FJ60 5.7l TBI to 5.3l LS Swap

[FJ60Cam]

Nice work!

Is that a 60 front drive shaft? The 62s have a longer slip section, which helps clear the pan (still needs some pan clearancing tho).

 

[YotaJosh]

Nice work!

Is that a 60 front drive shaft? The 62s have a longer slip section, which helps clear the pan (still needs some pan clearancing tho).

It's actually a rear shaft that was shortened back before I did the LS swap. Shorting a rear was cheaper than making the stock front longer.

Kinda moot now, because it needs so much clearance at the trans pan, that I ran out of room inside the pan (filter is big and can't move). I got to wheel it once after putting some clearance dents in the pan, and it "self clearanced" more after the suspension cycled a few times. Shaft also just barely touched the bellhousing.

New plan is a smaller diameter shaft (got to switch to 1310 joints), and extend my bumpstops to limit the up travel a bit.

 

[YotaJosh]

Time to follow up on my punchlist.

- The power steering pump is noisy and weak. Going to have to replace that.

Replaced it. My rebuilt box has a minor leak, and it still feels iffy from time to time. Probably going to source a better one in the future.

- The front pump seal in the 4L60E leaked pretty good for the first 20 miles or so, but since has stopped. Not sure what happened there other than maybe a dry seal or something.

So, that turned into a major ordeal. The bushing walked out and ruined the seal. Pretty common failure for a 4L60E. More details (or story) below...

- The transmission won't hold 4th/overdrive at speeds above 50 MPH for some reason. It's got a new filter and brand new fluid in it. All other gears are fine and it shifts great. I'm still debugging this one. I hope its just a leaky valve or solenoid somewhere in the valve body, and not a leak in the apply pistons. I don't want to pull the trans, but I have a shop in mind that can do a rebuild if I need one done.

Turns out the 2-4 band was pretty worn. I ended up buying another junkyard 4L60E and did a full rebuild on it (thanks to Youtube and great part suppliers). Rebuild has common upgrades, good clutches, a new pump, and a new torque converter. It's really, really good now.

- The ECM was throwing a MAF code. It's a brand new MAF sensor, and the ECM is seeing that it does work, just not in parameters.

- The shop I talked to said that my MAF code is probably the cause, since the MAF senses engine load, which commands the trans shift points and line pressure. I moved the MAF sensor to be close to the throttle body and far away from the air filter, and now the code is gone, and the shift points are different for sure. It's not as harsh during the 1-2 shift. BUT.... it still won't hold 4th/overdrive.

MAF wasn't happy where it was in my intake plumbing. Moved it closer to throttle body and away from air filter, and the code disappeared.

- The FJ60 tach isn't working. I connected the wire from the ECM to the tach wire in the FJ60 harness, but still nothing. I'm tempting to try this: Tach wiring for 99+ Vortec/LS1 , but I might just get the Dakota Digital converter (Dakota Digital Universal Tachometer Signal Interfaces SGI-8E) and be done with it.

Still need to do this one. I have a resistor that I'm going to try.

- I can't pull a vacuum on the A/C system. The only major component that I didn't replace was the compressor. I want to try and use it. I can't find the leak, so I will probably table this for now as it's getting cooler and heading into Fall.

Never found the leak. I just pulled a much vacuum as I could, and hurried up and shot as much R134A in as I could to trigger the compressor. Got the system charged and it worked great the rest of the summer. As of Christmas, it still had a good charge. We'll see what happens in 4 months. Compressor has shown signs of leaking oil, so it's probably due for replacement one day.

- The ECM is throwing a knock sensor code. I knew I should have replaced them when I had the intake manifold off way back when I did my prep work, but I told myself "It'll be fine". Guess I get to pull it apart again.

The bushing walking out in the transmission was causing the torque converter to make noise, and trigger the knock sensors. Now that the trans is fixed, the knock sensor code is gone.

- I still need to hook up my reverse lights. I have the wire from the 4L60E MLPS extracted and ready for connecting to the FJ60 harness. I just need to source a relay since the MLPS outputs 12v+ (instead of grounding) and I don't want to run the lights off the transmission fuse.

