SoCal GenIII Vortec Project (1 Viewer)

[gregnash]

No hacking... you are taking the time to pull it all apart properly so soak those bastards and pull it off properly and put it on the classifieds.
As for the hood, that can be done all by yourself. Keep the prop up like you have it then go through and start loosening everything evenly. Then take the rear most off first then the front. If you stand in front of the truck and let the hood come down slowly and then pull it up and away you can basically pull it straight off like a large piece of plywood. I was able to do it on my own with no issues.

Word to the wise though, mark the mounting points and trace the brackets on the hood so that when you put it all back together you dont really have to worry about aligning it.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Though I was surprised to be able to get the exhaust fasteners off with penetrating oil and an impact wrench.

I hit them with PB blaster yesterday. I'll give it a try with the impact wrench. If that doesn't work, I'll break out the sawzall.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

No hacking... you are taking the time to pull it all apart properly so soak those bastards and pull it off properly and put it on the classifieds.
As for the hood, that can be done all by yourself. Keep the prop up like you have it then go through and start loosening everything evenly. Then take the rear most off first then the front. If you stand in front of the truck and let the hood come down slowly and then pull it up and away you can basically pull it straight off like a large piece of plywood. I was able to do it on my own with no issues.

Word to the wise though, mark the mounting points and trace the brackets on the hood so that when you put it all back together you dont really have to worry about aligning it.

No hacking... you are taking the time to pull it all apart properly so soak those bastards and pull it off properly and put it on the classifieds.
As for the hood, that can be done all by yourself. Keep the prop up like you have it then go through and start loosening everything evenly. Then take the rear most off first then the front. If you stand in front of the truck and let the hood come down slowly and then pull it up and away you can basically pull it straight off like a large piece of plywood. I was able to do it on my own with no issues.

Word to the wise though, mark the mounting points and trace the brackets on the hood so that when you put it all back together you dont really have to worry about aligning it.

All traced with a sharpie, ready to go! I'll try to get some help first. I'm going to need help anyway lifting the engine out.

 

[MANUCHAO]

John.
I'll let yah know if I can drop by on Sat/afternoon...

 

[JohnCapoccia]

John.
I'll let yah know if I can drop by on Sat/afternoon...

I hope you can make it Frank.

The exhaust came off pretty easy. Only had one problem bolt where the head was rounded, but I have one of those Craftsman bolt remover kits - it grabbed it and it came right off.

So if someone wants a complete exhaust system, it's yours for the taking. Muffler and tailpipe is about 7 years old. It's all pretty solid.

Everything's ready to go. Just need to unbolt the motor mounts and crossmember, unhook the t-case electrical connectors, remove the hood and lift it out.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Made good progress today. Frank (Manuchao) came by to lend a hand, and with a few other friends and family, we had it out in about 30 minutes.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Cleaned things up a bit today, and removed the old tranny from the engine and got a surprise...

I thought the tranny was original, but apparently it was rebuilt in 2005. I guess that explains why it's so solid.

I don't know the history of the truck. All I know is that it was donated to PBS late in 2007 an I bought it early 2008. It had 191k at the time.

I'll bet your tailshaft doesn't look this good!

I got the old motor mounts off today. I bought a $29 cut-off tool from Harbor Freight. Much better than the air driven tool that I have, becuase I don't have a large enough compressor. I also ordered an FJ60 crossmember mount. After I get that I'll be ready to drop the engine in and get it positioned.

Anybody need a good used 3FE and A440F?

 

[daytonadogie]

John,Here are the pics of the crossmember. I couldn't figure out how to post them in the inbox so I put them here. Hope this helps!

 

[JohnCapoccia]

View attachment 1209375 View attachment 1209374 John,Here are the pics of the crossmember. I couldn't figure out how to post them in the inbox so I put them here. Hope this helps!

Bruce, that doesn't look like an FJ60 mount. It looks more like the FJ62 mount, but the studs are spaced differently. Are you using the AA adapter? If yes, did you modify the FJ62 mount? Now I'm really confused...

I think AA should have designed the adapter to use the FJ62 mount, so that it locates in the exact same place as the A440. At least then it could be a straight bolt on application with no modification needed, at least for the FJ62 people. The Vortec with the 4L60E plus the AA adapter is 1 inch shorter than the old 3FE plus A440F, so the fan would be one inch further from the radiator, which I'm sure is fine. Then the FJ60 folks could then use an FJ62 crossmember, and AA sells a mounting bracket to weld on to the rails. It seems like what we have now is a no-win situation for everyone. It doesn't quite fit the FJ62 and the FJ60 folks have to make their own crossmember.

