I know this isnt Fiero stuff but I also own a Land Cruiser. People often swap out the original L6 for a Chevy motor. My last L6 had almost 400,000 miles on original factory bearings before I yanked it for a late model L6. Anyone think the Northstar would work ok in a 4x4? My wife brought the question up today. After I spoke with her about doing a Fiero project and using either the Northstar or a 3800 turbo, she asked why we just didnt swap the L6 out for a 32valve Northstar. I must say I really love this woman and she loves to work on the rigs too. )

(she's standing right behind as you type, isn't she?) j/k

Back when I was 4-wheeling, I read that 28 percent of Land Cruisers with the 6 had internal engine problems. Yours is one of the lucky few.

I can't speak for the N*, but I don't see the point of putting something computer-controlled into it if you don't have to. If your emissions laws allow you to put anything you want in this vehicle, what's wrong with a 327 Chevy? Maybe you just want something different - I can certainly understand that.

I would think great low-end torque would be a better thing to havein an off-road vehicle then a high HP @ high RPM motor. I give another vote for old-school small block chebby.

Wait til chevy introduces the new inline 6 , it's suppose to be around 260hp , used in the jimmy, envoy..ect.

JM

would you be able to adapt it to the tranny since the N* is FWD? Also what about a flywheel and clutch to work with the tranny?

I'm not sure if it would work, but if your truck has no emmisions why not go for the Caddy 500 or 472

Kyle

The Land Cruiser inline 6 was extremely dependable and most go well over 250,000 miles before people think about rebuilding them. So it is very common to see cruisers that are wheeled often with over 250K on the motors. Toyota did have some problems with the early inline 6 prior to 1973 because of the way the oiling system was plumbed. Most folks go for the chevy for power reasons. They want the power of the V8 to spin tires and haul butt. The Land Cruiser wasnt built for speed it was built to last in the field for military service. The Land Cruiser got its start after Japan was defeated and the US Military placed orders in japanese car companies to make a 4x4 with the same specs as the Jeep. Toyota already had a 4x4 so they used this as a basis for the American orders.

Anyway enough about that stuff. Here are a few other reasons people go for the V8.. Parts are cheap. I looked at doing a complete rebuild with new pistons and rods etc... cost for parts only was 1900 USD..also Fuel Injection which is a plus offroad... electronic ignition which is a plus over standard points and a few other reasons but mostly the Power to pass people in traffic. ) and spin mudd all over... Yeah. ) hehehe

Some have placed caddy motors in the cruiser. But I thought maybe the Northstar might give me the power and some better fuel economy over a regular V8 swap. There are tons of ways to go with the tranny and tcase. Advanced Adapters supplies the most trustworthy kit on the market for the V8 swap. Some go with the NV4500 out of a Chevy or Dodge.

I totally forgot about the new inline 6 GM is comign out with. I might just wait a while. But after seeing the Nothstar photo's it looks so clean I had to ask what folks thought about placing it in a 4x4. Most the torque and power in the stock 6 is below 3000 rpm.
Thanks for the talk and reminding me about the new GM motor.

take it easy

Would you put an LS1 into your Land Cruiser? Most people would say yes without any misgivings of peaky power, etc. The truth is that the LS1 is a more peaky engine than the Northstar.

Check out http://www.gmpowertrain.com/engines_cartruck/northstar/46_main.htm
and take a look at the torque curves for the N*. It's not as peaky as most people seem to think.

N* pluses: fuel injected, high tech, clean burning and efficient, light weight, bullet proof bottom end.

N* minuses: bell housing adapter required, electronics are a B@#$%, comparatively expensive, routing water lines more difficult, possible fitment issues with water pump.

With either the N* or the GM 6, you'll be making peak torque around 4000-4500 RPM.

Given the choice, I'd probably go with a fuel injected Cadillac 500, though. It's only ~50 lbs heavier than a small block (80lbs lighter than a big block). I've heard of 500's running pre-oilers being able to light up the back tires of dualie pickups with 800,000 miles on the clock. The engine is also quite efficient.

You shouldn't need an adapter to do that. An S-10 Bellhousing will work, just cut a notch for the starter nose. Or A 700R4 if you want an auto. There are so many trans/transfer case combos for off-roading it's unbelievable. The NV4500 would be incredible if it wasn't so damn expensive.

I added twin throttle body fuel injection to the 305 chevy engine in my woods Jeep. The EFI is a great improvement. It doesn't stall on hills or bumpy terrain, and the IAC keeps it from stalling when rockcrawling. Every serious off-roader should be injected.

I'm a Toyota forklift tech, the 1FZ Landcruiser engine was also used in the forklifts. A very good engine.

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Jon Lagler
'87 GT
4.9 liter V8 Testarossa Spyder (under construction)