- Thread starter
- #21
A better shot of the fender tabs on FJ62 fenders for grill assembly. Again, these don't line up with the FJ60 grill assembly.
FJ62 4BD2TC conversion (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Gnarlene
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A better shot of the fender tabs on FJ62 fenders for grill assembly. Again, these don't line up with the FJ60 grill assembly.
Impressive story and build. Excellent photos, too.
- Thread starter
- #23
Keeping it real. lol
It sounds like you have had some issues with this swap, but it's looking like the end is getting near! It looks good too.
After it's all together, get some miles on it, make some short trips and take care of the odds and ends that will likely crop up at one time. If you don't have a exhaust temp (Pyrometer) and boost pressure gauges, get them now. They tell you what is happening inside the engine. You can also use they 60's sending units for water and oil.
If you have any questions, I'm glad to help.
Getting closer everyday!
After it's all together, get some miles on it, make some short trips and take care of the odds and ends that will likely crop up at one time. If you don't have a exhaust temp (Pyrometer) and boost pressure gauges, get them now. They tell you what is happening inside the engine. You can also use they 60's sending units for water and oil.
If you have any questions, I'm glad to help.
Getting closer everyday!
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- #25
Thanks, Doug - really appreciate it. Will get those items tonight.
It's closer to finished than it was. It has sat more than been worked on. I could build an all night bonfire out of the cash I've thrown at this thing. The way I figure it I'll never need another vehicle. Should last 100 years.
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- #26
Sitting around waiting for parts and stuff, I've poked around and found quite a few gems like that chart. It's good info to have.
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- #27
Looking at it, the Cummins goes flat at 1900, but the torque will keep it pulling for a few hundred more. The Isuzu is all curve, and the power vs. torque are not at all parallel. The Cummins looks to perform better. Then again I see probably 20 Isuzu lawn service trucks a day here and they're loaded with grass clippings, employees, machinery, trailers - thousands of pounds. And they not only get around fine, they run for 400k. For a rig that's going to weigh 6000lbs fully loaded it's ample power. I see Rams and F350s with three times the torque this motor has and similar tow ratings. Other than bragging rights I don't understand. I have a 40 gallon fuel tank. Once I hit the road I'll be filling up somewhere in southern PA. They'll have to stop three-four times. A few jerry cans and I'm in Maine.
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- Thread starter
- #28
A note on tires.
I wanted ten-plys for rigidity. With the final gear ratio the H55 has in 5th - .845:1, 34s offered the best mileage at highway speeds. Allows the engine to lope along and sip oil all day long.
With 35s there's a smidgen of better clearance, but this build is focusing on expedition rather than mudding or rock crawling. I have to drive almost out of state to do any serious off road driving - we have sand pits and etc., but no hills let alone mountains. So I need to highway drive it. Narrower tires are easier to handle on the road. I figure once I get into anything complicated, I can depressurize and be fine. Four wheel low and locking differentials will get me out of just about anything.
A good point I think to remember - You're not technically "stuck" if you can winch out. Stuck is stuck. Like H^mmers and J@@ps get. Which is why Land Cruisers exist. To pull J@@ps and H^mmers out of shallow puddles. That way nobody's tassel loafers get dirty.
I wanted ten-plys for rigidity. With the final gear ratio the H55 has in 5th - .845:1, 34s offered the best mileage at highway speeds. Allows the engine to lope along and sip oil all day long.
With 35s there's a smidgen of better clearance, but this build is focusing on expedition rather than mudding or rock crawling. I have to drive almost out of state to do any serious off road driving - we have sand pits and etc., but no hills let alone mountains. So I need to highway drive it. Narrower tires are easier to handle on the road. I figure once I get into anything complicated, I can depressurize and be fine. Four wheel low and locking differentials will get me out of just about anything.
A good point I think to remember - You're not technically "stuck" if you can winch out. Stuck is stuck. Like H^mmers and J@@ps get. Which is why Land Cruisers exist. To pull J@@ps and H^mmers out of shallow puddles. That way nobody's tassel loafers get dirty.
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- #29
These engines like to cruise on the highway around 2100-2200 RPM. That is also max torque, I would suggest final gearing to match that range.
Have you checked out the Isuzu section of 4BTswaps.com? Lots of good info there. My Isuzu swap is in the Diesel section here on mud if you have not seen it. The link is below.
Cheers
Have you checked out the Isuzu section of 4BTswaps.com? Lots of good info there. My Isuzu swap is in the Diesel section here on mud if you have not seen it. The link is below.
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #31
The oiler assembled on the shop floor.
Side view the day the suspension was finished.
The tire/wheel combination
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- #32
Thanks, Doug - you'll be proud to hear that we used your build as a benchmark quite often over the past year. Your posts have helped us a great deal. So yeah lol - I'm pretty familiar with your build. : )
Wow, glad you wrote the painful warning to others so I don't have to!! I still encourage others to go for the diesel swap, just to do so knowing full well what they're getting into.
I'm very impressed with your project. The 4bd family is one I'm considering for the next time I decide on spending an exorbitant amount of time on a project, and using up enough cash for an all night bonfire. I'm neck deep in a frame-off FJ62 6bt swap, so I feel your pain.
I just wish I had secured a rust free Cruiser like yours to be the recipient of the 6bt, as it would have saved me hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
I read in your early posts that you now just want to finish it, and care less about perfection. I would encourage you to dig deep for the patience to see it through without cutting corners (not that you are). I can't imagine something much more frustrating than knowing you could have done better.
I'm very impressed with your project. The 4bd family is one I'm considering for the next time I decide on spending an exorbitant amount of time on a project, and using up enough cash for an all night bonfire. I'm neck deep in a frame-off FJ62 6bt swap, so I feel your pain.
