What to do? (SORF Daily Driver)

[steenh]

This is a long term thought process but figured I'd start getting some opinions.

My daughter will be driving in under 1-1/2 years. She's expressed an interest in driving Hundy which I'm not opposed to given how safe it would be in the daily traffic jam that is Atlanta traffic. Plus, I'm just proud that she wants to drive a Cruiser! Not sure I'd let her take it forever, but for the 2-1/2 years she's driving while in HS, I think it's a pretty good choice as long as she gets comfortable with the size... so far she's picking it up pretty well. It would also save me from having to buy a 5th car to clog up the driveway during that time which would be a huge win at the homestead. So, first, anyone think I'm crazy to consider letting a new driver take over a beast of a truck?

I'll assume that I'm not crazy, or will ignore any concerns raised, and move on to the second question.

In order to pull off giving her the Hundy, I would have to consider turning SORF into a semi-daily driver or I'm back to 5 cars and might as well just get Kristen a car. SORF is solid mechanically so I'm not worried about that at all, but would need to do some things to increase the comfort level.

Here's the list of things I'd need to do...

1. AC is a must. I can't drive it to work in 95 degrees and 80% humidity and keep my job. I have an "F" that runs fine, but tough to equip with AC. It's mated to an SM420. I am considering a 350 swap (sorry purists... have a better solution and I'll listen ). A bit of highway speed and overall power would be nice. Thoughts on that? Price and pro's/cons between Carb'd and EFI?

2. Interior comfort. I have a set of nice Volvo seats that I haven't installed yet, so I'm set there. How about sound deadening? Carpet, insulation? Any ideas on how quiet you could make a 40 and best ways to get it done? I'd put the hard top back on and install a headliner as well. It doesn't need to be lexus quiet, but it would be nice to hold a conversation while driving which I can't do today.

Anything else I should consider. Luckily I have a lot of time to think this through.

 

[BELMONT148]

Sounds like you are on the right track. For everyday use, not sure how the SM420 will be with it's wide spread. You may want to look into doing an auto or a tamer 4 speed when you do the SBC.

By that time I might be ready to swap my Marks V8 adapter with H42 and 4 speed case for your SM420, (plus some cash ). I might have a rockbox coming that goes to an SM420 that I will want to install next spring.

Jeremy

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

All I know is with your daughter driving a built Hundy the boys at the local high school are going to be falling head over heels..........


On the 40 side of things; as an alternative from most likely decreasing the value of the 40 by adding a chebby 350 maybe consider an 3FE. You probaly noticed my build thread where I just did the same by replacing my old F for a 3FE. I have been DDing my 40 for the last couple of weeks here and loving it.... it is a completely different machine with the 3FE. I drive home on I-20 for about 5 miles every day at 70-75mph no problem. It is a fairly easy bolt in swap that could be done in a full weekend, you just need to find a rusty donor FJ62 or Cruiserparts.net is selling a complete ready to install 3FE kit for the 40 with a custom wirring harness that ties into your factory harness. Doing the 3FE you could keep it all Land Cruiser and gain your sissy A/C not to mention the novelty of having a 3FE under the hood...... and lets not forget there is nothing that screams redneck more than lifting the hood of a 40 and finding a chebby or ford V8 starring back at you

For sound deading on my previous 40 I did dynomatt, insulation, then carpet and it made a ton of difference...especially if you do the firewall as well

 

[steenh]

I'll definitely have to get to know the "boys" well, or better said, they'll have to get to know me, or of me at least. Kristen is pushing 5'10" now so unfortunately any boys she goes after will probably be the big boys and able to kick my a$$, not that they have to know that. A whole lot of mean comes with age especially when it comes to her

3FE actually sounds like a decent idea! What tranny do you have? I think I'd want to keep the current tranny. The granny gear is nice, but I'd also consider an auto.

So, a long weekend to do that swap huh. How "skilled" do you need to be? You know I'm a lot better with a checkbook than with a wrench, but good to know it's relatively simple.

Maybe I'll tackle the sound deadening this fall when I get to the seat install and go from there on the rest.

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Trollhole]

This is a long term thought process but figured I'd start getting some opinions.

My daughter will be driving in under 1-1/2 years. She's expressed an interest in driving Hundy which I'm not opposed to given how safe it would be in the daily traffic jam that is Atlanta traffic. Plus, I'm just proud that she wants to drive a Cruiser! Not sure I'd let her take it forever, but for the 2-1/2 years she's driving while in HS, I think it's a pretty good choice as long as she gets comfortable with the size... so far she's picking it up pretty well. It would also save me from having to buy a 5th car to clog up the driveway during that time which would be a huge win at the homestead. So, first, anyone think I'm crazy to consider letting a new driver take over a beast of a truck?

I'll assume that I'm not crazy, or will ignore any concerns raised, and move on to the second question.

In order to pull off giving her the Hundy, I would have to consider turning SORF into a semi-daily driver or I'm back to 5 cars and might as well just get Kristen a car. SORF is solid mechanically so I'm not worried about that at all, but would need to do some things to increase the comfort level.

