Builds WEAKFISH another FJ62 Build Thread (9 Viewers)

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Time for a LS swapped Taco!

 

[huminajumina]

Time for a LS swapped Taco!

Trust me I have dreamed about it every morning commute for the past 3-4 years.....as I get the little 3RZ-FE revved up to achieve its max horsepower of 140 something Merging on to I-81 and some inconsiderate driving a mazda thinks its a good idea to merge on the interstate at 45mph while riding the brakes.....

I finally got the head off, and confirmed that the head gasket blew between 1 & 2 cylinders, now to take it to the machine shop and see if its warped or if they see any other issues. hoping for another quick turn around there.

I got home from work today and went straight to work pulling the tacoma apart. I just want to get it back up and running so I can focus on the. 62. She always pushes back when she feels neglected..... I was fortunate it happened during a beer/parts run and I could limp back to the driveway, would have sucked if it happened during the morning commute.

Going to clean up the head in the morning and drop it off at the machine shop, I got put on the swing shift tomorrow at work so it makes it easy to get this knocked out and and then back to the Cruiser swap while I wait on the machine shop and gaskets to arrive.

I called Advanced Adapters today and got my questions answered. They said that their LS Swap Special Flywheel does not have dowel pins, just the bolts. All of the holes are threaded and as it sets now, none of the empty holes line up with a hole in the pressure plate, so I am assuming that is true. I know a factory toyota flywheel has dowel pins and a lot of the hot rod community claims if you run only bolts in the pressure plate without dowel pins it can move back and forth and eventually break all the bolts....... anyone have any experience with the Advanced Adapters flywheel & Centerforce pressure plate (With or without the marks kit) @cruisermatt I hate to keep tagging you in here with questions, but you mentioned a few options that you have used for conversions, have you used this AA flywheel and can you confirm what they said is accurate, no dowel pins? I'm gonna have to mail you some beers or something!


After I got off the phone with AA, I went ahead and bolted the 3F bellhousing and Marks Adapter bellhousings together, mounted the clutch fork and greased all the contact points, put the boot back on..... I cleaned the 3F bellhousing in the parts washer and put a fresh coat of rustoleum gloss black high temp on it for good measure.... Same with the access panel. ( @rkymtnflyfisher can attest to how dirty, greasy, grimmy it was).

This picture is beforem but I put the Marks Spacers for the clutch fork on and used their clips since I have a cast iron fork.

I ordered the GM Bellhousing Dowel pins off Amazon, they were cheap and will be here tomorrow, After that and my decision to torque the pressure plate down, I am going to get everything mated up and I can position it in place to mock up the engine positioning and mounting......

 

[cruisermatt]

That seems right for the pressure plate, however I do not use their clutch and fly will set up. I just use the stock Chevy parts for 1/3 the cost.

I have a new clutch fork rubber boot here for you

 

[huminajumina]

That seems right for the pressure plate, however I do not use their clutch and fly will set up. I just use the stock Chevy parts for 1/3 the cost.

I have a new clutch fork rubber boot here for you

Thanks, yea don't remind me, I should have called you before I placed the order... I already pulled the trigger before you pointed me to some other options. On my 40 I just used a stock Chevy flywheel with the centerforce disk and pressure plate, but got them through other sources for a lot cheaper.... Thanks, this clutch fork is in good shape for now, but I'll hit you up if anything else comes up.

 

[cruisermatt]

I meant the rubber boot you are missing!

 

[huminajumina]

I meant the rubber boot you are missing!

Sorry that was a typo on my part I have it in good shape, just wasn’t installed in the picture.

 

[huminajumina]

Today I went to the Toyota dealership and ordered an OEM Head Gasket for the Taco, I should get a call from the machine shop tomorrow to pick up the head and get the daily driver buttoned back up. Since I am waiting on parts I went a head a torqued the pressure plate down and measured the throwout bearing and adjusted the thrust tube extension. The FM dowel pins came in so I got the bellhousing bolted up the the engine and almost got it in position.

