Local 2F Engine Guy? (1 Viewer)

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Tony_Farson

Tony_Farson

Club President, Battle Born Cruisers
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Mar 6, 2010
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Location
Reno, NV
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battleborncruisers.com
Hey Everyone,

I decided to drive my 68 my first club meeting... engine blew. So, I have a 2F from a 74 that I want to have rebuilt. Does anyone here know of a good shop here in NW Reno (or nearby) that can do the work and source the parts?
 
Heard of a good shop in Gardnerville but can't think of the name off hand. Think it is the shop owned by @powthief19 buddy. If I can come up with it I will let you know.
 
That stinks.

Did it blow pieces or just quit?
 
No it didn't throw any rods or detonate, oil pressure crashed and it started clacking and smoking. I was planning a swap because I thought this might happen... Now the swap is on! I'll probably try to salvage the F and hold onto it but I'm picking up a 2F from @USOffRoad on the 24th. So that is what I plan to put in now... along with the 4-speed, tc, and both axles once I have had them all stripped, rebuilt and upgraded. For now it is all about the 2F! I am hoping to get a more torquie cam, bigger pistons, etc. Oh and add TBI... I HATE CARBS! :bang:

One day I hope to import a drivetrain from Aus with the 1HD-FT, auto trans, and tc, but that is out of my price range for now (about $12K). Why? Because I want to! I drove a BJ in the Dominican and loved it and I drove an 80 in Aust with the 1HD-FTE and loved it, but I don't want to have to worry about the "E" on my 40.
 
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Cool.

There's tons of information out there on hopping up a 2f. Chris at Douglas Machine is very knowledgeable about building horsepower so the sky might be the limit depending on whether you can still source the parts you want.

You can look through the "Stovebolt" forums for help. The parts don't interchange but all the tech does.
 
airon23 said:
Do share your experience with Douglas Machine if possible. I have a pretty stock 76 that I think the motor is a little tired and thought about a rebuild but I don't have the know how but could maybe save enough $ to get something like that done.
Click to expand...

I will. I am in similar boat as you. I rebuilt a few 302’s during my Mustang phase back in my teens. It has been so long though, I just don’t trust my skill for a vehicle I plan to take into the sticks. I do plan on rebuilding my F motor though since I won’t be relying on it to get me home. I may even build a whole other FJ40 on top of the 78 frame I’m getting on the 24th.
 
airon23 said:
Do share your experience with Douglas Machine if possible. I have a pretty stock 76 that I think the motor is a little tired and thought about a rebuild but I don't have the know how but could maybe save enough $ to get something like that done.
Click to expand...

Call and ask for Chris. Will take them a month or so to get it done but mine turned out awesome. Just put 300 miles on it this week including a trip to the Bay Area.

Rebuilding the 2f is NOT cheap... a LS motor would have been about the same price.

2C0E9C37-E516-4C61-95B0-43715664EEA2.jpeg
 
powthief19 said:
Call and ask for Chris. Will take them a month or so to get it done but mine turned out awesome. Just put 300 miles on it this week including a trip to the Bay Area.

Rebuilding the 2f is NOT cheap... a LS motor would have been about the same price.View attachment 1631429
Click to expand...

Thanks! How much did you 2F cost? I only have about $5K to spend... Maybe 6 or 7 if I raid another account. I don't want anything crazy hi po I'm looking for reliable more than anything else.
 
Not to be a party pooper but go for the SBC swap, you will not regret it. Unless you are doing a full up restoration there is no reason to keep and outdated power plant like the 2F. If I could just kill my 2F I would do it, unfortunately I cannot bring myself to pull a strong running functional engine for a swap.
 
rusty_tlc said:
Not to be a party pooper but go for the SBC swap, you will not regret it. Unless you are doing a full up restoration there is no reason to keep and outdated power plant like the 2F. If I could just kill my 2F I would do it, unfortunately I cannot bring myself to pull a strong running functional engine for a swap.
Click to expand...

Hi Dan,

I get it! I am still toying (pun) with the idea of a 350. Someone in another post pointed out the advantages, namely wide availability of parts and repairability). However, I don't have the chops to do a swap with the welding and fab needed for the the 350 though. I also don't have a 350 block. I can't imagine I'd get a 350 in there for less than $5K. Douglas said his last 78 2F rebuild was about $3500 and I would still want EFI, RV Cam, 9:1 or better compression, etc.