 

[daytonadogie]

John, l'm no expert on this, but I believe that there are two different mounts for a FJ 60. Somewhere around '84 they changed the design, so that the later models are similar to, but not interchangeable with, a FJ62 mount. I used the later style mount, but had to cut it in half and reweld it to fit the AA adapter.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

John, l'm no expert on this, but I believe that there are two different mounts for a FJ 60. Somewhere around '84 they changed the design, so that the later models are similar to, but not interchangeable with, a FJ62 mount. I used the later style mount, but had to cut it in half and reweld it to fit the AA adapter.

OK, that's interesting. MarkN used a different FJ60 mount, but it looks different than yours, his must be the old one. He cut off the two studs and then attached it to the crossmember using 3/8" bolts. I ordered the FJ60 mount mentioned in the Advance Adapter installation guide, which recommends Toyota P/N 12371-61020. From the pics I've seen it looks like the one MarkN used. I don't know which method is better, I guess I'll just figure out how to modify the one I bought when it gets here.

So why is the spacer needed between the crossmember and the frame? It looks like the 4L60E is the same height as the A440F, but I didn't measure it closely. I'm sure there's a good reason, I know nobody wants to give up clearance if it's not necessary.

 

[daytonadogie]

The spacer was an easy way to lower the transmission so you can get it and the transfer case as far back as possible without hitting the transmission tunnel. If you can position the transfer case back far enough, the stock driveshafts can be used.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Making progress...

Engine is fitted and motor mounts are tacked in (with help from Manuchao and some dogs)

I hope I've got it right. Here's a shot of the PS pump relative to the steering gear. Pretty close, but I hope not too much.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Also worked on the T-Case crossmember. I looked at a few other threads and asked a few questions from other vortec guys, and I couldn't find anything that looked like a consensus best practice, so I took my own stab at a solution. I probably spent far too much time on this. I re-used the old motor mounts to make a perch for the standard FJ62 crossmember to mate it to the angled FJ60 isolator mount specified by AA for their adapter. Again, I don't understand why AA didn't design the adapter to use the FJ62 isolator. It would have been easier for both the FJ60 and FJ62 folks.

Here's what I came up with. If you look close, you can see my crappy welds which are aesthetically unpleasing but hopefully solid.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

So far I've got about 75 hours into the project, not counting help from my son and Frank, and still don't have the engine permanently in place. Frank is coming over tomorrow to keep me from butchering my welds, then a little clean up and painting and I'll be able to get the engine and drive train in, then comes the long, slow slog through all the details.

 

[cruisermatt]

Having the PS pump that close to the steering box means you'll have nice short hoses!

Cool idea for the crossmember.

 

[MarkN]

Loo

Making progress...

Engine is fitted and motor mounts are tacked in (with help from Manuchao and some dogs)

I hope I've got it right. Here's a shot of the PS pump relative to the steering gear. Pretty close, but I hope not too much.

Looks about right..

 

[JohnCapoccia]

I took a break this week. Life gets in the way of the stuff I really want to do. But I'm making progress!

Frank Manuchao came over with his big ass Miller mig and welded up my motor mounts

It's now sitting in its final resting place.

I think I've got it right. I laid the hood back on to check the clearance, and the engine cover is about a quarter inch or so below the hood insulation.

Here's a shot of the crossmember. I haven't shimmed it like a few others have, but it seems that there is enough clearance between the tranny and the tunnel, but I haven't installed the TC linkage yet, so we'll see...

Gas pedal is installed. I think this is as good as it gets. It's got a longer throw than the old one, so it's sitting more toward the driver than I think it should be. I think it should sit just a bit below the brake pedal, but if I was to get it positioned there, it would not bottom out unless I shortened it, but then I would have to lower it. So I'll leave it for now, I can always go back and make adjustments later.

Next I'll install the front driveshaft to see if I've got sufficient clearance to the tranny pan. If not, I'll take it in and get it modified. After that, I'll tackle the fuel delivery.

 

[JohnCapoccia]

Damn. Front driveshaft barely touches the tranny pan. You can see the scratches from when I turn it by hand. What to do? Heat it and beat it or modify the driveshaft? Mark N posted pics of his where he heat and beat. I'm really reluctant to do that, thinking I might crack it or possibly be susceptible to leaks later. Any advice?

Also MarkN gave me the bad news that the AA adapter plate for the pivot for the TC linkage doesn't accommodate the FJ62. That's especially annoying since I didn't know that and now have installed the engine and tranny. I'm really disappointed in AA for 1) not designing a plate for the FJ62 and 2) not mentioning it in the instructions that it doesn't fit. So now I have to fab up a solution.

 

[FJ60Cam]

It's totally not the proper method, but I massaged the pan while it was in place, no heat, and still full of fluid. I just went slow and dented it a little at a time.