Wilma's Buildup thread - FJ45LV (1 Viewer)

[fogblanket]

Wilma is guna go under the knife this fall... first up is a shackle reversal I am tired of the bump steer no mattr how many times I do the toe in and retighten everything. I drove a 1st gen 4 runner on 35's with stock steering and it was smooth as silk on the highway. and while I did not build her to be a mall flower for me to get to the trails i do have a haul and New england roads suck.
so thats why the SR. I am going to do cross over steering as well to hopefully eliminate anything that might cause the bump steer.
as far as the v8. i love the 2f but towing my trailer to Fall Gathering sucked and its not a heavy trailer. I was in 3rd gear going 25 on the hills stacking up cars behind me toatl nerve wracking way to drive.
I am going to need a rebuild soon in that I just ploped the 87' 2f into Wilma with out tearing it down. looking at cost per performcea carbed v8 might be the way I go.

what I hate about the 2f; not being able to get over 55 on the highway
I bought a set of ceramic headers from SOR for wilma in the 1.5 years on the road they are covered in rust ? wtf they were $400 I can get the same for a v8 for under a 100
it lacks horsepower. I desmogged it put headers on sent my carb and dizzy out to Jim c and it has some power but my wifes rav4 4cylinder blows it away in most situations and on hills starting from a red light forget it.

what i do like about the 2f, it is OEM if not to this vehicle it does look nice and fit nicely in the engine bay.

what I don t like about the v8
-its not OEM
all the exhaust piping.

what I do like the added horsepower if built right. the availability of parts and people who know how to work on them, there is something wrong with an engine type if the whole country agrees ther eis only one guy gifted enough to rebuild a stock carb. and the turn around time is 3 months.
-cost

when I built Wilma i wanted to be able to take her on extended camping trips and feel comfortable. If i were in Oz i would have put a diesel in it in that parts and labor are close at hand. while in the states is my backyard so I want an engine I can get parts for anywhere and fast.
we'll see on the v8 I keep tinkering with the carb and timing and valves ect. maybe I will eventually hit the sweet spot. but I do plan to rebuild a v8 this winter., because I want to rebuild an engine we'll see where it leads. it could end up in an fj25

 

[Leaping Deer]

Theres gotta be something more to it buddy. The tired 2f and h41 in my 45 did alright. It was no speed demon but it moved when I hit the gas and it weighed in at 4800lbs. Have you checked your compression numbers? You are running 4:11 gears right? Whats the weight of the truck?

I have a spare 85 long block that I will give you if you want to start rebuilding a motor to get something fresh. That way there is minimal down time.

 

[fogblanket]

Wilma weighs in at 6750lb empty. the engine does alright if the truck is empty of gear. with it empty I have hit 60mph a few times on flats or descents on the highway towing the trailer I am lucky to get it up over 45 on the flats and 50 on the descents and god help me on the inclines.
part of my thinking is that I chased this demon before on my fj62. regeared it, new valve body on the tranny, bored out the throttle body, new injectors, headers ect. and still it would dog in the hills I remember going up a mt road towing the trailer (this is a 1/4 trailer with a tent on it and maybe 200lb of other stuff) and being in 1st gear going 2 mph praying it to keep going.

Time for a change. I want to try something different. I want to be able to go more places in Wilma and my reduced highway speeds somewhat limit me.

Again though its a ways off and who knows the v8 may go in something else when it gets built.

 

[Leaping Deer]

While I am in no way a purist I do like to keep things all Toyota (okay I'm going to have Ford shock towers on my 45). But I think that at 6750 lbs you are pushing the limit of what a 2F was intended to handle. Heck you are 2k over what my truck weighs. Add a trailer and you are taxing that poor little motor.

Maybe a regear would help. Whats your gas mileage like?

 

[apeterson]

yea... you should just put the v8 in... I keep forgetting how much more you weigh than a stockish 40. and pulling a trailer and long distances. It is your only way to get what you want.

Plus you can keep posting new stuff for me to read

 

[Sporin]

Yeah, even the healthiest 2F wasn't made to move around 6750lb +.

At least with a 350V8 you don't have to hack Wilma up a ton to get it in there.

 

[Chamba]

I went through the same trials an tribulations as you are when I decided to rip out my turbo 2H and put in a Vortec. I LOVE my Vortec and would do it all over again.

I get 17 MPG on the highway if I am careful (which is about what I got with my 2H), it cruises at 80 MPH comfortably, it pulls like a school boy, starts right away every time, tows wonderfully... what else can I say? I towed my FJ40 from Boulder to Phonix and got better fuel economy than I would have gotten with my FJ40 driving itself.

I love the 2F and it is a bulletproof motor. However, it is old technology and is really not made to pull a 6,000 lb truck on today's highways. A Vortec is cheap to get, easy to put in, works nicely with the H55, easy to work on and get parts for and very efficient.

