Build Isuzu 4BD1T Lexus LX450 (Land Cruiser) Build
- Thread starter Wheelingnoob
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- Thread starter
- #42
For anyone jumping over to 4BTSwaps I have a similar build thread on there, handle is DT80Series, as you can see from my posts adding power is on my agenda.
Man, with those stock gear and 34.5" tires you'll be in the sweet spot at 75mph... Nice.
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html
- Thread starter
- #45
Yep it works very well! I usually cruise at 65-70mph so even better for economy. I hope to double my fuel economy. Another benefit is I save my self the added cost of the regear to 4.88's I was planing with the gaser engine thus heavily off setting the cost of the diesel swap.
- Thread starter
- #46
Ok so now that I have the boring picture parts all out of the way. It’s onto the juicy text based posts detailing all my findings so far.
Joining the 4BD with the 80 series:
So installing the 4BD in place of the 1fz (or 3fe) is fairly simple. I plan to keep the transmission in its stock location (but an A440F from a FJ80). The benefit of this is twofold; first I do not need to mess with any driveline lengths or angles, second it will allow me lots of room in front of the engine (this is of benefit later). Engine mounts are relatively straight forward, I will attach the engine and trans so that will set the for aft position. From there I will then position the engine in a position that the Alternator stay’s away from the steering box and the diff/ oil pan clearance on the other side. Height will be dictated by level or a slight tilt back of 2-3 deg, I want to get it as high as possible but still allowing plenty of clearance to the hood. The other thing that I have not totally sorted out is the diff/driveshaft to oil pan and filters clearance. I have a few plans to combat this issue if in fact it becomes one. I already have a 2.5” OME lift and also have 2” Metal-Tech spacers if needed for extra clearance. The next thing I’m going to do is keep the engine centered but slightly towards the driver side to increase the gap between the pan and pinion. Issue with that is it moves the alternator towards the steering box (known issue on 60 series). So this gets the engine in the 80 series now it’s time to make it run and drive.
All the little bits:
Now we have an engine in a truck but need to make the rest of it work. All of this is my educated guess so far but looking over things I think it all should work. So first thing is power steering, fortunately this is fairly easy, I got the power steering lines from an FJ80, the 3fe has the power steering pump in the same location as the 4BD and the threads are the same (huge bonus). Cooling could be very simple so if you wish to use the stock rad it’s as simple as finding rad hoses that work. I have found that the upper and lower rad hoses from a HJ60 should be a direct fit as far as I can tell. I’m sure there are other options but it’s what I had handy. In my case I am going a slightly different route that I will cover when I start on this swap. Next is A/C this is a bit tricky, the compressor is on the driver’s side on the 4BD, there was no 80 series with that orientation. So I will end up making the lines once the engine is in the truck, I think the plumbing end is straight forward, the electrical will again need to be sorted once installed but looking at the wiring manuals I can’t see anything really standing in the way there. Cruise control will remain FZJ80 and should also be straight forward but a bit more involved (due to my use of a A440F). I will need to make an attachment for the cruise cable to the throttle lever of the 4BD (same goes for the kick down cable). The throttle cable from the FZJ80 will bolt right up to the 4BD. Fuel control (turning off engine and cold start enrichment) will be handled by the factory Isuzu actuator and cable setup. It will be controlled by key on power so when I start it and turn it off it works just like the stock truck.
Since I am going with the A440F I will be swapping out the shifter base from a FJ80 since it’s got L/2/3/D/N/R/P whereas the FZJ80 is L/2/D/N/R/P. I will be swapping the leather LX450 shifter over though to keep it looking OEM. It does have an O/D button where the FJ80 does not. I plan to connect the o/d button to the Cruise Control solenoid on the A440F essentially giving me a working O/D button
.
All the factory gauges will be working, to make the water temp and oil pressure work I will swap the senders over from the 1FZ to the 4BD (same thread 1/8th BSPT for the oil) the coolant temp threads right in but I do not know the thread. Tach I will try to make the cooling fan plate work as a tone ring and use a ABS sensor for pick up, should be able to find one at a wrecker. I plan to make the tone ring mimic the factory tach, I think its 3 pulses per rev (still need to verify that). If I can’t make that work I will look at something like a Dakota digital translator unit to read flywheel teeth and output the signal the tach needs to see. Voltage will read off the alternator so no difference there.