I had the wife help me remove the hood since I am using the load leveler, it just makes things a lot easier.

I need to get the input shaft to go in the final inch, I was using the floor jack to adjust the angle on the transmission, and the load leveler to adjust the angle on the engine, but i think I got the clutch splines aligned but need to get in the pilot bearing. I ran out of time this evening, but plan to give it a little more work tomorrow. Worst case I will pull it out and start over, but I think I am almost there.

 

[huminajumina]

Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend.

Looking for a little advice for those not out enjoying it as progress has halted!!

I am working on the LS swap and have run into a little fitmant snag.... I tacked in the CruiserMatt's Motor mounts and slid the engine in place, securing the bellhousing bolts. I put the hood back on for a check and it clears with out the engine cover on the intake, but if I put the engine cover on it hits the insulation on the hood. I am debating lowering the mounts 3/4-1" from where they are.....The mounts are flush with the top of the frame rails but I am wondering with my H55F positioning and them being forward, if they are higher than they would be for a automatic swap. I am hoping to keep the insulation under the hood and use the engine cover to hide the wires... so removing both would solve the issue with not much clearance but is less prefered.


Measurements:
The water pump pulley is 7" from the back of the radiator and it is centered 7.5" up from the bottom of the radiator (16" radiator, so just below center)
My bellhousing is 3/4" from the tunnel, so not too much clearance on top.
PS Pump clears the PS box and has room to drop the engine.
Heater hose valves are really close to the valve cover and going down would help.

Here is the dirt left from the under hood insulation, it keeps the hood up about 3/4" or so on one side.

The hood rises from the fenders so you gain a few inches but it is still close without the cover on, heres how high it is from the fenders.

Here is how high the water pump sets from the bottom of the radiator, its a 16" radiator and it is all most centered at 7.5" so lowering it will make that worse, but not a show stopper as far as the shroud and fan.

Haven't gone too deep into the heaters and running the lines to the water pump, but they are close to the valve cover at this height and would benefit from lowering the engine...

Seeking thoughts input and critiques!!!!

I haven't looked over all the build threads and advice yet, so I am going to do that now, just hoping someone is still sipping coffee and combing over the forums and has a quick answer. In good news the Tacoma is back up and running with a new OEM head gasket and I replaced the fuel PX regulator and rear head cover that I cracked a few years ago.

 

[BurntToast]

I think @dbbowen kept his cover, worst case you could swap to a car intake.

What is your current drivetrain angle?

 

[huminajumina]

I think @dbbowen kept his cover, worst case you could swap to a car intake.

What is your current drivetrain angle?

Good point, right now as it sets they are both matched both 0° so exactly where I want them that's at ride height with the engine weight on it, minus the ARB bumper, winch, batteries and a few other heavy things, maybe best to not go any lower....

 

[BurntToast]

I got kinda lucky, but I was able to get my rear axle flange and t case flange within a half degree of parallel. And still was able to tuck the tcase as high or higher into the body for ground clearance. I think I mounted Matt’s mounts slightly higher than flush.

Definitely nice to have the drivelines not vibrate

 

[huminajumina]

I got kinda lucky, but I was able to get my rear axle flange and t case flange within a half degree of parellal. And still was able to tuck the tcase as high or higher into the body for ground clearance. I think I mounted Matt’s mounts slightly higher than flush.

Definitely nice to have the drivelines not vibrate

Yea, my thought was get everything as high as I could for ground clearance and for front axle oil pan clearance... I knew it would be ball park close being that he tells ya how to mount the mounts and all the work is mostly taken care of (Which is awesome!! Glad I bought them). Just wondering why I am running into hood clearance issues, when it seems that most don't. At the end of the day, I can run this intake without the cover and the hood closes or like you said I can just pick up an LS1 intake and swap them out. Thanks for the input!!!!!

Yea exactly, I don't want to have the driveshaft vibrating everything loose on my axle and transfer case. glad they are looking good.

 

[huminajumina]

Honestly it might be the hood itself taking a way the little bit of clearance I need….it looks to be repaired. Looks like a sloppy glue job after some paint less dent removal or something….

