High performance 2F engine a good idea for S. American odyssey?

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I second what was said about leaving your factory ignition in place as a backup, a friend of mines MSD ignition box went out on his 440 and he just swapped the quick disconnects and hooked up the factory stuff, checked the timing, and drove her home.

Thats the kinda reliability you want for a 20000-30000 mile expedition.
 
Thanks for the highway photos, Tapage. Those roads look almost too nice!

So here's a question for you Latin American Cruisers - what would be the cost/feasibility/quality of a doing a diesel conversion while I'm down there? It seems like there is plenty of mechanical experitise in Central and South America for Land Cruisers, diesels are common, and the cost of labor is much, much less. What do you guys think of that idea??

Thanks!
 
Southbound said:
Thanks for the highway photos, Tapage. Those roads look almost too nice!

So here's a question for you Latin American Cruisers - what would be the cost/feasibility/quality of a doing a diesel conversion while I'm down there? It seems like there is plenty of mechanical experitise in Central and South America for Land Cruisers, diesels are common, and the cost of labor is much, much less. What do you guys think of that idea??

Thanks!

I can hook you up with the guy that did my frame swap in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He's familiar with 'Cruisers and does good work. I bought my 3BII that's going into the '67 FJ45LV for about $2000 from the local Japanese engine importer. The turbo'd ones were also available but were usually special order and 75% more expensive. If you're thinking along these lines you'll want to have one ordered well before your expected arrival.

David, it looks like the Panamanian highways are WAY better than the Guatemalan ones. The photo of the PanAmericana reminds me of the way it is in ElSalvador.
 
In my experience (drove cross country and back, roughly 8k miles), the advice I heard time and again was do NOT make last minute changes to your vehicle prior to going on a long trip. Not only for reliability reasons, but so that your familiarity with the vehicle, with its quirks, and with what it might be trying to tell you at any given point is not compromised. The last thing I'd want to be thinking in a panamanian jungle is "did that sound always happen when I did that, or is something broken?"

My thought is stick with what you have. If you do have to make changes, do them asap and become as familiar with the new setup as you can before you go. I would not do any unnecessary work down there.

However, people have been much less cautious than me and lived to tell about it. Whatever happens, you're going to have an amazing time. Bring a camera with a big-ass bag of film, or a digi with a big hard drive to download to.
 
cruiser_guy said:
David, it looks like the Panamanian highways are WAY better than the Guatemalan ones.

Thanks dude .. yes we have good ave. and highways.

In the diesel swap issue I thought is posible, but sure not fast , almost here in Panamá. Coz all mechanics with the expertise are so " busy " ( working at special time called Panamenian Time :D ) but you can buy a 1HZ/1HD-T ( with 30 - 80k kilometers ) with tranny ( manual ) in 3000 - 40000 it depens off course the overall shape of the engine and luck !

Why the luck, not always you can find one un good shape .. and good price ..
 
Hey I won't chime in on the mechanical aspects of your cruiser for this trip, as it seems you have enough to absorb. However, my entire family is in Colombia and I know of an American that runs a really nice little Hostel in Medellin as well. Do yourself the favor and don't miss visiting Colombia. I know of the security issues, if you have to park the LC and just visit the big cities and then get out, do it. Bogota is a gorgeous Capital city, Cartagena and that coast especially Santa Marta are awesome historical places as well as beaches, Medellin partying couldn't get any better and so much more. If you want input on Colombia beyond this drop me a PM.
 
I checked earlier today and this site was selling an almost new carburetor (less than 500 miles on it) for $300. I just checked the site again I don't see it offered anymore so I assume it was sold. Would I be better off with a new carb or a rebuilt one by Jim C. as suggested above? Is the rebuild improving on the original or just trying to get the carb back to like new shape?

http://www.cruiserparts.net/parts/fj60.htm

I'm thinking about installing power locks. I keep having this nightmare that I will be in the middle of sketchy nowhere and space out on manually locking everything. Aftermarket power locks are dirt cheap. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/COMPLETE-4-DOOR...ryZ75391QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Anybody have experience with these things?
 