Here's the list of things I'd need to do...

1. AC is a must. I can't drive it to work in 95 degrees and 80% humidity and keep my job. I have an "F" that runs fine, but tough to equip with AC. It's mated to an SM465. I am considering a 350 swap (sorry purists... have a better solution and I'll listen ). A bit of highway speed and overall power would be nice. Thoughts on that? Price and pro's/cons between Carb'd and EFI?

2. Interior comfort. I have a set of nice Volvo seats that I haven't installed yet, so I'm set there. How about sound deadening? Carpet, insulation? Any ideas on how quiet you could make a 40 and best ways to get it done? I'd put the hard top back on and install a headliner as well. It doesn't need to be lexus quiet, but it would be nice to hold a conversation while driving which I can't do today.

Anything else I should consider. Luckily I have a lot of time to think this through.

I'm sure she will be just fine in the 100. As long as your okay with a few scratches and fender benders.

As far as A/C that's a hard one with your engine. While it's probably okay on the highway without A/C adding A/C to an F is probably not the best for highway driving. If you do go with just A/C for the f this would be an option

FJ-40 Totyota Landcruiser Kit W/ 1F Engine - Toyota FJ-40 AC Kits

or the Vintage Air system. Both aren't cheap and especially if you have someone doing the install for you.

Problem I see with a v-8 is where you live. Hotlanta well it's freeking hot and traffic jams are common. I wouldn't want a v-8 in stop and go traffic.

If you did go v-8 stick with something fuel injected.


Personally I'd try the F with A/C and see if it will work for you. If not all your going to need is new brackets to mount the pump to a new motor the rest will basically already been done.

As far as insulation. I'd try this stuff as the first layer. Firewall - Thermal Acoustic Insualtion and Heat coating

Then Lowes sell a mylar insulation barrier I believe. You need something that won't absorb water. Then some OEM floor mats and your good.


My first stop would be going by ACC and talking with Michael and Brian about fros and cons. I'm sure they have a better understanding of what you need to do and what it's going to cost.

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

3FE actually sounds like a decent idea! What tranny do you have? I think I'd want to keep the current tranny. The granny gear is nice, but I'd also consider an auto.

So, a long weekend to do that swap huh. How "skilled" do you need to be? You know I'm a lot better with a checkbook than with a wrench, but good to know it's relatively simple.

QUOTE]

I am running the good ole H42 (4spd), unfortunately you couldn't use the AF442 auto tranny that comes behind 3FE do to the shorter wheel base of the 40. With that said though you wouldn't want an auto behind that 3FE any ways as it soaks up way to much power. You would be able to reuse your current drivetrian as the bell housing, flywheel, clutch etc. will bolt up directly to the 3FE.

When I say a long weekend.... this is assuming you have already pulled your F and have a 3FE waiting to go in. Mechanically eveything is a bolt up procedure no fabricating required. I imagine things would go really smooth if you purchased cruiserparts wiring harness as the tricky bit of this swap is the wiring. Still I managed to do my own custom wiring harness and get the old girl running with out to much cursing and head banging

When the time comes if you decide to go this route I'd be more than willing to lend a hand and my 3FE swap knowledge

 

[BELMONT148]

...... and lets not forget there is nothing that screams redneck more than lifting the hood of a 40 and finding a chebby or ford V8 starring back at you

I thought all Cruiserheads were rednecks?

Really anything FI with an Auto is going to make your life so much better. However LC engine and an auto aren't 2 things that go too well together in a 40. They are already underpowered to start with and adding an auto just makes it worse.

I think JP may be right with the 3FE depending on the cost over a V8. Just remember that your 1st -2nd shift will be like JP shifting from 1st to 3rd. And I don't mean the 7.05 granny, I am talking about the 1st "real" gear at 3.60 to 2nd 1.70.

What's the redline on a 3FE if he keeps the Muncie tranny?

Jeremy

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

I thought all Cruiserheads were rednecks?

What's the redline on a 3FE if he keeps the Muncie tranny?

Jeremy

I was just trying to stir the pot a little


Redline on the 3FE I believe is 4800rpm but peak horse power comes at 4000rpm....

The 3FE makes 155hp@4000 and the F make 125hp@3600; a 30hp difference on paper may not seem like much but in the real world it is a huge difference and I also think the shorter stroke of the 3FE makes it a much quiker reving engine.

 

[steenh]

I think JP may be right with the 3FE depending on the cost over a V8. Just remember that your 1st -2nd shift will be like JP shifting from 1st to 3rd. And I don't mean the 7.05 granny, I am talking about the 1st "real" gear at 3.60 to 2nd 1.70.

What's the redline on a 3FE if he keeps the Muncie tranny?

Jeremy

I know that my personal redline on the "f" is around 3200 and I'm OK with the shift pattern. Probably just used to it, but with a bit more power behind it, I'm not too worried about that piece. Sad as it is, the granny gets used in the kind of traffic we have here. It helps to be able to not shift and travel at 1 mph.