Cooling fan will be simple, I plan to use a mechanical fan like the stock one (may use the stock one or the 4BD one). I will need to make a new fan shroud for the rad and fan as the fan on the 4bd is in the middle of the engine. I will probably make it out of Aluminum sheet.
Boring stuff like power mods:
A few mods that are planed right off the bat are turbo upgrade; the stock turbo on the 4BD1T is a T25 free float turbo (no waste gate). It’s known for being slow to spool and have a minimal power potential. The 4BD2T 94-96 had a wategated turbine and a slightly larger compressor wheel (both desirable). I have not totally sorted out the turbo I wish to run yet. I did get an Isuzu 4HE1 turbo (T2560) but the exhaust turbine is huge and not usable. So I am looking for option for that now, I am trying to see if there is a different smaller A/R turbine that will fit. I also plan to include an intercooler in the build the 4BD1T did not have one. I will be making a 3" exhaust from turbo back with an Aero turbine muffler most likely. I want to keep this thing`s exhaust quite with minimal restriction. We plan to make quite a few long road trips with it and do not need a headache from drone or unwanted attention. With the mods planned I hope to get about 200hp and 400-450ftlbs of torque. It should motivate the truck along nicely since the peak torque is around 1800rpm. I will also tweak the pump to keep EGT’s safe (1200f pre turbo) but keep the engine responsive.
Transmission and mods:
So I know some are trying to figure out why the hell I’m taking a A343 that is known for its reliability and swap in a A440F that at times has had a less that stellar rep. So main reason is it’s a good transmission that has a few short comings. One issue and I think the main one is the converter in stock form is very sloppy and pumps out a ton of heat when not locked. I have had the converter rebuilt stalled down to 1500rpm and a HD carbon lock up installed. So with the converter dealt with (I hope) let’s move onto the other shortcoming. The cooling circuit flow or lack of it. I have been talking and going over ideas with a member that has done a lot of work with the VB on the A440F so we have a game plan to deal with the cooler circuit and a few other tricks for more line pressure and so on. I’m also going to double up the transmission cooler so I will have two 80 series coolers. I’ll go over all the changes once it’s on the road and running. To adapt the A440F to the 4bd I plan to follow Longbows thread for his ingenious adapter.
Misc. details:
My truck like all North American 80’s has 4.10’s so I would recommend anyone wanting to do this swap to plan on the going a minimum of 315’s (34.5-35”). This will get the cruise RPM into a perfect level for economy and power for hills. At my normal cruise RPM of 60mph I should be about 2000 RPM and 2150RPM at about 75ish mph. My hope and main goal with this swap is to increase range, right now I am limited to about 200kms off road. Ok for lots of trips but we want to do a few long off road trips, I will also really enjoy not having to go to the gas station every 350kms. So far over 35+ tanks of gas I have an average of 10.5mpg, best of 17.9mpg (stock tires and height) worst of 7.5mpg winter snow wheeling. I will restart my economy chart once I get the diesel in. I am hoping to see a twofold improvement in economy but will not be unhappy if I do not meet that goal. I would still like to be in the high teens MPG area.
Like I said this is all for the most part based off research so none of it is concrete till I can start the real swap (September I hope). A lot of information has been gained from other Isuzu swaps on Mud and 4BTswaps as well as a lot of assistance from Longbow (thanks again).
For the next 7 months follow along and enjoy my adventure.
