FJ55 Body to FJ60 frame, Should I swap or not

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andrew.fletcher

andrew.fletcher

Joined
Jan 10, 2006
Threads
49
Messages
354
Location
Kansas City, MO
Website
usacac.army.mil
I'm putting together the thread for my entire build as I get it started but wanted to get opinions on this first. I asked on another thread but wanted to be more specific. I'm ig'nant when it comes to Landcruisers since I've only been an owner for about 6 months now and slowly going through all the threads I can to get information. Big picture is this Pig will be mainly a street driver (DD family car), minimal lift with a 4BD1T.
Okay, pro's and con's as I understand them by putting the Pig on an FJ60 frame. (I already have the rolling frame in the driveway)

PROS-
1. No need to adapt 60 P/S steering box
2. Already has front disc brakes
3. I can work on the engine/frame/suspension vs. the body separately (I have issues with space at the house)
4. More options / better prices for springs / shocks vs. making my own combination of leafs for a smoother ride
5. A little more width to mount the 4BD1T (not sure if I need it or not)
6. Better gearing on the axles for an on-road vehicle (I was just told I can swap out the 3rds from the 60 axles to the FJ55. Now I just need to figure out what that means! )

CONS
1. Would need to change all the body mounts
2. No rust on frame so why change it


UNKNOWNS
1. Will the axles line up or will they need to be moved (I need to measure the axle distance)
 
I wouldn't do that for the simple reason that the '55 frames rust far LESS than '60 series frames. The rustiest of the '55's have better frames than many '60's out there!
The amount of work required to do that is enormous compared to simply swapping thirds and installing disc brakes.
 
Thanks guys for pulling me back to reality. I get all stoked reading Andre's thread then I remember, dumba** you can't weld so make it easy. I'm gonna stick with the Pig frame but still undecided about the axles. Is the extra 2" or so of width worth it. Looking at it right now with little street tires makes it look pretty wimpy so I'll keep chewing on that one.
 
I wouldn't bother with the axles either!! I'm not trying to shoot you down but putting the '60 series axles under the '55 will involve welding as well so if that's not where you're at stay with the '55 axles. There's nothing wrong with them.

Swapping thirds really isn't a big deal and you'll want to redo the front axle seals anyways so bolting on disc parts when it's all apart is really no big deal. A disc swap is bolt on as far as the axle is concerned. The only thing you'll be playing with is the shims.
 
You've got other option as well, if you want to do axles. How stock do you want to keep it? In my opinion, the width gain from a 55 to a 60 axle isn't worth the hassle, especially for the front axle. Think cheap and easy unless you have a deeper need other than cosmetics: get some 1" wheel spacers on each side. There is your extra width right there, all bolt on, much cheaper.

Or you could just get some aftermarket rims with 2.5" or 3" of backspacing that will push your tires out of your fenders more, and get some fatter tires while you're at it as well.
 
my opinion is dont bother swapping the frames. with your plans of mostly street use the width of the 60 axles is a non issue, the 60 power steering box is very easy to put on the 55 frame, the 3rds are drop ins, and the disc brakes are literally bolt on.
 
Okay, swapping 3rds it is. I did a search of the FAQ's and the resource thread but couldn't find anything. Anyone have a link on how to do this? Sorry for the ignorance, still trying to figure it all out.
 
agree with the spacers; cheap, very cheap and gives you the two inches or more width increase..........would like other comments from more experienced members;

Lou
 
To swap the front thirds proceed as for a front axle rebuild and when all parts are out unbolt and remove the original third and bolt in new third!

For the rear, drain the diff oil, remove rear diff cover, remove spacer between axle shaft ends, push axles to center of truck and remove "C" clips, pull axles to outside of truck and remove third! Reinstall all parts removed (except swap thirds of course).

