American V8 Swaps into Lexus?

The 1UZFE EGR Delete Kit is available for sale here.
Yes, I have found them (1u) for as low as $300!, and the LS1 for like $3000! It's just hard to deny that. I can just imagine what I could do with the extra $2700. ( Turbo, internals, help pay for my RWD conversion, ya know stuff like that)
 
Well by the time you prep the 1uz-fe motor to produce 400whp, like an upgraded fuel system, ECU, turbo and or supercharge you may just hit that $3000 mark or more... Go forgies also and you will definetely exceed that $3000 mark for sure....

The 1uz-fe motor by itself is dirt cheap for sure....but that's only going to produce a measly 200whp N/A and that's with high flow exhaust, ECU tune, and intake.
 
coldblue - you'll want to PM JustenGT8.

he used a celica GT4 (the AWD model) and "disconnected" the FWD, ran RWD only and stuffed a 1UZ into it.

i think that would be much easier than converting a FWD to RWD.
 
Thanks, I have seen his Celica a few times before. If I remember correctly he has a Rwd tranny in there, because our original motors are transverse mounted. I love the twin turbo setup he has with about 400+ Hp. That's about where I want to be. I'm going to have to do somewhat of a custom rear setup since the AWD Celica GT4 chassis is slightly different than the FWD. I think I saw somewhere that he is putting a 9" ford rear end in there ( I could be wrong about that).
 
there's a guy in nz who did twin turbo 1uz into a caldina (like a 98 camry wagon if you havnt seen one), which also come out factory with gt4 running gear usually. his was originally a fwd but he dropped a gt4 rear end in it from what i could tell. try toyspeed.org.nz or other toyota/celica forums as someones going to know how similar the chassis are. a bolt-in setup will save you alot of coin over a fully fabricated rear end (if you can find one that doesnt have to be shipped too far?).
although, a fully custom rear suspension setup would be cool, and you could run a larger lsd than what the gt4's have.
sweet wheels on your hilux surf by the way.
 
i'm bumping this because i'm curious and also find half of this thread funny with all of this "why have 1 cam when you can have 4" bullshit. seems to me that many people are ignorant to the fact that the pushrod design is newer than the overhead cam design. oops. lol.

so, has anyone attempted an LSx swap into a 1LS yet?
 
I'm swaping a LQ9((Iron block Ls1)) in mine this summer

Its going to be a challenge i think depending on how hard it will be to mount it in there

and wiring of course, tranny tunnel
 
Yes, I have found them (1u) for as low as $300!, and the LS1 for like $3000! It's just hard to deny that. I can just imagine what I could do with the extra $2700. ( Turbo, internals, help pay for my RWD conversion, ya know stuff like that)


Look for the ls1's that come in the 1500 series chevy i got 2 for 1800...
 
If the SCCA Street Modified class rules would have allowed it, the first engine choice for my 83 Celica would have been an LS1 for all the right reasons.

For a given hp/cu in a DOHC 4 valve setup can be a llittle cleaner and slightly more efficient, but with modern port design, the difference is actually quite small. A second advantage is likely a wider power band because you can used less aggressive cam timing with the larger curtain area to achieve the needed flow. Just look how flat the torque curve is on the 1UZFE. And thanks to the much smaller heads on a pushrod 2 valve, you can easilly fit alot more displacement in the same space, and make a ton more power, thought it does burn more fuel.

There are also other advantages to the single cam down in the block. The Corvette design team has been toying with OHC engines for many years, but the simple truth is, the C.G. of the pushrod motor is quite a bit lower. Cams are heavy, and sticking 4 way up on the heads does make a difference. Rocker arms are pretty light. The LS1 and later variants are amazing motors that pack huge power into a small light weight package. For a total luxury car, the UZ is sure smoother, but will never touch an LS1 at the drag strip. With some mods and forced induction, the 1UZ can also make serious power. The original 1UZ 4.0 litre has proven to be as strong as anything out there to take boost. Too bad it is such a small displacement.
 
The original 1UZ 4.0 litre has proven to be as strong as anything out there to take boost. Too bad it is such a small displacement.

Does stroking the 4.0 be interesting? We are working on a 5.2L 1UZFE. Resleeving along with a stroker crank. Big improvement from the 4.0L to 4.7L and bigger improvement from 4.7L to 5.2L.
 
I'm glad your doing this, i've been researching sbc lately because i've been driving my old van again (400sbc) and found good info on the lq4's and lq9's for budget power, especially with an l92 head, l76 intake swap. Also the fact that the 2001 up lq4's got went to an aluminum head closer in design to the ls6. Here is a link to a car craft article where they are making 480hp and a massive torque curve on a junkyard pre2001 all iron engine with basically a mild cam, headers, and they converted to carb, but that was unnecessary, talk about bang per buck! It's unbeatable, makes me want to put one is something.

