Ls swap parts list?

[Cryals]

This may be a bit of a Hail Mary but I was wondering for those who have done a Ls and NV4500 in their FJ40 if they had a parts list for the swap?

I’m trying to do this as budget friendly as possible which means avoid labor costs as much as I can.

 

[charliemeyer007]

I think I read a nice build thread on that not too long back.

 

[B y r o n]

Maybe start here.

 

[jim land]

If you don't have the nv4500 yet, the h55f and stronger split t-case is a shorter package with AA bellhousing

 

[Cryals]

If you don't have the nv4500 yet, the h55f and stronger split t-case is a shorter package with AA bellhousing

The h55f is stronger?

 

[cruisermatt]

What are your goals?? If your goal is cheap as possible why not just do a marks adapter in front of the H42? Works great and then you’re just doing an engine swap.

 

[pb4ugo]

Depending on the tire size and gearing, I would prefer a NV4500 with a V8. It has a deeper 5th gear and you can make the V8 pull it, or not. I Think you can get a split case behind it, or something else.

 

[jim land]

The h55f is stronger?

The split case is stronger compare to the one piece

 

[archie73]

This may be a bit of a Hail Mary but I was wondering for those who have done a Ls and NV4500 in their FJ40 if they had a parts list for the swap?

I’m trying to do this as budget friendly as possible which means avoid labor costs as much as I can.

as implied above the parts list is going to depend on what you’re starting with and your desired outcome. Do you have a stock drivetrain? If so the transmission swap is adding cost. A 5.3 pushes my 4500# 35” tired forty with ease. I’ve done 85 mph but the desirable sweet spot is 60-65mph. At that speed the car fine is just humming along. 1:1 top gear and stock 4.11 gears. Splitcase is likely a bit quieter, but the drone of the m/t’s nearly drowns it out.

When I had a sbc, I wanted the nv4500. The mouse motor was screaming, the ls don’t care. It’ll rev up with a blip of the throttle no problem. What I have is a deep 1st for crawling and 3 gears for street driving(sm465). The spread on those 3 street gear is clunky. If I had the one more gear in that spread between 3rd and 4th (1:1) I think that’d be the holy grail for my purposes. Id probably use overdrive if I had it, but I don’t miss it.

In terms of the engine swap- you need an engine, harness and ecu. What you need after that?

• Motor mounts. Like I said, I used to have an SBC so I was able to use adapters from the SBC motor mounts. If you have a stock F style engine you’ll need all new adapter mounts. AA sells them or you can make them.
• Cooling fan- I was already using the Taurus electric fan so I kept doing that other people swear by a mechanical fan seems to breakdown to personal choice.
• Fuel pump frame mounted pumps are easier to replace. In tank pumps last longer and are quieter. I’m very happy with my Chevy Tahoe pump in the stock tank.
• Exhaust manifold/headers. I’m using center dump headers with a custom exhaust. I’ve also read that you can use 2 driver side manifolds. The problem is your transfer case and narrow frame won’t allow you to run the exhaust inside the rails on the passenger side. This takes a little bit of a head scratching, but it’s not rocket science.
• An adapter, you’re either adapting the engine to your current transmission or you’re gonna adapt your transmission to your transfer case
• If you’re on a tight budget, it’s not terrible to modify the stock Harness. It’s definitely faster to buy an aftermarket one. Additionally, your ECU will need to be flashed.
• The gas pedal depending on the year of your LS you can use either the stock Chevy drive-by wire pedal or a stock Toyota drive-by cable pedal.

That’s the shortlist. You can go as deep as you want in this project. Mine is a down and dirty style swap – I found a good deal on an engine and did all work myself. If you’re gonna do it on the cheap you’re gonna need a good Welder I don’t regret the swap one bit. I love it.