V-8 Conversion (1 Viewer)
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newbie question what is 3 stage radiator? What about Ron Davis radiator? I heard that we can use 100 series thermostat which run 160 instead of 180.
Waggoner5
SILVER Star
Ron Davis makes the nicest radiator of all of them, but be prepared to spend some $. They are also prone to electrolysis damage and that is not covered under warranty.
newbie question what is 3 stage radiator? What about Ron Davis radiator? I heard that we can use 100 series thermostat which run 160 instead of 180.
I would suggest you read over the long involved cooling threads concerning thermostats. The 100 uses a different thermostat and I can guarantee you it isn't a 160 degree thermostat. In modern cars, low temp thermostats should not be used, they provide no additional cooling and can potentially harm the engine by causing it to run in warm up mode.
i ask because i think cdan is an honorable dood... and if he's doing the research for himself id think the budget est. will be close to actual... id rather ask the noob question here and not get
ucked by some nj dickhead working at a random auto place... so how much?
I have zero idea. We don't even have new trucks yet. Probably the only monitarily feasable way to do it would be to buy a complete wrecked 4wd Tundra and keep picking at the carcass until you had it up and running in the recipiant.
It would take a LONG time to work it out.
It would take a LONG time to work it out.
You can pick up a Chevy '00+ 5.3 engine/auto trans for around $2K depending upon mileage. They are mainly iron block/alum heads. Some are all aluminum.
If that isn't enuf power you can add a turbo kit in the cavernous FJ80 engine bay. There are a few 5.3/6.0 (stock based engines) with rear mount turbo systems (STS) running mid/high 11's in 5,000+lb trucks!
Anything can be done with enuf time/money. If you can't undertake a project like this yourself... be prepared to pay out the nose for a shop to perform it. The labor cost will eat you alive. The hardest part of the swap will be the wiring IMO.
If that isn't enuf power you can add a turbo kit in the cavernous FJ80 engine bay. There are a few 5.3/6.0 (stock based engines) with rear mount turbo systems (STS) running mid/high 11's in 5,000+lb trucks!
Anything can be done with enuf time/money. If you can't undertake a project like this yourself... be prepared to pay out the nose for a shop to perform it. The labor cost will eat you alive. The hardest part of the swap will be the wiring IMO.
Wow Pair valve relocation kits for appx $1500? Dan, I see a cottage industry looming....
Only 10x the original price. Quite the bargain.
Reality 101
How bout a bit of a reality ck from a guy that goes thru this a lot. First, I have an SC on my 80 installed at 103k, still running strong at 135k. I have the original radiator, er, quite compromised compared to stock, and a stock thermostat. I run premium gas, no booster/additives. I put in 10-30 ~6kmi, and synthetic only just before a severe duty drive (tow, etc).
RE: Problem. The biggest issue I saw with the SC is the first few hundred miles while the computer is learning the 'bigger' motor. The knock, ck engine light and bucking was so bad, I thought for sure I messed something up. What I *didn't do* was try to drive through the knock, in fact, downshifted and babied the thing for about 500miles, then all was good. I can see a lot of issues if it was just dropped in and run.
RE: Fix.
* First, pick a budget for a swap. Then double it, that's the reality of engine swaps and incidentals.
* Second, assess what you have. A new (overpaid for) SC with a blown motor. Don't put a diime into the blown motor, find one complete and drop it in, bolt up the SC and drive it. The second SC install on a 1FZFE swap won't cost you much at all.
Do a spreadsheet on this, be realistic. The biggest issue you appear to have is the labor for the swap. In my shop, that's time as needed, including chasing ancillary parts and fabrication. Most guys here have done them themselves, and can probably help you, but I'd be very surprised if this is realistic. Taking a WAG, a budget of 10 large for a SBC swap would be conservative by the time you have a shop get it all done and the A/C, cruise control etc adapted.
Don't get me wrong, I was involved in a one off LT1 swap into an audi quattro several years ago, and I know this is easier. But the reality is you have too much sunk in the SC frankly. IME, best case scenario, figure you max asking price is Dan replacement price, which is ~3k. As a used unit (installed lo miles - matters not actual mileage), a threshold % under that (reference: When I bought mine used I paid a lot less than the 2500 asking - and the guy had it advertised for quite some time).
I'm not discouraging you from a SBC swap, and in fact, I might even encourage it if you didn't already have all that money sunk in the TRD hair dryer. Plain and simple you are upside down into this project in a big way. A hit on the SC AND a hit on the SBC, sounds... Expensive?
