Engine Swapped 60-Series Registry

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Great thread! I will stick this into the FAQ section. :)
 
Great info, rover67. That's the motor and year I was targetting before doing the oil burner. I am surprised the fuel economy is that low.. Tahoes/Yukons and whatever else those came in were supposedly getting 20 and were at least 1000lbs heavier than a 60.
 
Great info, rover67. That's the motor and year I was targetting before doing the oil burner. I am surprised the fuel economy is that low.. Tahoes/Yukons and whatever else those came in were supposedly getting 20 and were at least 1000lbs heavier than a 60.

Yeah, but my truck weighs like 6000 plus pounds and has 35's. I think that kinda kills your mileage no matter what with any kind of gas motor. It'd be nicer to see higher mileage, but I think that's reserved for the oil burners :)
 
I like the variation of engines and modificaitons various people have done. I'm also wondering if everyone drives their rigs off-road and if so what is there experience with their modified truck. Assume also that everyone has 4wd operational.

FYI... a few years ago not long after I bought my 60 (totally stock). I had been on this web site just a short time. I went over to visit my brother who lives in Memphis, TN and prior to that I had PM'ed or emailed rover67 to see if I could drop by and check his truck out (he lived in teh area too) since I was wanting to change engines and go with a GM V-8... Well Marco let me check his truck out and even drive it.... I was hooked and got on the fast track to modify my truck.

I think the big issues I had was electronic (issue with the engine harness which required me to have another PCM programmed and waste more $$). I would offer that you should do plenty of reading and understand the engine harness and the PCM programming. I don't think that "joe average" is going to pickup up programming the ECM on their on. So best to find a shop with a good reqputation and knowledge base on these engine swaps. If not, you'll pay out your @$$ in trying to run down some of the gremlins associated with screwups.

I'll also offer that I'm really thinking about swapping over to the ranger torque splitter (in under-drive mode).

Have a friend with fabrication skills, or have them yourself...before you start becuase many of the modificaitons required are not just bolt on type things.
 
I didn't do mine but will add it because it is a fairly common swap and not posted yet.

1. Engine: GM Performance Ramjet 350 v8, 350hp & 400ftlbs.
2. Tranny and how controlled: stock 4spd
3. Adapters used: AA Ranger OD
4. Driving impressions: Love it! It is great on road, off and on the HWY
5. Real world gas mileage: 10-13mpg, but room for improvement
6. Difficulties: cooling, clutch slave, front Y-pipe smashed by front diff
7. Advice: Great motor, great in a Cruiser, I like the Ranger and position of engine, pay close attention to front diff and Y-pipe and stock engine mounts suck.
8. Cost breakdown: the motor is an easy $5,000 and AA Ranger is $1800ish. I would say $10kish if you do it yourself.
9. Would you do it again? Sure, any Chevy v8 is great in a Cruiser or similar truck.
10. Link to thread and/or other site: Nadda'

Due to cost of this engine it is not a common swap by DIY people but it is a common swap done by shops. I would expect this swap to run $20k+ done by a shop with a new crate motor and new Ranger box plus lot's of other odds and ends. It is great with the stock 4spd and Ranger OD, 75mph = 2200ish rpms. I am sure it would also be great with an NV4500 or a 4L60 or even a 700r.
 
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Yeah, but my truck weighs like 6000 plus pounds and has 35's. I think that kinda kills your mileage no matter what with any kind of gas motor. It'd be nicer to see higher mileage, but I think that's reserved for the oil burners :)

The h55f doesn't have much of an overdrive either so I bet you would get a couple better on the highway with a 4500 or 4l60e.
 
1. Engine - Toyota 13B-T (4cyl direct injected turbo diesel) installed by Lynchmob. No complaints, and he has answered all of my noob questions. I installed electric fans from a Ford Contour and a painless controller. Unless I am sitting in traffic or have the AC on, I keep the fans completely off.
2. Tranny and how controlled - Initially an A440f but with dirtgypsy’s help we installed an H55f. Much more fun and efficient with the 5-speed. We also converted the vacuum shift t-case to georg’s twin stick and LOVE it. I use 2-lo when backing a trailer and when sitting on an on-ramp inching my way up to the metering light.
3. Adapters used – FJ60 transmission cross-member, pedal bucket, and transmission plate.
4. Driving impressions – Now that I am getting it dialed in it is a lot more fun to drive. EGT and boost gage are a must! Currently running around 13psi and up 6% grades at 65 at 1150F on the pre-turbo EGT gage. First is a little low, with 33s and 4.11s, so going up to 35s would make it perfect. 70mph is 2600rpms.
5. Real world gas mileage - 20-23 mpg on the highway if I keep it under 75mph. I average 20-21.
6. Difficulties –
7. Advice – get good gages and really learn where your adjustments for fuel are.
8. Cost breakdown – I bought it with the 13bt in, but I spent about 2000 for the h55f, twin stick kit, clutch related parts, and t-case conversion parts.
9. Would you do it again? – Yes, but I think I would go with a 6 cyl motor. Otherwise I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Future Mods - Intercooler, Delco alternator and electric vacuum pump, coolant filter
 
Good Day All,


1. Engine
2. Tranny and how controlled
3. Adapters used
4. Driving impressions
5. Real world gas mileage
6. Difficulties
7. Advice
8. Cost breakdown
9. Would you do it again?
10. Link to thread and/or other site

