DCLB Auto to Manual RC62F, VF2B transfer case and 3rd Gen E-Brake Swap

Thanks man!

I, too, prefer soldiered joints so everything is soldiered so far with the exception of the Clutch Start Cancel wiring. The issue with soldiering those joints is access. Even lying on my back with my head forward and under the dash, I can only get my right hand up there to work. I'm definitely not good enough to soldier one handed, even if I could get the iron twisted through the pedals, wiring, brackets and junk.

 

Killing it! Well done man.

 

I'm taking forever but thanks for your encouragement. Can't wait to put your parts in motion.

 

Can't always be a taco day. Life has other plans for most of us. Especially if you're taking over a family business!

 

Found this in my e brake research.

 

This is so cool! Going to have a fun truck. I never loved the transmission in my 07, even with the accumulator delete.

Also cool to see you making hay. We just sold our first cut of hay on our property and it’s a lot of work!
Cheers

 

Good find! I haven't seen that pic yet. Seems access to the handle is a bit tight but I like how it retains the factory shifter cover. Super clean final final. I'm still not sure how I'm going to trim mine all out. May have to get creative and sub out some 3D printing for the cover but not there yet.

 

Thanks for posting. I always appreciate the inspiration to keep going and the comradery of a fellow haymaker.

I didn't get any Taco stuff done this week. My wife wanted a new chicken coop and I'm prepping for 2nd cutting. Somebody in the past bent our hay rake and getting Fella parts from AGCO has been an interesting learning curve. Sure makes me appreciate all the Toyota parts sites and detailed diagrams.

 

He said it took some cutting of the console but it’s basically bolt on.

 

Haha I just got done building a coop too

 

Would you save me the search and post the link? Thanks!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-hand-brake-conversion.650855/

 

Thanks so much!

 

Definitely due for an update. It's been a busy summer.

But clearancing the tranny for the t-case shift rods cooled my jets. I'd seen some hack jobs here on TW and was hoping to improve on the process and the results. But it's really easy to be a critic when I'm sitting in my easy chair and another thing altogether to walk the walk. I wasn't stoked on my initial results. Hence the absence, too.

But there is progress nonetheless. Here I am with a shitty Harbor Freight drill press and an even shittier deburring tool. Not stoked on either and you'll see why in a moment.



Again, making room for these shift rails that protrude out of the transfer case and into the transmission.



Some months ago, I posted a WTB ad for someone to 3D print me a template @bravinci created. I got two responses and actually took both up on printing me a template. I'm glad they did.

Both @TrailLimo and @stonylaroux came through. Both printed two templates each and I'm so glad they did. I ended up using them all.



I used the white one for getting the original orientation and dead centering the pilot holes, the lower left black one for checking for proper depth and parts or all of the others ended up breaking during the process. I was so happy these guys were as generous with their time and efforts as they were. Thanks again guys!!

The deburring tool used by other members here ended up not working very well for me. I couldn't get it to stop walking and is part of the reason I'm not stoked on my results. The tool I ended up really liking for this and the one that would have allowed me to bullseye the center was this product:





In hindsight, after all is said and done, the process that would have worked best for me was to:
-use the 3D printed template to find center.
-Drill two pilot holes to depth.
-Then start with the smallest Rotobroach hole cutter and slowly work my way outward being careful to stay at the proper depth.
-have 2 perfectly clearanced depressions for the shift rails without poking through the case.

Unfortunately, the walking deburring tool first used punched out the clearancing too far. After lots of cleanup, these are the results.



Defeated by the results, Project Crisis Mode took over and I walked away and stopped all progress for a while. I joke I've got Champagne OCD with Keystone Light skills and the subpar results here killed my momentum for a few weeks.

I thought of going and having the case welded but, when sleeping on it, I reckoned the case isn't really structural there, it only needs to be sealed from atmosphere and I've had really good luck in the past sealing punctured cast aluminum motorcycle cases with JB Weld. In fact, one of my buddy's cases we fixed with the stuff is still in use, still sealing and permanent to this day. Plus, it can be machined after it cures and it's even close to the same color as cast aluminum.

