H55F Transmission Support Brackets

[Bear]

Tstepp,

My suggestion would be to grab whatever remaining pieces you can, and make the necessary adjustments to make those pieces fit and work for your application.

 

[Living in the Past]

IF there is meat to drill into the sides of the frame at the location where a specific set of angle brackets wind up positioning themselves once mounted to the cradle/crossmember, insulator mount, and the transmission, why not just drill new holes to mount the angle brackets(or weld them on) if receiving nuts can be fitted inside the sides of the frame?

Secondly, I believe the numbers stamped into the angle brackets can be converted into the Toyota part numbers for those pieces. I wrote those part numbers in the related thread elsewhere here. Example: "R-FB020" = 51433-60020 = 8/80 10/82 for the 40/42/43/46 series.

LITP has found the 2 variations of the long cradle/crossmembers to be the same length (which I find to be 20-15/16"/532mm).
There are 3 different insulator mounts that fit onto those cradles: different for the BJ4x, FJ4x, HJ4x. Apparently they all fit the cradle equally but have different thicknesses. So............the selection of which insulator mount chosen needs to be factored into the final position of the side angle brackets chosen to create the overall positioning of the transmission height. Along with the variations in the distance between the frame rails at the actual cradle mount location, this appears to be the reasoning behind the 6 slightly different sets of angle brackets designed by Toyota.

Along with the different tunnel inspection cover heights, different angle brackets, different insulator mounts, it seems that unless replacing a factory-installed five-speed with the same exact parts, adjustments need to be made when installing a five speed where there never was one originally. This is also complicated with the lack for most folks of the rare and hard-to-find 40 series top cover and the distance of the non-40 top cover to clear he inspection cover.

While on the surface the 4x series vehicles "look very similar," the differences start to add-up, and it seems a simple plug-and-play drop in installation doesn't exist for the five-speed conversion, and adjustments need to be made to fit each particular situation. Searching for the rare and unusual parts can kill the enthusiasm for a conversion, so it seems crafting the parts you have and can acquire to fit your own situation might be the best solution.

My thoughts only and not gospel. Value = 2 cents.

your killing me. Worked to get as many correct pieces as possible but now have a bunch of questions. Why do I have two sets of L brackets that match that shouldn't. One from a 82 FJ40 which should be correct and the from 83 BJ40 that should be correct. Still had the crossmember attached to the H55F. L brackets look to match with dirt and surface rust. Transfer case date is 83. The member who picked it for me in Australia seen the BJ42 it was pulled from. So now to figure out what L were supposed to be in the 83/84 BJ42. I do at least have a insulators from a BJ, FJ and HJ. FJ and HJ are off but until I clean up the parts should be able to figure out which is which. Only frame I have for reference is a 82 FJ40. Need to do some research on insulators. Is the 82 FJ40 with a four speed use the same insulator as a 83 FJ40 with a five speed. Can't see why it wouldn't because the main housing of the early H55F is the same as the four speed in the same time period. Figure the difference in insulator had to do with the height off the engine.
The transmission hump inspection cover is the big question. They changed 10/82 when five speed. From what I've they changed for all models, four speed or five speed. Only difference is the transfer case shifter opening is a little further back. The footprint is different and the hump right in front of the inspection cover is raised. Because of this what all changed on the hump on the 83 model is a mystery. If the 84 troopy floors wasn't mangled and covered in bedliner might have cut that section out.

 

[Living in the Past]

Tstepp,

My suggestion would be to grab whatever remaining pieces you can, and make the necessary adjustments to make those pieces fit and work for your application.

Since the shift cane is in the same location on all late model 4X series will the drivelines from a BJ42 with five speed work with FJ40 with a five speed? I did confirm the BJ42 five skid plate with bolt directly into a 82 FJ40. The mounting holes and holes to clear the rivets are in exactly the same location.

 

[3_puppies]

so with all these "issues" of finding the elusive pieces......has anyone used the 3F bellhousing and later 1 piece crossmember, the crossmember would be easy to shorten and weld an angle on the outside of the frame to bolt the crossmember to.
the bellhousing and crossmember would be "cheaper" to source.

or am I on 1 of my weird no sleep hallucinations??


@tstepp920 I need to decide if I'll keep my 82 crossmember setup, it's 1 more part I'm not sure I'll ever use.

 

[Poser]

The support, brackets, and insulator mount are the missing pieces. I have a 40 series top, split tc, and the correct transmission tunnel cover. BUT those last pieces, you are right it can dampen the enthusiasm.

Did you happen to procure a 1983/84 40 series tub that has the different floor in it as well?

1984 BJ-42 factory H55 truck I had at the shop for a while had a very different tunnel compared to my 1983 FJ-40; it was taller where it needed to clear the transmission.

 

[Poser]

Along with the different tunnel inspection cover heights, different angle brackets, different insulator mounts, it seems that unless replacing a factory-installed five-speed with the same exact parts, adjustments need to be made when installing a five speed where there never was one originally. This is also complicated with the lack for most folks of the rare and hard-to-find 40 series top cover and the distance of the non-40 top cover to clear he inspection cover.

