This might be controversial but I’m asking anyway….. (2 Viewers)

[Mike Shull]

There used to be a Toyota dealership in Colorado that was selling SBC (I don’t recommend) converted 40s in the 60s with a 1-year warranty and they shipped them in from California. I wasn’t around but I’ve seen ads that my dad collected from that era. Many of the standard ads were advertising the “Big Six” as a stallion, but this dealership acknowledged the stallion as a retired racehorse that spent most of its time out in the pasture. Their ads read something like “don’t put your big six out to pasture, drive a heard of mustangs”

None of that is helpful, but what I would recommend is to find others who have modified their Cruisers and go for a ride. See what the injected 2F runs like, and explore other options, too. There are plenty in Colorado because the stock 2F was a bit underrated for the mountain passes back in the day. My 2F was injected back in the 90s and it had some other mods, too. That engine wore out around 200k and it had a very hard life pulling trailers full of supplies and firewood through the San Juan mountains and back to Denver. It was a workhorse, but more like a mule. The injection completely changed how it ran and it was a very fun experience.

 

[middlecalf]

If it ran great at sea level with power and not so great without power at altitude that tells me the carb needs to be re-jetted for altitude. On edit: …. and/or timing needs adjustment.

 

[pb4ugo]

Has it been tuned for your elevation? 7500ft is pretty high and certainly will effect performance regardless of type of engine. It's your 40, do what you want. It looks like a nice 40. I prefer V8's, and won't own a 40 with a stk 6 unless it's a canidate for a swap or to clean it up and sell it. If your going to do an engine swap you need to consider what other upgrades can make it a better driver. 4 or 5 speed, auto and a tcase to match with good low range gearing, brakes, power steering, AC, etc. On my 1st V8 40 swap I tried several driveline set ups while figuring out what i wanted to wheel and make a good driver.

It think @POPO AGIE has a thread and is currently doing a 2.8 swap.

 

[POPO AGIE]

Yes I am doing a R2.8 swap with H55F and 3:1 split transfer case and full floating FJ60 rear axle. Upgraded the braking power also with 4 wheel disc brakes.

 

[POPO AGIE]

I’m in a bit of a pickle. I have a 1980 FJ40 that is starting to show a bit of age. I have what I believe to be a 2F motor with around 40k original miles that is numbers matching to my truck and runs decent. I live in Colorado about 6500 ft and it causes a lack of power due to the elevation. It has a Weber carb on it. My question is would you swap the 2F for a Cummins in my shoes?

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It is your money do what you want but make sure you do your homework first. I went R2.8 because I am a fan of diesel anyway and have wanted to do a diesel swap for a long time and for me the R2.8 made sense with the H55F and split transfer case. I kept my 4:11 gears in the differentials and updated the brakes. I also live at 5200 feet and depending which direction I leave the valley I could climb to 8-10000 feet to get over the passes.

 

[Beng1328]

I want to thank everyone for the feedback and perspective. I typically stay between 5000 ft and 7000 ft. When we go to breck I have a 200 series for that with no issues. Does anyone know if I can keep the stock power steering with the Cummins? I’m guessing that a no because it’s belt driven but I am not familiar with the Cummins capability….

 

[dazerb]

My 74 with the F1.5 and Weber carb is a STRONG puller at 6500' where i currently live. It's a lot cheaper and easier for me to change jets and check timing and idle when i relocate geographically. I travel and volunteer with my motorhome from Florida to Colorado. Currently in the White mountains of AZ.
I am considering changing my 38/38 back to the smaller progressive carb for a more delicate gas pedal while wheeling and better mileage.
Webers are excellent carbs, but will expose any flaw in timing, valve lash, jetting...
IE high performance carb on a rough old tractor motor.

 

[Jdc1]

I want to thank everyone for the feedback and perspective. I typically stay between 5000 ft and 7000 ft. When we go to breck I have a 200 series for that with no issues. Does anyone know if I can keep the stock power steering with the Cummins? I’m guessing that a no because it’s belt driven but I am not familiar with the Cummins capability….

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If you have to have a cummins- convert to electric power steering on a manual box and sell your OEM steering with the cooler.

 

[Its me shaneus]

I am gonna get beat up something fierce for this. If i was gonna go non toyota power in my 40, it would be some flavor of Chevy small block. It is a well documented swap that would fix your concerns without reinventing the wheel. This makes it likely to be lower cost and frustration than cummins. Also still have vacuum and long term availability of parts virtually everywhere.