So I set to cleaning the clearanced areas with acetone, mixing up some fresh JB Weld, applying it, letting it cure for a few days, then going back with the Rotobroach and machining it to perfection. It turned out great!

Unfortnutely, I destroyed a phone in this time and somehow the pics I took of the final repair are lost. Either way, I was happy with the JB Weld-ed results and married the cases, here torqued to spec with red marking paint and sitting on the tranny jack cradle I built to secure the gearboxes to the jack for installation. I lengthened the vent lines for good measure, too.

All ready for install (or so I thought...)

 

The next step was installing a new OEM flywheel, URD Stage 2+ clutch from Clutch Masters and set up the Tilton Hydraulic Release Bearing for proper depth.

With new flywheel, clutch and pressure plate installed and torqued to spec with new OEM hardware, here I am measuring for depth for the HRB.


Then installing Kasbien's quill spacer, the HRB and setting it to proper depth.


Kasbien saw my setup results in another thread discovering his anti-rotation bracket included in the kit was too long for getting the HRB clocked correctly. Here it is, not clocked to vertical.



At that point, he dropped what he was doing to machine a new, shorter length bracket and get it in the mail to me (and all the other members who have RC62 trannys) from BC Canada. All FREE OF CHARGE. This guy has to be protected at all costs. Thank you @Kasbien for your above and beyond customer service.

A few days later the new bracket showed up in the mail. Here are proper results. Notice the vertical orientation of the HRB.



While I was waiting for my free-of-charge, custom machined, international gorgeousness, I set out to tackle the tranny tunnel hole that would need to be cut for the stick shifts. I wasn't stoked to do this either and the thought of boggering up this one stalled my progress for a while, too. But it was time to pull up my big boy pants and get to work.

First was measuring and figuring out where the hole needed to be cut. The auto tranny cab has no indication where the stick shift needs to come up (especially for a 3rd gen RC62 tranny and 4Runner VF2B transfer case. lol), so I measured and remeasured this a hundred times. After getting things right and taking a deep breath, I used a 4-inch hole saw first, then plunged in with the plasma cutter. I think the hole saw would be perfect for someone not also adding the VF2B transfer case. My hole would need to be bigger so I drilled another one and added to it with the plasma.



Weight reduction program




You'll notice the tranny tunnel is multi-layered here and not flat. The FJ Cruiser inner shifter boot that I want to use is flat, though, so I had to figure a way to try to make it so. Way too much time went in to this but here was my process.

Plasma the first layer and grind clean.



Now at least the boot can sit flat



Arts and crafts making more templates



Cutting the filler pieces out of stainless steel (and fabbing a patch panel for the tranny cable hole that I wouldn't need anymore with the auto shifter cable now removed)




Patch panels in place



More arts and crafts building a paint booth in my cab



And the final with Rivnuts for the shifter boot and "colormatched" paint (purchased online and not in fact color matched. $35 for a can of "not-even-close" silver paint. I left a scathing review. Lol!). It's all nicely sealed from rust and Kilmat will cover it all anyway...





Next stop is tranny install....

 

That looks much better in terms of orientation.

Without even having read what you were saying I can tell that you didn't have a fun time with this operation.

Clearance is clearance. It'll work! Keep on keeping on man.

 

Wish I could have had your machining skills but I guess you're right: clearance is clearance, Clarence. At least none of it looks like this (no offense tacotacochaquito):

 

Okay yeah... pat yourself on the back. That hurts to look at.

 

I'll just leave this here

 

Damn nice work! You did it right, 10+ years ago when I did my swap, I filled mine with the equivalent of flex seal and RTV...it works but I have to cut the old shit out and reseal each time (only happened once so far because I blew the original clutch out wheeling finally LOL)