This past summer the wife, daughter, and I went on a 4500 mile road trip that took us through the Rockies and southwest from there. The truck (as we call it) was obviously hampered in the higher altitude, and we are wanting to up the power for future trips that will include a pop-up at the very least. Next year's trip will take us southeast to DisneyWorld, along the Atlantic coast, and then back west to KC. I know this topic has been covered many times in the 80 series section, but I would like some input from locals that have experience in increasing the power and towing capabilities in their 1FZ. Boosting it is my preference, but if there is a reputable shop that can do a swap for close to the same price as a decent turbo kit (maybe ~$3k?) that is local, I would love to explore all options at this point. MPG isn't a huge factor since I drive maybe 4 miles a day, and with my office less than a mile away I have other ways of cutting back on that. I prefer the opinions and wisdom of folks closer to me that have already been through this process over people in far away states. So, what do you think the best option is? I'm not worried about a track toy with 800+awhp, but we do want something that can handle a trailer and MAYBE a boat (not at the same time, duh) and not break the bank. If this has been covered in this particular section I apologize for not searching first and feel free to blast me and troll this thread at your discretion.
Wanting more power and thinking of boosting the 1FZ (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Jayhawk78
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First off, where are you located and what kind of mechanical / fab abilities do you have ? If your able to do the work yourself it would be super easy to just go check out @scottryana budget turbo page and use his shopping list to buy all of your parts then assemble the system yourself. You could also order a complete turbo kit from one of the Australian vendors. I believe the US dollar is strong against the AUS dollar right now so you might be able to get a kit shipped here for the 3-4k range. If you take it to a shop to have them do it, all bets are off price wise, they are going to gouge you.
As far as I know @2fpower is the only local member with a boosted 1FZ and he has the OEM supercharger which is no longer available.
If you do end up doing this I am very interested to see what you come up with. I am determined to go turbo 1FZ but have been saving my money for some other things. My recent trip to CO convinced me I wanted more power.
As far as I know @2fpower is the only local member with a boosted 1FZ and he has the OEM supercharger which is no longer available.
If you do end up doing this I am very interested to see what you come up with. I am determined to go turbo 1FZ but have been saving my money for some other things. My recent trip to CO convinced me I wanted more power.
- Thread starter
- #3
I'm in Leavenworth. No fabrication skills, and I have wrenched on my fair share of vehicles in the past. I was thinking Treadstone manifold and that Chinese turbo kit for everything else. For me, fuel/tuning would be the main issue. I had a Hydra stand-alone on an old WRX that I tinkered with, but never fully mastered the tuning side of modifications I am hoping that the block and its contents, as well as the head, are in good shape. There is an oil leak that will be addressed before anything happens. Other than that, the engine and transmission seem to perform flawlessly. If I/we do go ahead with this, I will document as best as I can and post here. I am also not entirely opposed to a swap if that is a better option for the price range I am truing to stay within.
What year is your truck, the OBD will make a difference. I wouldn't use anything from the CX racing kit, except maybe the manifold, but it may be prone to cracking. Otherwise, you are better off spending the extra $1k to get some quality parts.
DON'T buy a chinese turbo off ebay. Too many horror stories out there with that crap. Get a big name turbo, garret, holset, procharger, KKK. Unless you plan on spending time and money on proper tuning, I would keep the build and boost particularly mild. For the best reliability on a family vacation or trail, I would buy a kit from a reputable vendor, or source a good used TRD supercharger - complete kit and maybe have it rebuilt for piece of mind.
If it makes you feel any better, we took our '87 VW vanagon camper to Colorado last year. I was that guy with hazards on in the right lane going 25mph up steep grades for miles... 4k rpm in 2nd gear. That's what happens when you have 90hp. I think we only passed 1 semi-truck going slower. The wife and I get to slowly enjoy the scenery while everyone is racing past us up the passes lol.
If it makes you feel any better, we took our '87 VW vanagon camper to Colorado last year. I was that guy with hazards on in the right lane going 25mph up steep grades for miles... 4k rpm in 2nd gear. That's what happens when you have 90hp. I think we only passed 1 semi-truck going slower. The wife and I get to slowly enjoy the scenery while everyone is racing past us up the passes lol.
Please check my post in the turbo thread for specific parts and part numbers. You can get a quite complete setup for just a little more than the CX racing with no Chinese turbo's etc. If you are willing to gamble a little you could even get a used Turbo from eBay and bring the cost down even further.
Like has been mentioned already in the thread. The year of the truck is going to make a big difference in what you need to do to control it. If it is a later OBDII truck you can add some boost without any ECU changes like the TRD SC'r does. Just don't get greedy and turn the boost up. If it is an OBDI truck you will need to basically take control of fueling with any boost, or add a meth injector like CDan did on his TRD setup.
Your best bet is going to be a turbo shop not a Land Cruiser shop and if you bring them the list of parts I have already put together and tell them that you basically can have all the parts and will only need the intake, charge and downpipes fabricated and the oil lines made and connected it should give them a very good idea of what they are getting into.
Like has been mentioned already in the thread. The year of the truck is going to make a big difference in what you need to do to control it. If it is a later OBDII truck you can add some boost without any ECU changes like the TRD SC'r does. Just don't get greedy and turn the boost up. If it is an OBDI truck you will need to basically take control of fueling with any boost, or add a meth injector like CDan did on his TRD setup.
Your best bet is going to be a turbo shop not a Land Cruiser shop and if you bring them the list of parts I have already put together and tell them that you basically can have all the parts and will only need the intake, charge and downpipes fabricated and the oil lines made and connected it should give them a very good idea of what they are getting into.
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Or just move up to a 100 and get a V8. Ok, I know, not much help.
- Thread starter
- #8
'96 LX450 is the vehicle. I will most likely end up going with a Garrett in the $700 range and Treadstone manifold. It seems like there are a few good options to choose from without breaking the bank. The thought of selling the 450 and getting a 100 series has crossed my mind, but I am too smitten with the 450 to do that. Welp, time to search, read, study, and plan!
So are there any TRD Superchargers left?
Resurrected. For a little more $ you will soon be able to get a brand new, everything there kit.
Resurrected. For a little more $ you will soon be able to get a brand new, everything there kit.
