- Location
- United States
1996 FZJ80 Toyota Land Cruiser (non-locked), Moonglow Pearl powered by a Detroit Diesel 6.5 turbo diesel, backed up with a 4L80E transmission. This diesel conversion project was started five years ago, it was completed three years ago and been on the road since. The motor and transmission came out of a 1994 GMC 2500 (state owned truck with 133,000 miles on it), the motor was given new bottom end bearings, everything top to bottom was checked and replaced as needed before the swap. The donor truck was complete and running great prior to pulling the motor, transmission and wiring harness for the swap. The LC drives great and has the power, torque and mileage to make it enjoyable to drive, plus the turbo spool just sounds great coming from a LC.
Mechanical:
1994 Detroit Diesel 6.5 turbo diesel, transmission is a 4L80E, factory Toyota transfer case and adapted by an Advanced Adapter kit. Truck has great power, torque and runs very well. Added gauge pod to the driver A-pillar with EGT and water temp for accurate readings. Hydraboost brakes and power steering were also used from the donor vehicle, including the block heater for cold temps. Cooling is provided by an aluminum Griffin radiator, Duramax fan and SS Diesel high flow water pump, over heating has never been an issue, trail rides, traffic or anything else. I have the invoice from SS Diesel for upgraded cooling kit, new glow plugs, new glow plug relay, new water pump, new harmonic balancer, seals/gaskets, PMD relocation kit, new PMD and upgraded injectors if anyone is interested.
LC had 190,000 on it before the conversion, I would estimate 10,000+ since the swap.
Always good and bad to every rig, so let’s get to that part.
Good:
Absolutely RUST FREE LC, not one bit of rust anywhere on this truck, simple as that.
Good power and mileage.
Slee dual battery setup.
Toyota OEM snorkel (custom sealed airbox made for the 6.5 motor)
Paint looks great.
94 Toyota LC grill swap that says “TOYOTA”.
Full roof rack for accessories or storage with RTT removed.
10K winch, roof top tent, sliders, Hi-Lift jack and custom front bumper.
Drive to the trails/camping and drive home type rig.
Art Carr shifter for the 4L80E transmission. (stock LC for hi/low) 4Low is incredibly low BTW.
Brand new Kumho 35x12.50 tires on Tundra 17” wheels.
OME 2.5” lift, heavy front springs (863), medium rear springs (850)
Front end in good shape, no knuckle rebuild needed.
Windows, locks, electronics, sunroof all work as original.
Clean interior. (third row seats available if desired)
Bad: (or yet to be completed)
No front/rear lockers. (to some this is a deal breaker, I understand)
No AC (could be added if required, everything on the Toyota side is still there)
Factory Radio does not work (didn’t work before the swap, I never listen to it anyway, especially now)
Front seats could use recovering (I may order covers soon)
Tach and speedo not hooked up, I use a GPS for speed (these will be hooked up soon, fairly straight forward, I just never felt the need and enjoy driving it)
High pressure steering hose leak, not bad just need to figure out which one.
Few oil leaks, mainly vent tube. (I have been fixing as they pop up, nothing terrible)
To summarize, this has been a great truck and project for me and my two sons but the age of camping and trail riding with dad has unfortunately come and gone, hopefully once they are older we can start again. Solid LC front to back but also a 20 year old truck, it’s not perfect and has been in the woods, trails and camping. Nothing extreme but if you are looking for a perfect LC, this one is not for you, it has scratches and a ding or two. It cleans up extremely well and has been taken care of as required, stored inside a heated shop while not being driven. Not in a rush to sell, it just isn’t used for what it was built for anymore. Projects like these are never quite done anyway, there is always something else you can do, add or fix.
I will be completely open and honest if anyone is serious about buying, I have tons of pictures and can make videos of anything you might want to see. It is also very difficult to price these types of trucks, everyone thinks what they have is worth more than it typically is. I am willing to discuss price and possibly removing some items for a serious buyer.
Thanks for looking.
Mechanical:
1994 Detroit Diesel 6.5 turbo diesel, transmission is a 4L80E, factory Toyota transfer case and adapted by an Advanced Adapter kit. Truck has great power, torque and runs very well. Added gauge pod to the driver A-pillar with EGT and water temp for accurate readings. Hydraboost brakes and power steering were also used from the donor vehicle, including the block heater for cold temps. Cooling is provided by an aluminum Griffin radiator, Duramax fan and SS Diesel high flow water pump, over heating has never been an issue, trail rides, traffic or anything else. I have the invoice from SS Diesel for upgraded cooling kit, new glow plugs, new glow plug relay, new water pump, new harmonic balancer, seals/gaskets, PMD relocation kit, new PMD and upgraded injectors if anyone is interested.
LC had 190,000 on it before the conversion, I would estimate 10,000+ since the swap.
Always good and bad to every rig, so let’s get to that part.
Good:
Absolutely RUST FREE LC, not one bit of rust anywhere on this truck, simple as that.
Good power and mileage.
Slee dual battery setup.
Toyota OEM snorkel (custom sealed airbox made for the 6.5 motor)
Paint looks great.
94 Toyota LC grill swap that says “TOYOTA”.
Full roof rack for accessories or storage with RTT removed.
10K winch, roof top tent, sliders, Hi-Lift jack and custom front bumper.
Drive to the trails/camping and drive home type rig.
Art Carr shifter for the 4L80E transmission. (stock LC for hi/low) 4Low is incredibly low BTW.
Brand new Kumho 35x12.50 tires on Tundra 17” wheels.
OME 2.5” lift, heavy front springs (863), medium rear springs (850)
Front end in good shape, no knuckle rebuild needed.
Windows, locks, electronics, sunroof all work as original.
Clean interior. (third row seats available if desired)
Bad: (or yet to be completed)
No front/rear lockers. (to some this is a deal breaker, I understand)
No AC (could be added if required, everything on the Toyota side is still there)
Factory Radio does not work (didn’t work before the swap, I never listen to it anyway, especially now)
Front seats could use recovering (I may order covers soon)
Tach and speedo not hooked up, I use a GPS for speed (these will be hooked up soon, fairly straight forward, I just never felt the need and enjoy driving it)
High pressure steering hose leak, not bad just need to figure out which one.
Few oil leaks, mainly vent tube. (I have been fixing as they pop up, nothing terrible)
To summarize, this has been a great truck and project for me and my two sons but the age of camping and trail riding with dad has unfortunately come and gone, hopefully once they are older we can start again. Solid LC front to back but also a 20 year old truck, it’s not perfect and has been in the woods, trails and camping. Nothing extreme but if you are looking for a perfect LC, this one is not for you, it has scratches and a ding or two. It cleans up extremely well and has been taken care of as required, stored inside a heated shop while not being driven. Not in a rush to sell, it just isn’t used for what it was built for anymore. Projects like these are never quite done anyway, there is always something else you can do, add or fix.
I will be completely open and honest if anyone is serious about buying, I have tons of pictures and can make videos of anything you might want to see. It is also very difficult to price these types of trucks, everyone thinks what they have is worth more than it typically is. I am willing to discuss price and possibly removing some items for a serious buyer.
Thanks for looking.
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