If I had it to do all over, I would stick a Vortec in my Troopy all over again. Wilma would be one helluva rig with a Vortec.

Best regards,

Josh

 

[Sporin]

I had a sweet 350 in my FJ55 and it it pulled like champ.

One thing though, you'll need to carry SAE tools as well as Metrics.

 

[40Flipper]

Put in a V-8. I dare ya. Might as well throw some neon ground effects underneath it too. You really should bought a Jeep

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

i love the 2f but towing my trailer to Fall Gathering sucked and its not a heavy trailer. I was in 3rd gear going 25 on the hills stacking up cars behind me toatl nerve wracking way to drive.

You were only stacking up FJ25's pulling trailers. Just a point of reference, I was able to hold constant speed (certainly not accelerate) on the hills with the 135, but with 29" skinnies and probably at least 1,000# lighter.

 

[Leaping Deer]

Decent priced Corvette 350 not too far away. Chevy 350 Complete carb to oil pan $350 - The NEOW Forum

 

[fogblanket]

the engine I plan to build up will be carbed with a low rise aluminum double plane intake with a 750 cfm carb and an RV Cam. I think I should be able to get 300 hp and good torque out of this set up. and it will mate to the toyota 4 spd. I'll use the 87 4spd that I have that has the spacer so a swap for a h55 down the road will be easier but, my goal is to keep it simple and something I can work on on the trail or in the wild if need be. fuel injection while nice and better milage and stays tuned for longer periods of time and you don't have to deal with the choke and associated running issues at first start up. A the cost and B the computer are things I want to stay away from. Wilma's 2f is carbed and desmogged and simple thats what I want to stay with.
will see it will take me awhile to build it up try and spend alittle each month it will prolly be more expensive in the long run to do it this way then just buying a crate motor but I will not have learned anything and I just can't see having 3K to plunk down at one time

 

[cruiser_guy]

Sacrilege!!



Whatever floats your boat! I have the 3B turbocharged diesel in my trucks and love it but then they aren't towing and I really don't need to go 80mph on the Interstate.

I'd buy a V8 rather than rebuild one. They are cheap to buy at the wreckers.

 

[JackA]

I want to know how it weighs that much? My F250 4x4 only weigh 6400.

 

[2fpower]

Not to start an argument, but you are not comparing apples to apples.

Think of each thick piece of metal on the Toyota vs the thin plastic and thin metal parts on the new truck. Have you ever picked up a fender on a new vehicle? Seen the damage to a bumper with a 5 mph hit? Plastic is everywhere on new cars.

Engine is basically a tractor engine in the Toyota. I recall reading a post once that stated that the stock 2f weighed more than a 350 chevy.

 

[apeterson]

I want to know how it weighs that much? My F250 4x4 only weigh 6400.

a standard fj40 with hard top, 33" tires and some bumpers on it is tiping the scale at almost 5K lbs.

so think about the added length of the 45 wagon.

 

[foxfab]

Zoom Zoom says the turbo 2F

 

[cruiser_guy]

Not to start an argument, but you are not comparing apples to apples.

Think of each thick piece of metal on the Toyota vs the thin plastic and thin metal parts on the new truck. Have you ever picked up a fender on a new vehicle? Seen the damage to a bumper with a 5 mph hit? Plastic is everywhere on new cars.

Engine is basically a tractor engine in the Toyota. I recall reading a post once that stated that the stock 2f weighed more than a 350 chevy.

'Zactly!! The older trucks were made of steel, not tin foil. When pulling dents from an older vehicle the body guys need to work ALOT harder than with the new tin foil fenders.

 

[fogblanket]

JackA you must work for Alcan spring they did not believe that my truck weighted that much either I am on my 3rd set of rear springs in a year and a half. this last set seems to be holding the truck level.

the main fuse blew on Wilma a month or so ago after we were messing with the trailer lights. I had a spare int eh glove box but it did not work either so road side diagnostics and a weak flash light led me to think I had bad main fues holder so I had Wilma towed home.(AAA gold membership) first tow truck they sent could not get Wilma up the ramp

the steel is 16 gauge and the whole back end has atleast 2 layers o it and in some places 3 where as modern cars have switched to plastic interiors. you also have a pick up where Wilma has a full 16 gauge roof.

 

[JackA]

I have a good grasp for what this stuff weighs. Sure the Fords body panels are light but the drivetrain and frame sure isn't. The axles are way heavier than the Toy axles. I have plenty of reference vehicles here too.....even an LV. The body on the LV and 55 seem like tin cans to me.
Either way it's cool to hear the weight of this rig. I plan to build mine similar, except it will have a V8
Cool rig and keep up the good work.