Joining the 4BD with the 80 series:
So installing the 4BD in place of the 1fz (or 3fe) is fairly simple. I plan to keep the transmission in its stock location (but an A440F from a FJ80). The benefit of this is twofold; first I do not need to mess with any driveline lengths or angles, second it will allow me lots of room in front of the engine (this is of benefit later). Engine mounts are relatively straight forward, I will attach the engine and trans so that will set the for aft position. From there I will then position the engine in a position that the Alternator stay’s away from the steering box and the diff/ oil pan clearance on the other side. Height will be dictated by level or a slight tilt back of 2-3 deg, I want to get it as high as possible but still allowing plenty of clearance to the hood. The other thing that I have not totally sorted out is the diff/driveshaft to oil pan and filters clearance. I have a few plans to combat this issue if in fact it becomes one. I already have a 2.5” OME lift and also have 2” Metal-Tech spacers if needed for extra clearance. The next thing I’m going to do is keep the engine centered but slightly towards the driver side to increase the gap between the pan and pinion. Issue with that is it moves the alternator towards the steering box (known issue on 60 series). So this gets the engine in the 80 series now it’s time to make it run and drive.
All the little bits:
Now we have an engine in a truck but need to make the rest of it work. All of this is my educated guess so far but looking over things I think it all should work. So first thing is power steering, fortunately this is fairly easy, I got the power steering lines from an FJ80, the 3fe has the power steering pump in the same location as the 4BD and the threads are the same (huge bonus). Cooling could be very simple so if you wish to use the stock rad it’s as simple as finding rad hoses that work. I have found that the upper and lower rad hoses from a HJ60 should be a direct fit as far as I can tell. I’m sure there are other options but it’s what I had handy. In my case I am going a slightly different route that I will cover when I start on this swap. Next is A/C this is a bit tricky, the compressor is on the driver’s side on the 4BD, there was no 80 series with that orientation. So I will end up making the lines once the engine is in the truck, I think the plumbing end is straight forward, the electrical will again need to be sorted once installed but looking at the wiring manuals I can’t see anything really standing in the way there. Cruise control will remain FZJ80 and should also be straight forward but a bit more involved (due to my use of a A440F). I will need to make an attachment for the cruise cable to the throttle lever of the 4BD (same goes for the kick down cable). The throttle cable from the FZJ80 will bolt right up to the 4BD. Fuel control (turning off engine and cold start enrichment) will be handled by the factory Isuzu actuator and cable setup. It will be controlled by key on power so when I start it and turn it off it works just like the stock truck.
Since I am going with the A440F I will be swapping out the shifter base from a FJ80 since it’s got L/2/3/D/N/R/P whereas the FZJ80 is L/2/D/N/R/P. I will be swapping the leather LX450 shifter over though to keep it looking OEM. It does have an O/D button where the FJ80 does not. I plan to connect the o/d button to the Cruise Control solenoid on the A440F essentially giving me a working O/D button
.All the factory gauges will be working, to make the water temp and oil pressure work I will swap the senders over from the 1FZ to the 4BD (same thread 1/8th BSPT for the oil) the coolant temp threads right in but I do not know the thread. Tach I will try to make the cooling fan plate work as a tone ring and use a ABS sensor for pick up, should be able to find one at a wrecker. I plan to make the tone ring mimic the factory tach, I think its 3 pulses per rev (still need to verify that). If I can’t make that work I will look at something like a Dakota digital translator unit to read flywheel teeth and output the signal the tach needs to see. Voltage will read off the alternator so no difference there.
Cooling fan will be simple, I plan to use a mechanical fan like the stock one (may use the stock one or the 4BD one). I will need to make a new fan shroud for the rad and fan as the fan on the 4bd is in the middle of the engine. I will probably make it out of Aluminum sheet.
Boring stuff like power mods:
A few mods that are planed right off the bat are turbo upgrade; the stock turbo on the 4BD1T is a T25 free float turbo (no waste gate). It’s known for being slow to spool and have a minimal power potential. The 4BD2T 94-96 had a wategated turbine and a slightly larger compressor wheel (both desirable). I have not totally sorted out the turbo I wish to run yet. I did get an Isuzu 4HE1 turbo (T2560) but the exhaust turbine is huge and not usable. So I am looking for option for that now, I am trying to see if there is a different smaller A/R turbine that will fit. I also plan to include an intercooler in the build the 4BD1T did not have one. I will be making a 3" exhaust from turbo back with an Aero turbine muffler most likely. I want to keep this thing`s exhaust quite with minimal restriction. We plan to make quite a few long road trips with it and do not need a headache from drone or unwanted attention. With the mods planned I hope to get about 200hp and 400-450ftlbs of torque. It should motivate the truck along nicely since the peak torque is around 1800rpm. I will also tweak the pump to keep EGT’s safe (1200f pre turbo) but keep the engine responsive.
