My kid wanted a Jeep, she's getting a 77 FJ40 LS Swap instead

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Added the power steering cooler, still need the pressure line. Went to my local hydraulic shop, unfortunately its the one fitting they didnt have so it'll be a week before that is done. I finished rebending the brake lines, bled the master and then connected the lines. I may have to redo the rear line, it didnt seem to seal up as quick as the front and I wont know till I pressure the lines during the brake bleeding process before I know for certain.

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I finished installing the Toyota H4 light kit, also installed the ToyotaMatt brackets for the fuses too. I fixed the master rear line as the bubble flare didnt seal right, so far its the only one out of all of the ones I made up thats leaked. I also installed a new ignition lock, the doors will be keyed the same (unlike my 74).

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Passenger side bulkhead grommet installed. Started working on the Dakota digital dash connections, coolant, oil pressure and speed sensor installed. I will tackle wiring it up in the control box over the next couple of days. I also placed the dash selector switch in the dash. The Topnault tub had the right size hole for the single brake light, unfortunately the defroster duct was in the way so the only thing that would work is a shallow light or a switch.

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I drained the transmission and replaced the filter, the oil was a little dark so it was probably a good thing to do now before the first start up. I installed the driver side shock tower, had to add an access hole for the nuts on the frame inner rail to tighten it down. My 2" hole saw is now toast. I reinstalled the driver side fender, I am still waiting on a fitting to make the power steering line but needed the fender in place to do a bunch of other things. I also wired up the sensors and switch for the Dakota Digital dash control box and installed some mounting studs too for ease of installation when the wiring is all done. I created a mount for the PCM/TCM too, that took a while to find just the right spot under the hood. Luckily I had some steel left over from the tub shipping crate, it gave me just the right height to mount it, I also had a scrap piece for the strut.
Hopefully I will get the fitting to finish up the PS this week. I need to sort out the remaining harness wires this week. Still plenty of wiring on the docket for the week. I also need to align the front clip, cant wait for that fun. Getting closer and closer to the finish line.

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JKIII FJ40 said:
I changed the thermostat housing as I struggled to find an off the shelf hose that would work with the original t-stat housing that points to the passenger side. Some of my issue is that the motor is probably an inch or two closer to the radiator that on some builds. I found this housing that points straight out and after some time online (Dayco hose website) I found something that would work. I crossed referenced it to a Gates # and with some trimming on each end fits rather nice. I may have trimmed a little too much on the last cut and may need to make another one. At least I have an off the shelf item for future replacement. The alternative would be two 90 degree's and a straight pipe, that wouldve been easier but there's no fun in that. I need to tackle the top hose but need to figure out the offset for the air intake so I dont create an issue when both need to occupy the same space.

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I've been struggling with this hose on my LS swapped 40 for a while now. Tried a swivel water neck but it leaks. I also bought a straight water neck like this one to see if I could make it work.
Just found your post and thought - "Perfect! Now I just need that hose! I wonder what that number actually fits?" Turns out a Gates 22051 is the upper hose for an 80 series Land Cruiser, which I happen to have parked next to my 40. :)
Thank you for sharing the part number!
 
1MAC said:
I've been struggling with this hose on my LS swapped 40 for a while now. Tried a swivel water neck but it leaks. I also bought a straight water neck like this one to see if I could make it work.
Just found your post and thought - "Perfect! Now I just need that hose! I wonder what that number actually fits?" Turns out a Gates 22051 is the upper hose for an 80 series Land Cruiser, which I happen to have parked next to my 40. :)
Thank you for sharing the part number!
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glad to hear. The forum is a great resource, plus the build thread has helped me work through a lot of items. The next big hurdle is powering everything.
 
So now for the fun stuff. I added both a circuit breaker and fuse relay and bracket in a convenient place. The front headlights and marker lights work, the drivers side rear parking light works too. The passenger rear is crossed and I need to change the break light wire. I also tried the flashers and only the right side is working. I am guessing I need to pull the flasher switch and clean and reassemble. I also need to ground the tub as the rear marker lights only work with a ground jumper wire.
Progress one light bulb at a time.

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More wiring today. The Dakota digital dash is connected, only one or two more wires to run and I will plug it back in the dash. I used the old cluster plug for a source of the wires I needed for the control box. The truck does turn over but I dont have fuel pressure, there is power to the pump but I may need to ground it in a different slot. Now that it works I will tidy everything up. I still need to get my driver side flashers working, guessing its the flasher switch but wont know until I dig in to it.

