoot me a PM if you want to connect.

Either way good luck!

I'm interested to know how your buddy with the rebuilt F and Holley Sniper likes his setup. I'm leaning that exact way right now.

 

[ebertotti]

Hi Andy. I'm Eric, friend of Dom with the FJ40 in Carlsbad. My cruiser had a F that suffered the same fate as yours with a weak cylinder. Original plan was to rebuild but was concerned by the limited parts availability for the F engine. I ended up finding a good 2F, had it rebuilt and installed. I also recently installed a Holley Sniper EFI and I'm very happy with the performance improvements. Night and day difference from the stock F I had previously.

 

[Adarcy]

Thanks Eric. Who did you have do the rebuild?

 

[ebertotti]

Thanks Eric. Who did you have do the rebuild?

I did the block and sent the head to Quality Auto Machine in San Diego.
The engine rebuild is pretty straight forward. Lots of good info on MUD.
Parts were sourced through various vendors on this sight as well as the local Toyota parts department.