Transmission and mods:
So I know some are trying to figure out why the hell I’m taking a A343 that is known for its reliability and swap in a A440F that at times has had a less that stellar rep. So main reason is it’s a good transmission that has a few short comings. One issue and I think the main one is the converter in stock form is very sloppy and pumps out a ton of heat when not locked. I have had the converter rebuilt stalled down to 1500rpm and a HD carbon lock up installed. So with the converter dealt with (I hope) let’s move onto the other shortcoming. The cooling circuit flow or lack of it. I have been talking and going over ideas with a member that has done a lot of work with the VB on the A440F so we have a game plan to deal with the cooler circuit and a few other tricks for more line pressure and so on. I’m also going to double up the transmission cooler so I will have two 80 series coolers. I’ll go over all the changes once it’s on the road and running. To adapt the A440F to the 4bd I plan to follow Longbows thread for his ingenious adapter.
Misc. details:
My truck like all North American 80’s has 4.10’s so I would recommend anyone wanting to do this swap to plan on the going a minimum of 315’s (34.5-35”). This will get the cruise RPM into a perfect level for economy and power for hills. At my normal cruise RPM of 60mph I should be about 2000 RPM and 2150RPM at about 75ish mph. My hope and main goal with this swap is to increase range, right now I am limited to about 200kms off road. Ok for lots of trips but we want to do a few long off road trips, I will also really enjoy not having to go to the gas station every 350kms. So far over 35+ tanks of gas I have an average of 10.5mpg, best of 17.9mpg (stock tires and height) worst of 7.5mpg winter snow wheeling. I will restart my economy chart once I get the diesel in. I am hoping to see a twofold improvement in economy but will not be unhappy if I do not meet that goal. I would still like to be in the high teens MPG area.
Like I said this is all for the most part based off research so none of it is concrete till I can start the real swap (September I hope). A lot of information has been gained from other Isuzu swaps on Mud and 4BTswaps as well as a lot of assistance from Longbow (thanks again).
For the next 7 months follow along and enjoy my adventure.
Last edited:
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Subscribed with a lot of interest.
- Thread starter
- #50
I'll have to take a look for it, honestly though his turbos cost 1/2 what the swap is going to run me so its not a reality.
Thanks
Yes they do, I had planed on going that why but had a few things I wanted different. My tach will be very easy to get working I just need to have it in the truck to sort it. For anyone that does not have the ability to do a little laith work or rotary mill the Allmares kit is a good option.
Yeah they are pricey but in comparison to a new Garett it's not that much for something designed for your engine. You can safely run ~30psi into that engine right (I swore I read that somewhere)
I'm really looking forward to your build. I hope to rebuild a 1hz at some point in the future.
I'm really looking forward to your build. I hope to rebuild a 1hz at some point in the future.
- Thread starter
- #52
Yeah, worked in the turbo industry for years, I'm trying to keep the turbo for this swap easy to attain and cheap. The Garrett T2560 I got from a Isuzu 4HE1 looked to be prefect but it turned out there are different turbine housing sizes and the one I got was a big .80 A/R
Yes everything I have seen points to the 4BD1T not having any issue with boost pressure. I believe 30psi is nothing for one, a guy a few years ago lifted the head on one when he pegged a 60psi gauge stock unopened engine. I'm not interested in anything like that.
My motto with this swap is Reliable/Efficient/Serviceability I do not want to sacrifice any of those in search of a number or power target.
I'm stalking you.
- Thread starter
- #54
I'm stalking you.
:O haha, Oh BTW I found another 4BD1T truck with 141k kms!! for $3k wink wink.
I'm watching Jeremy's build very closely!
As soon as he works out all the bugs with the tach and cruise control systems, I'm going to do Isuzu swap #3 into my wife's 80 series.
