Dilemma. V8 Conversion or step up to 100 Series? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Threads
46
Messages
703
Location
SF Bay Area
I need some power in my life. My 80 is built and geared @ 4.88.

Who's been in my shoes?

I'm located in Montana if anyone knows a good shop. Otherwise I'd just drive to Slee for the work

Truck looks something like this. Sometimes without RTT
 
Last edited:
There's a million variables that come into play that only you can answer.

If it were me and I had to have more power for whatever reason I'd be going the swap route. The 100 doesn't appeal to me as much for several different reasons.
 
There have been several threads on this lately, and everyone will throw out the pros and cons, but nobody can make the decision for you. I'm in the exact same position. I love my 80 but it doesn't cut it for pulling my pop up camper into the CO mountains. I don't wheel as hard as I used to and probably don't need the full capability of my 3x locked 80, so a mildly lifted 100 will do and would probably be a better DD, but it's just not the same as an 80.
 
There's a million variables that come into play that only you can answer.

If it were me and I had to have more power for whatever reason I'd be going the swap route. The 100 doesn't appeal to me as much for several different reasons.

You're right there are a lot of variables but let's limit them then? My rig has 160k on it. Front end rebuilt. Triple locked. Good (not excellent) condition. Not sure what I could get $$$ wise. Styling I prefer the 80. I've had my 80 since it had 70k miles. Most of the 'big' stuff is behind me. Have not done the head gasket.

Objectively I don't need the 80s offroad abilities over the 100 anymore. I fly fish / do light trails in Montana but nothing a 100 wouldn't handle.

I do more highway miles now that I moved to Montana (vs California) and with everyone driving 80+ could really use some pep in my step. My 80 will hover at 70 mph and like 2600 RPM.

Assume a V8 conversion and 100 series would get similar mileage (12-14mpg).

Cost is a question. I don't know how much a V8 conversions runs these days // how much I could sell my rig for // how much a 100 series would cost // how much all the gear to tack onto the 100 series would cost
 
There have been several threads on this lately, and everyone will throw out the pros and cons, but nobody can make the decision for you. I'm in the exact same position. I love my 80 but it doesn't cut it for pulling my pop up camper into the CO mountains. I don't wheel as hard as I used to and probably don't need the full capability of my 3x locked 80, so a mildly lifted 100 will do and would probably be a better DD, but it's just not the same as an 80.


Same same ridgerunner. Seeing 100s around town, they're just, so blah. No character (well more than a Tacoma...)
 
It's more about refinement than power. The 2UZ is crazy refined. But it bogs down, too - simply not modern power.

Honestly, why bother with a Cruiser at that point? A first gen Sequoia can handle a lot more than you think without the size or cost penalty.

IMG_0222.JPG.jpeg
 
It's more about refinement than power. The 2UZ is crazy refined. But it bogs down, too - simply not modern power.

Honestly, why bother with a Cruiser at that point? A first gen Sequoia can handle a lot more than you think without the size or cost penalty.

View attachment 1534919
Well put
 
Keep the 80 for off-roading and mall crawling and buy a used Suburban for towing. You can find ridiculously good values on the used Suburban market, unlike the Tahoes where everyone wants a $5k bonus because of their tacky custom rims. Stick to the 5.3L engine.
 
Slee will do a good job on a V8 swap but they charge 25k. Talk to Robbie at Adventure Offload first. He is a Land Cruiser engine guru some say the best. He can guide you through your option and costs. I am putting in one of his 4.6L HC 1FZ-FE in my 80 with a completely new exhaust. It will make around 287hp/375lb over the stock 212hp/275lb. The 100 V8 will get you 231hp/302lb. By the way Robbie helped Cristo start Slee, he was this head mechanic.

Remember you and I are on old motors and are not making factory power anymore. I am lucky if my 80 is making 180hp. If you have an OBD2 you might want to think about a Super Charger as well. It will be the cheapest option.
 
Last edited:
One detail, if you swap to a GM v8 you'll want to go back to 4.10 gears.. this will impact the math a bit.

I'm on 315s with stock 4.10s and my cruising RPMs are still higher than stock escalade.

Also, there is a huge difference in build quality and durability between a cruiser and a sequoia. They are built for different purposes.
 
Slee will do a good job on a V8 swap but they charge 25k. Talk to Robbie at Adventure Offload first. He is a Land Cruiser engine guru some say the best. He can guide you through your option and costs. I am putting in one of his 4.6L HC 1FZ-FE in my 80 with a completely new exhaust. It will make around 287hp/375lb over the stock 212hp/275lb. The 100 V8 will get you 231hp/302lb. By the way Robbie helped Cristo start Slee, he was this head mechanic.

Remember you and I are on old motors and are not making factory power anymore. I am lucky if my 80 is making 180hp. If you have an OBD2 you might want to think about a Super Charger as well. It will be the cheapest option.