While on the surface the 4x series vehicles "look very similar," the differences start to add-up, and it seems a simple plug-and-play drop in installation doesn't exist for the five-speed conversion, and adjustments need to be made to fit each particular situation. Searching for the rare and unusual parts can kill the enthusiasm for a conversion, so it seems crafting the parts you have and can acquire to fit your own situation might be the best solution.

Bear, you speak facts in this whole post, but the above info needed to be stated again.

 

[Living in the Past]

so with all these "issues" of finding the elusive pieces......has anyone used the 3F bellhousing and later 1 piece crossmember, the crossmember would be easy to shorten and weld an angle on the outside of the frame to bolt the crossmember to.
the bellhousing and crossmember would be "cheaper" to source

I know the FJ62 crossmember is flat and not a cradle where the insulator mounts. Is the later FJ60 the same? If it is modifying the crossmember might be a little easier. Would have a little more wiggle room side to side after mounted. Cradle it really only fits in one spot.

 

[4Cruisers]

I know the FJ62 crossmember is flat and not a cradle where the insulator mounts. Is the later FJ60 the same? If it is modifying the crossmember might be a little easier. Would have a little more wiggle room side to side after mounted. Cradle it really only fits in one spot.

The 4/85 and later FJ60's crossmembers are clocked ~5* CW (looking from the rear) due to the change from the 2F to 3F bell housing.

 

[Living in the Past]

Bear, you speak facts in this whole post, but the above info needed to be stated again.

Steve I just went thru your five speed conversion in a 79. One thing I did see the raised part of the transmission cover fits inside the inspection cover. Should be able to get away with just modifying the inspection cover. It also showed the easy way to locate the L brackets and crossmember. 79/80 have a better hump to work with than earlier years and still use the motor mounts to the bellhousing. If your install the five speed with the original motor mounts then install the crossmember with L brackets then put some pressure on the crossmember with a floor jack the L brackets should be in real close to the correct location. Mark the L bracket holes. Hand brake cable from the 8/80 and later to the rear axle with work on the 79/80.

 

[Living in the Past]

I Know the 3F is clocked right side of the transfer case is lower. I don't know what it's shaped like. As I remember the FJ62 is flat. Never owned any FJ60s so not sure if the crossmember was still a cradle for te insulator or flat?

 

[4Cruisers]

Early FJ60 frame image, crossmember has cradle for insulator:

Late FJ60 frame image, note that crossmember still has cradle for insulator, but is lower on right end to accommodate clocking:

 

[Bear]

Geez,

I'm sorry if I muddled the situation--but a good discussion.

LITP: One more thought we know: on the assembly line, Toyota used up all the existing parts before installing changeover parts, which is why some early '79s have a few of the earlier '78 parts. This might explain why you have parts made pre-10/82 that were installed after that date on a later vehicle.

And I like your idea about temporarily using the rear motor mounts on the '79 bellhousing to align the location for the cradle mount and angle brackets. But I thought at some date later bellhousings weren't drilled for the earlier rear motor mounts, so can't use this method when installing a five-speed behind a later bellhousing.

 

[tstepp920]

Did you happen to procure a 1983/84 40 series tub that has the different floor in it as well?

1984 BJ-42 factory H55 truck I had at the shop for a while had a very different tunnel compared to my 1983 FJ-40; it was taller where it needed to clear the transmission.

No sir. Original tub

 

[Living in the Past]

Looking at the post 1983 cross-member I see it has a larger radius for the front drive shaft clearance.
View attachment 1588481

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View attachment 1588483

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I had all four stacked up and snapped a close picture to show the little bend in center and didn't notice the difference in the cradle for the front drive. I now have them all bolted back to their original L brackets. Between grease, dirt and surface rust can still tell which L brackets go with what crossmember. What to keep them together like I got them. I'll check the one from the 5/84 HJ47. It has the bend in the center so assume it will have the larger cradle. From 10/82 on shows the same crossmember for all 4X series models.

 

[Bear]

Interesting photos.

Would the "F" and "H" embossed on the rubber indicate gasoline or diesel engine application?

 

[Living in the Past]

Interesting photos.

Would the "F" and "H" embossed on the rubber indicate gasoline or diesel engine application?

I would probably agree. Just looked at the one I have in town which is from a 83 BJ42 and it has a B on it.

 

[Living in the Past]