I just wish I had secured a rust free Cruiser like yours to be the recipient of the 6bt, as it would have saved me hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
I read in your early posts that you now just want to finish it, and care less about perfection. I would encourage you to dig deep for the patience to see it through without cutting corners (not that you are). I can't imagine something much more frustrating than knowing you could have done better.
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- #34
Frame off is serious
Thanks for the comment - appreciate it. Frame-off is serious business. My hat's off to you. A huge undertaking - you will have touched every part of that truck. It will be exactly the way you want it. Great to hear about it. How far along are you?
When I started as year and a half ago I had many upgrades in mind, but I have run out of money and out of time. It has to be shaken down and trip ready by July. I can go back at some point and add the smaller details - braided steel line, waterproof speakers, maybe custom turbo plumbing - stuff I had originally planned to do. I can live without pretty. I purposely took off the inner door panels in the back and cargo area to create more space for supplies - not at all attractive. I'm leaving the floor uncarpeted with mats over the paint.
There's a wide "a truck is a truck" streak in me. A truck should be rough around the edges. I used to run 60s era Corvettes - always Bloomington Gold, etc. My last was a 98 point unrestored Benchmark car. Spotless. Different animal. This Toyota should have dents. I'll spray it off and clean it, but I'll never detail it.
Since I've had to pay to have it built I'm going to have to do a lot of the finishing touches myself, and I'll take my time. Offroad lighting, tent, radios and antennae, tint, horn - these are things that I need to do later on. I have sheepskin covers for the front seats for instance. I need to research online how to install those. But by July it needs to be drivable, finer details in place or not.
Insofar as warning others. I use strong words - I often do. It's how I write - a flair for hyperbole. But I don't think anyone will read these posts and decide against a build like this. Once you have an objective like this in your sights, you have to take it down. My hope is that if anything it will help them plan better and do it more carefully than I did. Or at least understand the pratfalls.
Again, thanks for posting. Good luck with the build!
Thanks for the comment - appreciate it. Frame-off is serious business. My hat's off to you. A huge undertaking - you will have touched every part of that truck. It will be exactly the way you want it. Great to hear about it. How far along are you?
When I started as year and a half ago I had many upgrades in mind, but I have run out of money and out of time. It has to be shaken down and trip ready by July. I can go back at some point and add the smaller details - braided steel line, waterproof speakers, maybe custom turbo plumbing - stuff I had originally planned to do. I can live without pretty. I purposely took off the inner door panels in the back and cargo area to create more space for supplies - not at all attractive. I'm leaving the floor uncarpeted with mats over the paint.
There's a wide "a truck is a truck" streak in me. A truck should be rough around the edges. I used to run 60s era Corvettes - always Bloomington Gold, etc. My last was a 98 point unrestored Benchmark car. Spotless. Different animal. This Toyota should have dents. I'll spray it off and clean it, but I'll never detail it.
Since I've had to pay to have it built I'm going to have to do a lot of the finishing touches myself, and I'll take my time. Offroad lighting, tent, radios and antennae, tint, horn - these are things that I need to do later on. I have sheepskin covers for the front seats for instance. I need to research online how to install those. But by July it needs to be drivable, finer details in place or not.
Insofar as warning others. I use strong words - I often do. It's how I write - a flair for hyperbole. But I don't think anyone will read these posts and decide against a build like this. Once you have an objective like this in your sights, you have to take it down. My hope is that if anything it will help them plan better and do it more carefully than I did. Or at least understand the pratfalls.
Again, thanks for posting. Good luck with the build!
Thanks for the well wishes. By the time I decided to go full frame off I had already installed the motor and trans, but still had to put in the Ford 9", the NP205, fab another two crossmembers, have custom driveshafts made, fab an anti wrap bar, install new brake lines, plumb, electrical, turbo piping, yada, yada, yada, ...... and I realized "I had NO CLUE this had so much rust!!!!!! I can't drive this!!!! Or sell it for anything close to what I'll have in it if it's a bucket of rust at time of sale!!!!!"
It's no Canadian truck, but it is from Tennessee, and has rust over the wheel wells, in the rear driver side door jamb, rocker, but the floor under the driver's side is gone, and the passenger is starting to go. Didn't catch that upon my inspection as a total newb to buying a Cruiser. No rust on the roof or pillars, so that's nice.
So far I've got all the interior stripped but the headliner and the dash. Glass is out next and then the body is off. The frame will go to blasting and sealing, and the body will get all the rust I can possibly find removed and fresh metal laid in. The motor mounts will be reworked and hydro mounts installed. Again, yada, yada, yada,......
Anyway, your question was how far along I am. I'll be two years into the project come July. I kid you not, I told everyone I'd have that thing on the road with the cummins in it in six to eight weeks. What a naive man I was. I'm buckling down in an attempt to get it done by years end, but I know enough by now that things don't always go as planned.
Also, thanks for the clarification as to what you meant by not perfect. That makes total sense to me.
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- Thread starter
- #38
I went with 34X8.5 steelies. I think they're American Racing? I can't remember. They were inexpensive. : )
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- #39
I went with 34X8.5 steelies. I think they're American Racing? I can't remember. They were inexpensive. : )
Yeah, lol. I should just shut up, huh?
Yeah, lol. I should just shut up, huh?
Not at all what I was saying. Your project is quite an endeavor, and one I'm envious of. If I could go back in time and choose between yours (4bd family) or mine (cummins) I'd choose yours. I came to the realization that mine won't be quite enjoyable for my wife and 1.5 year old to climb in and out of, due to the SOA on mine.
How is the rhino-liner applied in your application? Spray kit or a roll on?