1. Roller lifter Gen. 1 350 block with Vortec heads, Comp Cams shaft with 206/212 duration @ .050", 520/525 lift with a 1.6 roller rocker. Highly modified TBI setup with a throttle body from a 454, an Edelbrock intake, shorty headers and a custom chip compliments of Brian at www.tbichips.com (shameless plug) Machine work was done at Strasberg Machine in Lindon, UT. They run top fuel dragsters in their spare time and do excellent work.
2. NV4500
3. The only adapters I have are motor and tranny mounts of my owm making. My bellhousing is a modified Chevy unit made to accept an external Toyota slave on the driver's side.
4. Makes me smile evey time I drive it. I like to blow the doors off unsuspecting punks in their Gucchi utes.
5. 13 MPG is a bad day, like towing a trailer or going 80 into a head wind for five hours. 14 to 15 is normal.
6. Driving the speed limit. Actually, gathering info was probably the hardest part. I had no experience with FI untill I put it on this rig. Once I gained some understanding then it became much easier to create a workable TBI rig that hauls arse.
7. My advice is to get your tools (not your tool friends, your Snap-on stuff) and go to the wrecking yard. The best hardware ever made is just waiting to be taken home by somebody with the motovation to remove it. And buy a welder and learn to use it before anything else. I'm not a professional, just a self-taught garage engineer, but what doors that opens!
8. Cost. Hmm. Total cost is something I do not want to know. Most of the time when I look back and think how I could have done it for less, it is regarding something for which I did not take my own advice; I got some fancy gadget instead of going to the wrecking yard. At this moment, even my throttle cable came from a wrecking yard. It cost a couple dollars, the fancy Lockar cable I had cost about $50. It was nice untill it wore out.
9. Not only yes, but hell yes.
10. www.tbichips.com was extremely helpfull and his chip programing is excellent. I like TBI for its simplicity but I was never impressed with the peformance of the Chevy TBI motors. It was an eye opener to see just how much power can be made with the right parts and still retain its stupid-simple, crazy-reliable nature.
 
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Elbert- I think this is a little OT, but if you go look at the truck in my build thread it isn't really setup for wheeling. However, it did the Wentworth to Loon Loop at Rubicon on AT/KO 33s, open diffs, 4.11s, and while that isn't the hardest part of Rubicon by far, it isn't trivial. The HZ torque is like any of the Toyota diesels in it gives you effectively another gear, and 1st in the H55 helps. The guys I were with were pretty impressed, but I did get some granite paint on each corner of my armor- both sides front bumper, both sliders and both corners of the 4x4Labs rear bumper.

I think my auto in the 3FE would have done pretty well too. The A440 is a great wheeling auto.

My wagon is setup for exploring, not wheeling, but it does just fine when it needs to. :D
 
8. Cost. Hmm. Total cost is something I do not want to know. Most of the time when I look back and think how I could have done it for less, it is regarding something for which I did not take my own advice; I got some fancy gadget instead of going to the wrecking yard. At this moment, even my throttle cable came from a wrecking yard. It cost a couple dollars, the fancy Lockar cable I had cost about $50. It was nice untill it wore out.

this is a great point, I agree totally.
 
I'll play


1. Chevy 350 from a K10 Pickup with Eldelbrock/Weber carb model 406.
2. Factory 4 speed with AA Torque Spliter
3. Advance Adapters Torque Splitter Overdrive.
4. The driving experience is RAD! It is a very fun cruiser to scoot around town in.
5. TBD but guessing 18mpg around town.
6. None, pretty straight forward and easy to do.
7. Get your cooling system worked out first before the swap, try to keep things clean and tidy.
8. Unknown, but have receipts.
9. Yes but with EFI, carbs are for the dinosaurs.
10. 100 Guy builds a 60 series


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1. Engine
2. Tranny and how controlled
3. Adapters used
4. Driving impressions
5. Real world gas mileage
6. Difficulties
7. Advice
8. Cost breakdown
9. Would you do it again?
10. Link to thread and/or other site

?

1) 1991 1HDT boosted (supra compressor wheel) and intercoled a/w frozen boost

2) h55 with heavy duty clutch

3) HJZ75 bell housing.

4) love it in every way. easy to drive. good smooth power

5) 22 mpg. 14 pulling a 4500 lb trailer but i can pull it at 90km/hr all day

6) finding good engine

7) drive shafts and lots of little parts here and there cost more than expected. had tach doesn’t work yet (have a dakota digital adapter i’m trying to find time to play with). new engine mounts needed.

8) $25 000 canadian for a cruiser shop to do engine, new tranny and rebuilt transfer case plus a number of other little jobs. (i drive enough that if i keep it for 12 years i’ll about pay off the whole swap in fuel savings so it’s not cheap). i needed it done fast as i have other projects taking my time and its a daily driver so cost was something i was willing to pay. could probably drop 8-10k to do it all myself but would take me five years!

9) absolutely. best upgrade i’ve done to this truck.

10) fj62 gets a lift.
this has more than just engine swap in it
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1. 2004 LQ4 6.0
2. 4l80e (2wd) - OE PCM
3. Custom - 4l80e to NP203 reduction box to Split Case
4. Loads of power, smooth shifting, lots of gearing
5. Less than 10 in town (I think). It’s a trail rig on 38s and beadlocks as it sits and when I drive it I like to hear the engine go vroom.
6. Go big on the cooling system
7. NA
8. Probably around $8k
9. GM V8s are what is going to keep our old land cruisers driving down the roads for years to come. They bring back the enjoyment of driving these things on long highway trips, add reliability and if done correctly can be relatively fuel efficient.
10. NA
 
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