Still trying to figure out these crossmembers and insulators. Toyota isn't helping. At this points believe the FB on the L barckets is for the F and B engines. H is for the H engine. Why my 82 FJ40 and 83 FJ83 have the same L brackets when there is different part number starting 10/82? And why nogo has three insulators from FJs that have H on the rubber pad is a mystery. Same part with a different number? @nogo you wouldn't happen to have a insulator from a HJ47 you could measure the the width and compare the width to the ones from the FJs with the H? While I've never checked it out I heard that the late FJ40s shared front axle parts with the mini truck. Different part number with a different cost, the Land Cruiser being higher. Wish we had excess to all six L brackets and insulators. If the frame changed 10/82 on the SWB it was not enough to change anything for the skid plate mount which have the same mounting early and late. There were no engine changes on 10/82. If the engine mounting on the front didn't change why change the back mount. While Toyota changed the part number on L brackets 10/82 we have only come up with one for each of the three models. Wish I had my two other insulators here in town to measure the other two which might be a F and H. The B insulator I have is 1 9/16"/40MM in total width. I've been searching as much as I could of the 82+ front floor pan. Only thing I find in common on anything is the inspection cover. Only show two, four speed and five speed which I have both. But I'm not sure I have information on all markets. Never seen one of the 200 US Imported FJ40 to inspect the floor. Won't surprise me that Toyota changed changed the dash but used up some of the old floors since they knew they were ending the 40 series in 83 and didn't plan on importing many. Also knew none would have a five speed. @Bear maybe you have some insight on this. Just not sure why Toyota would change the floor/inspection cover for the four speed and have it different than the five speed when the footprint of the inspection was the same and raised the same on both.

Currently working on cleaning up my transmission and transfer case while I work on getting the input shaft switch worked out. After that hope to start a thread on installing a five speed as close to stock as possible in a 1/79+ FJ40. While It's probably been done the few threads I've seen on installing a H55F are using later/custom parts.

 

[SuperDuperCruizer]

This thread has provided some good information so far. I’ve been trying to figure out the differences myself and looked to the BJ60’s transmission bracket & mounts in hopes this would provide a clue for the 40-series setups.

During the production of the BJ60’s, did they have the cast iron bell housing and later, the aluminum bell housing? I’m only posting this question since the aluminum bell housing clocks the transmission in the same way the 3F bellhousing does.

I have an aluminum 3B bell housing and matching engine plate but chose not to use it since I couldn’t figure out the transmission mount.

 

[Bear]

LITP,

There were six different top tunnel inspection covers made for the 40 Series and those included a 3-speed cover and a cover for PTO installations.
From 10/82 four of those remained.
The four speeds used a flat cover; the five speeds needed the additional height of the raised cover.

There are two 4-speed inspection covers. The general use four speed cover(58262-90084) that started in 1/79 was "modified" in 10/82 with a different part number(58261-90800); however, for some strange reason the earlier version continued to 4/86 for Venezuela-spec trucks only--unsure just why this is so.

I have only seen one version of the raised cover(58261-90801), and I believe it to be intended for the five speeds. However, I do have an '83 longbed that came with a raised cover for its 4-speed and cannot see any differences between that cover and a known 5-speed cover. It fits snugly and the shifters and boots seem correctly positioned. With all the intervening years and previous owners, it could be a factory-installed 5-speed cover, or a swapped out 5-speed cover, OR.....perhaps it is the 10/82 up four-speed cover(58261-90800) which might be raised--I wouldn't know if I saw one. It appears to exactly match the other 5-speed covers I have, but since the covers are not part-stamped, cannot determine. The rubber "packing" gaskets for the covers DO have part numbers, but I'm too lazy to remove this cover and check its gasket for a number. In any event, the truck is happy using this cover with its 4-speed transmission, so I'm guessing that the raised covers can be also used for the 4-speeds without modification.

The 45 series pickups apparently never received the 5-speeds, and with the various versions of the floor stampings out there, it is odd that a 5-speed cover would fit the 45 series pickup tunnel, unless the 5-speed tunnels have the same footprint configuration as the 4-speed tunnels, at least in the area of the inspection covers. I suspect the tunnels for all 40-Series are all the same after 10/82 and include the RH lower bump-out into the RH("passenger") floor area.

My understanding is that you also plan to install a 5-speed into a 1964-1967 pickup LPB? If so, the earlier tunnels may possibly be not shaped exactly as the 1/79 up tunnels where you need to install the inspection cover, so some fabrication might be indicated for this type of install. If this is your plan, have you dry-fit a 5-speed cover over your existing tunnel near where you'll need it?

BTW, along with the inspection cover gasket, the outer boot for the transmission shifter, and both the inner and outer boots for the transfer shifter changed on the raised covers from the 1/79-10/82 ones more commonly seen. All or some of these boots and the gasket may be long discontinued.

 

[Living in the Past]

my head is starting to hurt with all this info.

and I tell people Toyota kept things simple and easy with the early Landcruisers, parts and pieces easily swap between series per year.

X2 I've had a headache all day trying to figure out why Toyota would mark the L brackets with F/B or H and then F, B or H on the insulator. But nothing on the crossmember itself. Only thing I came up with is the crossmember was the same for all 4X but other parts changed with the engine, so why H on a part for a FJ? Then I remembered besides the HJ47 Toyota also made the HJ60 starting 8/80. Is it possible Toyota used a insulator that was originally designed for a H engine in the FJ4X and just gave it another part number? Searching parts have good up with no pattern why some part number carry across the 4X models and others that I figure are the same but get a different part number.


Looking at the insulator with a B on it noticed it has small numbers on the opposite rubber pad. Thought if we could get members to post up their numbers from other pads with the H could probably figure it out. Then realized it's just my OCD for the 40 series kicking in. Short of having a FJ40 tub with a five speed and 83/84 frame I have almost every part I needed for the conversion. Instead of worrying what is what just knowing what works is what is really needed.