Hi everyone I am new to Ih8mud I am from SD and I just bought a 1991 LJ 78 and a 1997 80 series. The 80s series is smooth and running right for now, but the Prado isn’t running and am looking to swap the engine what do you guys recommend and what are the possibilities? Can I put a V8 petrol engine or is there any easier diesel swaps it does have all of the parts to reassemble the 2lte in the trunk , the only thing missing is the The cylinder head gasket, which I have already ordered. I will be trying to rebuild this engine but I do want to keep my options open
LJ78 swap
- Thread starter drekloco
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Welcome! Nice looking LandCruisers, the LJ78 is poised to be a big project but looks like it has solid bones. The easiest option would be to rebuild the 2L-TE, intercool it and tune it for a bit more power and reliability. Lots of good info about that here. In terms of a swap, the fact that it is an automatic will make things a little more difficult, there are only a few engines that will work with that transmission: the 1UZ is a common one, as is the 1KZ. Another option would be the 5VZ-FE, which would probably be a pretty good fit for an LJ78.
If you opt to change out the transmission too that opens up many more possibilities, basically whatever will fit in the engine bay and can have a Toyota transfer case adapted to it. My LJ78 is a manual and I'm in the process of engine swapping it for the second time. Both swaps have been to VW TDI engines, they work well for me but would not be for everyone. I've seen people put Mercedes OM617 and Cummins R2.8 diesels in LJ's too, both have their benefits and drawbacks as well.
If you opt to change out the transmission too that opens up many more possibilities, basically whatever will fit in the engine bay and can have a Toyota transfer case adapted to it. My LJ78 is a manual and I'm in the process of engine swapping it for the second time. Both swaps have been to VW TDI engines, they work well for me but would not be for everyone. I've seen people put Mercedes OM617 and Cummins R2.8 diesels in LJ's too, both have their benefits and drawbacks as well.