 

[cruisermatt]

The intake cover on a Gen 3 and a H55f should just barely kiss the hood liner if you have my mounts at the correct height.

From your pics it looks like it is dead on to me.
The engine sits a little further forwards then it would with a 4l60e in a FJ62

 

[huminajumina]

The intake cover on a Gen 3 and a H55f should just barely kiss the hood liner if you have my mounts at the correct height.

From your pics it looks like it is dead on to me.
The engine sits a little further forwards then it would with a 4l60e in a FJ62

Thanks man! Didn’t want to bother you on the holiday weekend, but it looked like everything else was lining up like it should! Thanks for shipping everything out! Excited to get things moving along now that o have a few days off! I’m pretty happy with where it’s at, these mounts make things pretty easy & no guess work.

 

[huminajumina]

Thanks for everyone's help this weekend and past month or more!!!! One of those things where I have worked on plenty of cars, plenty of cruisers, done a few engine swaps.....but there's always questions and things that you thought you had figured out but didn't!!!

This weekend was huge on the progress scale.....
New Cruisermatts motor mounts are in
POR-15 on the frame and mounts
New coat of paint on the fenders (they looked aged)
Pulled the fender rubber skirts and scrubbed them reinstalled them (more VA red clay needed removed)
Cruisermats clutch master bracket and Willwood Master installed, comes witlh all hardware and adapter but flared a new 10mm fitting on my line to get things in.
80 series Brake Master installed and Cruisermatts wire harness adapter installed on it
Painted Brake Booster Black.
Tahoe Brake Pedal Installed, needs bent to allow WOT (hits cruiser bump stop first)
Engine mated to trans, then pulled a few times, Bolted in its spot for good I hope
Heat Shields on firewall Cleaned, Firewall cleaned and quick coat of paint applied
Used plasma cutter to cut Advanced Adapters Universal (or Small block Chevy maybe) Flywheel dust cover to fit LS to Marks Bellhousing
Test Fit Radiator for fan clearance and Shroud location
Took hood on and off a few times to test the fitment
Fuel system done, AN-6 Fittings on fuel rail,Radium M14 Inverted Flare to 6AN, Corvette Regulator/Filter installed on firewall (for now)
Oil and filter added to new engine (don't wanna forget)
Cruisermatts GM Brake Booster Port installed (didn't realize how useful this actually was (I thought the port was there, not a block off)
Cruisermatts Throttle Cable Block Off Plate installed..... This cruise is quiet so might as well keep it that way (my 40 has gaps everywhere )

Heat Shield before and after (just trying to clean stuff up around here)

Heres the new Brake Master with wire harnes and new booster paint, new clutch master and adapter, new firewall paint in the background.

Tahoe pedal hybrid with the FJ62 pedal.... One feature the 62 has that I wanted to keep for some reasone......is the throttle knob to throttle up for no apparent reason ( used for crawling maybe, cruiser control maybe, high idle for whatever, maybe). but it took very little to retain it so we'll see if I actually use it again.

But basically keeping this entire bracket welded to the drive by wire Tahoe pedal, I was able to retain the cable attach for the Throttle knob in the dash.

Lots going on in this photo, but here is the engine bolted in place....hoping it stays there. I measure out radiator hoses, mounted it to check, mounted the hood to check, checked the exhaust clearance, found a ECM mount location, mock routed an air intake...everything looks feasible so we will see... In the background you can see the corvette fuel filter and AN lines. You can see the fresh coat of paint on the fenders, clean fender rubber skirts, and steering box is painted up. things are still messy but its starting to look like progress around here! and and the tacoma has a new headgasket and is back up and running, so its been a productive weekend here!!

 

[Beams37]

Thanks for everyone's help this weekend and past month or more!!!! One of those things where I have worked on plenty of cars, plenty of cruisers, done a few engine swaps.....but there's always questions and things that you thought you had figured out but didn't!!!

