Builds Mike's 1978 FJ40 Turbo Diesel Refit Project and Cross Country Road Trip!

[Godfather90]

No, I kept them stock. Just quickly glancing at your charts earlier reminded me of when I was deciding on ratios for mine. With the blackbox I should have a plenty slow crawl ratio. I did put 4.88's in the diffs. With Toyo MT 285/75r17 tires they say they are 34x11.50 but, I think they are a little short....

What are your ratios? Ill plug them in and make you something really quickly.

-Mike

 

[fjdiesel]

Sorry, we had a school function right after work. Here they are. Thanks

NV3550 is 1st 4.01:1; 2nd 2.32:1; 3rd 1.40:1; 4th 1.00:1; 5th 0.78:1, and Reverse 3.57:1
Toyota split case 2.27:1
Black box 2.72:1
4.88 R&P

 

[fjdiesel]

When you get home would you post a couple pics of the throttle pedal you made please. Have a safe trip!

 

[Godfather90]

Sorry, we had a school function right after work. Here they are. Thanks

NV3550 is 1st 4.01:1; 2nd 2.32:1; 3rd 1.40:1; 4th 1.00:1; 5th 0.78:1, and Reverse 3.57:1
Toyota split case 2.27:1
Black box 2.72:1
4.88 R&P

Here's your Engine vs. Veh speed plot:

Looks like you're ready for some bigger tires

If you have an engine TQ vs. Speed plot from your friend with the same setup i can give you something more.

-Mike

 

[Godfather90]

When you get home would you post a couple pics of the throttle pedal you made please. Have a safe trip!

Unfortunately that was one of the many things i forgot to take a picture of during the project. I will see if i can get you something this week.

-Mike

 

[fjdiesel]

Here's your Engine vs. Veh speed plot:

View attachment 1759034

Looks like you're ready for some bigger tires

If you have an engine TQ vs. Speed plot from your friend with the same setup i can give you something more.

-Mike

Thanks! That's a nice chart! Can you run it with 4.56's as well? I have a set of them laying aroud. Might have to swap them in. I originally wanted 35" tires, but they are all so wide, and I was concerned with the extra drag.... So, please let me know how it is doing performance wise!

 

[Godfather90]

Thanks! That's a nice chart! Can you run it with 4.56's as well? I have a set of them laying aroud. Might have to swap them in. I originally wanted 35" tires, but they are all so wide, and I was concerned with the extra drag.... So, please let me know how it is doing performance wise!

 

[fjdiesel]

What axle ratio are you running in your setup?

 

[Godfather90]

What axle ratio are you running in your setup?

I stuck with 4.10. I was going to do 4.88 for the Mercedes but decided to hold out until I see how this new configuration reacted with the 4.10.

I thought initially the 4.10 would be too wide, but it seems perfect so far. 4th gear is perfect for big hills where the straight through ratio lines right up with peak torque at 55mph.

Mike

 

[fjdiesel]

Good to know. I have a set of 4.10's also. lol. So let me know when you get home if you still like them after all the miles. I will be curious how your fuel economy does on the trip also. On the graph for your set up it showed 1625ish for 55mph. Is that accurate with the wind drag etc of pushing the cruiser down the road. If I am saying that correctly...

 

[Godfather90]

Good to know. I have a set of 4.10's also. lol. So let me know when you get home if you still like them after all the miles. I will be curious how your fuel economy does on the trip also. On the graph for your set up it showed 1625ish for 55mph. Is that accurate with the wind drag etc of pushing the cruiser down the road. If I am saying that correctly...

Here's a table:

Yes I'm interested to see how the new engine pushes the truck through the long mountain passes. It was 4880lb last time I weighed it last year with the Mercedes engine. That was completely empty (even took the floor mats out) with 35" tires. This wheel and tire package is 135lbs heavier across the truck, and I've got it filled to the gills with tools, parts and a roof top tent on this trip. It's really heavy so we'll see!

Mike

 

[Godfather90]

Good to know. I have a set of 4.10's also. lol. So let me know when you get home if you still like them after all the miles. I will be curious how your fuel economy does on the trip also. On the graph for your set up it showed 1625ish for 55mph. Is that accurate with the wind drag etc of pushing the cruiser down the road. If I am saying that correctly...

Here's some pictures hopefully that helps.

I built an adapter to go from the OE pedal pattern to the back of the VW pedal. It's hard to get a picture.

Mike

 

[Godfather90]

Today I fixed one thing that kept bothering me about the truck before departure:

After finishing getting it back together I discovered an oil leak at the back of the pan. It seems to be slow, but I will have all the tools to do it on the road if it turns out to be a bigger issue than expected. Otherwise it will be a California fix!


Also replaced the oil pressure sender and "seasoned" the roof top tent:

Among a few other getting buttoned up we have loaded the truck up and will head to Pittsburgh in the morning for our first stop.

Wish me luck!

-Mike

 

[troy scott]

Today I fixed one thing that kept bothering me about the truck before departure:
View attachment 1760247

After finishing getting it back together I discovered an oil leak at the back of the pan. It seems to be slow, but I will have all the tools to do it on the road if it turns out to be a bigger issue than expected. Otherwise it will be a California fix!


Also replaced the oil pressure sender and "seasoned" the roof top tent:
View attachment 1760248

Among a few other getting buttoned up we have loaded the truck up and will head to Pittsburgh in the morning for our first stop.

Wish me luck!

-Mike

Good Luck and have fun where did you get your tent and what brand is it

 

[Engine ladder 1]

Hey Mike, it was nice meeting you today in Wisconsin. Thanks for introducing me to this site and it was great to see your Cruiser. Good luck on your voyage.

 

[Godfather90]

Hey Mike, it was nice meeting you today in Wisconsin. Thanks for introducing me to this site and it was great to see your Cruiser. Good luck on your voyage.

Wow cool you found me!

Thanks!

 

[Godfather90]

I guess it’s time to post some updates...

We left Sunday morning. My dad was proud to see us off!

The dream team:

Made it to PA quickly:

Lackawanna coal mine tour:

Made it to my Grandmas in Pittsburgh and aired out the tent:

Sorry far the trip had been very smooth, woh no major issues. First full through the pocono mountains got us in the low 20s mpg wise. Not bad considering I was flying through the hills.

Mike

 

[Godfather90]

Day 2:

Today we got up and put all our bedding in the tent. I was having some intermittent starter issues so I changed some parts in Grama’s driveway:

She was very amused at our creation!

We departed and made it to Cuyahoga NP in Ohio:

Left the park and made our way north west:

Ran into some serious water in flint and had to make some mods:

 

[Godfather90]

Got to our camp site near ludington around 1 am and got to set up the tent and use it the first time. Not the most exotic camp ground but we were desperate and the people and facilities were great. Here’s the next morning:

Made our way north to the SS Badger:

Had a nice ride across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin:

My mom doesn’t know I’m putting these pictures online. She’s really shy when you don’t know her haha

We crossed th Mississippi into Minnesota:

 

[Godfather90]

Made it to Minnesota:

Got a cheap hotel below a giant glowing corn:

That brings us to this morning. We’re shooting for badlands NP tonight, 550miles or so to go!

Mike