Got an FJ80 with a bad motor, going to install a 5.3 L33 all aluminum and a 4L80.

[Pops69]

Had this 80 for a couple years, had the original 4.5 motor pulled for a rebuild but was having a hard time getting someone that wanted to machine it and it was going to cost a bunch and then I found out that the original trans is not as efficient or uses a lot of power to turn and being that the 4.5 isn’t that stout,….. well, I’ve had a 2005 gmc 1500 with the sweetheart L33 all aluminum block with a stock 315 hp and it runs like a champ, owned it since new. The body is rusting badly on the GMC so I’m gonna pull the motor and trans, freshen up the motor with new seals , new oil pump, low profile oil pan and install the 4L80 also .
I am in need of the build sheet and parts list to make my dream come true.
I’ve got an old 79 Bronco with 460 BB , I’ve got a four linked Jeep rock crawler on tons, lockers and 39.5” TSL’s and I’ve run the extreme and hard trails at Windrock TN, Golden Mountain, Slade ,… I’m no expert but I’m decent at it. This Land Cruiser build I am excited about because in my mind it’s a family friendly build , capable on highway and off.
I’m thinking 35”-37” , re-gearing , winch and rocks friendly bumper in front and back , fold out tire carrier , tray storage in back, may go fridge , camping capable . I kayak and fish too.
I like Land Cruiser width because most trials I run into are jeep width and Land Cruiser is close to Jeep width , ( my full size 79 Bronco is like bringing a building thru the woods = too wide.
Any advice on this build would be appreciated.
I saw the video of the girl from Florida with the 6.0 LS 94 FJ80 swap and I think she rocked that build, she’s my new hero
( I just noticed how knowledgeable she was about her build and SHE did it and I admire that. Smart woman)
Patrick

 

[jfz80]

There are so many different ways to accomplish the goal that youll find there is not one singular build sheet or parts list to provide the recipe to success

Lots of info to wade through in here. It’s a sticky at top of 80s tech page

Registry - 8x Series V8 Swaps

This thread is for V8 swaps to 80 Series Toyota Land Cruisers. Your truck frame must start with the following: FJ80-0xxxxxx or FZJ80-0xxxxxx. Of course, it can also start with an HDJ/HZJ iteration. Only the Aussies yank out perfectly good Toyota diesel engines to swap V8 power into them...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[davidp14]

@GearGeek is the one in the video and yes she's super cool.

Good luck with your swap

 

[White Sheep]

You will not need to re-gear running 35s-37s when you do the engine swap. Good luck on the build.

 

[Broski]

Welcome to Mud you have come to the right place !
There is a wealth of knowledge hear !

Although they look similar FJ80s & FZJ80 are quite different.

It appears that you have a quite clean FZJ

91-92 FJ 93-97 FZJ

 

[GearGeek]

Had this 80 for a couple years, had the original 4.5 motor pulled for a rebuild but was having a hard time getting someone that wanted to machine it and it was going to cost a bunch and then I found out that the original trans is not as efficient or uses a lot of power to turn and being that the 4.5 isn’t that stout,….. well, I’ve had a 2005 gmc 1500 with the sweetheart L33 all aluminum block with a stock 315 hp and it runs like a champ, owned it since new. The body is rusting badly on the GMC so I’m gonna pull the motor and trans, freshen up the motor with new seals , new oil pump, low profile oil pan and install the 4L80 also .
I am in need of the build sheet and parts list to make my dream come true.
I’ve got an old 79 Bronco with 460 BB , I’ve got a four linked Jeep rock crawler on tons, lockers and 39.5” TSL’s and I’ve run the extreme and hard trails at Windrock TN, Golden Mountain, Slade ,… I’m no expert but I’m decent at it. This Land Cruiser build I am excited about because in my mind it’s a family friendly build , capable on highway and off.
I’m thinking 35”-37” , re-gearing , winch and rocks friendly bumper in front and back , fold out tire carrier , tray storage in back, may go fridge , camping capable . I kayak and fish too.
I like Land Cruiser width because most trials I run into are jeep width and Land Cruiser is close to Jeep width , ( my full size 79 Bronco is like bringing a building thru the woods = too wide.
Any advice on this build would be appreciated.
I saw the video of the girl from Florida with the 6.0 LS 94 FJ80 swap and I think she rocked that build, she’s my new hero
( I just noticed how knowledgeable she was about her build and SHE did it and I admire that. Smart woman)
Patrick

View attachment 3680902

View attachment 3680903

This is going to be an awesome build! The L33 is the best thing you could start with! Excited to see how the build turns out!