Add to the financial and technical roadblocks the fact that I am not keen to un-Toyota my Toyota. I am a bit of a purest in that sense. I believe the thing that makes the Fj40 (and other TLCs) great is the engineering (as reverse engineered as much of it is!) Toyota put behind it. IF I ever do a swap, it will probably remain Toyota... Like a 1HD-FT, auto trans and t-case from an Aussie 80... The only other thing I might consider doing, if I were to go off the Toyota res would be a Cummins R28 and gut all the innards for aftermarket stuff... six speed auto, axle assemblies, Atlas, 3 and 4 link suspension, etc.

I know that all of this is in the eye of the beholder... Some would say that I will lose the Toyota purity with new wheels, bigger tires, lockers, and other aftermarkets. So I say to each his own! ;)
 
Perhaps there is a solution here. Dan sells a running motor to someone needing one and he gets to swap in a SBC..
 
kobioshi said:
The only other thing I might consider doing, if I were to go off the Toyota res would be a Cummins R28 and gut all the innards for aftermarket stuff... six speed auto, axle assemblies, Atlas, 3 and 4 link suspension, etc.

I know that all of this is in the eye of the beholder... Some would say that I will lose the Toyota purity with new wheels, bigger tires, lockers, and other aftermarkets. So I say to each his own! ;)
Click to expand...

For this you will need much more that 5K. How about 15k+. Shops will swap a SBC for less than that. Chevy quit putting the pattern motor for the f motor in their vehicles in the 60s for a good reason. There are rebuild parts you can't even buy for the f motor anymore. I was sorry I ever rebuilt mine. It cost me 3k and you could still get parts. That was 25 years ago. I have never met anyone who swapped in a 350 that wasn't 100% happy with the change. Something to think about. Restored stock fj40s have some value to someone who waxes nostalgic but in my view it is a waste of money to restore them. They are no fun to drive on the street and you can't wheel them except on fire roads.
 
Krusty Krab said:
For this you will need much more that 5K. How about 15k+. Shops will swap a SBC for less than that. Chevy quit putting the pattern motor for the f motor in their vehicles in the 60s for a good reason. There are rebuild parts you can't even buy for the f motor anymore. I was sorry I ever rebuilt mine. It cost me 3k and you could still get parts. That was 25 years ago. I have never met anyone who swapped in a 350 that wasn't 100% happy with the change. Something to think about. Restored stock fj40s have some value to someone who waxes nostalgic but in my view it is a waste of money to restore them. They are no fun to drive on the street and you can't wheel them except on fire roads.
Click to expand...
I’m pretty happy with my freshly rebuilt 2F.

Not saying that I wouldn’t build another FJ40 someday with an LS motor but for now, this thing is fun as hell to drive around. Just the the first 500 miles on it over the past few days.
 
kobioshi said:
Hi Dan,

I get it! I am still toying (pun) with the idea of a 350. Someone in another post pointed out the advantages, namely wide availability of parts and repairability). However, I don't have the chops to do a swap with the welding and fab needed for the the 350 though. I also don't have a 350 block. I can't imagine I'd get a 350 in there for less than $5K. Douglas said his last 78 2F rebuild was about $3500 and I would still want EFI, RV Cam, 9:1 or better compression, etc.

Add to the financial and technical roadblocks the fact that I am not keen to un-Toyota my Toyota. I am a bit of a purest in that sense. I believe the thing that makes the Fj40 (and other TLCs) great is the engineering (as reverse engineered as much of it is!) Toyota put behind it. IF I ever do a swap, it will probably remain Toyota... Like a 1HD-FT, auto trans and t-case from an Aussie 80... The only other thing I might consider doing, if I were to go off the Toyota res would be a Cummins R28 and gut all the innards for aftermarket stuff... six speed auto, axle assemblies, Atlas, 3 and 4 link suspension, etc.

I know that all of this is in the eye of the beholder... Some would say that I will lose the Toyota purity with new wheels, bigger tires, lockers, and other aftermarkets. So I say to each his own! ;)
Click to expand...

I get it because I'm kind of the same way. While all the pros for the SBC swap are there I still don't know that I could bring myself to do it. But I get why people do it. I owned a 76 before that had the swap done and while it had enough power and all it was always in my mind that it just didn't belong. Like you said to each their own. I happen to think that there is something to be said for a purely(ish) stock FJ40.
 
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