Which motor is the 4.6 HC. I am not familiar with that set up? Is that the 4.6L V8 that comes in some of the Tundras and GX460s?
 
Swap it!

I love the Fj80. In my opinion it's the last true Toyota the US got. I'm currently working on swapping a 1UZ in one myself.
 
Which motor is the 4.6 HC. I am not familiar with that set up? Is that the 4.6L V8 that comes in some of the Tundras and GX460s?

Tundra = 4.7L UZ engine

1FZ-FE = 93-97 4.5L landcruiser engine.. I'm guessing the 4.6L HC is a higher compression stroked and/or bored version
 
Yes it is the stock 1FZ-FE motor rebuilt to 4.6 and tuned up to make more HP and be even more reliable. 400k miles with proper break in and maintenance. It is a strait swap except you should upgrade your exhaust to get the best output.
 
As with every other thread like this (and there are many), I will give my standard response.

GM v8 swap will bring your 80 into the modern world power wise, but is an expensive option.

Supercharger/Turbo will give you enough power to keep up on the Montana highways and will help with towing, but it's still not a tow beast, but good value and a cheaper option than v8 swap.

If you're buying another vehicle, I honestly don't see the point of a 100 unless you need the interior space or just like the way they look. You can get the same powertrain in a number of vehicles (4th gen 4runner, GX470, Sequoia) that cost less, weigh less and are probably cheaper to maintain. Some will argue that none of them are "built as beefy" as the 100, but IMO, "beefy" just means unnecessary weight. I have wheeled 4Runners, and despite the LC elitism, a 4runner gets the job done just as well as any IFS truck out there. For your usage, it doesn't sound like that's a huge factor anyway.
 
If you are thinking 100, look at the GX 470 (Land Cruiser Prado outside US) too. Excellent platform to build imho
 
Turbo would help with elevation, I think that may be your biggest problem, you're not getting all of the marginal power of the factory motor.

I'd say ls swap if you want good power and mileage. I think 4.88's and a 5.3 or even a tuned/intake/good exhaust 4.8 could get the job done. 4.88/4.8/35's will tow decently in a 5k pound vehicle, I've towed 4k pounds of camping gear and trailer but up real steep grades, you'll slow if you're not doing 75 already.

A 5.3 is a better choice for towing, especially 2008+

I have a 4.8 and a 6.0 sitting around. I want to put the 6.0/80e in my lc, I've decided on 4.88's, but it's not a daily. It's a tow/camp/hunt rig. I'd go 5.29's if I wasn't hoping for a swap in the future(albeit distant).
 
Again, 4.88s will cause freeway RPMs to be too high with any of the common LS transmissions, even with 35s. 4.10s allow you to get good mileage when unloaded, put it in tow-haul or lock out OD if you are pulling a trailer.

My 6L80 has a taller overdrive than most people doing LS swaps and even with that, 4.10s, and 35s, it turns ~250rpm more at 70mph than the chassis the engine came out of. If my math is correct 4.88s would add another ~400.
 
So many options, so many opinions......

Here are my two cents worth:
  1. Who will maintian the truck? Yota guys? Chevy guys? How tolerant of bastardized systems?
  2. How much stuff you gotta haul?
  3. How much "real" offroading you gonna do?
  4. How tolerant are you of "truck in shop" down time?
  5. What is your real budget?
My perspective is an former owner of two GM engined Land Cruisers - 5.3 in a FJ62 and 6.2 (eRod LS3) in a BJ73. Both were great but they were not easy, simple or cheap.

Current LC is a 2018 200 on order for delivery mid October. It will be serviced by Toyota for a long time to come, with a warranty and easy to source parts. Bottom line, I got tired of planning and executing exotic builds and then dealing with maintenance of non-stock configurations.

If I didn't have the budget for a new 200 (I know I am a lucky guy), I would likely go with either:
  • PLAN "A" A late GX460 / 470 or Sequoia Gen I 4.7 or Gen II 5.7. Both are capable when properly kitted out - one smaller, one larger. For the price of your GM swap, you could buy a two year old Sequoia with 25,000 miles and years of warranty.
  • PLAN "B" That 4.6 motor in your 80, installed by Robbie.
 
Last edited:
Again, 4.88s will cause freeway RPMs to be too high with any of the common LS transmissions, even with 35s. 4.10s allow you to get good mileage when unloaded, put it in tow-haul or lock out OD if you are pulling a trailer.

My 6L80 has a taller overdrive than most people doing LS swaps and even with that, 4.10s, and 35s, it turns ~250rpm more at 70mph than the chassis the engine came out of. If my math is correct 4.88s would add another ~400.
My 06 Silverado 1/2 ton needed that extra gear over 4.56's, but I had a 4.8 in it. I got 15 avg and 11 towing.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom