FJ60 on Dodge Ram frame?

[tetelestia]

I just had an interesting idea and want to see what everyone here thinks of it.

Has anyone thought of or tried putting a Land Cruiser body on a Dodge Ram frame? I'm thinking of an 89-93 with the 12V 6BT diesel in it. The biggest hurdle I can think of is that the track is 10" wider on the Dodge, I'd definitely need to run some big negative offset wheels and flares as well and shorten the frame by a few feet, but other than that, the measurements don't seem to be terribly far off from each other

The big advantage to this would be a VERY stout frame already equipped with Dana 60 axles and one of the best diesel engine's ever built. Wiring would all be kept to a bare minimum as well which is a huge bonus

Am I missing something here? I'm surprised people don't do that more often; seems to me like far less work that working a 6BT onto the LC frame and drivetrain

 

[klinetime574]

Interesting idea but..

May as well drive the Dodge and shorten its wheelbase.

Also you would need positive offset wheels. Negative would only make it wider.

 

[Kurtis]

I've seen a fj60 on a 4x4 2500hd frame with the Dmax/allison combo so I imagine it would be much easier than that. The problem with that one was it looked absolutely awful. The body swap required what looked like half a foot of body lift to get the engine under the hood. I imagine getting it to look presentable would be the hardest part of the swap.

 

[tetelestia]

Interesting idea but..

May as well drive the Dodge and shorten its wheelbase.

Also you would need positive offset wheels. Negative would only make it wider.

The thing is I want an SUV, not a pickup. I love the FJ60's and they're about the right size I'm looking for. Really, I just want to build myself a bulletproof, simple, diesel SUV that can actually fit through trails. An FJ60 with a 3B would be the other alternative, but even with a turbo, it's a fairly gutless motor. Reliability would be sacrificed in order to properly keep up with traffic.

I've seen a fj60 on a 4x4 2500hd frame with the Dmax/allison combo so I imagine it would be much easier than that. The problem with that one was it looked absolutely awful. The body swap required what looked like half a foot of body lift to get the engine under the hood. I imagine getting it to look presentable would be the hardest part of the swap.

Hmm, I'll double check the height of the engine above the frame. There are a fair number of 6BT 60's running around and they all seem to fit under the stock hood, so fingers crossed that I wouldn't need to go too crazy cutting mounts etc. I know someone with an FJ60 and the year of Dodge I would be looking for, so I can take lots of measurements off of his trucks
The Dodge frame doesn't drop down after the axle like the LC frame does, so I may have to modify the rear section to fit. More than 2" body lift is not an option though!

 

[618Henrik]

The thing is I want an SUV, not a pickup. I love the FJ60's and they're about the right size I'm looking for. Really, I just want to build myself a bulletproof, simple, diesel SUV that can actually fit through trails. An FJ60 with a 3B would be the other alternative, but even with a turbo, it's a fairly gutless motor. Reliability would be sacrificed in order to properly keep up with traffic.



!

Look for an HJ61 insted, with the 12H-T motor.
It is a stright 6 and have plenty of power and still Toyota

 

[tetelestia]

Look for an HJ61 insted, with the 12H-T motor.
It is a stright 6 and have plenty of power and still Toyota

Yeahhhh... that would be nice. Only 2 for sale in North America right now though and both out of my price range right now...

 

[D'Animal]

Dodge built the cabs around the 12V Cummins with extra insulation and sound deadening. They are pretty loud when you put them in a Land Cruiser.

If your FJ 60 frame is in good shape, it is more than strong enough for the Cummins, if mounted properly. I would swap the motor, trans, Tcase and the axles under your FJ60.

That vintage Dodge w Cummins should have a Dana 70 rear end. When you swap your R&P, look at the ABS and the tone ring.

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Hmm, I'll double check the height of the engine above the frame. There are a fair number of 6BT 60's running around and they all seem to fit under the stock hood, so fingers crossed that I wouldn't need to go too crazy cutting mounts etc. I know someone with an FJ60 and the year of Dodge I would be looking for, so I can take lots of measurements off of his trucks

The thing that you aren't considering with the heights is the way that the engine is mounted in the frame.
The FJ60's with 6BTs in them mounted the engine so it would fit with clearance for the top. I would measure from the top of the frame to the top of the engine on the Dodge and from the frame to the bottom of the hood on the LC. Those should be the numbers you need to compare.

