186:1 Crawl Ratio That Hits 75 MPH--FJ40 Drivetrain Breakdown

My 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 runs a 186:1 crawl ratio for the rocks, yet it still cruises at 75 miles per hour at 2500 RPM on the highway. This video breaks down the exact drivetrain components used to build it: the one-ton Dana 60 and Corporate 14-bolt axles, the NV4500 transmission, the Atlas 4-speed transfer case, and the 403 horsepower LS engine. This is my formula for a crawler that doesn't need to be trailered.

This build took four years of weekends plus a year of fine-tuning to complete. I had one goal: build a drivetrain that could crawl technical obstacles while traveling comfortably at highway speeds. The old 383 only got 4 to 6 miles per gallon, so I rarely drove it. The new 1-ton setup with the LS engine doubled that economy to 13 MPG. I've proven this setup on Blanca Peak and Holy Cross, and now it's ready for Moab, Sand Creek and the Rubicon.

Special thanks to the ih8mud community for the encouragement to finish this build, and to my dad, the original owner.

BUILD SPECS:
• Engine: Gen 4 6.2L LS (2008 Cadillac Escalade) - 403 HP / 417 ft-lbs
• Transmission: Hybrid NV4500 (6.34 first gear, 0.75 overdrive)
• Transfer Case: Atlas 4-speed (2.11:1 main, 2.72:1 reduction box)
• Front Axle: Dana 60 low-pinion, 5.13 gears, ARB lockers, 35-spline chromoly
• Rear Axle: Corporate 14-bolt full-float, 5.13 gears, ARB lockers
• Tires: 40-inch
• Crawl Ratio: 186.7:1
• Fuel Economy: 13 MPG
• Weight: 6,000 lbs

KEY COMPONENTS:
Reid Racing knuckles & inner C's
Artec double-shear steering arms
PSC 1.75" x 8" hydraulic assist ram
Tom Woods 1350 drivelines
Busted Knuckle Off Road carrier bearing
DeWitts 26" aluminum radiator
Dual 11" Spal brushless fans
Custom 22-gallon aluminum fuel tank
Walbro 255 LPH pump
70s Cadillac Eldorado disc brakes

DIMENSIONS:
Axle width: 63"
Wheelbase: 109"
Body stretch: 14"

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PART NUMBERS:

Transmission & Adapters:
• Bellhousing Adapter - 712577 - Advance Adapters
• NV4529SP 4WD GM Input Rebuilt - 26-0029ZGM 1 - Advance Adapters
• NV4500-1996 GM BHSG Adapt - 712576 1 - Advance Adapters
• Slave Cyl Brkt / Gen3 Vortec - 716286 1 - Advance Adapters
• Gen-3 Vortec TLC Manual Trans - 712500T 1 - Advance Adapters
• Chevy LS1 Universal Mount Kit - 713088 1 - Advance Adapters
• NV45 Shifter Handle-Chevy - 716050C 1 - Advance Adapters
• Switch-Back Up Light NV45 - 45-0006 1 - Advance Adapters
• Gasket-Back Up Light Switch - 45-0007 1 - Advance Adapters
• Vent-NV45 Top Cover - 45-0008 1 - Advance Adapters
• Red Line-NV45 Oil, 5 QTS - 715690A 1 - Advance Adapters

Electrical Components:
• Expandable Fuse Block - 85668 - Dorman
• Relay Socket - SRLY-2 - www.allelectronics.com
• Relay 30 Amp - RLY-351 - www.allelectronics.com
• Relay Terminal 14-18 AWG - 571-42238-2 - www.mouser.com
• OBD2 Port Plastic Connector, 16 Pin - 829-12110250 - www.mouser.com
• Terminals (for OBD2 port) - 829-12129373 - www.mouser.com
• Terminal Lock (secures terminals) - 829-12160437 - www.mouser.com

Exhaust:
• Summit Racing Cast Exhaust Manifolds - SUM-G9084B - Summit Racing

Fuel System:
• Tanks Inc - Fuel pump stand & sender (14" floatless, 0-90 ohm)
• Kartek Offroad - -6 AN fuel lines
• Walbro 255 LPH pump

Other Key Parts:
• Currie 4x4 - Custom axle shafts
• Busted Knuckle Off Road - Carrier bearing assembly
• Tom Woods - Drivelines

ABOUT THIS CRUISER:

This Land Cruiser has a long history with the family. It was the family car from when it was new until the early 1990s. Every summer we used to drive it with a military trailer behind us to the San Juan Mountains, traveling between Creede, Silverton, Lake City, and Ouray, Colorado. I bought it from my dad as my first car and drove it stock until 1999. For more than 20 years, it ran on Alcan leaf springs with a spring-over lift and 35-inch tires, tackling some of the toughest trails rated 9 out of 10. That includes Pritchett Canyon, Cliffhanger, and Golden Spike in Utah, as well as Carnage Canyon, Blanco Peak, and Holy Cross in Colorado. I would like to drive it on the Rubicon, Fordyce, multiple trails back east, and potentially all the way to Alaska someday.

Chapters
00:00 186:1 Crawl Ratio
00:30 Thank You, iH8Mud Community
00:55 1-Ton Axle Purchase
1:24 Front Axle Specifications
1:56 Lessons Learned and Drive Shaft Bind
2:21 Installing Reid Racing Cs and Knuckles
2:55 PSC Hydraulic Assist Ram Setup
3:21 Shortening Rear Corporate 14 Bolt
3:43 Lessons Learned With Eldorado Disk Brakes
4:15 NV4500 Setup
4:53 Transfer Case Options
5:11 Atlas 4 Setup
6:30 Tom Woods Drivelines
6:55 Lessons Learned With Two-Piece Driveline
8:08 6.2L LS Engine Overview
9:14 Engine Position for Cooling and Performance
9:32 Wiring the LS Engine
11:05 Fuel System and Tank
12:23 Next Video