Swapping the RC62F Manual Transmission for the RC60F

I've got an older Yotawerx tune on mine but it does move the redline up and keep the fuel cutoff from being hit while I'm pretending to be a Subaru

The 3.5 is pretty decent on trails. Other than sitting while facing uphill due to that idiotic oil sump placement. But in 4LO even with 4.30 and 33s I haven't really run into issues.

It's no 4.0, but it'll hold its own

 

Yeah, I can run stock or OTT either with the redline raised to 6800 rpm which helps a lot. But with 5.29s and the transmission, that means 3rd gear still taps out at like 80 mph. Not near good enough for a fast pass. Have to use 4th which is mediocre, definitely better than stock 4th but not near as good as stock 3rd. So it kind of puts you in a weird spot.

Some tunes go higher than 6800, like 7250 with OV, which would certainly help, but I start getting uncomfortable beyond 6800. I feel fine with 6800 because Toyota takes it that high on some of the other OEM 3.5s. That is the only reason I’m okay with the tunes raising it to that amount in the truck.

 

If anyone in the South East is looking at doing this swap, car-parts.com is showing interchange and 6 available in Mississippi, the Corolina's and Florida. I am waiting to see if something pops up closer to me.

 

Nice. They must be starting to become more common in wrecks. I checked there daily for over a year and never saw a single one. Even like a month ago just out of curiosity, still saw none at all no matter how far away I set it. Hopefully this becomes a viable option for some soon.

Although I will say those prices are not really better than what I paid for new, at Black Friday of course. So for some it might still make more sense to either wait and buy new at BF or bite the bullet and buy new even not at BF.

Sucks these things are so expensive.

 

Just thought I'd share, parts.toyota.com (where I bought my transmission) is running a similar deal to the Black Friday deal I got. Parts are 20% off if you can find a dealer near you that participates on that site. I got 25% back at Black Friday, so this is only slightly worse.

MSRP on the transmission has gone up from about $3800 to almost $3900, and my local dealer is not discounting the part as much as they used to ($600 off vs $700 previously), so unfortunately, it's overall bit more expensive to get this transmission than it used to be. But still, 20% is pretty dang good if you want to swap. And of course, now is a good time to also grab the clutch/flywheel parts if you want or need them also.

 

wish i had found this thread before i did my 2nd gen DCLB manual swap only a few months later. got my tranny rebuilt, could have saved money and gotten the ratios i wanted. damn it. Reverse is so tall in the ra60f especially with the auto gears. and way better od gears. could have saved money on the trans and then also not have to think about regearing. damn it. great write up!

 

Bummer…I’m patiently waiting to see someone RC60F swap their 4.0 and see how it turns out. Based on how it is in the 3G, I can only imagine it being even better in the 2G.

 

Same, wish it would have been me haha I think the only reason I didnt look harder into it the one thing i do like about the RA60f is that it has 4 reduction gears so you can always be in the right gear going up hills or pulling stuff but the over drive and reverse are so awful. Be very keen to see!

 

It's been added to my list along with the Tilton TOB. Originally I had been on the hunt for a RC62F from a 3rd gen but the ratios on the RC60F would fit better.

 

definitely seems like the superior trans, i hadnt even really considered the 62 as an option. would love to know if you stumble on one and pull trigger!

 

I’d still think the RC62F is a nice upgrade from the RA60F just from a reliability standpoint with the steel quill. When you consider their factory gearings (3.73 with RA60F, 4.30 with RC62F), they’re pretty close to equivalent final drive ratios. Both of those suck for reverse no matter how you look at it.

Overall the RC60F gives more flexibility for sure. The only thing with it is if you want to help 6th gear not be a slug, you have to be willing to deal with a short 1st. Currently I’m driving mine like a 5 speed (1-5) with 4.30 gears and the 3.5L, and I actually really like it this way. Sounds weird to spend all that money and drive it like a 5 speed but it’s working well for me. When I had 5.29s I used all 6 gears and 1st was super short (but I liked that!)

 

Having the double OD would be nice as I'm always searching for a 7th gear when at highway speeds. I would also love to have a usable reverse gear and not have to rely on 2Lo when backing trailers up and that's with stock gears and 32's.

 

I always really wondered what the 6th would feel like. I still have the 3.73s, which is why I think I have so much trouble with reverse. I swear I didnt in my old access cab but oh well. But mainly wonder if 6th would be useable cause these trucks are already so underpowered lol. but it would be sick to leave 3.73s be able to reverse and potentially get better mileage.

 

dude loaded its laughable to try and not use low range, fucking clutch delete

 

I think you’d probably be pretty disappointed if you just slapped in the RC60F on 3.73 gears. The transmission did nicely help with reverse on mine, but that’s because I was coming from a 3.385 reverse ratio, so about a 21% improvement. Considering the RA60F comes with a 3.73 reverse ratio, the step up to 4.067 is barely anything. 9%…will barely be noticeable in the low speed feel at all.

Meanwhile going from a 0.84 top gear to a 0.64 top gear will feel drastic and lethargic. You could cruise in 5th with the new transmission at 0.77 and still be at a lower rpm than you are currently. Going to 6th from there is just going to be plain gutless. Like 1800 rpm at 70.

Not sure what your plans are or if you intended to keep the 3.73s, but I would expect you will want more axle gearing after the transmission goes in.

Just things to keep in mind. I like this transmission but I had to do a lot of considering before deciding its ratios really made sense to pursue. I liked it best with 5.29 gears, but it’s better setup for a daily driver that does towing and such with 4.30s because of being able to use 4th for towing. With 5.29, 4th was too short and 5th was too tall.

 

any sort of incline and youd probably need to double downshift lol, feel like youre in an auto gear hunting. 1800rpm at 70 sounds sick for hyper miling. probably idle at 55 haha

I didnt even realize reverse on 62 was even taller, definitely very happy I didnt go with that. I frankly dont think Id change unless mine gave out which I am hoping wouldnt happen for a long time/ever haha. I left my truck fairly stock as I really just want to spend as little money as possible. Its just a tool to go riding/shuttling/dig mtb trails more than a pleasure item. might regear at somepoint but giving up the highway efficiency is also a tough sell. as always, pros & cons and reasons for everybodys different decision. Do appreciate the great write up though!