Josh Boltrek is one of the really knowledgeable cruiserheads I have had the pleasure to meet. He authored the History of the Land Cruiser which is on the TLCA web site. A couple months ago someone asked about installing an H55F five speed Land Cruiser tranny into a later FJ40. Josh had already put one into his 1983 FJ40, and shared this:
G'day Doug,
If memory serves, the H55F is approx 90mm longer than the H41. You
will have to change both shafts (longer front, shorter aft). The clutch is
the same, but you will have to grind out the small dog-ears on the top curve
of the hourglass shape on your bell housing from the H41. This is done to
accomodate the small tabs on the H55Fs input shaft housing. Be certain to get
the top loader from a 40 series (42, 45 or 47) so that it will allow the
shifter to exit into the cab through the same hole as factory. You will also
want to get the transfer case shifter linkage and lever from the H55F to
allow your transfer shifter to function properly. On the H41 the mount is
forward of the hump, and thus has a shorter centre pivot. In addition, the
linkage is longer to allow the shifter to reach the transfer case. Also be
certain that you get all of the bolts from the transfer case that came on the
H55f, as this will allow you to more easily place your transer case on the
back of the H55F. Your shifter from the H41 will work on your H55F if you cut
3/4 of a spiral off of the tensioner spring and get the little plastic boot
that goes on the bottom of the shifter on the H55F. If you have any other
questions, please feel free to contact me offline.
Cheers,
Joshua Boltrek
Beech18pilot@aol.com
TLCA# 2344
83 FJ40 'Piglet'
84 HJ47 'Patches'
"It is impossible to engage in true dialog with those that are closed-minded and intollerant... they are incapable of carrying on a dialog, only a monolog." ~Daisaku Ikeda