Done!

- Front driveshaft still hits the trans pan, just barely. Need to price a new, skinny shaft.

Going to order a smaller diameter shaft and extend my bumpstops.

 

[Kmonty66]

Sub'd. I have the most respect for you and the others before you that have taken on this swap/kind of project!

 

[White Stripe]

Aren't u creating a choke of air by reducing the intake plumbing size to 3"?

For the intake hose, it was mandatory that the snorkel be connected. Why have it if it's not functional? When I bought the cruiser, the PO didn't have the flexible hose that goes inside the fender, so it was purely a "poser snorkel" for a long time.

I got a box of silicone couplers and T clamps from siliconeintakes.com. Gives it that racecar tuner look.

Starting at the throttle body, it's a 4" 90 degree elbow.

Then a 4" aluminum tube with a 45 degree bend in it. This was to clear the radiator hose.

Next is a 4" to 3.5" reducer to the MAF sensor. The 3.5" side has to be compressed a bit since it's a loose fit.

From the other side of the MAF it's a 4" to 3" reducer.

And finally the air cleaner. It's an inline, sealed, conical unit made by Spectre. It has 3" in and out, which matches the snorkel hose, which is attached on the other end.

Later I would like to use a FJ62 air cleaner assembly with a modified lid for the MAF. I'm not a fan of the inline air cleaner, but it works for now. And by "for now", I mean street driving duty.

Overhead shot of it mostly complete. It got rained on the night before it headed to the muffler shop while it was loaded on the trailer. I didn't have adequate help for the hood yet.

 

[YotaJosh]

Aren't u creating a choke of air by reducing the intake plumbing size to 3"?

Possibly, but I'm not worried about it. It's no more restrictive than what a stock Chevy truck would be. And all the snorkel hoses and connections are 3", so I'd still be limited by that.

 

[88red]

Where did you end up connecting to the brake lights? I’m about to wrap up my diy harness and that is on the to do list.

 

[workingdog]

You are my hero. I feel feeble and small in comparison.

 

[YotaJosh]

Where did you end up connecting to the brake lights? I’m about to wrap up my diy harness and that is on the to do list.

Sorry for the late reply. Notifications aren't working for some reason.

I used this switch on the brake pedal:

One set of terminals is for the FJ60 brake lights.

The other set is for the TCC unlock.

I ran 12V+ from the FJ60 ENGINE fuse to one terminal on the switch, and ran the other terminal to the TCC unlock wire in the GM harness. Pressing the brakes sends 12V+ to the ECM to tell it to unlock the torque converter.

 

[Hamachi]

One of the last pieces of the puzzle was to get the A/C system working again.

I took my old lines that I had made notes on regarding length and orientation to a local hose shop and had some new ones made. I ended up keeping the original ends at the condenser, and the #6 ends that go from the firewall to the dryer.

I also picked up a set of adapters on Ebay that convert the ports on the compressor to standard #8 and #10 fittings. Doing this eliminated the need for special GM specific ends. Although I could have just snagged some from the junkyard and had them braised on. I like the adapters better.

I picked up a new engine cover from Ebay, and with that installed, the swap is COMPLETE!

Howdy,

I know this is afew years old, but would you happen to remember the vendor on ebay and the description? Your rig looks great! I'm finishing up loose ends right now and the AC is one of them...

 

[YotaJosh]

Howdy,

I know this is afew years old, but would you happen to remember the vendor on ebay and the description? Your rig looks great! I'm finishing up loose ends right now and the AC is one of them...

I'm pretty sure these are what I used:

LS New AC Compressor adapter fittings for Denso 10S17F & 10S20F CNC Machined USA | eBay

LS AC Compressor Fittings for Denso 10S17F & 10S20F. Fit Denso 10S17F & 10S20F Compressors. CNC machined in USA! From 6061-T6 Billet Aluminum. 8AN/-10AN fittings. #8AN and #10AN fittings. Note: Adapter will not work with compressor included with the Chevrolet performance #19155066 serpentine...

www.ebay.com

Or, if you prefer Amazon:

Amazon product ASIN B07TCYLXF9