Forge Specialties, An FJ62 gets a 5.3 LS V8

[35inchoverdrive]

The stock GM throttle cable bracket has a spot for a cruise control cable on the left and the square(GM) throttle cable on the right.

In our other LS swaps(80 series and first gen Tacoma) we've retained the stock Toyota cruiser control and run the cable to the GM bracket. Even though the 62 doesn't have cruise control, we still wanted to leave that spot open in the bracket, in case the customer wanted to add cruise control down the road. The right side of the bracket needed to be modified to accept the round, universal throttle cable that we'd be using.

We started by cutting out a blank.

...welding it in place.

...grinding it smooth.

...and finished up by drilling the proper size hole for the throttle cable.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'm not usually into LS swaps, but I've heard a lot of good things about your shop, so I'm watching intently

 

[35inchoverdrive]

I'm not usually into LS swaps, but I've heard a lot of good things about your shop, so I'm watching intently

I was the same way for a long time. Chevy V8's in Cruisers used to bug me...until I actually saw and drove a nice swap(not a whipped 305 that somebody got from his brother's sister's daddy's mother's uncle and had his cousin put in for $150...). I think the LS makes the wagons REALLY nice drivers.

Thanks for the kind words!

Using a crusty 60 radiator for mockup, we started working with the fan shroud. We found a unit that fit well and boasted a pair of fans pushing 1800cfm each.

It sits nicely over the core.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

...bending up some brackets with some 18 gauge sheet.

...trimming the brackets to match 60 radiator brackets, to keep everything looking stockish.

 

[gregnash]

Nice attention to detail with the curves matching the OE radiator bracket. How come you went with electric fans vs. fan clutch attached?

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Nice attention to detail with the curves matching the OE radiator bracket. How come you went with electric fans vs. fan clutch attached?

The mechanical fan caused some fitment issues with routing the radiator hoses and transmission cooler lines cleanly. It had originally been our intention to run a mechanical fan.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

We had big plans for the radiator itself. We contacted a high-end custom radiator shop, and shipped them a 62 radiator. The goal was to get a quality 60 series aluminum radiator and have them develop an LS version as well. The inlet and outlet for the LS cooling system are both on the RHS of the radiator, whereas the 60's have one on the LHS and one on the RHS. In the past, a lot of other swaps have had the upper radiator hose crisscrossing the engine bay. We wanted to develop a product that would give a cleaner, stockish look. The company sent us CAD drawings, which we corrected/revised a couple of different times, until they were dead nuts. After weeks of development, we got our radiators.

The stock application is on the left, and the LS unit is on the right.

The whole situation ended up being a bit of a disappointment, because although the radiators appeared to be very good quality, they did not match the final CAD drawings and had to be modified to fit. We recently ordered another stock application radiator(for a non-Cruiser) from them, and the brackets were wrong on that one as well...so...scratch the production LS radiators for 60/62's, for now.

 

[MANUCHAO]

Got a link to that taco/ls swap?
Love to check it out..

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Got a link to that taco/ls swap?
Love to check it out..

The owner of the truck cataloged it in his build thread on AmericanAdventurist.com

Past the Point of No Return

Most of our work starts in post #32.

 

[Grumpyhead12]

I have a 5.7 TBI engine swap done by a PO and it's a cobbled together effort including a half-a$$ radiator . Would you mind telling me what the dimensions are for the stock 62 radiator?
Thanks,
David

 

[35inchoverdrive]

I have a 5.7 TBI engine swap done by a PO and it's a cobbled together effort including a half-a$$ radiator . Would you mind telling me what the dimensions are for the stock 62 radiator?
Thanks,
David

The only 60 radiator that I have in the shop right now(the 62 is out racking up miles) is a random aftermarket aluminum unit(different from either of the ones pictured). It's 3.5" deep, 21.25" tall & 26" wide including the mounting brackets. I don't know if that's what you're looking for. Someone that has a stock unit handy could probably give you better dimensions.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

The GM ECU is just plain ugly, so we usually try to hide it as well as possible.

This bracket will locate it towards the rear of the LHS inner fender.

The bracket will sit underneath the ECU when it's installed, but this is what they look like assembled.

...installed.

 

[Grumpyhead12]

The only 60 radiator that I have in the shop right now(the 62 is out racking up miles) is a random aftermarket aluminum unit(different from either of the ones pictured). It's 3.5" deep, 21.25" tall & 26" wide including the mounting brackets. I don't know if that's what you're looking for. Someone that has a stock unit handy could probably give you better dimensions.

I guess I was wondering about the dimensions of the aluminum radiators in the pictures, are both the stock dimensions? Griffin makes a radiator the stock Toyota size and can swap the filler neck/hose inlet for use in an LS swap but I don't know if that's enough cooling for the GM motor.
Did the ones you had made follow the Toyota size?
David

 

[OGBeno]

...fabbing up the Toyota-meets-GM intake.

View attachment 1221711

...in the truck.

View attachment 1221712

View attachment 1221713

Damn sexy guys. Awe-some.

 

[Skrewball]

I guess I was wondering about the dimensions of the aluminum radiators in the pictures, are both the stock dimensions? Griffin makes a radiator the stock Toyota size and can swap the filler neck/hose inlet for use in an LS swap but I don't know if that's enough cooling for the GM motor.
Did the ones you had made follow the Toyota size?
David

The radiator we had made was supposed to be a bolt in... fitment was poor, so it got modified to fit. The radiator was built to be a bolt in 60/62 LS swap radiator.

We haven't had good luck with Griffin radiators. I don't plan for this to be a radiator argument, so i'll keep my feelings to myself.

A new stock radiator would probably be enough for an LS motor.

 

[Grumpyhead12]

The radiator we had made was supposed to be a bolt in... fitment was poor, so it got modified to fit. The radiator was built to be a bolt in 60/62 LS swap radiator.

We haven't had good luck with Griffin radiators. I don't plan for this to be a radiator argument, so i'll keep my feelings to myself.

A new stock radiator would probably be enough for an LS motor.

Cool, thanks.
David

 

[richxd87]

Could you share any info on that fan unit? Is it an off the shelf item or custom?

 

[Skrewball]

Its a Derale unit. Here are the specs.

Most of the fans from them are Spal brand fans.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Damn sexy guys. Awe-some.

Thanks dude.

***Shameless plug for @beno *** If it isn't GM or made from scratch, we probably got it from beno. If you want a parts guy that knows his Cruisers and *really cares* about doing a good job, hit him up for OEM Toyota parts. Or...you could go to local dealership and spend 5min explaining to the guy behind the parts counter that "FJ60" isn't a paint code...

***Shameless plug over...back to the build thread***

One of the problems with ditching the 3FE and all the fender-mounted Toyota stuff was that there is a danger of the engine bay looking too empty. The best swaps end up with everything looking proportional. To occupy some of the vacant space and add some capability to the truck, we fabbed up a bracket to hold a Bussman fuse/relay block and a Sure Power battery separator.

The Bussman is very compact, tasteful and easy to work with. We like the Sure Power unit for several reasons. It's solid state. If you run a lead from each battery to it and ground it, it connect the batteries when it detects charging voltage and it will separate them when it doesn't detect charging voltage. It's that simple. You can also do some very basic wiring to run a switch that can manually actuate it, so that you can have a "self jump start" feature.

 

[skyhwk]

For getting the placement and angles correct with the motor mounts, did you use the stock cross member in the stock location? Any spacers to lower it?