What do you think the easiest engine swap is for your average idiot? (1 Viewer)

[migz808]

Is it the ls1/5.3 vortec? 1hdt? Something else?

I'm leaning towards the ls1 with a standalone harness. It just seems like fewer wiring nightmares wjth a 3 wire hookup to mr Ts chassis wiring. Am I thinking about this wrong? Of course with a cable driven throttle and not drive by wire. I'd like the cruise to work.

Mazda 20B for the WIN!! LoL J/K!

Pretty sure LSx series as you have mentioned for easy access on the engines and tons-o' parts. Already proven, plus knowledge base is there since its a pretty common swap on our 80s.

If parts were readily available I would go with a OM606 or 1hdt.

 

[Jorgito]

I am an average idiot and I did the 1fz-fe to 1hd-fte conversion by myself in the parking lot.

Below are some pro points:
* there is no need for fabrication at all, the engine and 4-speed auto just bolt to the chassis
* this conversion is well supported and documented by the land cruiser community ( in Australia not in the US)
* wiring stuff can be outsourced, if you are afraid of the conversion from the electrical point of view don't. It's not a rocket science

Cons:
* costs - it's quite expensive to source fte engine in North America, other stuff sourced from Australia wasn't cheap

9 November 2020

• Jorgito
• Nov 9, 2020

Engine

 

[Indestructible 47]

The 6boost manifold is made for RHD rigs. Turbo the 1fz all day long for a power bump, wanna go hard-core the haltec ecu is plug in and play, pdi intercoolers are for the diesels but I bet it will work on the fzj. Ignore the diesel option if power is whats desired, custom exhaust and be done.

 

[mattimooseprime]

I am an average idiot and I did the 1fz-fe to 1hd-fte conversion by myself in the parking lot.

Best response ever. I feel it in everything I do lol

out of curiosity - did you do the FTE just to keep it Toyota? The one thing I disliked about the 1HDT in mine before it went to engine heaven was how scarce parts were here. Still relatively easy to find, but scarce. That, and cost of an old yota' engine pre-rebuild is what swayed me to go to a 6bt. The idea of not having to change anything or fabricate anything is always super appealing, though.

 

[LongDuck]

Has anybody said, "buy a different vehicle", yet?

 

[philip g]

The 6boost manifold is made for RHD rigs. Turbo the 1fz all day long for a power bump, wanna go hard-core the haltec ecu is plug in and play, pdi intercoolers are for the diesels but I bet it will work on the fzj. Ignore the diesel option if power is whats desired, custom exhaust and be done.

I have a 93. Even mild boost I have to go haltech. Too much work. The haltech is not pnp on obd1 cars. Also head gasket is blown. Might as well swap something better than the 4.5

I really wish people would be more aware of what it means to have a obd1 vs obd2 car. It really makes these discussions confusing for people that come along later and see the haltech is plug and play and don’t realize it isn’t on the early cruisers

 

[nickolai]

For US based people whichever LS you prefer is hands down the easiest. It's documented, can be done totally bolt in and obviously it's a super common engine so anyone can work on them. There's a whole thread in the stickies about them.

Granted you can swap a 1HDT/FT/FTE engine in as a totally bolt in option but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the US unless you want to wait for one to come up (not that likely) or pay to import (which is probably more expensive than the big ticket LS swap items). FTE needs wiring, which is relatively trival but that will still need to be imported.

I don't buy the parts argument as lots or mud vendors or partsouq and amayama can get you sorted

 

[Indestructible 47]

I have a 93. Even mild boost I have to go haltech. Too much work. The haltech is not pnp on obd1 cars. Also head gasket is blown. Might as well swap something better than the 4.5

I really wish people would be more aware of what it means to have a obd1 vs obd2 car. It really makes these discussions confusing for people that come along later and see the haltech is plug and play and don’t realize it isn’t on the early cruisers

Actually I am aware of what obd1 vs obd2 is, I just replied a good time after reading your first post so apologies. It's seems pretty obvious at this stage that you want to go v8 even if the cards for 1fz were to stack up. At the end of the day it's your call and if you feel more comfortable with fabricating mounts, relocating stuff and wiring a v8 then go the 5.3 route.

 

[Jorgito]

Best response ever. I feel it in everything I do lol

out of curiosity - did you do the FTE just to keep it Toyota? The one thing I disliked about the 1HDT in mine before it went to engine heaven was how scarce parts were here. Still relatively easy to find, but scarce. That, and cost of an old yota' engine pre-rebuild is what swayed me to go to a 6bt. The idea of not having to change anything or fabricate anything is always super appealing, though.

The major thing is that I am not very good with fabrication, I actually never even tried to weld so I needed some bolt-on conversion. 1HD-FTE is just like that, the engine mounts are there, and the auto transmission (a442f) just bolts directly to the same place as a343f which was there previously.

Another aspect was that this conversion is quite well documented and supported ( at least in Australia ), the biggest issue was with electrics and I just sent the 1fz-fe and 1hd-fte loom to Australia and got back almost perfect plug-in loom. There was quite a bit of used parts which was easier for me to gather as there was plenty of diesel 80 around and which would be probably difficult for somebody doing this in the US ( diesel lines, proper shafts, etc )

 

[Heckraiser]

Gen III LS with a 4l60 is probably the most blazed trail for the 80. 4.8, 5.3, 6.0 doesn't really matter in terms of difficulty, they're all basically the same. There is even a company that sells motor mounts that do not require any welding and place the engine in the right place so the T-case lines up basically in the stock location. Not to say those are the best mounts, but they've taken all of the fabrication out of the equation except for the exhaust.