FJ40 SBC w/ AA 4spd bellhousing builds? (1 Viewer)

[1SICKMJ]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if someone knows of any completed builds that swapped in a SBC with the toyota 4spd using the AA bellhousing? I searched with no luck.

Reason I ask, I understand that the the transmission/case move forward and shaft lengths change. Just wanting to see if anything else came up during the swap.

I have a 78' with 2f and 4spd, but have a 327 I wanted to drop in. I understand if I want to keep the stock trans and case AA or Marks 4wd/Downey offroad (correct me if Im wrong) are the only real options. The Downey/Marks is outside of my budget. So AA is what I am considering.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Picz34]

Not sure if this will help you. The previous owner did the swap on mine. I'm not sure who made the bell housing. The transmission is the stock Toyota. I have alot of pictures if you need something else.

 

[reddingcruiser]

Bell housing in the pics is early Chevy.
AA bell housing is straight forward. If you're buying a used one try to be sure it has the index pins, or be sure to keep the ones from your Toyota bell housing. They show up on 'mud periodically, so check the classifieds.
The drive shaft lengths WILL change. IMHO, DO NOT determine engine position by OEM drive line lengths. There are plenty of threads here about correct engine placement.

 

[luvdamud]

Is it possible (and advisable) to place the SBC setup back far enough so the transmission placement doesn't change from stock? I have looked at an FJ40 without an engine and am considering SBC or SBF but don't want to cut the trans tunnel.

 

[luvdamud]

BTW, looks like stock SBC bell housing but with an adapter plate for the transmission. I believe AA made adapter plates before they went all out and designed a bell housing to mount the stock transmission to the engine.

 

[reddingcruiser]

Is it possible (and advisable) to place the SBC setup back far enough so the transmission placement doesn't change from stock? I have looked at an FJ40 without an engine and am considering SBC or SBF but don't want to cut the trans tunnel.

It's possible but not recommended. The closer the engine is to the firewall, the more likely you are to have over-heating issues. If you're not SOA, moving the engine back also can create clearance issues with the crank pulley and front diff. Again, I wouldn't recommend it. You can use the FJ60 shifter to move the stick back a little.

 

[Downey]

Ok guys, here's the correct info- - -the bellhousing shown above was an early Downey 4 Speed adapter, used before we started making our own aluminum bellhousings.
(a) Originally Downey bought batches of Chevy bellhousings, machined-on the plate you see above. These used dowl pins (missing in photo above) to align tranny to bellhousing. These also included a re-machined throw out bearing retainer for the front of the tranny, we had to machine the retainer to clear the bellhousing, and to accept the Chevy throw out bearing. Eventually the exact bellhousings we needed became extinct/too hard to get in large batches, so Downey made an aluminum bellhousing that used a stock shift fork, stock shift fork pivot ball, stock bearing retainer, and stock throw out bearing.
(b) Originally AA used a scatter shield for their 4 speed adapter, but there was no way to machine align the tranny to the bellhousing. Soooo AA then also made their own aluminum 4 speed adapter.

With Downey out of business, your choice today is the AA adapter or the $$$ Marks adapter from Australia.

 

[reddingcruiser]

OR, put in an automatic and skip the bell housing stuff.

 

[Downey]

^^^^^ home run!!!!!

 

[1SICKMJ]

Thanks for all the info! Ill try keep an eye out for that bellhousing.

The main deciding factor for me is simplicity and availability. AA bell sounds like I can just weld on some motor mounts, move driveline forward and have existing driveshafts lengthened. I havent been successful with tracking down a GM4spd and case. I think if I were to find another FJ to play with I would be willing to put a GM V8 with automatic in it.

With the driveline moving forward do new transmission mounts have to be made or can use existing mounts?

 

[1SICKMJ]

^^^^^ home run!!!!!

Sent you a PM asking about your V8 install guide. At least I think it was a PM haha

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

I'm in the process of removing a very old AA Lakewood scattershield bellhousing conversion that Downey mentioned above - and installing a Downey Bellhousing I picked up a year or so ago from Jim (maybe I have the last one??)

My previous owner opted to install the engine where he could simply swap the front and rear driveshafts and not worry about modifying them. The results WORK but it's a VERY ugly final product (look at the last few pages of my build thread in the signature) it puts the engine very far forward, almost into the radiator, and results in huge dog legs in the shifters.

