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FJ55 Engine/Tranny Options with Stock Height

4846 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  jerseypiggy, 
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I had sent this to Dieselcruiserhead originally on ih8mud and he asked me to post it here so everyone could get smart from his answers so here goes-

The 1972 FJ55 I bought about a month ago is here, finally!! Here's my request for guidance. I definately want to go the 4BT series route but I want to try and keep it as close to stock as possible as far as height goes. You mentioned in your ih8mud build thread about engine height and I was hoping you could be specific. What's the minimum amount you would have to raise yours to fit this engine. Or are there other 4*** engines out there that will fit?
Next question is tranny. I don't have the coin for the NV5600 so what are some other options? Last question, transfer case options? I'm not going to go the 80 series frame route like you did, I just don't have the knowledge to weld at that skill level so I'm probably just going to either use the springs/axles off the 60 I got for parts or something else. I was reading up on diesels and gearing options and for me I want something that's good for the highway(towing) and light off-roading, nothing extreme like alot of folks.
Any advice is much appreciated.
Drew
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dieselcruiserhead
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No worries and didn't mean it that way just wanted to maybe get a couple more perspectives since there are a bunch of cruiser guys... Anyone have thoughts on lift height? On my 55, there was basically very little room even with the SOA with the stock axle. I gained a little more by putting a 60 axle in the front, but still about 4" was the bare minimum, unless you cut into the body a little bit and move the whole thing up that way including a 'taller' dog house, and mount the engine / trans / etc all a little higher... Which is totally doable... And either way you have to modify the dog house...

Here is what I did last time with the SOA...

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CrewCab59
72FJ55,

I wouldn't use the Nv5600 go with Nv4500 much smaller,lighter,cheaper.The 5600 would be way over kill ( but that's me).

It sound like you going to have to do a spring over axle or lift it 4'' .The weight will bring it down a little any way.

Thanks
CrewCab59
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tndonor
I would get the dimensions of you motor in in the Cruiser and compare it to a
Cummins. Then factor wieght difference as to what you need to lift due to height differences and the sag you will get with weight differences.

NV4500 is a great tranny. Low first, overdrive, and not $$$$$$$$. You will pay some for any transmission that is in good condition or to have it built to handle the different torque curve.

If you are not going to do any hardcore offroading, gearing wont rack your brain too hard. The 4B has the torque curve to afford you a little higher gear for fuel economy, highway running, and towing. If you use the NV4500, you have a low first gear to start a trailer, or negotiate offroad obstacles. If you need more gear, use 4L.

Use an RPM calculator to get your RPM to tire size right. Then let the motor work down in the low RPMs where its happy and produces gkbbs of torque.

That where I would start. Hope that helps.
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dieselcruiserhead
agreed with everything these guys are saying... The trans options are the NV4500 or the H55F Land Cruiser one.. I would run 3.70s even with 35's, best gearing available in the cruiser axles. You can switch to FJ60 3rd members that bolt into the land cruiser diffs that are 3.70 gearing.. There are also some ford 5 speed options that might save you some money, but not sure if there are adapter out there to a LC t case. That is what I would use, or a LT230 from a Land Rover to get front and rear dual offset t case...
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Dieselcruiserhead -Thanks for suggesting to post here. You're right, it's always better to get as many perspectives about this as possible.
I want to do everything I can to keep the amount of lift to a minimum. I've got the 60 that I'm parting out so I've got a front axle I can use which sounds like it will help. How far back did you mount your engine? If I push it up close to the firewall and up into the doghouse, how much space do you think I could buy myself. I don't want to get too close, I run my MG motor so close that the bellhousing is less than an inch from the firewall and the cockpit gets a bit toasty on warm days.
I should have explained myself better about transmissions. As the winds blow right now, it needs to be an automatic and I don't see that requirement changing anytime soon.
Last question. Where is a good source to get dimensions of 4** engines. I had read on another post that they do vary in size somewhat so maybe a smaller less powerful model would work.
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J
so, how did it turn out?
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