Marshall, have you ever installed one of those kits? Any idea on level of difficulty? Since it's not throwaway, I might tackle that this fall so I can test it out next summer and make a call on the engine at that point. I do plan to talk to the ACC guys once I get my thoughts in line on all of this.

JP, you'll definitely be on my list if I decide to tackle the 3FE. Somehow I think ACC will be the ones to call though. Probably a bit over my head.

 

[BELMONT148]

I guess the shorter stroke of the 3f gives it a little higher redline than the old 2F's, unless it's been gayed out then it likes to scream!

Personally I wouldn't want an old SM tranny for everyday driving, unless I had a V8 to rev through the gears. I think an H42 with a 3FE and an Orion for wheeling would be sweet. Or an H41.

Jeremy

 

[informationjunky]

JP, you'll definitely be on my list if I decide to tackle the 3FE. Somehow I think ACC will be the ones to call though. Probably a bit over my head.

Why don't you just skip over the 3fe and see if they have the 1fz from the rolled 80 to stick in!

 

[steenh]

I was just trying to stir the pot a little


Redline on the 3FE I believe is 4800rpm but peak horse power comes at 4000rpm....

The 3FE makes 155hp@4000 and the F make 125hp@3600; a 30hp difference on paper may not seem like much but in the real world it is a huge difference and I also think the shorter stroke of the 3FE makes it a much quiker reving engine.

3600!! I've never reved that high... on purpose anyway.

 

[steenh]

Why don't you just skip over the 3fe and see if they have the 1fz from the rolled 80 to stick in!

That would be very cool... or I could wait for Kristen to total the hundy and just put that engine in?

I need to talk to Brian anyway so I'll see if that's an option.

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

Why don't you just skip over the 3fe and see if they have the 1fz from the rolled 80 to stick in!

that would be a sweet engine.... but there would be a lot of custom fab. work involved over the straight bolt up 3FE. Then again its Steen's check book..... do the 1FZE!!!

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

3600!! I've never reved that high... on purpose anyway.

The ultimate Cruiser Head Mark Whatley posted in a thread I was reading the 4-5k was quite fine for shifting

 

[BELMONT148]

And all this time he could have moved from the shoulder lane to the slow lane if he'd have only known.

Jeremy

 

[steenh]

And all this time he could have moved from the shoulder lane to the slow lane if he'd have only known.

Jeremy

I'm at around 70 at 3200 rpm which is just fine... it's the minute & 48 seconds it takes to get there that is the killer.

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

Steen,
I'm probaly driving my 40 up to the annual meeting next month and you are welcome to drive it then to get a basis for comparison between your current set-up and what a 3FE might feel like. I will also most likely drive it up for the Miami game.........

 

[steenh]

Steen,
I'm probaly driving my 40 up to the annual meeting next month and you are welcome to drive it then to get a basis for comparison between your current set-up and what a 3FE might feel like. I will also most likely drive it up for the Miami game.........

Perfect. Still trying to work out the annual, but I'll definitely be there for CU/Mia

 

[LDowney]

I'll definitely have to get to know the "boys" well, or better said, they'll have to get to know me, or of me at least. Kristen is pushing 5'10" now so unfortunately any boys she goes after will probably be the big boys and able to kick my a$$, not that they have to know that. A whole lot of mean comes with age especially when it comes to her

3FE actually sounds like a decent idea! What tranny do you have? I think I'd want to keep the current tranny. The granny gear is nice, but I'd also consider an auto.

So, a long weekend to do that swap huh. How "skilled" do you need to be? You know I'm a lot better with a checkbook than with a wrench, but good to know it's relatively simple.

Maybe I'll tackle the sound deadening this fall when I get to the seat install and go from there on the rest.

Thanks for the ideas!

Steen, My oldest daughter commented about how the BJ70 and FZJ80 were such guy magnets while she was in high school. Luckily, the guys the trucks attracted seemed to realize that I was old mean and somewhat crazy. Consequently, it was not a problem for Katie or Samantha to be driving Cruisers.

I would like to offer two alternate suggestions. First, why not let Kristen drive the 40 to school. If it is just basic transportation to & from school, the 40 is up to the task. Plus a trail worthy 40 is easier to add nerf protection to (insurance against the other high school drivers she will be parking with). A class mate of Katie's lightly T-boned the 80 in the parking lot. It was readily fixed by the body shop, but it was a pain. Second alternative, guessing what it would cost to modify the 40 per your needs as a daily driver; put the 40 into storage and buy Kristen a disposable vehicle. The disposable vehicle we now have for the older girls is an 11 year old Ford Explorer that we picked up for just over $3k. If it gets hit, it will probably be totaled and the insurance will pay out enough to get another. She will have airbags for daily driving and you will too (with the 100). When she pops off to college, it could the vehicle that she takes with her. Additionally, if anything happens to the disposable vehicle (such as getting hit or she does not take proper care of it), you won't have any attachment to it like you may with one of your Cruisers.

Good luck. Plus I am facing the same with Melissa in two years, and I don't know what the solution will be.