 

[RiverCityDave]

My .02

Me, I’d do the powertrain as you describe.

3-4” Lift. No more for on road usability. And I’d stay on the lower end of that. My truck is 3” over stock.
35s. Hot take - 37s are for egos and if you’re genuinely going to overland it, your fuel mileage will matter. My truck is on 315/70-17s (35”).

Focus on getting the suspension RIGHT. I used Delta VS front control arms, Dobinsons adjustable rear control arms, a DeltaVS Panhard bracket, and Delta VS Swaybar drops. There are many suppliers, but I’m very happy with the route I went.

The 1st on a 4L80E is 2.48:1 and a A440F (your stock trans) is 2.95:1, with overdrive being .75 and .71 respectively. I’d still regear, maybe 4.56 if you do 35s.

Take this for what it’s worth. YMMV.

 

[Pops69]

This is going to be an awesome build! The L33 is the best thing you could start with! Excited to see how the build turns out!

Thanks coach

 

[Pops69]

My .02

Me, I’d do the powertrain as you describe.

3-4” Lift. No more for on road usability. And I’d stay on the lower end of that. My truck is 3” over stock.
35s. Hot take - 37s are for egos and if you’re genuinely going to overland it, your fuel mileage will matter. My truck is on 315/70-17s (35”).

Focus on getting the suspension RIGHT. I used Delta VS front control arms, Dobinsons adjustable rear control arms, a DeltaVS Panhard bracket, and Delta VS Swaybar drops. There are many suppliers, but I’m very happy with the route I went.

The 1st on a 4L80E is 2.48:1 and a A440F (your stock trans) is 2.95:1, with overdrive being .75 and .71 respectively. I’d still regear, maybe 4.56 if you do 35s.

Take this for what it’s worth. YMMV.

Yeah,… I’m more into functionality than looking all jacked up and top heavy. I do realize that tire height or bottom clearance is one of the most important factors in wheeling .
I have seen a build on YouTube where the guy cut his wheel well lip and bent / hammered them up and re-welded and then shoved 37” tires under it and kept the cruiser low to the ground , re-geared and a few other mods and it would easily roll over rocks. (Considering that approach.)
One question I do have is transfer case, I have seen swap builds using transfer case out of chevy and some mating 4L60 / 4L80 to toy transfer case,… which is best route?
My stock L33 came out with 315 hp and I may leave stock or tune a touch , not looking for high hp but I want reliability , efficiency and good torque ranges.
I will gear wherever I need to ( diffs / transfer cases ) to achieve the goal.
I’m pretty sure this build will be lighter than my GMC 1500 extra cab 4x4 Z71 was ( 5,500 lbs) if I had to guess so it should have plenty of pep. My truck would scoot quite nicely , even pulled my skid loader and heavy trailer from time to time.
Concerning tire height , I do want to be mindful that the width of a Land Cruiser is much narrower than I’m used to ( jeep on tons with 39.5 TSL’s ) so I do want to keep it’s center of gravity close to the ground but still be capable.

 

[RiverCityDave]

Yeah,… I’m more into functionality than looking all jacked up and top heavy. I do realize that tire height or bottom clearance is one of the most important factors in wheeling .
I have seen a build on YouTube where the guy cut his wheel well lip and bent / hammered them up and re-welded and then shoved 37” tires under it and kept the cruiser low to the ground , re-geared and a few other mods and it would easily roll over rocks. (Considering that approach.)
One question I do have is transfer case, I have seen swap builds using transfer case out of chevy and some mating 4L60 / 4L80 to toy transfer case,… which is best route?
My stock L33 came out with 315 hp and I may leave stock or tune a touch , not looking for high hp but I want reliability , efficiency and good torque ranges.
I will gear wherever I need to ( diffs / transfer cases ) to achieve the goal.
I’m pretty sure this build will be lighter than my GMC 1500 extra cab 4x4 Z71 was ( 5,500 lbs) if I had to guess so it should have plenty of pep. My truck would scoot quite nicely , even pulled my skid loader and heavy trailer from time to time.
Concerning tire height , I do want to be mindful that the width of a Land Cruiser is much narrower than I’m used to ( jeep on tons with 39.5 TSL’s ) so I do want to keep it’s center of gravity close to the ground but still be capable.