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15 steps back. So on todays adventure on why I should've not worked on the cruiser......I installed the radiator drain petcock and decided to fill the radiator, well the new thermostat housing didn't seal and leaked all over the garage. I spent sometime trying to figure it out and in the end this housing just wont work for my application. Next on the docket was the fuel pump, as it turns out not all GM pumps are wired the same. I ended up unpinning the harness and after confirming what pin does, I placed the wires on the correct pin and now the pump works.
The truck now cranks and I have fuel pressured but no RPM. So according to google I need to make sure the grounds are good (check), 12v ignition power when cranking (BY wire, check), and possibly the crankcase position sensor. So I replaced that as I don't know if it was good or bad. I cranked on it again and then blew a fuel line. Regular fuel line vs push lock line, guessing I wasn't paying attention so I had fuel all over the place. Had to back it out and wash the gas and antifreeze off. i checked the fuel injector plug while cranking and had no power, according to Google I should change the cam sensor. Well that was fun, it didn't want to move by hand so I pried a little and then snap. Well I ended up dropping the bib, pulling the thermostat housing (needed to figure out why it wasn't sealing), and the Radiator and Fan to access the sensor. I had some roofing screws and finally got it out with a crow bar. I pulled out the fragments, cleaned the hole and installed a new sensor. I decided to crank on it again and still no start. I will add a few more grounds (currently the battery is grounded to the frame and block, the motor is grounded in three other spots) and add another one from the rear of the motor to the frame and body.

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More diagnosing, I need to go back through and recheck the harness to see if something was missed. For some reason the PCM isn't triggering the fuel, I do have spark. My rear drive shaft will be here tomorrow, after filling the transfer case I will install the drive shaft. I will order a new front shaft this week. I am gonna spend some time researching and will concentrate on other parts of the build until I can figure how to get it to run.
The second pic was when I backed it out to hose the gas and antifreeze off. The gas stained the paint, I got most of it off but will need to be buffed/polished eventually. The white paint is really bright.

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Goodies from Cruiser Matt, just what I needed to finish my power steering. I made a support bracket (where the old battery mount used to be) for the passenger side radiator support. Installed the rear drive shaft from Tom Woods and replaced my fuel lines too. I added two more ground wires to the driver side rear to the frame and body too. Unfortunately it still only cranks but doesn't start. Its down to four things; bad crank position sensor (just replaced it), sensor is not fully seated, bad wires to the ECU (its a BP harness so highly doubtful), or a bad ECU. I verified I do have cranking power and tested on two different parts of the harness. I need to pull the starter and and check the CKP sensor wires and if its fully seated, maybe this weekend. Also digging in to wipers and hazards too. I have some switches to disassemble in my free time.

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Augustiron said:
Don't assume your harness is ok if everything else has been eliminated.
I have heard enough stories about new harnesses from even the best suppliers having issues to not overlook them.
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True, when you assume you make an ass out of you and me. Its on the list for items to be checked. At least dropping the starter isnt too bad. KInda a pain to see if there is a signal though from the CKP when cranking.
 
How long is that rear driveline? Will there be any issues with it being so short? Also, on your gas tank mod, how does one determine the location on the tank to mount that pump ring? Then with the gas pedal, is it pretty straight forward where it mounts? Did you have to fab anything up to make that work? Where did you end up mounting your ECU? Sorry for all the questions, this build will be my life soon... Thanks
 
FWIW I rolled the dice and bought a $100 am**on harness, because my engine didn't come with an OEM harness and I figured for that price I at least have all most of the parts to make my own.

in one of the reviews, a buyer stated 3 pin outs were incorrect.
This prompted me to lay out the harness, use the LS1swap.com table and verify every pin out.
I fixed the 3 the poster mentioned and found 2 more that needed moving.
I also learned a lot about the harness and ecu.

Fired up first go, and still going without a hiccup.

I also bought an eBay ECU that had VATS removed and just the base settings. One of these days I'll get my car tuned but I want to add the VSS to my splitcase first.

Ymmv but it was a great exercise to go through the harness (on the bench)
 
Toast said:
How long is that rear driveline? Will there be any issues with it being so short? Also, on your gas tank mod, how does one determine the location on the tank to mount that pump ring? Then with the gas pedal, is it pretty straight forward where it mounts? Did you have to fab anything up to make that work? Where did you end up mounting your ECU? Sorry for all the questions, this build will be my life soon... Thanks
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Toast, the rear driveline is 16.5", I checked with Tom Woods on my angles (single cardan or double cardan joint required) and length and its GTG. The fuel ring should be centered between the two baffles and its precise location is dictated by which fuel pump you use, mine was slightly offset. I recommend getting one that is not offset, makes life easier. As for the gas pedal, its one from the BP automotive website. I basically reversed the bends and it was what I needed. I fabbed my ECU mount as well. I tried several locations and settled on the DS fender. I can (when I get time) link where I got my items and in my build if you need for reference. I have been chronicling almost everything as I encounter thee situation for future reference.
 
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