This weekend was huge on the progress scale.....
New Cruisermatts motor mounts are in
POR-15 on the frame and mounts
New coat of paint on the fenders (they looked aged)
Pulled the fender rubber skirts and scrubbed them reinstalled them (more VA red clay needed removed)
Cruisermats clutch master bracket and Willwood Master installed, comes witlh all hardware and adapter but flared a new 10mm fitting on my line to get things in.
80 series Brake Master installed and Cruisermatts wire harness adapter installed on it
Painted Brake Booster Black.
Tahoe Brake Pedal Installed, needs bent to allow WOT (hits cruiser bump stop first)
Engine mated to trans, then pulled a few times, Bolted in its spot for good I hope
Heat Shields on firewall Cleaned, Firewall cleaned and quick coat of paint applied
Used plasma cutter to cut Advanced Adapters Universal (or Small block Chevy maybe) Flywheel dust cover to fit LS to Marks Bellhousing
Test Fit Radiator for fan clearance and Shroud location
Took hood on and off a few times to test the fitment
Fuel system done, AN-6 Fittings on fuel rail,Radium M14 Inverted Flare to 6AN, Corvette Regulator/Filter installed on firewall (for now)
Oil and filter added to new engine (don't wanna forget)
Cruisermatts GM Brake Booster Port installed (didn't realize how useful this actually was (I thought the port was there, not a block off)
Cruisermatts Throttle Cable Block Off Plate installed..... This cruise is quiet so might as well keep it that way (my 40 has gaps everywhere )

Heat Shield before and after (just trying to clean stuff up around here)
View attachment 3915152View attachment 3915161
Heres the new Brake Master with wire harnes and new booster paint, new clutch master and adapter, new firewall paint in the background.
View attachment 3915163
Tahoe pedal hybrid with the FJ62 pedal.... One feature the 62 has that I wanted to keep for some reasone......is the throttle knob to throttle up for no apparent reason ( used for crawling maybe, cruiser control maybe, high idle for whatever, maybe). but it took very little to retain it so we'll see if I actually use it again.

But basically keeping this entire bracket welded to the drive by wire Tahoe pedal, I was able to retain the cable attach for the Throttle knob in the dash.
View attachment 3915172

Lots going on in this photo, but here is the engine bolted in place....hoping it stays there. I measure out radiator hoses, mounted it to check, mounted the hood to check, checked the exhaust clearance, found a ECM mount location, mock routed an air intake...everything looks feasible so we will see... In the background you can see the corvette fuel filter and AN lines. You can see the fresh coat of paint on the fenders, clean fender rubber skirts, and steering box is painted up. things are still messy but its starting to look like progress around here! and and the tacoma has a new headgasket and is back up and running, so its been a productive weekend here!!

View attachment 3915173

Well done !! Looks like this is coming together nicely!

 

[cruisermatt]

Looking good, thanks for the product plugs as well.
I see you found the right smaller PS pulley, that’s the perfect one. You’ll love how much easier the steering is after the swap.

 

[huminajumina]

Looking good, thanks for the product plugs as well.
I see you found the right smaller PS pulley, that’s the perfect one. You’ll love how much easier the steering is after the swap.

Thanks, moving right along! Yea, realizing now how close the PS pulley and steering box are, glad it worked out, can't wait for that nice power steering!! And Yes, glad I got everything from you that I did, real quality stuff and it makes a few things go a lot quicker and keep the project moving a lot rather than having to stop and figure things out for a few hours, and come up with a less ideal solution.

 

[yotadude520]

Thanks, moving right along! Yea, realizing now how close the PS pulley and steering box are, glad it worked out, can't wait for that nice power steering!! And Yes, glad I got everything from you that I did, real quality stuff and it makes a few things go a lot quicker and keep the project moving a lot rather than having to stop and figure things out for a few hours, and come up with a less ideal solution.

Honest to god I really am not sure I could've done my LS swap without the help of @cruisermatt. Solid products and gave me sooo much tech help along the way.

I'll forever recommend anybody doing an LS his way.