I'm glad you chimed in, Mace. I still agree with "Portals not needed" Especially Volvo portals. You may not ever break one, but what would you do if you did? If I was to do this build, and had to have portals, I would be running Mogs.
Ford V8, 351, 390, or 460?
- Thread starter alkaline747trio
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The major issue with most portals is the RPM range. They tend to have fairly high (numericaly) gear ratio and require big tires to cruise comfortably.
If you want to run 33's.. THey are kinda out..
If you want to run 33's.. THey are kinda out..
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- #63
I dont really WANT ford axles, tranny, t-case...but I do what what will be most budget minded and easiest to do. Easiest seems to be adapter to stock with an Orion. Cheapest is a tossup. Strongest probably goes to the Ford gear.
I know I want portals, and I also know that I dont want to have to do any modding to my gas tank or rear suspension other than longer shocks. So Volvo seems the be the way to go. And they have held up to 40" Iroks by TiredIron. And if something breaks, I'll manage to get off the trail and back home, and it can sit if need be. But I dont forsee breakage with my driving style.
I know I want portals, and I also know that I dont want to have to do any modding to my gas tank or rear suspension other than longer shocks. So Volvo seems the be the way to go. And they have held up to 40" Iroks by TiredIron. And if something breaks, I'll manage to get off the trail and back home, and it can sit if need be. But I dont forsee breakage with my driving style.
based upon this statement, you realize your cruiser is now going to completely implode the first time you push it right?
why not just take it step by step? if you want portals... do them! wheel it, see how it feels, if you are starved for ponies, then embark on a motor swap! as said before, if you tear the whole truck down at once you'll most likely end up selling an incomplete project and not have a nifty 80 to wheel! 
if you do the portals first, just leave plenty of room for oil pan clearance, the rest is really driveshaft/exhaust fitment.
I’m no technician no, I know nothing about ford motors other than in my opinion American car companies build crap compared to the Germans and Japanese. And based of my experiences with my truck, my friends etc, and the fleet trucks of the large construction co. that I work for (my boss will never by another ford in his life). Ford has the worst build quality of all. In fact I think Henry Ford is rolling over in his grave right now. Ford should be ashamed.
My Fourteen year old landcruiser with 215,000 miles on it is built better and more reliable than a new Ford.
My Friend had a old Bronco with a 351 and it was a money pit and always broke down.
Rant Over.
so how many miles can you expect out of a 351?I’m no technician no, I know nothing about ford motors other than in my opinion American car companies build crap compared to the Germans and Japanese. And based of my experiences with my truck, my friends etc, and the fleet trucks of the large construction co. that I work for (my boss will never by another ford in his life). Ford has the worst build quality of all. In fact I think Henry Ford is rolling over in his grave right now. Ford should be ashamed.
My Fourteen year old landcruiser with 215,000 miles on it is built better and more reliable than a new Ford.
My Friend had a old Bronco with a 351 and it was a money pit and always broke down.
Rant Over.
perhaps rhetorical but... if you want a ford motor, trans, tcase, possibly axles... why not just buy a ford?you're fastly approaching have nothing toyota aside from the body.
i can absolutely see the line of thought in grafting portals into an 80 series. enough room to run 38s, insane pumpkin clearance, etc etc. at the end of the day, its a toyota with some volvo portals thrown in.
with all the ford parts, at the end of the day it is a freakin bronco or f350 or whatever with a toyota body thrown in.
... if what you seek is lots of ford parts, buy a ford.
reasonable point. But what fun is that?
Along that line I just spent $750 fixing my front axle: hub, spindle, chinese birf, bearings, seals, gaskets. But there is a sterling and d60 just sitting here in dads shop with no home-they came off a huge tree pruning lift at a local orchard-we got them for free!!. several orphan ford motors sit on stands in dads shop. a couple c4's on the floor. these parts were collected and sit around because they are so damn cheap. (and no chebys in our trucks) ebay is cheap but look in your local paper or in the front yard of your local Reservation and you can find this stuff for so cheap. Dad found a complete 5.0 with wireing harness and hardley nothing in it.
If you are willing to patiently wait and watch for 6 months in your area you can find a complete ford or cheby drivetrain (motor, trans, tcase, axles) for less than you will spend on the orion which will still be behind a 3fe and inferior axles.
But you dont have time to mess with the ford or the money to blow on the orion. just wheel it tell it implodes and walk away
I’m no technician no, I know nothing about ford motors other than in my opinion American car companies build crap compared to the Germans and Japanese. And based of my experiences with my truck, my friends etc, and the fleet trucks of the large construction co. that I work for (my boss will never by another ford in his life). Ford has the worst build quality of all. In fact I think Henry Ford is rolling over in his grave right now. Ford should be ashamed.
My Fourteen year old landcruiser with 215,000 miles on it is built better and more reliable than a new Ford.
My Friend had a old Bronco with a 351 and it was a money pit and always broke down.
Rant Over.
