Better towing power/economy upgrade options

[miahshodan]

I recently bought a offroad teardrop that weighs about 2,000 pounds and is fairly tall on 33s (see image). towing it back to St. George, UT from Salt Lake I got between 8.5 and 10.5 mpg and had to slow down to about 50-55 on some hills (80 mph speed limit) It is a 1997 80 series with 35" tires on OME 2.5" lift I love the Cruiser, but plan on using the trailer most of the time I use the truck. Wanted your collective wisdom on the possibilities of improving the power/economy. Here are what I have looked at.

1. Suck it up and go a little slower and buy more gas. Also probably need some way to carry more fuel for offroad range.
2. trade for a FJ81 - $20k this seems like it would be an upgrade based on everything I have read. But the numbers don't add up for power. less power and torque than what I have now. Would probably help the mileage though. Probably low teens in mileage pulling the trailer?
3. Supercharge the current motor. - $4k in parts 60hp, and probably no mileage gain? I have also heard they don't handle heat well, and I live in a hot climate
4. 6BT Cummins Conversion - Lots of $$$ and downtime, any idea how much of each if done professionally? . stock power is a downgrade, but probably pulls harder at realistic RPM and improved economy
5. 5.3 vortec converstion - Lots of $$$ and downtime, any idea how much of each if done professionally? Lots more power and probably a little better mileage.

Anyway, love to hear what you all think. At this point I have more money than time and no real fabrication skills.

thanks

 

[scottryana]

Tough call. Look for a 2008 200 series.

1. Not a bad option

2. I don't find the Toyota diesel option to be a great choice given, familiarity and parts availability most places.

3.Supercharger will net you worse gas mileage but the power will be a little better. You will need to fabricate some additional pieces if towing big long hills in high heat.

4. Your truck plus the swap cost is close to 100/200 series territory.

5. Your truck plus the swap cost is close to 100/200 series

 

[The Eradicator]

Has the truck been regeared for the 35s?

 

[Walletclan]

Option 6 is buy a different rig all together. Not saying you'd want to, but that is an option.

 

[excessive]

It all depends on how deep your pockets are. The motor upgrade is probably going to make you happier in the long run

 

[miahshodan]

has not been re-geared.....but that would probably hurt mileage right?
I have considered a 100/200 series, but then I have to lift again, get lockers, etc. and I lose some of the simplicity of the 80 series. I also think the 80 looks better.
How deep of pockets would I need for a engine conversion? any rough ideas?

 

[ryanjw]

FZJ80 Land Cruiser Cummins Diesel Conversion

How deep of pockets would I need for a engine conversion? any rough ideas?

I've read a few threads regarding their diesel conversions, so around $20k for a professional swap? Not cheap, but hey...if you really like your 80 more power to you. Like the others I think the $20k would probably yield better results if spent on a nice 100 or even an early 200.

 

[tominboise]

$18k for an LS3 conversion from an inmate on here. $25k for a Toyota V8 conversion from Slee. All depends on options, of course. I am leaning towards the LS3 myself.

Great question on the gearing, BTW. Are you stock gears?

 

[miahshodan]

Stock gears.

Yeah, 20k is hard to justify to go a little faster or gain 5 mpg. Leaning toward living with the existing engine for now and if it dies look at upgrading either the car or the engine

I still don't understand why the Diesels are so sought after as an upgrade when the numbers seem like a downgrade:
1HD-TDiesel: 4.2L SOHC I6 18.6:1 compression - 162 hp (121 kw) @3600 rpm (4200 rpm redline) 267 lb/ft (361 Nm) @1400 ~17 mpg
vs
Gas 1FZ-FE 212 4.5 L horsepower (158 kW) at 4600 RPM and 275 pound-feet (373 N·m) at 3200 RPM ~14 mpg
is it just the tuning potential, or the low end torque? I would think that on the highway, I would probably be going slower.

 

[inkpot]

Stock gears.