I was really being kinda aggravating with the 37 thing. 37s will fit fine with even a small lift. I’d say definitely regear to at least 4.56 if you’re gonna go that route though. With the 1FZ most folks go 4.88 with 35s or 37s but you do have a SLIGHTLY better OD and 1st in the Chevy trans.

Most folks use a Marks Adapter and mate the trans up to the stock transfer case to keep drive lines controllable and simple. Someone else may know of some examples of different (GM) T case conversions, but I haven’t seen any in person, so I wouldn’t venture a comment.

 

[Pops69]

I was really being kinda aggravating with the 37 thing. 37s will fit fine with even a small lift. I’d say definitely regear to at least 4.56 if you’re gonna go that route though. With the 1FZ most folks go 4.88 with 35s or 37s but you do have a SLIGHTLY better OD and 1st in the Chevy trans.

Most folks use a Marks Adapter and mate the trans up to the stock transfer case to keep drive lines controllable and simple. Someone else may know of some examples of different (GM) T case conversions, but I haven’t seen any in person, so I wouldn’t venture a comment.

Thank you for your take on it.
You don’t have to worry about aggravating me about your dislike of 37” tires or those that want huge tires to look cool, I’m easy going and my feathers don’t get ruffled easily, everyone has their opinions and preferences.
I probably will do the LS swap and get it all ironed out before even moving on to tires, lift and gearing .

 

[Pops69]

I was mistaken, I looked back at the original build I was kind of considering and it was Dirt Lifestyle and he took an LX450 and installed 39” tires on it and kept weight low.
I may or may not do this but I admire the build from an off-road perspective and he still kept road friendly.
Large tires do help roll over obstacles , as long as you don’t over stress your axles / housing and you re-gear properly .
I will have to look at his build again to freshen my memory on it.
Here is the YouTube link
That being said , I may not incorporate his method but I do admire the philosophy of keeping the center of gravity low and maintaining the original geometry of the suspension and greatly enlarging tire size and massaging body panels and fender wells to make it happen.
My build will be different from his build for sure, he stripped everything he could off and said he got rid of almost 1,000 pounds of seats , body parts and non essential metal.
I’m gonna do the GM LS Swap , get that squared away and running smoothly and then work on front and rear bumpers for approach angles , add a front winch and fold out tire carrier.
I may build my own bumpers or buy but I don’t know yet.
I have always liked the look of the front ARB bumper on the cruiser but I’m not dead set on it.

 

[RiverCityDave]

My take on going too big (subjective as hell phrase) on tires, (and I just ranted to my wife about this, she was super pleased to listen to me share my encyclopedic wisdom, trust me) is that weight is the problem. Every step up adds a bit more to the unsprung weight of the vehicle, and impacts the handling, fuel mileage, and performance. At the very least it introduces new problems and compromises. There are a very few of the lucky among us who live with driveways at the base of dirt roads connected to the great “out there”, but the rest of us have to drive to get there. I personally live in Central Texas and this damned state is H U G E. It’s 7 hours in any direction to get anywhere.

I’m not willing to compromise my necessary hours of on road performance for a few minutes of off road prowess. But that is my math. It works for me. I don’t rock crawl, but then, I don’t mall crawl either. I totally respect folks who can commit and drive those trucks with 37s or 39s (usually MTs too!!) on the highway to get somewhere, its just not my jam. My buddy here has a V8 4Runner with 37s (MTs) and a huge lift. The engine is easily powerful enough to spin the wheels and tires, but that truck is so fatiguing to ride in for more than 30 to 45 minutes, I just won’t do it.

I could easily see you setting your rig up to work with 37s and a good suspension setup with that V8 and it being a pleasure to drive. I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with it.

