freeing up some power

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FJ40onNOS

FJ40onNOS

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Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Threads
24
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591
Location
Spring, Texas
hey guys, well this morning i went a bought a 1989 Fj62, no rust, no dents, 235,000 miles, well i want more power out of it, its my dd now so gas milage is still something to keep in mind. i know MAF makes a header for the 3FE, but what else can i do? ill post pics later, dont worry! :grinpimp:

its nice to be out of the 40 for a change!
 
Seems to me that best way to improve the "seat of the pants" feel of power is to regear the truck with 4.56 or 4.88 gears. It's a common way to pick up accelleration in hotrods that works just as well with Cruisers. Helps put the motor/trans in it's powerband. Couple that with a good tune up and exhaust. Then maybe get the injectors cleaned and flow balanced. I'd guess you'd be pretty happy with the truck at that point.

Nick
 
welcom to the 60/62 forums
 
thanks kyle when you going to get a 40!

regearing sounds like a good ides!

what does mine have stock?
 
There's actually quite alot you can do to your 62 to improve performance without spending money. Start by advancing the distributor as far as you can w/out pinging under load. (loosen distributor, turn counterclockwise to highest idle, tighten, test drive, repeat w/turn back clockwise if necessary until you hear no pinging under load). Then, adjust your throttle and auto tranny kickdown cables at the throttle body...there should be minimal if any slack at idle. Yo want to back the cable body away from the throttle body until the rpm starts to rise...then reverse slightly and tighten. Same with the auto tranny kickdown cable. Take all the slack out of it. 62's don't do very well w/a taller tire...so forget about 33,32, and even 31 if you tow or live in the mountains. Everybody will bitch about this and say their 62 with 33's will pull mountain passes in overdrive at 70. Make em prove it, and bet lots of money, it's bull****! Join the 3FE list on yahoo, and save your header money, all the minor mods above will make more difference than the best headers ever made. And, don't forget a real tune=up.
 
sweet man, ill look into the 3fe on yahoo, and what do you mean by real tune up?
 
I regeared my cruiser with 4.88s before putting 31s on my fj62. I also put in a Flowmaster exhaust and K&N filter. Stayed with the stock headers cause I've heard there are a problems with some aftermarket headers distorting and leaking when they heat up.

Also took care of numerious smaller problems that were the results of neglect from the previous owner (e.g. new radiator core, water pump, oil pump). In the the exhaust modification and regearing had the most positive impact on power. Not coincidentally, they were the most expensive. It's much better, but still is no race car. And no I can't go 70mph over passes in overdrive.

I'm looking into raising the compression and a new cam.
 
I put this air intake on my 62.

http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/Parts/tlc_air_intake.htm

that coupled with the TLC hipo exhaust has made a real improvement in power.
also like mentioned above a good tune up helps as well.

i go to Mammoth Mountain CA a lot and before the work was done I would go up the last grade to the mountain at about 40mph in 3rd gear. after the exhaust and intake i could make it up at 50-55 mph in 3rd gear. depending on how fast i was going before the grade of course.

I definatly want to regear at some point.
every little bit helps.
 
I would not run 4.88s unless you have 33s or higher tire size. I ran 33s with the stock ratio (4.11) for a couple of years. It was an OK setup, a little too high for street driving. 4.56 with 33s for a DD would have been the best compromise, but I went with 4.88s. It was a little low for DD, but good off road. My gas mileage suffered because of it, and I think 4.56 would have been optimal.

If you care about gas mileage you should not regear until you get bigger tires. If you put 4.88s with the 31s you will be running very high RPMs at cruising speeds, effectively lowering your efficiency. If you want to feel like you have power install lower gears, but that power will quickly end since the 3FE doens't like high RPMs.

To get more power I had the cylinders bored 1MM (~.040 over) and higher compression pistons installed. I also have the MAF header but I don't see much gain from it (and it doesn;t leak or melt everything, as per common misconception) Tune ups are very good. You can also have your injectors cleaned, and get your t-body bored as well.

All the mods you can do to the 3FE will not equal much power so think hard before you go spending lots of money on mods that would not even get you the same power as a SBC. There aren't many aftermarket support options for the 3FE. And the different CAM may kill you come smog time.

I love my 3FE but I am realistic about what it can do. If it is power you are looking for, comvert to a SBC. Or install a H55F. Just my $0.02, Good luck.
 
sethos1 said:
Aseif007 said:
I also have the MAF header but I don't see much gain from it (and it doesn;t leak or melt everything, as per common misconception) Tune ups are very good.QUOTE]

are you still smog legal in CA after installing the MAF header?
Click to expand...

Nope, the header will not pass a visual inspection. It does nothing to effect your emissions test so if you get a smog tech that does not notice (not sure how since it is so shiney) then you could possibly pass visual. It has the EGR tube so that should not be a concern. If it will be a hassle with the smog police I will re-install the OEM manifold for the test.
Click to expand...
 
There is no reason a header can not be smog legal in cali. It just needs provisions for a O2 sensor and smog pump..
 
Mace said:
There is no reason a header can not be smog legal in cali. It just needs provisions for a O2 sensor and smog pump..
Click to expand...

That is true of a good % of the headers, but this particular header does not have a C.A.R.B. number. So I think I am SOL ( in cali ) if they go by the book. But I hope I can find somebody who would let it slide.
 
4.88s and intake

With 31s the cruiser definitely spins high at freeway speeds. Around 3000.
However, since I recored the radiator and started using a slight oil overfill the truck stays cool even on hot days. There is no change in gas milage because before I did all this I had to put my foot into all the time to get it up the hills. Now I don't. I get 14 to 16 on the highways. Yea, I might be a hack and I beat up my truck, but if I wanted a truck I had to baby I'd own a Jeep.

So the hack [me] has a gear question. I regeared with the intention of eventually using 33s. If I put 33s on my truck with the 4.88s this will be equivalent to stock gear. Is this calculation correct? If I was to redo it I would probably go with the 4.56s.

Also, I bought the TLC4x4 intake a few years ago. I found that the A/C hoses beat up the air filter AND the filter got real dirty real fast. When smog came around I got flagged for the intake (no CARB number). So I switched back to the stock air intake and bought a K&N filter ($50). If anything that setup worked better than the TLC.
 
well. i ran a can of Sea Foam thought the 3fe and WOW, its goes now, about as fast as my 40. im going to save up for 4.56' gears
 
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