FJ40 I call Shipwreck

[Loren]

Look at this:


That's a Muncie welded into a Toyota case, for desert racing. Not what you'd want, and too bad the weather's gotten to it, I picked it up 'way back for something I didn't wind up using it for. I'm not sure how bulletproof that t-case is anyhow, there's some pretty small-diameter stuff in there...if you were gonna hold out for something tougher that could be a good thing.

[SuperBuickGuy]

There's always 3 levels to a build
1) what you should build - generally about 25% of what you think you need
2) what you want to build - usually about 50% more than what you actually need
3) unobtainium - the stuff dreams are made of because these come along with their travel adventure of spending the next 20 years hitting all 4wd spots

What I should build is a 4.3/5.0/5/7 with the 5 speed I already have and a Toyota t-case.
What I want to build - duramax diesel, nv4500, corporate 14 rear, dana 60 front atlas 2 transfer case
Unobtainium - art morrison chassis (no kidding, he builds chassis for these things), 532 ci, aluminum bbc, 6L80e, custom differentials atlas 4 speed transfer case

What I will build won't be huge hp, but it will be capable of upgrade.... 400 sbc, turbo 400, atlas 2 transfer case, 3 link front, 4 link rear. I'm leaning away from a manual because 4x4s are easier to drive with an automatic, and sometimes the difference between winching or driving is a deft touch - something that's not easy with a manual... also, those blanking birfields will live a lot longer with an automatic. As I narrow in on what I want to build, I can save myself bucks at the outset because it's a right output, and rear center output transfer case... in short, a GM transfer case... which means I can make it go for not-a-lot-of money but have plenty of room on the table to upgrade as funds and deals happen. Heck, if I find a NP208 with a non-slip yoke rear, that might be the transfer case of choice initially.

[silver_bullet]

I vote for a combination of 1 and 2... 5.7ls...NV4500, Atlas, and beefy axles...

[SuperBuickGuy]

hmmm... a 9" ford from stock


I even think I have a back truss that will work, install a top truss and this thing is golden

and what is getting in the way of working on it

[Russell]

I must have missed it. What is the deal with the vette frame?

[SuperBuickGuy]

a friend bought a 77 Corvette and is doing a frame off restoration, in GM performance they recommend completing the welds to fully weld the frame, I offered to weld up his frame.... et voila
it's going really well because he did a good job of cleaning the frame, then had it sand blasted.

[Deaf Bob]

I'm not surprised at all that a frame needs rewelding! Not one damn bit! ... We do 1-6 "body off" frames a year.. There are places that are missed in critical spots by the factory... Poor welds.. Look like welds but are slag.. Be surprised!

[SuperBuickGuy]

I got into it with a former union worker who was on the C3 assembly line - I said that the biggest issue with unions was they allowed crap like this to come off the line. He took offense to that (good), and I still dislike him and everything he stands for. To anyone else, they'd never let crap like that leave their place of work - ever - their pride in their work wouldn't allow it. Maybe now things are better since their pensions, to a large part, rest on the work they do... but every US made, 70s car is full of crap just like that.... and every 70s union worker blames the engineers... which, would be true if if the engineer could go beat them down for such crap build quality (like what would have happened had I done work like that) unfortunately, they couldn't and now there's a huge number of reasonably priced, V8, rwd cars that kill autocross courses.... if only we could just get DF and company to start cutting up rice rather than US cars.... but that's another battle for another day ;)

[Deaf Bob]

Been that way on 50's and 60's Fords, 70's GM's that I saw.. One 58 Edsel was mostly slag that when I took the wire brush to it, there were BB sized spots every foot or so holding the frame together, could see where frame halves were rubbing.. If you guys are going to put serious power thru any year car from 50's up, weld the suspension mount points at least! There is a satisfying THUD when dropping a welded frame versus a alf welded or non welded frame.. That 60 Ford in the video I sent you was firewall forward welded (as allowed, not taken advantage of by others) you can compare that to the others in his event.. Big difference!

[silver_bullet]

we were already planning on covering all of the welds on our projects as well as boxing the frames when feasible...have seen too many failures!

[SuperBuickGuy]

and the motor....


for the old timers, this motor is the one I blew up in my Buick... before the 455.

[DanStokes]

You didn't blow it up. The Buick appropriately spit it out! A Chebby in a Buick - I think not!

But the SBC in the Toy is probably OK as they came with a stovebolt six (well, almost).

Dan

[SuperBuickGuy]

there is little on the FJ40, mechanically speaking, that isn't GM. for example, the bearings and seals in the axles are 1 ton GM... it's one of the reasons I really like them..

[SuperBuickGuy]

decision time. I've priced the cost of rebuilding the 400.... $450 for a kit with pistons, $400 in machine work (press on the new pistons, cam bearings, bore for the new pistons, and clean the block). Add another $200 for a cam and I'm at $1050 - there will be no misc. parts because I have scads of SBC parts (like 3 engines worth of arp stuff)... if I put EFI on it, it'd cost at least $1200.

or buy a LS 6.0 truck motor. That would cost $1750 for the motor, $400 for a pump, and $300 for a program and wire harness.... and it'd be EFI.... the motor has ~150k miles (there are several available)

What I'd have is the same hp, the 400 would have about 50 lbs more torque

thoughts?

[cstmwgn]

similar costs IF everything is included in the "kit".
So you would have a FRESH 400 vs a used (~150k) LS 6

What is the question again?