 

[Pops69]

My take on going too big (subjective as hell phrase) on tires, (and I just ranted to my wife about this, she was super pleased to listen to me share my encyclopedic wisdom, trust me) is that weight is the problem. Every step up adds a bit more to the unsprung weight of the vehicle, and impacts the handling, fuel mileage, and performance. At the very least it introduces new problems and compromises. There are a very few of the lucky among us who live with driveways at the base of dirt roads connected to the great “out there”, but the rest of us have to drive to get there. I personally live in Central Texas and this damned state is H U G E. It’s 7 hours in any direction to get anywhere.

I’m not willing to compromise my necessary hours of on road performance for a few minutes of off road prowess. But that is my math. It works for me. I don’t rock crawl, but then, I don’t mall crawl either. I totally respect folks who can commit and drive those trucks with 37s or 39s (usually MTs too!!) on the highway to get somewhere, its just not my jam. My buddy here has a V8 4Runner with 37s (MTs) and a huge lift. The engine is easily powerful enough to spin the wheels and tires, but that truck is so fatiguing to ride in for more than 30 to 45 minutes, I just won’t do it.

I could easily see you setting your rig up to work with 37s and a good suspension setup with that V8 and it being a pleasure to drive. I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with it.

I am in agreement with you on comfort and drive ability , I think there is purpose built vehicles and we can taylor the build for the specific task and if we are lucky, achieve the goal, my taste may or may not be liked by everyone but that’s why Baskin and Robbins is known for 31 plus ice cream flavors , pick your poison .
I probably will settle for somewhere between 35” and 37” and tailor the build for the type of overlanding I choose.
I have never had a perfect overland rig , most of mine has been trailer rigs which you didn’t want to do much on road driving because it’s unpleasant and it’s throwing money out the window as the tires get ate up with road miles.
I will say a very good off road rig that climbs hard / extreme stuff like a Billy goat , it’s nice to have a trailer and a one ton truck to haul it because you will break stuff and wear out expensive sticky tires .
This build will be built for overland , seat 4 or 5 if needed, able to travel across country , camp out of, wheel , haul kayaks, fish , hunt , get ice cream, night runs off road ( we did that at Golden Mountain / Dixie Run ).
I’m looking forward to this.

 

[NCFJ]

My two cents, I'd consider using a 60 series split case. True 2WD 4WD and the capacity for 2WD low. Easier on equipment on the street and easier on fuel as well.

 

[Brindleboxer]

Pops, IIRC Nate (Dirtlifestyle) sold the LX to another youtuber (Outdoor Auto) and he made a video talking about the suspension and the things that he needed to do to fix it, might be worth a watch.

 

[mudgudgeon]

that’s why Baskin and Robbins is known for 31 plus ice cream flavors , pick your poison .

Lol

If you had to describe your cruiser as an ice cream flavour what would it be?

 

[Pops69]

Lol

If you had to describe your cruiser as an ice cream flavour what would it be?

Well, only thing I can think of is what I like , I get the chocolate dipped waffle cone and one scoop of pralines and cream.
I call it a good day when I get some dark chocolate and caramel.

Cheers

 

[Pops69]

Pops, IIRC Nate (Dirtlifestyle) sold the LX to another youtuber (Outdoor Auto) and he made a video talking about the suspension and the things that he needed to do to fix it, might be worth a watch.

Interesting , yeah that would be more information from a different perspective .
I don’t usually follow people or do things like everyone else does, if I see a good idea I incorporate it if it makes sense and I like it.
I like how Geargeek did the LS swap and I like some of the ideas she had on the build.
I don’t think I’m going to do the 39’s like Dirtlifestyle did but I like the method he had on trussing .
For the wheeling he does he did say that he would go tons eventually and I’m not really feeling that on this build.
I do have a few Dana 60 front axles and a trimmed 14 bolt and ARB lockers for them but I kinda want to rock the original axles. Going tons is heavy and clearance suffers a bit . Tons shine when you go 39” tires and taller.
I love the off camber stability that comes with wider stance of tons and many people don’t realize that good tires with heavy / thick sidewalks keeps your body work off of rocks and trees.
Nope, this build will be overland with V8 umph.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Well, only thing I can think of is what I like , I get the chocolate dipped waffle cone and one scoop of pralines and cream.
I call it a good day when I get some dark chocolate and caramel.

Cheers

Fancy!