Southbound, Check out this website. This guy did almost the same thing you are planning on doing (drove from USA to Panama) and gives out a lot of good info.
Checkout the vehicle set up, lots of good ideas

http://www.balum.com/index.htm

I was climbing in Ecuador last year and talking to one of our guides (he drove an FJ60) stated FJ's get a bad rap as they are used as mules to haul drugs out of Colombia as they are cheap and very reliable.. When I commented of maybe one day driving from California to Punta Arenas, Chile he was quick to suggest putting my rig on a boat from Panama to Ecuador by-passing Colombia all together.

Buena Suerte eh !!!
 
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Southbound said:
I checked earlier today and this site was selling an almost new carburetor (less than 500 miles on it) for $300. I just checked the site again I don't see it offered anymore so I assume it was sold. Would I be better off with a new carb or a rebuilt one by Jim C. as suggested above? Is the rebuild improving on the original or just trying to get the carb back to like new shape?

http://www.cruiserparts.net/parts/fj60.htm
Warning: shameless commercial insert!

The point of a TLC Performance rebuild is to optimize the operation of the carb, customized for each vehicle, including desmogging for vehicles that are to be used in a foreign country.
A typical parts store rebuild will be lucky to operate as poorly as a new stock carb.

/End commercial insert
 
MANUCHAO said:
Southbound, Check out this website. This guy did almost the same thing you are planning on doing (drove from USA to Panama) and gives out a lot of good info.
Checkout the vehicle set up, lots of good ideas

http://www.balum.com/index.htm

I have the opotunity to spoke with this guy when it was in Panama few years agoo, he's come with good Toy, good stuff inside and ready to camping. Security and other issues ..

I thought it have no problems all around with the Toy.
 
Your engine has some problems if you are burning 1 quart of oil between fillups. At the least you'll need to re-ring it and do a valve job. If you have to pull the block, just convert to the 2H.

Pour over your entire rig and do a shake down. Replace the brakes, change the hydraulic fluids, fix anything that leaks, etc. etc. etc..

The last thing you want to be doing on your trip is sourcing parts and field repairs.

Do not shave the head! This will cause the head to warp and crack overtime. Toyota engineered the head thickness to that spec for a reason.

Desmog the rig, get your carb rebuilt ( by Mark or JimC.. Don't go cheap on this item), change your fuel filters, and carry a spare set of filters.

My two cents. I am envious of your trip. Have fun.
 
I should really write this up more fully and post it on my website once and for all... but till then, here is a short version of what I consider to be my "standard advice"

Figure out what you "need" for the trip. Divide that by 2. Then take out at least 10 things. Then take out 5 more.

Ok, now you are almost packed.

Whatever mods you've done to the truck, great. Now stop.
Fix anything that is broken (definately your oil problem)- but anything else as well. If something like brakes is going to encounter it's normal service interval while you are on the road, why not replace it now, before you go? Certainly change out all fluids (tranny, tcase, diffs, brake, clutch, radiator) and all filters (air, fuel) before you leave. Carry at least one spare of each filter.

Add a rooftop tent (don't argue, you'll thank me later).

Make sure you have a good way to secure stuff- I liked Balum's idea of truck boxes, but he had to pull his rear seat, which I didn't like. We used a roller-drawer and a Tuffy console and a LOT of care and had no theft. If you pack lightly (see above) you'll find it much easier to secure things and you'll be less of a target.

With the money you've saved on not making major engine mods, pay extra for secure parking whenever possible. Treat yourself to a decent mechanical checkup whenever you spot a Toyota dealer (there will be plenty). If they find something there, it'll be worth a lot of money/time/hassle/heartache saved vs. finding a problem in the wilderness.

Find someone to accompany you. Lonely Planet's website used to have a bulletin board for people in foreign lands to find other people... I'm sure plenty of backpackers would LOVE a ride.

If I were to do the trip over again, I would drive a diesel cruiser with a rooftop tent, OME suspension, 31x10.50 tires on stock rims with 3.73's (stock gears). Add a set of lights up front and a set for reversal. Tuffy and roller drawer inside. GPS receiver. That's about it for vehicle specific stuff. The rest is camping.... everyone has their own list of what is good for camping, but less is often more. A couple of things we learned to love: Candle Lanterns (REI.com has them) are great- bright enough, not too bright, and add a ton of heat to a rooftop tent at night in high altitude. A good way to boil water is key. If you have a water container that is just bigger than 5 gals, you can always grab a 5gal bottle of water and fill it up quickly- most places charge a deposit for the bottles and you can't use the "wrong" bottle as an exchange if you change areas/countries. A second, smaller water container is a good idea- back up and whatnot. We carried 10gals and almost never needed all 10 between fillups.