HTH and my .02
ST
1994 FZJ80 Supercharged
How bout a bit of a reality ck from a guy that goes thru this a lot. First, I have an SC on my 80 installed at 103k, still running strong at 135k. I have the original radiator, er, quite compromised compared to stock, and a stock thermostat. I run premium gas, no booster/additives. I put in 10-30 ~6kmi, and synthetic only just before a severe duty drive (tow, etc).
RE: Problem. The biggest issue I saw with the SC is the first few hundred miles while the computer is learning the 'bigger' motor. The knock, ck engine light and bucking was so bad, I thought for sure I messed something up. What I *didn't do* was try to drive through the knock, in fact, downshifted and babied the thing for about 500miles, then all was good. I can see a lot of issues if it was just dropped in and run.
RE: Fix.
* First, pick a budget for a swap. Then double it, that's the reality of engine swaps and incidentals.
* Second, assess what you have. A new (overpaid for) SC with a blown motor. Don't put a diime into the blown motor, find one complete and drop it in, bolt up the SC and drive it. The second SC install on a 1FZFE swap won't cost you much at all.
Do a spreadsheet on this, be realistic. The biggest issue you appear to have is the labor for the swap. In my shop, that's time as needed, including chasing ancillary parts and fabrication. Most guys here have done them themselves, and can probably help you, but I'd be very surprised if this is realistic. Taking a WAG, a budget of 10 large for a SBC swap would be conservative by the time you have a shop get it all done and the A/C, cruise control etc adapted.
Don't get me wrong, I was involved in a one off LT1 swap into an audi quattro several years ago, and I know this is easier. But the reality is you have too much sunk in the SC frankly. IME, best case scenario, figure you max asking price is Dan replacement price, which is ~3k. As a used unit (installed lo miles - matters not actual mileage), a threshold % under that (reference: When I bought mine used I paid a lot less than the 2500 asking - and the guy had it advertised for quite some time).
I'm not discouraging you from a SBC swap, and in fact, I might even encourage it if you didn't already have all that money sunk in the TRD hair dryer. Plain and simple you are upside down into this project in a big way. A hit on the SC AND a hit on the SBC, sounds... Expensive?
HTH and my .02
ST
1994 FZJ80 Supercharged
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ditto, very well put..
Exactly.
Not to the pre 96 in question, but...
P0125 codes can pop on OBDII vehicles if you use the lower thermostats, btst, and on this list too. IME, the computer times out the warm-up circuit per EPA mandate on OBDII
ST
I agree with Sumotoy, great analysis of the situation. What I can add as one of the very few that have done a 80 series v8 swap is I am very happy thus far on the the results of my v8-80 series but still have a few things to truely make it worthy to drive coast to coast. I did not have a budget and really didnt care want I spent doing it. I also enjoy creating oddities like this and the challenge of making them work just like the factory would. A swap in a 80 series for sure is not for someone who:
Needs their truck for a daily driver (long time to do, its almost a year for me)
Does not have excellent fab skills and a shop full of tools and machinery.
Is afraid of wiring and studying the factory diagrams while thinking about it in your sleep.
Thinks a swap would add monetary value to your rig. Highly modified trucks are money pits and have poor resale.
Does not have about $5000 CASH to spend to do it right. this is about where I am right now I would guess. If I was in the business to do this and did it for someone the first time blindly like I did mine $15000 plus parts wouldnt be enough (300 man hours at $50 per hour). I know I have that kind of time into mine.
Well best of luck whichever route you take. You still have the best 4wd on the planet, be happy for that.
Kirk
Needs their truck for a daily driver (long time to do, its almost a year for me)
Does not have excellent fab skills and a shop full of tools and machinery.
Is afraid of wiring and studying the factory diagrams while thinking about it in your sleep.
Thinks a swap would add monetary value to your rig. Highly modified trucks are money pits and have poor resale.
Does not have about $5000 CASH to spend to do it right. this is about where I am right now I would guess. If I was in the business to do this and did it for someone the first time blindly like I did mine $15000 plus parts wouldnt be enough (300 man hours at $50 per hour). I know I have that kind of time into mine.
Well best of luck whichever route you take. You still have the best 4wd on the planet, be happy for that.
Kirk
Excellent read, obviously a BTDT! I'll never forget the 6months of pencils on napkin at the bar before hand.
Great post!
ST