As others have mentioned, too far back will result in cooling issues because heat can't escape off the firewall. I'd do it "by the book" (Jim's book) Or AA's book.

The only thing I'd add is if you can find the transmission top cover from a late, manual transmission FJ60 (the aluminum one) apparently this will fit the FJ40 transmission, and sets the shift tower a couple inches further back, which will get your shifter a little closer to the stock location. I have one of these shift towers, but I haven't tried swapping it yet - I'll be trying in the next week or so - so I can let you know. others claim it will work.

 

[Tin basher]

I have noticed several people mentioning to close to firewall causing overheating
I don't really buy that mine is back as far as it could go and still get a hei distributer in it no overheating problems
And can think of several cars that have even less room for airflow around engine v8 monza comes to mind
Quite a few Toyota mini trucks with v8s swapped into them and there is no spare room in them
I think it's more because people don't consider proper
Fan placement and shrouds so a swap with a stock rad and shroud with the motor farther away from firewall fan is closer to rad improving cooling
Mine has the bell housing with the adapter plate pictured I didn't do the swap it was done years ago

 

[reddingcruiser]

I have noticed several people mentioning to close to firewall causing overheating
I don't really buy that mine is back as far as it could go and still get a hei distributer in it no overheating problems
And can think of several cars that have even less room for airflow around engine v8 monza comes to mind
Quite a few Toyota mini trucks with v8s swapped into them and there is no spare room in them
I think it's more because people don't consider proper
Fan placement and shrouds so a swap with a stock rad and shroud with the motor farther away from firewall fan is closer to rad improving cooling
Mine has the bell housing with the adapter plate pictured I didn't do the swap it was done years ago

Average temperatures in BC are a might bit cooler than most of the US. Yes, fan placement and shrouds are a factor, but cramming the engine against the firewall impacts airflow. Modern vehicles are engineered to cool with the space they have.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

What we are probably running into here is a "stack-up of tolerances." You've got local air temperatures, various fan/shroud options, heat reflection in the engine bay, distance from fan to radiator, cores in the radiator, radiator material, engine tune (rich, lean) etc. All of these factors contribute to whether or not the truck will overheat. Probably, if you check the majority of the boxes above, even if you don't check ALL of the boxes, the engine will run cool enough.

The way I see it - there's 40-50 years of accumulated V8 swap knowledge collected on this site. If there are situations in which placing the engine too close to the firewall will cause airflow/cooling issues, and this can be avoided by seating the engine further from the firewall, and the only thing you "lose" is an inch or two of optimal shift tower placement - why risk it? Especially when the remedy is a slight bend to the shifter.

Maybe I'm just not that creative, but if the swap has been done hundreds of times and optimized, and a collective "ideal fitment" has been determined, that's the route I'm going to take, every time! Pulling the driveline, welding in engine mounts, cutting transmission humps, modifying driveshafts - there's way too much work involved to try to be different. My humble opinion!

 

[reddingcruiser]

@Downey will be proud of you.

 

[Downey]

If the Landcruiser firewall were insulated it might not bounce heat back into the engine, but it's not, and history has shown us that engines 1" away from the Landcruiser firewall run 240 degrees on the coldest day of the year. Evidently what ever you do at the fan/shroud is not enough to counter heat being radiated back into the engine at the firewall.

 

[ryanwk628]

Sent you a PM asking about your V8 install guide. At least I think it was a PM haha

Where are you located? There was just a complete 350 swap on CL near me with a fully dressed 350, LC 4 speed and t case, all coupled together with the appropriate adapters (AA I think) plus shortened drive shafts for $500. I bet the guy still has it because the posting expired. I was going to buy it, even if it was just to part out. SM465s pop up all the time.

 

[Tin basher]

i have a hard time believing that motor being close to fire wall causes overheating
Mine is close and has a stock type fj40 rad in it
It got hot but didn't overheat when we were in Moab two years ago in July wtf was I thinking
Maybe being a stock 283 helps
I didn't do the conversion it looks like Downey swap parts and was done a long time ago
Guess I will find out when it's back together with the 350 in it There has to be more to it than heat reflecting off a fire wall when looking at some swaps
Where the engine is set back into a recessed firewall
In a tight engine bay
Was just trying to share my personal experience with it
Try getting a fj 40 with a 460 Ford motor in it to cool

 

[reddingcruiser]

A bunch of Rocket Scientists (literally) didn't think cold temperatures would affect o - rings. They were wrong.