You will find that the spider gears and their thrust washers will like to slip out of position so ENSURE they are in position before calling it done.

btw, do you have an OEM shop manual? If not you NEED to get one. It will be the best money you spend on the 'Cruiser.
 
cruiser_guy said:
btw, do you have an OEM shop manual? If not you NEED to get one. It will be the best money you spend on the 'Cruiser.
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You're right, I definately need a shop manual. Now that more and more of the Pig will stay Pig vs. something else, that will be next thing to order. I looked at the shop manual that I have for the '89 to get an idea but still confused on what a "3rd" is. In the '89 shop manual the diagram shows a large gear around the diff. and call it the ring gear. Is that the right thing? If so, easy enough.
 
andrew.fletcher said:
You're right, I definately need a shop manual. Now that more and more of the Pig will stay Pig vs. something else, that will be next thing to order. I looked at the shop manual that I have for the '89 to get an idea but still confused on what a "3rd" is. In the '89 shop manual the diagram shows a large gear around the diff. and call it the ring gear. Is that the right thing? If so, easy enough.
Click to expand...

The third member is the entire assembly, ring gear, pinion gear, drive shaft flange. Everything, just not the axle housing. It's a simple matter of about 10-15 bolts that you can see before any disassembly. Take the nuts off (some studs will come out) then whack it with a rubber mallet as hard as you can because it's probably really stuck and simply replace it with one of the gearing that you want.
 
n2666s said:
agree with the spacers; cheap, very cheap and gives you the two inches or more width increase..........would like other comments from more experienced members;

Lou
Click to expand...

Spacers are OK, I ran 1.5" spacers all around for a while... need to locktite them no question about it. It is also extra hard on the knuckles... so tightening up steering arms, etc. is important.. bearings also take more leverage with the added width. I liked the added stability.. .. but eventually I took them off for simplicity and bought 2" backspaced rims. Maybe skip the step and go wth the rims? They were fine, got mine from Marlin.

To swap the 3rds, as cruiserguy stated, remove the inspection cover, center pin and retaining bolt, slide out the c-clips and axle shafts, remove mounting bolts on front of 3rd member and driveshaft, pull the 3rd out and reassemble reverse of removal.. once you get in there, it all makes sense:beer:
 
I put 60 axles in my 40, and think the extra 3 inches was worth it. There is some welding involved, so unless you can weld, or a friend can help you take that option off the table. If you are building a wheeler, than the wider axles would definitely be worth it.

I have a bias against wheel spacers for the reasons Wayne lists.

You can use the FJ60 diffs and disc brakes fairly easily and keep the piggy front axle. That will definitely be the easiest route.

Anyway you could swap in the FJ60's transmission and split t-case? That's a much stronger unit. Better yet would be an H55f + split case.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
I have a bias against wheel spacers for the reasons Wayne lists.
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Me too, I haven't had the best of luck with spacers in the past so I stay clear of them.

Cruiserdrew said:
You can use the FJ60 diffs and disc brakes fairly easily and keep the piggy front axle. That will definitely be the easiest route.
Click to expand...

I think I understand the swapping 3rds now. I'm assuming that I can't pull the whole diff inside the housing and swap those out because that would be too easy. I was reading in the '89 manual about heating up the ring gear in a 212 degree oil bath before installing???
Are you saying I can swap out the brakes also? I only saw threads about swapping out for mini-trucks.

Cruiserdrew said:
Anyway you could swap in the FJ60's transmission and split t-case? That's a much stronger unit. Better yet would be an H55f + split case.
Click to expand...
I'd like to but the CFO wants an auto and since it's her DD, auto it is. Not sure yet what transfer case I'm gonna use but the tranny is down to either a 700R4 or 4le80.
 
i am not a fan of spacers, the added leverage prematurely wears bearing especially the trunnions, i have offset rims, which is essentially the same as spacers but better, safer IMOP. i have to replace the trunnions every couple years, but 60 axles are in the backyard and i will someday put them in.

with the t-case, for strength a split case would fit the bill nicely, but in your minimal offroad application keep the stock case, it'll be just fine.
 
andrew.fletcher said:
I think I understand the swapping 3rds now. I'm assuming that I can't pull the whole diff inside the housing and swap those out because that would be too easy.
Click to expand...

That IS how easy it is!!!
 
Finally, I think the rest of the '60 body is sold and I'll now have space in the driveway to work on the Pig. I'm hanging onto the axles for now so I can take my time swapping the 3rds.
Thanks for all the advise and suggestions to help keep me realistically on track with this one. Time to break out the checkbook. Like Rhino said "Enough Talk"!
 
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