FJ62 4BD2TC conversion (1 Viewer)

[Heckraiser]

Thanks for the headlight conversion info! I'm still deciding if I should chase my round light dream or give up

 

[Gnarlene]

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?

It was sprayed on.

I thought about going with SOA because it's an ultimate set up kind of thing - but this is going to be a daily driver, and while my kids are teens now and I am not currently troubled with a wife, SOA would be a handful.

There are some decent trails here but nothing great. It's all private land and I try to avoid gunfire as a rule. There's a place just out west of me called Plant Bamboo that got some buzz for a while, some good some bad. It's a guy's old ranch that he's opened up to mudders for $20 a pop. I've heard strange things happen out there, so I'm eager to check it out. But nowhere around I'd need SOA.

Your young one is fortunate - growing up around one of these. Good times.

I just wound up doing the 4BD2 because we scored a box truck. Could have gone either way. A lot of people swear by the Cummins motors. With SOA you can fit one in there - I think the 4BT is 4" taller than the 4BD. I also like that the 4BT exhaust is on the other side as well. Easier to route. For instance - I had wanted to install a saddle tank for the extra 20 gal of fuel, but the 4BD exhaust exits down along the driver side where the tank would have to go. With a 4BT I could have hung another fuel tank under there - more range is something I'm building for. I did a 4" lift and we still had to cut and weld a patch onto the side of the 4BD2 oil pan to clear the axle. I think for either of these engines SOA is a benefit. They both weigh something like 740 pounds! Stiff springs are important I think.

 

[Gnarlene]

Good progress today. No images; let my phone run down but will get some later in the week.

Four wheel disc brakes are in and have good pressure. Clutch is in and set up - feels good.

Realized we needed the short fuel filter to clear the throttle linkage. Fortunately we had one of each.

Got the fan I'm installing. I chose a Derale 16116. It's a 16" electric fan, waterproof, 2024 cfm. About 3.5 inches at it's widest point. Wanted an electric fan so I could adjust it as needed. It's a puller fan. It should get the job done. A benefit is saving horsepower from eliminating the load of a mechanical fan. I think that benefit is likely negligible. The other side is dependability. Not a lot can go wrong with a mechanical fan. But if this thing craps out, I'm going to have to fix it on the road and depending on what the issue is, could turn into a walkabout. I'll see if I can get a spare motor.

Despite the DOT illegality issue I'm installing the HID headlights. Got them yesterday. 35watt 4300k. Need to be sure they don't melt away the plastic housings.

 

[Gnarlene]

Thanks for the headlight conversion info! I'm still deciding if I should chase my round light dream or give up

Hey Heck - I'll keep the posts going on that. Anything I run into I'll list on here. I had to go with round headlights. It was a thing for me. Don't give up. Let me bang my knuckles and tear my hair out. Learn from these posts and it'll go easier for you, brah.

I just got some headlight grill covers off of an FJ45 that I'm going to install. The front bumper setup I went with leaves the lights exposed. Want to protect them a bit.

 

[Gnarlene]

Looking good.

What are the details on your wheels?

A note on wheel choice. I might have chosen wheels that were lighter - magnesium or whatever, but they're too fancy for me. Which preference may or may not have an effect on performance. Steelies are heavier.

 

[Elbert]

your truck project is looking good....here is mine in its present state.

 

[Elbert]

you might want to get yourself a new heater core to avoid some misery downrange if you have the dash all apart.

 

[Gnarlene]

you might want to get yourself a new heater core to avoid some misery downrange if you have the dash all apart.

Thanks, Elbert - checked the one we have and it's in good shape.

That truck of yours looks like all the Cruiser you're likely to need. All business. How do you like the Chevy motor?

 

[Elbert]

GM V8 swap made the truck fun to drive...once I made it through some of the gremlins...in the swap. I'm a big fan of the GM SBC swap...regardless of what others may say...it adds nice useable power to the truck on the pavement. Now if you were just an off-road guy...then it would not matter a whole lot..especially if you regear. I don't like getting passed by the chevette on the 5 mile downhill slope... or the moped on the up-slope.

 

[Gnarlene]

GM V8 swap made the truck fun to drive...once I made it through some of the gremlins...in the swap. I'm a big fan of the GM SBC swap...regardless of what others may say...it adds nice useable power to the truck on the pavement. Now if you were just an off-road guy...then it would not matter a whole lot..especially if you regear. I don't like getting passed by the chevette on the 5 mile downhill slope... or the moped on the up-slope.

