I am picking up a 71 fj40 next week. The guy that had it said it started running rough so he pulled out the spark plugs and noticed the piston closest to the fire wall is not coming up. What is everyones opinion on what to do? Try to fix the 1f, I have a friend who will sell me a 85 truck with a rebuilt 6.2 diesel for $750 that is missing the transmission, another guy I know has a 91 land cruiser w/ 188k miles (would this even work on a swap? any other parts good for swapping?) for $600 missing a front axle, and I have a old 327 in my garage, or I could pick up a rebuilt Ford 302 for $300 dollars. And where is the best place to find a front disc break conversion kit or instructions on which parts wil fit? Also the Fj has a stock pto winch. Thanks in advance.
Newbie Motor swap questions (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter poopboy
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BDSeff1fitty
1987 Toyota 4Runner
you have a few options for the fj40 that are very popular here.
a 350 small block if you are wanting to get some more HP than the stock F. need an adapter kit from downey or advanced adapters.
you can upgrade to a 2f which you can find in the classifieds usually around $500 for a good running one. (they were used up in the fj60's not sure what else they were used in)
a few have put small diesals in, and a few have put a 3fe in as well.
your easiest would be just rebuild so theres no confusion re-installing it. a 2f will be pretty straight forward as well to install. a 350 will require a little more but is not difficult. i just took out a 350 and am in the process of putting a 2f back in. only difficulty is figuring out where hoses go and that isn't terribly hard.
hope this helps. and welcome to mud
a 350 small block if you are wanting to get some more HP than the stock F. need an adapter kit from downey or advanced adapters.
you can upgrade to a 2f which you can find in the classifieds usually around $500 for a good running one. (they were used up in the fj60's not sure what else they were used in)
a few have put small diesals in, and a few have put a 3fe in as well.
your easiest would be just rebuild so theres no confusion re-installing it. a 2f will be pretty straight forward as well to install. a 350 will require a little more but is not difficult. i just took out a 350 and am in the process of putting a 2f back in. only difficulty is figuring out where hoses go and that isn't terribly hard.
hope this helps. and welcome to mud
Josie'sLandCruiser
Stop calling it a "FJ."
Hi All:
Ah, a first time poster!
Welcome to MUD! I'll spare you the "official" salute since I do not approve of it.
Try the "Advanced search" function. *Tons* of info here on engine swaps and the front disc brake upgrade.
My opinion is that you do a full engine and transmission swap. Do some research here on MUD about the combos available and common.
Good luck!
Alan
Ah, a first time poster!
Welcome to MUD! I'll spare you the "official" salute since I do not approve of it.
Try the "Advanced search" function. *Tons* of info here on engine swaps and the front disc brake upgrade.
My opinion is that you do a full engine and transmission swap. Do some research here on MUD about the combos available and common.
Good luck!
Alan
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the info so far. Which motor do you think I should go with? Is diesel the way to go if I want a daily driver? Which swap is the least expensive?
Welcome to Mud! My 71 had a 350 V8 in it when i purchased it. It was very good for power and torque. Very good choice for price of replacement parts and aftermarket support. I am doing my 2nd rebuild now of my truck. Will be doing the mini-truck front disk swap. Check the FAQ section for this info.
Just as mentioned go to the FAQ and advanced search. You'll find so much info your head will spin.
Good Luck in your project
Good Luck in your project
I feel your pain
Im in the same boat as you. I have had my 72 since I was in high school with its original F engine and my brothers and I are about to drop a EFI 350 into it. The only suggestion I have is if you go 350 go fuel injection. It will help alot at angles. We are using the advanced adaptor kit thats about $600. Good luck with it.
Im in the same boat as you. I have had my 72 since I was in high school with its original F engine and my brothers and I are about to drop a EFI 350 into it. The only suggestion I have is if you go 350 go fuel injection. It will help alot at angles. We are using the advanced adaptor kit thats about $600. Good luck with it.
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A 2F will probably be the least expensive swap. Followed by the 3FE.
If you decide on something else things will become more expensive. The little things add up quick.
If you decide on something else things will become more expensive. The little things add up quick.
- Thread starter
- #10
Makes sense. I guess I should just get the truck here and pull the 1F and see what is wrong with it first. The 3fe sounds like the next easiest swap and the least amount of cash up front. That will at least give me time to see how hard it is to work on these. This is my first FJ40 I have mainly just messed with muscle cars. I am selling my 62 impala to pay for this.
the 5 cyl?
Drop the oil pan and pull the bad piston rod assy out thru the bottom and run her that way and lets see how far she will go on 5 cylinders ---prolly good for another 200k
Seriously, if I had a 327 already I might think about that, but by the time you get done with mods/adapters/radiators etc I think you could buy a 2f and drop it in cheaper. As mentioned 500 bucks is not out of the question for a good running one
Just read a thread by FJ40 Jim not long ago talking about mixing the 1F parts with 2f and coming up with better compression and a stock looking motor so you might want to search his recent posts
I just did a 2f in my 71 but also got the 4 speed trans and xfer case to go along with it---got the whole thing for 500 bucks plus about 200 for shipping from PA to Florida. Had FJ40jim Desmog and rebuild the carb and she runs great.
Drop the oil pan and pull the bad piston rod assy out thru the bottom and run her that way and lets see how far she will go on 5 cylinders ---prolly good for another 200k
Seriously, if I had a 327 already I might think about that, but by the time you get done with mods/adapters/radiators etc I think you could buy a 2f and drop it in cheaper. As mentioned 500 bucks is not out of the question for a good running one
Just read a thread by FJ40 Jim not long ago talking about mixing the 1F parts with 2f and coming up with better compression and a stock looking motor so you might want to search his recent posts
I just did a 2f in my 71 but also got the 4 speed trans and xfer case to go along with it---got the whole thing for 500 bucks plus about 200 for shipping from PA to Florida. Had FJ40jim Desmog and rebuild the carb and she runs great.
Id pull the pan first without pulling the motor. drop the bad cylinder and see how bad it is. Make sure its not a wrist pin or somthing simple first.
- Thread starter
- #13
I actually picked it up tonight. Unfortunetly it is a 3 speed, but at least I got it. If anyone knows of a good 4 speed or any other used parts I may need please let me know. I will try to drop the oil pan tomorrow if I can get the 4 inches of mud off of it. I will try to take some picks so maybe you guys can tell me what I have.