I'm swaping a LQ9((Iron block Ls1)) in mine this summer

Its going to be a challenge i think depending on how hard it will be to mount it in there

and wiring of course, tranny tunnel
 
sorry but i had an 5.7 litre 225kw LS1 in my commodore and it was utter garbage. Usable powerband was useless, it didnt rev, its used 2 litres of oil per 10,000kms and was very thirsty even plodding around. I would never own one again. Ive also owned many commodores with the buick V6 in them too. They are also tripe. ( i shouldnt say that cause tripe is useful for crabsticks) If thats the best the yanks can come up with for a modern vehicle then Im appauled. I still cant think of owning a Holden (or any GM product) or Ford. Sorry...Im coming from experience rather than some biased fettish. The Japs win hands down for the best engineered cars by far. Rant over...
 
This one is good. A Cadillac 4.9L V8 mated to a Toyota R154 with a Dodge Dakota bellhousing.

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http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1997

Greg
 
sorry but i had an 5.7 litre 225kw LS1 in my commodore and it was utter garbage. Usable powerband was useless, it didnt rev, its used 2 litres of oil per 10,000kms and was very thirsty even plodding around. I would never own one again.

With the right knowledge and combination of parts an LSx will rev easily and happily to 7k rpm with a flat torque curve. And with the right gearing and double overdrive 6-speed can sip fuel to the tune of 30mpg on the highway.

Sounds like you had a bad one.

Its a hell of a swap and one of the most common due to availability, simplicity, reliability and cost.
 
Has anyone done this swap yet?

I have put iron block sbc with carbs, lt1's, and lsx motors with auto as well as t56 in rx7's for years. This is no different. I will be putting an lsx in my SC400 if I keep it.
 
Not worth doing the swap. In relation to the expense of putting in a ls1 why use a heavy luxury car with irs as a drag machine when there are lighter, better suited alternatives. The chevy motor was originally designed in the 1920's and has been re-engineered a few times but never re-designed, compared to a toyota engine that was designed in the late 1980's. Because the basic engine has been around for so long there is a pile of aftermarket pieces for it and yes they can be made to rev. but the longevity of the engine is greatly reduced far more so than with an ohc design. I much prefer the sound of an american v8 at idle and full song but most of my time is spent driving instead of racing so the smoothness of the 1uz wins for me. Just my 2 cents. Can't believe this thread has been going for about 4 yrs!:burnout:
 
I have a drag car. The 1uz may have been designed in the 80's, but with such low horse power no wonder they last for ever. Nothing is strained or stressed therefore, long life. The LS will be for fun only. The 1uz is a low power sewing machine.
 
Not worth doing the swap. In relation to the expense of putting in a ls1 why use a heavy luxury car with irs as a drag machine when there are lighter, better suited alternatives. The chevy motor was originally designed in the 1920's and has been re-engineered a few times but never re-designed, compared to a toyota engine that was designed in the late 1980's. Because the basic engine has been around for so long there is a pile of aftermarket pieces for it and yes they can be made to rev. but the longevity of the engine is greatly reduced far more so than with an ohc design. I much prefer the sound of an american v8 at idle and full song but most of my time is spent driving instead of racing so the smoothness of the 1uz wins for me. Just my 2 cents. Can't believe this thread has been going for about 4 yrs!:burnout:

The original GM Small Block (as we know it today as a Gen I) came on the scene in 1955, not 1920.

The small block has gone through major re-designs throughout its life. We are currently on the Gen IV engines. My Gen IV LS2 in my GTO not only revs higher (stock - 6600 vs. 6400) than my 1UZ Lexus, but it is far easier to work on and on top of it all very simple in mechanics.

Remember DOHC and SOHC engines are not "modern day" only engines. The design and concept has been around just as long as the pushrod V8.
 
55 was a redesign not an all new engine. The entire design of the 1uz-fe and the way things work inside it was new. Yes they are more complicated to work and the next new design of it without camshafts will be even harder to work on. It is an unforunate fact of life but car companies make more money when you buy their parts so they design things to ensure its cheaper and/or more effective for you to go to a dealership to get work done and therefore use genuine parts.
What most people in this thread have said is that the Ls series v8 is more capable than than the 1uz-fe . Not so. When this engine was designed jap cars were limited by law to 280hp. So toyota used narrow valve angle heads to limit power. But that didnt stop Larson engineering (california) in 1997 developing the groundfighter they took the lexus v8 put in cunningham billet rod and venolia forged pistons, ported and polished the heads then added a PSI corp. lysholm supercharger with 50psi of boost for a claimed 2000hp. This is a road car although a very extreme one. Would you pump 50psi into a standard ls series block and expect it to last?
 


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