I’ll just go to the corner and wait for my lumps to arrive.

Currently running an efi fitted 2F at 4500’. Kinda glad I never lived at sea level to miss what all the extra air does for hp!

 

[POPO AGIE]

If you have to have a cummins- convert to electric power steering on a manual box and sell your OEM steering with the cooler.

The R2.8 comes with a PS pump and a vacuum pump. I used a Toyota power steering box and just plumbed it in. Once I get the new booster instilled I can hook up the vacuum hose.

 

[thatcabledude]

If r2.8 swap money is on the table to fix this issue I would do something different than that.

I would start with a properly tuned aisin carb.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I have what I believe to be a 2F motor with around 40k original miles that is numbers matching to my truck and runs decent.

As most have already said, I would first try to get the 2F to run properly at your elevation. That is a much less expensive proposition and the investment is likely anywhere from $0 to $1500 (more if you go with the Sniper). At least you could try that first before going all in on a diesel.

Just curious how you know it only has 40k original miles? Do you have that kind of documentation on the 40?

 

[BDSeff1fitty]

2FE (2F block with 3FE head) could be another route to consider if you want to keep Toyota and get EFI.
My 40 with a 2FE felt like a 2F on steroids. Built power similarly, but much stronger across all RPMs.

If you can handle the wiring side, the rest is pretty straight forward.

 

[pb4ugo]

If you're considering doing a swap and working up a budget, you'll include the big parts and obvious mods like, engine, conversion kit, maybe a trans/tcase, driveshaft mods, exhaust, steering and such. Once the major parts are bolted in the frame is when the project will nickel and dime you to death to get it done. Parts like belts, hoses, hose clamps, fittings, fasteners and all the small incidental stuff to make it work are hard to quantify and will add a lot to the project.

 

[Beng1328]

As most have already said, I would first try to get the 2F to run properly at your elevation. That is a much less expensive proposition and the investment is likely anywhere from $0 to $1500 (more if you go with the Sniper). At least you could try that first before going all in on a diesel.

Just curious how you know it only has 40k original miles? Do you have that kind of documentation on the 40?

It’s a long story but yes I have documentation until when I bought in 2017 with original miles at 35,306 then. I have driven it about 4,000 miles in 8 years. The car was bought in LA in 1980 -2001 and owned by someone who had a bunch of other cars to drive. The only reason I know this is the person that had it before i bought it worked for an insurance company and did all the back history on the VIN. It has had 4 owners, so I don’t know 100% but I am 95% positive that’s what the car has on it by the tittles and DMV history verified all the mileage adds up…

 

[Augustiron]

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[rkymtnflyfisher]

If you're hellbent on the Cummins swap, sent it up to Overland Cruisers in Belgrade Montucky, they'll hook you up.

 

[sogncab]

My question is would you swap the 2F for a Cummins in my shoes?

I have a R2.8 in my 40.

My advice is to drive one before you pull the trigger. I'd go a different route knowing what I know now.

On road it's fine. Delivers adequate power and returns 20-21mpg.

Vibrates a lot. Especially annoying at idle. 4 cylinders do not balance well.

Offroad the programming is not great. 3:1 gears do make it substantially better. I had to abuse the snot out of the clutch to keep ground speed low enough. I did 3:70 gears, but with an H55 transmission 1st gear pretty well wipes out the gearing change. 3:1 in the transfer case made a world of improvement.


The 2F in my 40 was tired when I bought it. Keeping it in any fashion never crossed my mind.


If i had stayed gas, I'd do a 1FZ
Going diesel, I'd do an OM606




Best picture i have of the engine bay at the moment.

 

[Beng1328]

I want to thank everyone for the input and the responses from the group. They were a bit mixed; however the votes to stay Toyota were by far the winner. I spoke with Redline cruisers this afternoon and I’m going to take my truck down there and put a new Toyota carb on it and they are going to do the work. They said it will make a world of difference at elevation and it will save me a bunch on money. Thanks again to the mud forum and people the responded…..

 

[POPO AGIE]

If you're hellbent on the Cummins swap, sent it up to Overland Cruisers in Belgrade Montucky, they'll hook you up.

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I used there adapters for my repower and am really pleased with it is well engineered. Uses Toyota insulators for the motor and crossmember and they provided the Toyota part numbers.