FJ55 on road performance (Speed without strain?) (1 Viewer)

[esbuff1978]

So I’m still new to the FJ55. Since I’ve purchased it I’ve been trying to iron out a few minor issues but have had the opportunity to drive it about 60 miles on road. As I begin to learn the driving style and quirks of a 48 year old vehicle i have noticed so far that speed performance is less than what I anticipated. I don’t expect sports car performance, but speeds should I be seeing? My initial impressions are that it would have a difficult time running at even low highway speeds. It will run 45 no issues, but any faster and I feel like it would be putting unwanted strain on the old girl.

My model is a 1974 with a four speed. I don’t know if the gearing has been changed from factory. Motor seems strong as expected…

 

[brian]

with what would be oe 4:11 rears, and depending on tire size, 60-65mph should be easily attained with 33" tires.

 

[esbuff1978]

with what would be oe 4:11 rears, and depending on tire size, 60-65mph should be easily attained with 33" tires.

Thank for the feedback Brian. I’m going to run it over to the shop tomorrow to pull the tank cleaning and sealing. I’ll see if it will do 60 without blowing up….hahaha

 

[sterling]

Not sure what engine you have, 2f?
My 1979 40 will do over 70 on the hwy with factory gears and 33"tires. Really loud as expected.

Will the truck run up to 65 mph and stay there? Its hard to hurt a stubborn tractor motor.
Never had a Pig to compare, but sure am envious.

 

[esbuff1978]

Not sure what engine you have, 2f?
My 1979 40 will do over 70 on the hwy with factory gears and 33"tires. Really loud as expected.

Will the truck run up to 65 mph and stay there? Its hard to hurt a stubborn tractor motor.

11/1974 so It is an F…honestly I have been afraid to push it too hard.

 

[sterling]

11/1974 so It is an F…honestly I have been afraid to push it too hard.

Hopefully someone with an f motor can chime in on your question.
I don't think you can hurt a Toyota engine, good on oil pressure and coolant....give it the beans.

Slowly work your way up to a speed that you are comfortable with?
When new, the 55 series had to be able to drive and keep up on the highway bottom line. Although not fast and in 1974.
Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

[esbuff1978]

Hopefully someone with an f motor can chime in on your question.
I don't think you can hurt a Toyota engine, good on oil pressure and coolant....give it the beans.

Slowly work your way up to a speed that you are comfortable with?
When new, the 55 series had to be able to drive and keep up on the highway bottom line. Although not fast and in 1974.
Good luck! Keep us posted.

I totally agree…this was the modern day family hauler of the period. I mean family’s took these on vacations. Just did coolant flush. Oil is clean and good.

I’ll see what she can do!

 

[Pighead]

11/1974 so It is an F…honestly I have been afraid to push it too hard.

Probably the Late F engine, or 1.5 F.
Especially if you have the 4 speed.
I've had my 12/'74 FJ55 for 36 years. I used to drive it at 60, occasionally 65 mph. I really liked the 55mph speed limit.
A stockish 55 in good shape should be able to do that.
Have you given your engine a thourough tuning?
Do you have a tachometer?

 

[esbuff1978]

Probably the Late F engine, or 1.5 F.
Especially if you have the 4 speed.
I've had my 12/'74 FJ55 for 36 years. I used to drive it at 60, occasionally 65 mph. I really liked the 55mph speed limit.
A stockish 55 in good shape should be able to do that.
Have you given your engine a thourough tuning?
Do you have a tachometer?

I just recently purchased it and am in the process of running through it. Yes tach, have flushed the coolant and changed the plugs. Getting ready to change the oil/filter this weekend. It does need a good card clean and adjustment. The PO changed the carb and added some sort of fuel delivery adjustment knob so it does have some hesitation with a heavy throttle application. Probably needs to be cleaned. Will post pics later when I get home.

 

[esbuff1978]

Probably the Late F engine, or 1.5 F.
Especially if you have the 4 speed.
I've had my 12/'74 FJ55 for 36 years. I used to drive it at 60, occasionally 65 mph. I really liked the 55mph speed limit.
A stockish 55 in good shape should be able to do that.
Have you given your engine a thourough tuning?
Do you have a tachometer?

Any chance you could send a pic of the motor/carb set up on yours?

 

[Pighead]

Any chance you could send a pic of the motor/carb set up on yours?

Gosh, i dunno. I'm kinda shy about posting pics of my rig.

 

[bhsdriller]

cool valve cover, not so cool air intake setup

 

[esbuff1978]

Gosh, i dunno. I'm kinda shy about posting pics of my rig.

View attachment 2989141

View attachment 2989142

View attachment 2989143

Well….that’s not factory. Hahahaha

 

[Pighead]

Well….that’s not factory. Hahahaha

No, it was when i got it though.
I don't do 65 in it anymore either.

 

[esbuff1978]

No, it was when i got it though.
I don't do 65 in it anymore either.

The more I work with mine I am finding little “modifications” made by the PO. As I read a lot of the forums I see a lot of people trying to work real hard to keep their’s period original and then I see people making modifications. I’m not sure what route I want to go with mine. I do think that supply chain in parts availability will be a big dictator in that decision.

 

[numby]

My 1979 40 will do over 70 on the hwy with factory gears and 33"tires. Really loud as expected.

'79 & later 40/55s have 3.70 gears so highway speeds are a little more attainable. Regardless these are tractor motors and tend to die unexpectedly if pushed too hard for too long. Big tires, overdrives, or a 5 speed are options.

 

[1MAC]

My first FJ40 on 31” tires would do 60mph with no problem. The whining of the transfer case and roar of the engine (due to a lack of seals and grommets in the firewall and trans tunnel) made it feel like I was breaking the sound barrier, though!

 

[ToyotaMatt]

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[120mm]

The more I work with mine I am finding little “modifications” made by the PO. As I read a lot of the forums I see a lot of people trying to work real hard to keep their’s period original and then I see people making modifications. I’m not sure what route I want to go with mine. I do think that supply chain in parts availability will be a big dictator in that decision.

Supply chain parts availability is almost always less of a big deal than it seems.

As you gain skill and knowledge in the rig and how to scrounge for it, the easier it gets to find the parts you need.

The longer I drive mine, the more I like stock-ish configurations.

One exception for me is the ignition system. When my igniter took a dump, I priced the individual parts to restore it to stock and went with the DUI ignition.

I'd strongly suggest making the most of what you have right now, and only modifying as absolutely necessary.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

remember ,

this is a antique car and almost 50 years old ....


- u can upgrade to 31 x 10.50 r15 BFG all terrains tire , gain top end but u loose low end torque out of the gate ....



- watch this 2 TECH video's and study how fast there going ......

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