I've had Chevys since high school and swear by them. The small block is the most popular V8 ever made - and is still in production - because it works. No surprises. With the right gearing it's fine for light to mid off road use. On the road it's perfect I think. Very useable power. I've seen a lot of people swap them into Cruisers, just a matter of personal needs. I went diesel because I need long range to get away from tropical storms.

 

[doug720]

I have a saddle tank and a 4BD2 in my 60 with the exhaust on the drivers side with no issues. I even have a muffler too.

It will fit and you will be happy for the added range, which on mine is 42 gallons so about 800+ miles easy!

Project progress sounds good.

Doug

 

[Gnarlene]

I have a saddle tank and a 4BD2 in my 60 with the exhaust on the drivers side with no issues. I even have a muffler too.

It will fit and you will be happy for the added range, which on mine is 42 gallons so about 800+ miles easy!

Project progress sounds good.

Doug

View attachment 903727 View attachment 903728

That's good to know. I have seen your pics before but I didn't put two and two together. I have a 40 gallon tank in the truck, so this would give me around 60 total, which is enough fuel to get go 1200 miles at 20/gallon - just about anywhere. 4 jerry cans and I'm in Canada! Ha!

I've been thinking about exhaust because we're getting close to that part of the build. We're going short - just out and down maybe a few feet of pipe. Haven't mapped it out yet, but something simple.

 

[Gnarlene]

I found the saddle tank in AUS. With the part and shipping/import fees it's close to $2000. Which is a bit out of reach. But at some point in the future I will probably have to do it.

 

[Gnarlene]

More progress today. Shifters tacked in place, welded in tomorrow. I needed them long so I don't have to bend at the waist, which I no longer am able to do very well. This way I can use them.

 

[Gnarlene]

A few more shots of various parts...

The 4BT2 oil pan has a reservoir that protrudes a few inches off the right side. In order to get it to clear the FJ62 frame that portion had to be cut off. A flush steel plate was welded on in its place.

There are two fuel filters that fit this engine, one long, one short. The long one gets in the way of the throttle linkage. Use the shorter one as pictured.

 

[Gnarlene]

Blacked-out hood to absorb light from rack mounted LEDs. The first coat is flat black oil. It still has a bit of sheen. I'll put a second coat of black latex on later.

Inner door panels removed for more storage space. Not a significant amount, but enough for a few odds and ends to keep stuff from rolling around. Will modify and detail once I get it on the road.

Side view shows roof rack. I salvaged it off of a junk FJ60 a guy was parting out. It's not perfect but it will do. I left the aft part flat to hold the roof top tent. I am installing a Tepui Kukenam, which is still in its box in my garage. Mounting the tent flush to the rack bottom lowers it and keeps it somewhat more out of the wind. The foreword section is for road supplies. It's good to keep in mind that these trucks don't hold a lot of weight on top. Search through the forums here for the gross allowable load - they aren't rated for very much, a few hundred pounds. Also, the more support struts, the better.

 

[Gnarlene]

I Photoshopped the hell out of these pics to eradicate shadows and accentuate details, which is why they seem unnatural. This is the front end as she sits today.

Here's a shot of the passenger side of the engine bay. Most of the wiring will be cut out and discarded. This harness is left over from the stock cruiser. The 4BD2 is mechanical. No EFI. Basically we'll be wiring lights, A/C and a few other essentials - very, very simple. Mechanical is good. The newer HD version of this motor is quite a bit more powerful, but it has electronic direct injection. I chose the older indirect injected engine for this reason: I trust mechanicals more than electronics, particularly where it floods up to the windows every few years.

 

[Gnarlene]

The "Warehouse Effect" Within a week or two all of this junk will be gone, one way or another.

Side view as she sits today.

I see this thing every so often and it went by as I was driving home from the shop today. This is NOT a Land Cruiser. But it IS an MG B with a built 383 Chevy small block stuffed into it. Note the wheelie bars, which may come in handy. Has a chute, too!

 

[shopteacher]

I'm going to do about the same thing with my fj62 diesel conversion, but use a 4bd1t engine ! Keep up the great work and documentation of the build!
Looking forward to seeing it completed !
Thanks

 

[JHill]

Nice work! I am in the process of a FJ62 conversion now too, with 4BD1T. Hope to get it on the road soon, a lot of work these are.

Subscribed!

Jim