Topic: 83 Chevota

[TOYOTA4X4]

:dunno:First let me say that I am a diehard toy nut, but in moment of moral and financial weakness I began to build an '83 Yota that currently has a 337 stroker (305 - .30 over, 400 crank), TH350, NP205. rear axle has V6 diff w/ 5.29's and detroit locker, front axle still has 4:10's, no front driveshaft, 6" lift, 3" body lift and 38.5/15' Gumbo Mudders. Anyway I started the build in 97 after i had munched my second toy transmission in less than a year. The chevy stuff was laying around from various other projects for friends (think free parts!! ) and I thought what the hell. Unfortunatley I have had a rash of bad luck with most of the drivetrain parts that has kept the truck grounded for most of the last two years. (I guess I got what I paid for huh?) My questions was for anybody else out there running V8"s and how well have their swaps been holding up? It has been one thing after another with this damn truck, and in the meanwhile I bought a very clean 85 4runner and have driven it without any real problems whatsoever. The toy side of me says scrap the chevy crap and just stick to toyota, but I have a stubborn streak and I hate to have all of my work come to nothing. When the truck ran, it was unstoppable and there was just something cool about  being able to outrun a 4.6 Mustang light to light in a toyota truck :up: In the back of my screwy brain I still want to finish the truck with an SM465, dual tcase, maybe AOR springs, the problem is I don't know if it's worth it. Anyway just thought I would ask anyone out there for some food for thought.  

[JWHurst]

I just completed a Chevy 350 5.7L into my (82 SR5 Longbed) now 72 Landcruiser with a hydraulic dumpbed with a roll-off bed box.  I've been building this Cruiser for two years now after flipping it on it's roof.  
The 350 conversion went pretty easily with parts from AdvancedAdapter.com.  I did have to fabricate motor mount pads on the frame and move the Tranny crossmember back 5.25 inches.  Of course shafts had to lengthened/shortened also!  The end result is great!  With all the power you'll ever need plus the 5-speed allows you to spread your usable power to whatever RPM you want your engine to run in.
Although I have granaded the transmission once.  The Toyota dealership is working on getting it rebuilt strong enough.  We shall see.  The Toyota 5-speed is supposidly designed to only handle 100 HP vice 300 HP.  Driven sensibly I'm told, it should hold up.  I don't think the 5-speed would hold up to rock crawling though!

[JWHurst]

The Toyota 5-speed didn't hold up.  I'm putting in a NV4500 now!

[over_rev]

hey jwurst what model tranny did you run?

[over_rev]

did a specific gear blow out ? or case cracked?

[e_cliff]

i have a sm465 and duel cases i like it but something about not being able to shift it fast enough when racing around  make the engine spin to fast and causes it to knock lol


cliff

[JWHurst]

I haven't been here for awhile, so here is an update on my Cruiser.  To answer a few questions first:  One, the old Toyota 5 speed was a 83' because the original 82' had the bell housing cast as part of the tranny.  Advanced Adapters sells a bell that fits Toyota trannys to Chevy engines.  I don't know exactly which model tranny it was, either a W or a G I believe.  Two, when the Toyota 5-speed went out both times, it wasn't the case that failed.  It was the cluster gears.  When they went out it left me with 4th gear only.

The fix for the tranny problems was the New Venture NV4500 5-speed.  The one that I located is a early years version that has the Granny gear first and revers.  If you thinking of using a NV4500, search the internet about them before you buy!  There are various versions of them.  Also, mine came from a Chevy 1 ton four by four!

The latest woa's!  Now that I have the drive line strengthened enough, I'm blowing out pinions.  This is the second time the 82' SR5 axle couldn't handle the extra power.  Even driven very conservitively this last time Toyota 8" axles can't handle it.  The problem is the third member only supports the pinion on one bearing at the front of the case. 

I'm now researching Ford 9" axles.  They should handle the power because their pinions are supported by two bearing!  One at the same position as the Toyota design and another on the other side of the pinion gear it's self.  Yes they have a now out the end of the pinion like the input shaft on your tranny to the engine.  This suspends the gear its self between the two bearings.  The problem I'm having is inding which Ford trucks used a 6 lug pattern on the axles.  I don'w want to have five lug rears and six lug fronts.

[kneedownnate]

The problem I'm having is inding which Ford trucks used a 6 lug pattern on the axles.  I don'w want to have five lug rears and six lug fronts.

The only fords I've seen running a six lug pattern are the old HD trucks, and they used the big six lug pattern.  If you wanna run six lugs on a 9" I think you're gonna hafta buy aftermarket axles,    Nate

[Thumper]

Hmm seems like your not doing something right when you say blowing out toyota rear axels.
Me and my buddy spent about a year and a half building his truck from the frame up, started with painted the frame and cage red then body and toy axels black, then came the power OMG gota love the power the v8 has over the 4 banger. TOTALLY  WORTH IT ALL! its got a chevy 350 with port and polished heads low too mid cams, pistions were selectfited too each cylinder, that means you measure each pistion and bore each cylinder too the exact pistion size, giveing much more tighter tolerences and lasts much longer, anyway then went too a turbo 350 with shiftkit and installed bigger springs or sprags something like that he did that part dont remember much about it, then runs too duel cases threw advance adapters 350 2 toy adapter then marlins duel case adapter then too the stock axels with 4.38's now was high pinions ft and rear but sold them. we have our own redneck super birfields that havent failed yet and stock rear axels and has 7 inch skyjacker springs up front 2 inch shackles and 3 inch bodylift, with 3 link in the rear with cherokee coils and duel inborded shocks, rideing on 2 inch bs wheels with 38/15.50/15 super swamper sx's.
truck gets wheeled at least 3 weekends a month usally all weekend and only broke 1 rear axle shaft but that was from getting bound up under some rocks that fell around it and wouldent move well hammerded it and bam snapped it and took out the rear hp as well but still wheeled the rest of the day in ft wheel drive.
truck is deff not babyed and works great so i encourage you too finish it it will be well worth the work.
and with the v8 i would drop back too factory 4.10s or 4.38s for strength plus with the v8 its got lots of low end tourqe so you dont need the gears.
Well thats my 
goodluck let us know what you decided too do.
adam