I have to agree that there would be no fit problem with the 1UZ into a Nova. We have the 1UZ stuffed under the ood of my 83 Celica with some room to spare. You will need to choose the correct oil pan setup depending on where the cross member lies, but other than that, it is a fairly small engine as V8's go. From the deck surface down it is smaller than a SBC with both smaller bores and shorter deck. Above the deck the 32 valve twin cam heads are a bit bigger than SBC stuff, but not by alot. The intake is a little tall, but I would bet it is lower than the SBC TPI setup from the 80's and 90's.
Aside from it fitting though.... I can see all the Chevy guys screaming. An LS1 would be a natural in that car. And with the weight, a bit more cubic inches certainly would help get it rolling. If you are going for the high tech 32 valve thing, then also go with twin turbos or a nice Eaton blower to pump up the torque. 4.0L is ahuge step up from my 2.4L, but a big step down from 5.7L. Sure, it makes 250 HP dead stock, but the Chevy makes 300 lb ft of torque. With a 4.10 rear gear, it would work and not be dog slow, but it won't throw you in the seat either.
The old saying, there is no replacement for displacement is actually quite true. Using great flow and big cams can make the top end power, but using the same tricks on a bigger cube motor just makes even more top end power. My 2.4L with a turbo sure pulled much nicer than a 2.0L with a similar turbo even though it was a 16 valve and I only had 8. If the rules would allow it, I would run turbos on the 4.0L, but in SCCA Street Mod class I can't run any boost on a motor over 3.0L. I seriously looked into running a Camry 1MZFE 3.0L so I could run boost, but the California emissions laws makes the 4.0L an easier install.
Gary M.
