FJ60 E-ROD Swap - SRMINT - Stoffregen Motorsports

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Learning the hard way that the LC9 truck accessory drive would not work with the LS3, we opted to use the accessory drive from a Corvette. It fits a lot tighter to the block, but offers no mechanical fan capabilites, wich I normally like to use. Instead of banging my head against the wall trying to keep the mechanical clutch fan, we also purchased a fan module from SPAL and mounted it to the Champion radiator. We now have a modern cooling system with plenty of cooling for the 420 HP and it fits in a nice, tidy package.





The bracket for the fans to fit the radiator was fabricated out of 16 ga steel.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

A couple of pinch points exist with this drive setup, but with a little tweaking, everything was made to fit alright.

The A/C compressor is very tight against the frame rail, but tight is ok, as long as it is still easy enough to remove if it needs to be. A custom A/C hose manifold was sourced from Hawks Motorsports for this.







The power steering pump is also close, but not close enough to worry about. The pressure fitting on the back of the pump was a problem however, until I found the right nipple.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

If I lived closer I'd come sweep your floors and clean and bring your beer all for free just to be able to watch you do some work your craftsmanship is amazing

Beer and work don't mix. Unless it's something dangerous like cleaning the chimney cap or changing a lightbulb 23 feet up in the air, or climbing trees with a chainsaw...

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Time to build the intake tube and air box.

I've done this swap a few times so I know what works and what doesn't. The air box templates I have make for a nice fit in the battery area. I ditch the OEM battery tray brace and incorporate it into the front of the air box.



Now that I know where to point the intake tube, let's cut some tubing.





Gotta have a nice deep bead on the lip of the tube.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I'll give you a full size pic to enjoy.

 

[LiveWire64]

Beautiful work. Looks better than factory!

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Thank you. That is always my goal, to build them at least as good as the factory did.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Fabricating an air box is not something that everyone agrees upon. Most guys who do engine swaps just hang the air filter out there and leave it at that. But then that air cleaner sucks up heat from under the hood...? Yes, the original engine that came in the FJ60 breathed under hood air, but modern EFI engines usually have some sort of cold air intake from the factory. The take air from the fender well, the radiator support or even the cowl. Hot air can lead to bad engine performance. Cold air equals more HP potential.

The way I look at it is if these trucks are going to be used in extreme conditions, they should be built to deal with the extremes. If you're out in the desert running 2/3 throttle at 80 MPH through the sand, intake air temp matters.

My air boxes are not completely isolated from engine bay heat. That would require a lot more work and time than it's worth. Instead, I simply point the intake tube to a location where I know cold air enters the engine bay, and then I build a heat shield around it. In the case of the FJ60/62, the battery box area has a large hole in the inner fender support that takes air from behind the headlight area. Part of my design replaces the battery tray strut rod and incorporates it into the air box. Yes, it makes the battery area tight, but I would rather utilize this area and leave the driver side fender well open for items like an ARB compressor and auxiliary battery.

Here are some pics of what I built yesterday.

 

[Mako1114]

Very, very nice work! Would it make sense to modify the air intake for a snorkel with pre-filter?

Cheers

 

[onemanarmy]

such impressive work. anyone who balks at the price of conversions should read this thread.

please no snorkel.

are you gonna use a 'factory' style pleated filter or a cone filter? Those washable cone filters are questionable when it comes to engine longevity.

 

[CampStewart]

What engine mounts do you use?

 

[Metcalf]

Dang it......now I need a bead roller....nice job!

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Very, very nice work! Would it make sense to modify the air intake for a snorkel with pre-filter?

Cheers

If that's what one wants, it can certainly be done.

Thank you.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

such impressive work. anyone who balks at the price of conversions should read this thread.

please no snorkel.

are you gonna use a 'factory' style pleated filter or a cone filter? Those washable cone filters are questionable when it comes to engine longevity.

I am using the filter that came with the E-ROD kit. The cone filters do a pretty good job, but if you aren't comfortable, there are sock style prefilters available.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

What engine mounts do you use?

The engine mounts are from Advance Adapters. They are a bit on the bulky side, but I have reasons for using them.

A- they are very easy to use.
B- they offer a ton of cushion, while not being soft.
C- they are easy to source when replacement time comes. The style has been in use for at least three decades.
D- removal and reinstallation of the engine is so much easier when you don't have a clamshell style mount to contend with.