Crash's 1988 Land Cruiser Build

[Crash_OK]

Update.. Been real busy at work and haven’t worked a great deal on the Land Cruiser. I did get my AC lines built.. Thanks Mike (TIG) and Kyle (crimp).. I have them installed and I am hoping to get it charged this evening. The AC was not working when I purchased the truck, so there may be some other issues, we will see.





I also built a Toyota to GM cruise control convertor. Not so much Toyota to GM, but more normally closed switch to normally open switch convertor. I built the same thing for my 69 K10 project, except I didn’t use a printed circuit board. It really only takes 2 relays to do this, but I added a third for a input into my new Dakota Digital Gauge set I hope to install in the next week or two.













Got the tailpipes done at a local muffler shop in Checotah Oklahoma.. They did a great job.



Found an hairline crack in the oil pan.. not sure how it got there, but it was there, no damage to the pan that I could see other than the crack.. I contacted my engine guy and he gave me a different pan to replace this one with.. I replaced it Sunday morning and all is good again. The original pan had some crud in the bottom of it, but no bearing material that I could see..



I have addressed a few of the items on my list from the last update…
1. Get the tailpipes installed.. I built the exhaust back to the mufflers, but I think I will take it to the muffler shop to get the tailpipes done.
DONE
2. Get the AC lines completed and evac and charge the AC.
Almost Done
3. Get the front driveshaft modified..
Taking it to the shop this week
4. Get the injector issue fixed
I think it is getting much better.. I have another set of injectors to install, but I think I will see if these continue to improve.
5. Get the engine knock issue fixed
This one is difficult.. It is not a knock like a main or rod, it could be piston slap.. or maybe it is nothing at all.. I swear I can hear something sometimes, but others do not hear it.. There are times I don’t hear it as well.. I have done a lot of reading on the L33 engine, and this noise appears to be common on some L33 and 5.3 in general.. As noted above I did not find bearing material in the oil pan I replaced. I still have a few weeks of warranty left, so I will continue to drive it and see if it gets worse.

I drove the Land Cruiser from Eufaula to Edmond (150 miles) yesterday afternoon.. Air Temp was around 96F. The oil pressure was solid at 50#@2400rpm, 35#@idle. Water temp never got over 205F and ran most of the time around 197F to 200F, I have a 195F Thermostat I believe. Transmission felt great, engine felt great. I set the Cruise to 77mph for most of the trip and it worked prefect. There were a few times I got into the gas pedal a little, and it has no problem moving.. The drivetrain is very smooth and noise free at speed. I got about 16mpg the best I can tell. Overall I am very happy with the swap.

I know there are people who are purist and would never degrade a Toyota with a GM engine, I get that, (I heard the same thing when I built the 69 K10 and the 5.3)but for those of us who are not purist, the 5.3 is a great power plant for this vehicle.

I am working on a spreadsheet with the cost for this swap and will post it soon; in addition I am working on a wiring schematic for the swap. Someone might find it useful in the future.