As said above: a 12v Hella Turbo Fan might just be the best $50 we spent on gear. I would consider buying two....

Feel free to PM me or send an email to steve at sandcruiser.com for some more thoughts.

The key is to remember that a stock LC could make the entire drive just fine. The more you depart from stock configuration, the more likely you are to break things and/or be a target for theft.

The trip is wonderful. The people are fantastic (generally). The journey is worthwhile.
 
PVCruiser said:
Do not shave the head! This will cause the head to warp and crack overtime. Toyota engineered the head thickness to that spec for a reason.

.



Do you honestly believe that shaving a few hundreths of an inch off of a cast Irond head that is 5" thick will automatically make it warp and crack???


I would not shave the head, but that is due to the availability of lower octane fuel. Not Dangers to the motor.....
 
ahhhh memories of Caracas to Chile in the 60s when things were safe "mostly"....the PanAmerican was very nice from Caracas to Cucuta all the way to Pasto in Colombia roads were not as good further south but the scenery the Andes and ppl. were awsome ........learn your carburator inside out as you will probably have to lean it at high altitudes..........my 2 cents please keep it very simple, no mods as the local guy might not have a replacement for the mod and getting a diesel put in seems like a good idea ON THE WAY BACK .......Panama sounds like good idea and labor was very cheap back then.............another option would be to go via Caracas to Ciudad Bolivar on the Orinoco then to Santa Elena to Manaos then south towards the Atlantic coast of Brazil and Argentina........did that route in the late 80s but the Panamerican over the Andes is IMO the more scenic route..............youth is wasted on the young!
 
I'm loving the advice, thank you all very much! Sandcruiser, that was a particularly useful set of tips. Thanks again all!

I'm convinced that I should keep the 2F as stock as possible. I will focus on just getting the engine and its auxillary components as tuned as I can. I do occasionally hear the words "diesel conversion" popping into my head as I'm eating my cereal or taking the dog for a walk, but I repress those thoughts pretty well. I've already got so much prep work ahead of me anyway.

As of right now I'm still focusing on getting my truck's body together. I have a significant amount of rust to repair on the roof before I build my roofrack. Then I've got the swing away tire carrier to build, and the drawer system. I'm putting bars on all the rear windows as well as a cargo barrier between the rear seat and rear of the truck. The drawer system will be encased in diamond plate. The swing away tire carrier will have a burly round lock that will prevent the tailgate from being open, thus securing everything in the drawer. The sad fact is that despite all these security precautions, anybody with a circular saw and the right blade can cut through any gauge of steel and eventually take whatever they like. I think it's just a matter of making things as difficult as possible for would-be-thieves.

After all that is done and I paint everything, I'll turn to the engine. That'll be a whole universe unto itself. After I've got everything with the engine dialed in I need to make sure my suspension is up to the job. Baby steps. I've got a load of work ahead of me, but I'm really looking forward to it. I already quit my job so I've got plenty of time, and every moment I spend working on the truck is time spent daydreaming about the adventures ahead of me.
 
Really cool trip idea :beer:

Make sure you stop at Palenque en Mexico and the Mayan sites in Belize and Guatemala:D on the way down... and Pucon in Chile:cool: also Bariloche;)

There are articles in Toyota Trails http://tlca.org/trails/archive/index.html that may be of interest to you...

Since you will be loaded and needing some clearance, Dakar Springs would be perfect and nice for your ride.

Here is a shot from Belize ..

dougs60.jpg


and a few others..
 
Cool pics, got any more?

Thanks for the Trails link. I kept hearing about that publication on these forums.
 
Here's our '60 crossing the Rio Pasion about 3 hours south of Tikal, Guatemala. A picture of a comedor in a little explored area north of Tikal (nickw another 'mudder is there too!), and when we returned from the area north of Tikal (a special permit was required to drive here).
tikal4.webp
tikal24.webp
tikal25.webp
 

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