Yeah, 20k is hard to justify to go a little faster or gain 5 mpg. Leaning toward living with the existing engine for now and if it dies look at upgrading either the car or the engine

I still don't understand why the Diesels are so sought after as an upgrade when the numbers seem like a downgrade:
1HD-TDiesel: 4.2L SOHC I6 18.6:1 compression - 162 hp (121 kw) @3600 rpm (4200 rpm redline) 267 lb/ft (361 Nm) @1400 ~17 mpg
vs
Gas 1FZ-FE 212 4.5 L horsepower (158 kW) at 4600 RPM and 275 pound-feet (373 N·m) at 3200 RPM ~14 mpg
is it just the tuning potential, or the low end torque? I would think that on the highway, I would probably be going slower.

Why, there you have it. Diesel is SO much better.

 

[Heckraiser]

Step 1: reagear or get smaller tires for the cruiser
Step 2: forced induction (turbo can be done cheaper than the SC, but both are good)

All other options are gonna cost a lot more, IMO, with the exception of trading your 80 for a clapped out 100 or V8 domestic.

This is just conjecture, but if you're towing most of the time you're using the 80, I don't think a regear is going to negatively impact your fuel economy vs. towing on 35's with stock gears. Engine has to work a lot harder to pull that trailer, even if the cruising RPM is a little lower.

 

[miahshodan]

I haven't seen any turbo setups for the engine. Are there any turbo packages that don't require a bunch of fabrication, or shops that do turbo setups?

 

[Heckraiser]

There isn't a "kit" available in USA as far as I know, other than CX Racing, which is junk IMO. But if you know how it works and what parts you need, it really isn't that hard to put it together yourself. I'm in the process right now. You will need to get a downpipe fabricated if you cannot weld, but the rest of it is bolt-together, screw on, tinker with in the driveway kind of stuff.

Not much info here yet, but I will update when I get some time:
TurboClunker (a.k.a. cheap-ass slaps a turbo on his LX)

 

[inkpot]

I have a SC and I am regeared to 4.88s. With 37" tires this results in very near stock gear ratio. It was like this but on 35s when I bought it. It was set up better for towing with the 35s. I would need 5.29s with my 37s to have about the same towing power. I have towed 3600 pounds around town, but not on the highway. It wasn't very hard to keep up. I do shift manually quite a bit. This lets me hold each/any gear to get well past 2500 rpm which is where the boost really starts coming on. Don't be afraid to work your motor. Maximum HP and torque are both at much higher rpm than many folks push their motors up to.

 

[miahshodan]

thanks, I think I need to try letting the motor spin a little more. I assumed that being a huge torquey motor it would like low revs and was purposely keeping the pedal just above the kick-down (mostly in an attempt to save gas, and because I didn't expect much better power)

 

[Corbet]

I'm in the same boat but the mountains around here cut me back to 25 MPH. 4.88's help a little but will not do what you want. On the trail however they are worth it. My MPG did not change with the gears. The truck gets 12.5 pretty much under all conditions without the trailer. Then it drops to 8 or 9.

I voted supercharger. That or a 200 are the only two logical choices IMO.

 

[SmokingRocks]

has not been re-geared.....but that would probably hurt mileage right?
I have considered a 100/200 series, but then I have to lift again, get lockers, etc. and I lose some of the simplicity of the 80 series. I also think the 80 looks better.
How deep of pockets would I need for a engine conversion? any rough ideas?

Nooooope

you buy a i-force 100 or a 200 series to tow your built 80 series. You sell your tow behind and buy a roof top tent for the 100/200 and other fun goodies. This is my plan.

 

[1973Guppie]

honestly, if you can get your hands on a sc kit do it, my truck drives so much better with the charger. It is not about the HP but about the available torque the sc provides. Before the sc the truck used to jump like crazy when I accelled but no longer, the power band is now much smoother and it pulls strong on hills. I am still running the stock gearing and am looking forward to the extra power I gain when I go to 4.88's. Plus all the above and you keep things relatively stock and reliable. I think the heating issues are overrated and can be handled quite well with the knowledge and products that are out there on the market.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Anyway, love to hear what you all think. At this point I have more money than time and no real fabrication skills.

t

You own the wrong vehicle. Look to a 2006 or newer, you will in return get comfort, reliability, power, get service anywhere, and better MPG. The resale if/when needed on a converted 80 be it V8 or diesel = very low ROI.

Also SC gains of 60hp is BS.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

GTurboed and intercooled 1HD-T with a H151 behind it - good power and torque and gets mid teen litres/100 km towing. I may be biased though...