We are talking wheeling trucks here not fleet vehicles. In such arenas motors are usually still running after gears are broken, frames are cracked, budgets are slaughtered and marriages are treatened.
- Thread starter
- #69
I am not at all worried about Ford engines, transmissions, or transfercases. The 351w is just as much, if not more dependable than a Cheby 350. I really don't want to have to cut up my floor and have to deal with finicky shifters and linkages. So I think I'm gonna try staying with my stock A440 and go Orion or lower-range t-case gears. If this doesn't work, I'm sure I will be able to find a C6 (looks like C6s are easier to get than C4s) and 203 or 205 if the time comes, but...is the C4 or C6 an OD transmission. What is the shift pattern like on those, 4 spd, 5spd?
Here's my train of thought for this progect:
1) armor
2/3) portals
2/3) Orion/lower gearset
4) 3-link
5/6) front coil overs
5/6) 351w
Here's my train of thought for this progect:
1) armor
2/3) portals
2/3) Orion/lower gearset
4) 3-link
5/6) front coil overs
5/6) 351w
Okay, I am chiming in here because I know Logan, I know his truck, and I have seen him wheel/know what he likes to wheel on:
Did you hit your head son? College dreams must be clouding your reason. You talk expedition style wheeling, then put 38" swampers on. You talk familiarity with Ford then talk portal axles (do you know how to build and maintain those?).
So let me be a friendly voice of reason, since I know you better than most of the folks giving your advice and feedback here:
Rebuild the 3FE. Tune it when you do. Regear and lock your toyota axles. Add stronger gear (longs, etc). Enjoy those 38s. Three link your front end. Get some rockhopper gears from Aussie for your t-case if you want.
You will be happy, the 3FE CAN put out good numbers when you rebuild and tune it a bit. Regearing will help you with the power and comfort. Lockers and a three link will make your truck do what you want offroad.
Now, with all that said...stop the madness!
Did you hit your head son? College dreams must be clouding your reason. You talk expedition style wheeling, then put 38" swampers on. You talk familiarity with Ford then talk portal axles (do you know how to build and maintain those?).
So let me be a friendly voice of reason, since I know you better than most of the folks giving your advice and feedback here:
Rebuild the 3FE. Tune it when you do. Regear and lock your toyota axles. Add stronger gear (longs, etc). Enjoy those 38s. Three link your front end. Get some rockhopper gears from Aussie for your t-case if you want.
You will be happy, the 3FE CAN put out good numbers when you rebuild and tune it a bit. Regearing will help you with the power and comfort. Lockers and a three link will make your truck do what you want offroad.
Now, with all that said...stop the madness!
Cutting a few holes in the floor and trimming it out to look good would be about the easiest part of the mods you have listed. If you are trying to avoid that, you need to rethink the whole thing.
-Spike
-Spike
if your heart is set on portals and power dump the 80 you have and get an unlocked 93+ truck and have at it.
- Thread starter
- #75
It would be nice, but that would set me back even further time and money wise, and I still wouldn't have V8 power. I had thought about that real hard, and if my friend will sell me his '93 for $4k or less, I might throw a s/c or turbo on it along with some portals and not even mess wiht the V8. But that is all unlikely.
Maybe I am doing all this on the wrong vehicle. But hell, isn't that what this hobby.lifestyle is all about, modding something that doesn't quite do what you want, just to make it do what you want?
absolutely, however it often turns out to be, modding something you have to do what you want, realizing after two attempts you shouldn't have even started the project in the first place, trying to get your money back by selling the "improved" vehicle only to get half of what you need to buy another one like the one you started with.
A guy on here just found a 93 with lockers for 3500. Perfect for what you want to do. Sell off the locker axles and controls to pay for the portals. Once the truck is up and going sell of the weezer (3FE 80) for a SC or build a turbo for the 1FZ-Fe.
At no time is you financial situation at big risk and you get what you want, for the most part, in small steps where at any time you can recoup some cash with little loss.
But I'm 49 and have become my father.
Just for information sake.... the 5.3 has an iron block which is about 100lbs heavier than the LS1 alum block. Fully dressed LS1 with all accessories/wiring harness/PCM is about 460lbs. Add 100lbs for the iron block.
BTW- Alkaline..... what you are proposing and using the word "budget" in the same group of thoughts is laughable. To do it right.... will cost one hell of a lot more than $10K. If you don't go EFI.... and actually go up to high altitude with a carb setup... the truck will run like sh*t.
Sell your rig (take off what can be transferred onto a '93 and newer truck) and go from there.
BTW- Alkaline..... what you are proposing and using the word "budget" in the same group of thoughts is laughable. To do it right.... will cost one hell of a lot more than $10K. If you don't go EFI.... and actually go up to high altitude with a carb setup... the truck will run like sh*t.
Sell your rig (take off what can be transferred onto a '93 and newer truck) and go from there.
It's not a V8... But what about a 300 6?
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- #79