Its a good idea, I'm planning a 6BT swap myself. But I want to keep the LC frame due to all of the work I went into modifying my suspension.

 

[BattleWagon]

Do it! Post pics!

 

[ntsqd]

I think it's a bad idea. The power of a 6BT is unnecessary and it's size makes for a marginal conversion. You'll play hell making the tires fit under the fenders without running into the steering linkage. May as well put a '75 Impala station wagon on the dodge chassis.

 

[warpdriv]

I have been thinking about the same thing. I want to run a 6bt at 350 - 450hp which means a whole running gear swap into a FJ60 frame because the Toyota running gear is not strong enough. A BUNCH OF WORK. So it would seem to be easier to put the body on the truck frame. Yea, measure, measure, measure, then measure again. I saw a 6bt in an FJ80 and it had a 3" body lift. It looked a little weird but it was a clean install.

Here is some motivation FJ 80 Landcruiser build 6BT Cummins diesel #2 - YouTube

Subscribed too.

 

[ntsqd]

If it's an 80 series that you want, there or were a lot of those conversions out there for sale. That should be telling all by itself.

 

[isbj60]

I have been thinking about the same thing. I want to run a 6bt at 350 - 450hp which means a whole running gear swap into a FJ60 frame because the Toyota running gear is not strong enough. A BUNCH OF WORK. So it would seem to be easier to put the body on the truck frame. Yea, measure, measure, measure, then measure again. I saw a 6bt in an FJ80 and it had a 3" body lift. It looked a little weird but it was a clean install.

Here is some motivation FJ 80 Landcruiser build 6BT Cummins diesel #2 - YouTube

Subscribed too.

At that power level the frame will not live long. Landcruiser frames are fairly flexible, and that amount of torque will twist it up. Maybe not permanent deformation, but the sheet metal attached to it won't be happy. If you want a healthy cummins in an fj60, be prepared for a lot if custom fab and the only toyota parts being the sheetmetal. You could probably get a dodge frame to work, but you will need to modify how the engine is located among other things. Would be slightly easier than starting from scratch.
Be aware that the early dodge pickups 89-93 with the 727 torqueflight 3 speed auto had a dana 70-u2a rear and a dana 61 front. 3.07 ratio, but they also came in 3.54 and 4.10. Good heavy duty stuff, but the pinion offset is different than standard so locker choices are non-existent. I have a that combo for my conversion, and I think a 0.010" spacer behind the ring gear in the d61 will allow the use of a standard carrier 4.10 and down. Haven't ponied up the dough to try it, though, but the measurements suggest it is possible.

 

[warpdriv]

isbj60, good advice. I think 94-95 trucks would be only years since I want to stay away from electronics and still have OD tranny.

tetelestia, are you saying the dodge frame is 5" wider than an FJ60? Is the 5" difference at all points in the frame? Did you measure across at tracking from front to back of the frame at every foot (or so)? I'm curious because I have not measured a truck yet.

 

[isbj60]

isbj60, good advice. I think 94-95 trucks would be only years since I want to stay away from electronics and still have OD tranny.

94-98.5 cummins trucks used the 12 valve motor and the purely mechanical p7100 pump. Anything in that range would work well for you. If you get the 215hp version, it has larger plungers in the injection pump and allows for easier fuel increases...

 

[ntsqd]

I thought that the P pump started in '96?

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

I thought that the P pump started in '96?

Nope, P Pump started with the 2nd Gen trucks in 1994.

 

[warpdriv]

So a 60 frame is 107.5 and a Dodge Ext cab with a 8' bed is 134.7. I'm thinking something like this.

 

[isbj60]

I assume you are talking wheelbase? Looks like the fj55 for the 60 series... if you do all that sheet metal work in the back, take it one step further and make the cargo area roof removable, like the older fullsize broncos.

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

So a 60 frame is 107.5 and a Dodge Ext cab with a 8' bed is 134.7. I'm thinking something like this.

That is going to be a ton of body work. If you want it to look nice its going to take a long time.

I'm not saying it can't be done though.