Last weekend I attended the Fall Gathering in New Hampshire, and on the last day a guy from Boston showed up and wanted to ride with someone; seeing as we had the magic school bus, Ross and I invited him to ride in the Princess. We talked Cruisers on the way to the trailhead, and it turns out the guy's FJ40, which looked pretty tame from a distance, has an interesting drivetrain. He and his brother swapped the engine, tranny, t-case and rear axle from a 1985 mini truck! They kept the front axle and the truck already had power steering (it's a 1979), but I was impressed at how clean the swap looked, and wheeler that I am, I started thinking of the advantages of a cheap and effective 5-speed, possibility of Marlin gears, electric locker, etc... I asked how well the 22R pulled the truck, and he said fine, not winning any races but the weight of the FJ40 with an aluminum tub is very close to the weight of the original mini the drivetrain was in, and the mileage is certainly better. Although not the traditional "need-more-power" engine swap, I was pretty interested in the vehicle, seems like a little-explored possibility, and the recent explosion of minitruck aftermarket support and the ready availability of trucks makes it even more interesting! Just thought I'd share, I thought it was pretty cool.

Kewl idea!!

I have often questioned my V8 conversion. Each time I drive a I6 cruiser or 4 banger mini-truck I am reminded of how little hp is really needed to crawl. It's all in the torque and tire placement. The higher hp just makes going down the highway and breaking things on the trail much easier.

You may have stumbled onto the next "craze" for swaps.

For myself, I would consider the Toyota V6. A bit more power than the 22RE in a compact package!

Yes I've been thinking about the newer 3.4 V6 in a 40. My wife says no more engine conversions though.

Later!

Eric V.

Approximately what would a steel tub fj40 weigh if you swapped that drive train w/crawler? Compared to a mini)The 40 would not have a hard top and run 33s.
You got me thinking..............<IMG width=32 height=34 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/bulb4.gif">

....by the way I think, "Ilean" from the mini truck board runs this set up on a flat fender Jeep.

[ 09-28-2001: Message edited by: bennett ]

I talked about the 4.3L vortec swap into a 40 with Butch Lewis, who runs that setup. He says it is an excellent swap, fits nice, doesn't get as hot as the V8s and works fine on- and off-road. The only real problem is that the weight of the F/2F isn't there anymore to keep the front end down. Guess this would apply to a 22RE or Toy V6 swap too.

Wasn't there an FJ45 pickup in one of the 4x4 mags a couple years ago with a 22RE swap?

If I was gonna put another Toyota engine in my cruiser, it would have to be a diesel!

morgan

What about one of the newer Toyota 6 cylinders?

Henry, did they swap the rear axle to SUA, or was the whole truck SOA, in keeping with the stock mini truck rear (and front, of course) set up? <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by morgan:
<STRONG>

Wasn't there an FJ45 pickup in one of the 4x4 mags a couple years ago with a 22RE swap?


morgan</STRONG>

Yeah, it was an FJ45 wagon and I think it was Four Wheeler magazine. I'll have to see if I have it kicking around somewhere.

henry,
did you get any pics...sounds like a sweet setup...maybe i'll look into that for my fj45 project (i'll have to find someway to set up the pto though)

i'm going to have to disagree with most of you guys. not trying to pick a fight here, just stating some of my findings. i drive a 45 wagon, which right now has a stock 74 gm 350 in it and it's not exactly a speed demon. on a steep hill i have to downshift to 4th. running 35's and 4.11 gears. i know that the 6 cyl would have even less power climbing a steep hill so a 4 cyl would be a waste of time. i know that the wagons are a bit heavier than the p/u's but not that much, eventhough the gauge of the body panels themselves is heavier than a p/u or regular fj40 and there's a lot of glass in it. i firmly believe that a 4 cyl would not produce enough power to even keep a cruiser at decent freeway speeds. and let's be honest, how many of us actually drive a stock cruiser without bigger tires, bumpers and all the other goodies that add a lot of weight. the only advantages i see would be some weight savings compared to the 6 cyl, but so is a small block. fuel economy might be a little better, but with how hard that little 22r would have to work, i don't think it's worth mentioning the difference.
but be my guest and prove me wrong. i did'nt even like the lack of power the 4 cyl had when i had a mini so i can not even imagine driving a cruiser with one in it.
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[ 09-28-2001: Message edited by: orangeFJ45wagon ]

That's why I asked about the newer 6 cylinders.

Tundra V8 maybe?

Yeah I think I would hate a 4 banger in my cruiser,I just got my tires (38.5) and I noticed quite a bit of performance loss even with the proper gears with my SBC.

I suppose you would be ok on the trail ,but if you had to drive on the street you would be hating life <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

the newer 4.3 v6 would probably be ok in a fj40. the toyota 6 cyl does not impress me at all. ever driven a 4runner with one in it?! not exactly a thrill. the import V6's and V8's would be a tuff conversion with all the extra electrical and polution control stuff also. who would set up your harness. how about the computer and all the sensors needed?
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I was checking out that 40 quite a bit.. I seem to remember the front still being SUA.. but I think the rear was left stock SOA.. The guy did a great job.. But I was more interested in that Acualu tub he had on it...

PS 60seriesguy... Did I mention your set up rocks??!! I still love that trailer set up!
~Lee (Maroon 2nd Gen 4Runner..)

Thanks, the old school bus did pretty well on the trails this time, despite her "West Coast" modifications!!
I didn't get any pictures of the Hilux FJ40, but I got the guy's contact info in anticipation of doing an article on TT. Front axle was stock 1979 FJ40 axle under the springs, I *think* (but don't quote me) that the rear was also spring under. I'll get back to this board when I have more info! <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">