Transplant cost (1 Viewer)

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JayDoc

JayDoc

boop/bop/beep
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Threads
33
Messages
590
Location
Somewhere between Manhattan and Lawrence.
I finally brought home my fj60 and I'll put up a thread on the good things about it elsewhere but I had a question for you folks that have been around regarding the cost.

The short of it is, the mechanic charged me $100 per hour for 100 hours of work. The $100 per hour seems fair but I'm dubious on the 100 hours of work. That's where I was hoping others had some perspective.

Work done included removing an engine from a donor, removing the 2f from the fj60, and putting in the chevy LT.
Mating the chevy engine to the toyota transmission via a advanced adapter adapter.
Fitting the stock AC to work with GM parts.
Installing a GM radiator.
New exhaust pipes.
Replaced rear drum brakes.
I provided the donor engine and the AA adapter.

I've read that replacing an engine can take 8-15 hours for a good mechanic. I'm having a hard time imagining all the rest of that adding up to 100 hours.

I kinda feel like he's trying to take advantage of me. He has had the truck for well over a year - almost 2. I've had to pester him to get keep him working on it, even running down parts for him and for the past several months I've been asking for an estimate of the cost and he kept deferring saying he needed to look into it.

This is a strange situation where I had a friend who was going to put the engine in for me but he gave up on it and sent it to this guy so I didn't get to choose the mechanic or negotiate ahead of time because in the mean time I moved 6 hours away.

yada, yada, yada - do you think 100 hours is reasonable for the work above?
Thanks
 
Really hard to say exactly. But. Dropping in a completely new and different driveline is a lot more involved than just a direct engine swap. So you spent $10k for a V8 conversion? Or did he charge you parts on top of that?

Two years seems excessive. But I don’t know anything about your arrangement.
 
That's just labor, but parts were pretty minimal comparatively since I provided the most expensive parts up front. ie the engine and adapter kit.
 
100 hours is only 12-1/2 days at 8 hour days. That's nothing. An alien engine swap from start to finish can take more than 3X that when you get bogged down. Consider yourself lucky or at the very least fairly charged.
Most people don't hire a shop to do an alien engine swap, They do it themselves because of the cost
 
Sounds about right... my start price is 10k then up from there all in what you want extra but its also going to be top notch work no ugly stuff
 
Wow had no idea it cost that much. Was planning on this myself. Granted my 90 FJ62 just broke 124k miles. Think I'll hang tight for now. Keep us updated
 
JayDoc said:
I finally brought home my fj60 and I'll put up a thread on the good things about it elsewhere but I had a question for you folks that have been around regarding the cost.

The short of it is, the mechanic charged me $100 per hour for 100 hours of work. The $100 per hour seems fair but I'm dubious on the 100 hours of work. That's where I was hoping others had some perspective.

Work done included removing an engine from a donor, removing the 2f from the fj60, and putting in the chevy LT.
Mating the chevy engine to the toyota transmission via a advanced adapter adapter.
Fitting the stock AC to work with GM parts.
Installing a GM radiator.
New exhaust pipes.
Replaced rear drum brakes.
I provided the donor engine and the AA adapter.

I've read that replacing an engine can take 8-15 hours for a good mechanic. I'm having a hard time imagining all the rest of that adding up to 100 hours.

I kinda feel like he's trying to take advantage of me. He has had the truck for well over a year - almost 2. I've had to pester him to get keep him working on it, even running down parts for him and for the past several months I've been asking for an estimate of the cost and he kept deferring saying he needed to look into it.

This is a strange situation where I had a friend who was going to put the engine in for me but he gave up on it and sent it to this guy so I didn't get to choose the mechanic or negotiate ahead of time because in the mean time I moved 6 hours away.

yada, yada, yada - do you think 100 hours is reasonable for the work above?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Uhh hey @JayDoc

I’m 20 min south of Lawrence.... aka Ottawa.

I do swaps.... and cruiser odds and ends
 
rhah said:
Uhh hey @JayDoc

I’m 20 min south of Lawrence.... aka Ottawa.

I do swaps.... and cruiser odds and ends
Click to expand...
Good to know.
I might need a rebuild of the 1F in my 40. Is that something you do?
 
Sounds about right.
 
@NCFJ specializes in GM swaps. I'm sure he could give you some insight.

8 to 15 hours for a stock 2f engine dropped in and bolted up. this is a bit more involved. Maybe a couple weeks or a month but not years.

Almost 2 years is way too long. He's getting $$ for quick turn around jobs and rolling your vehicle to a corner of the shop. Probably best to cut your ties, figure out what you owe him and get a tow to a reputable shop. But this is a two way street, be honest with yourself and ask yourself If you have been slow paying him.

Other things I didn't see on your list: wiring harness, ecm, adapting O2 sensors to the exhaust,, engine mounts fab'd or sourced and welded to the frame.
 
Last edited:
g-man said:
@NCFJ specializes in GM swaps. I'm sure he could give you some insight.

8 to 15 hours for a stock engine dropped in and bolted up. this is a bit more involved. Maybe a couple weeks or a month but not years.

Almost 2 years is way too long. He's getting $$ for quick turn around jobs and rolling your vehicle to a corner of the shop. Probably best to cut your ties, figure out what you owe him and get a tow to a reputable shop. But this is a two way street, be honest with yourself and ask yourself If you have been slow paying him.

Other things I didn't see on your list: wiring harness, ecm, adapting O2 sensors to the exhaust,, engine mounts fab'd or sourced and welded to the frame.
Click to expand...
All Great points here
 
Disassemble front clip, Old engine out, clean, prep, cut mounts , clean, prep, split x case, assemble driveline , clean, prep, engine fitment, tack mounts, triple check all measurements, remove, weld, clean and paint, stab driveline, coolant, PS, fuel, AC hoses, air intake, wiring, more wiring, drive shafts, shifters, sensors, gauges, custom exhaust......

You get the point. It’s a lot of work
 
dbleon said:
Disassemble front clip, Old engine out, clean, prep, cut mounts , clean, prep, split x case, assemble driveline , clean, prep, engine fitment, tack mounts, triple check all measurements, remove, weld, clean and paint, stab driveline, coolant, PS, fuel, AC hoses, air intake, wiring, more wiring, drive shafts, shifters, sensors, gauges, custom exhaust......

You get the point. It’s a lot of work
Click to expand...
Yup
 
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