This is going to be a great build as this guy really knows what he's doing. Can't wait to see it progress.
Don
P.S. I wouldn't go with the ABS sensor Idea on the tach sensor. I have that setup on my 60 and it doesn't put out enough juice to signal the AC amplifier. It has just enough power to run my tach and only up to about 2100RPM and then it cuts out and jumps all over the place. Astr had a solution with swapping capacitors on the back of the tach, but I tried that and now my spare tach doesn't work at all. I'm sure it was me who screwed it up but I think the speed sensor on the front of the injection pump coupled with the Dakota signal generator (like Doug720 did) would be the best setup for the factory tach and to activate the AC amplifier. Or get an amplifier from a diesel 80 and put that in( I think they don't require a tach signal to work)
As soon as he works out all the bugs with the tach and cruise control systems, I'm going to do Isuzu swap #3 into my wife's 80 series.
This is going to be a great build as this guy really knows what he's doing. Can't wait to see it progress.
Don
P.S. I wouldn't go with the ABS sensor Idea on the tach sensor. I have that setup on my 60 and it doesn't put out enough juice to signal the AC amplifier. It has just enough power to run my tach and only up to about 2100RPM and then it cuts out and jumps all over the place. Astr had a solution with swapping capacitors on the back of the tach, but I tried that and now my spare tach doesn't work at all. I'm sure it was me who screwed it up but I think the speed sensor on the front of the injection pump coupled with the Dakota signal generator (like Doug720 did) would be the best setup for the factory tach and to activate the AC amplifier. Or get an amplifier from a diesel 80 and put that in( I think they don't require a tach signal to work)
Drivable condition?
Hmm, I wonder how much it costs to fly from Ottawa to Vancouver these days...
Not a lot of these trucks out here it seems.
Wheeling--great to see someone doing their homework and doing a thorough job you can live with for a long time--cheaper in the long run--hard to wait for the finished rig to enjoy ...great job--subscribed as well!
LCDiesel60
Oregon, USA
LCDiesel60
Oregon, USA
Cool build, if you wouldnt mind could you add your list of parts, sources and costs somewhere? Im not sure maybe you can talley them at the first post for later reference. It seems you want to do a thorough write up for others considering this, so it may be handy for folks to have a parts checklist.
Also, if your interested, if you are fabbing motor mounts or similar parts, get some measurements and I can scratch them into CAD and post them somewhere in this thread, anyone who wants to take on the build later should be able to forward the files to a laserjet or watertable shop and have them cut out for those not to comfortable with building their own parts. Basically making one big parts/order list.
Also, if your interested, if you are fabbing motor mounts or similar parts, get some measurements and I can scratch them into CAD and post them somewhere in this thread, anyone who wants to take on the build later should be able to forward the files to a laserjet or watertable shop and have them cut out for those not to comfortable with building their own parts. Basically making one big parts/order list.
- Thread starter
- #59
Thanks Don, with out your assistance so far i would not be remoely as planed out as it is. Thanks for the heads up in the tach, I know we had talked about it but obviousely did remember it right. If i can use and adapter on the factory IP sensor that will be even better. I do need to find a new sensor though min has been damaged at some point along the way. Good info in the diesel 80 series A/C amp, ill look into that.
Its a driver, new breaks. He also has it advertised as just the engine for $2600 I think. If you are seriouse I could possibly go look at it. A flight on way is about $500.
I have seen two pop up in the last month so for this area that's not bad. Honestly you should beable to find one in the eastern states fairly easy.
Yep lots and lots of reserch along the way, spend the better part of 4 months just learning everything I could about the engine. I am really looking forward to having it done but this for me is the real fun, I love the prosess of reserching and planing, icing on the cake is when it works
. Luckly my truck is a runner and I drive it daily so I can still enjoy it. Main reason for not doing it this spring is I want it for summer trips.
- Thread starter
- #60
Yes I am keeping a detailed cost sheet that once in the road I will post mine will be more than some but I fell this rebuild was the right decision and does not ad a lot of cost to be honest.
I can do up some measurments on the fram to mount adapters, that is really the only part needed to make this work other than Longbow's A440 adapter template.