Ron - I've been an Admin on the Toyota Nation forums for about 10yrs now and ever since I started wrenching on my '51 3100 I've been wanting a mid '50s USDM Crown sedan with an F series six.
sleeve - My understanding of the popular FJ V8 swap was due more to the engines somewhat anemic power compared to the other offerings and off-roading trends of the '80s and 90's rather than it's reliability.
By '78 your FJ40/55 woulda had a 2F of similar design but a different oiling system. Perhaps you got a bad one, the F series engines started production in '51 and were commercially available around 1954-1993, a ~40yr run hardly suggests they 'got it wrong'.
...not to mention the original F got an LC to the top of Mt. Fuji in '51 and the entire series established Toyota's early reputation for rock solid reliability around the world.
