There’s a fair amount of honesty in this listing that is both refreshing and concerning. This is a 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser, a desirable 80-series truck that presents as a rust-free example. The seller explains in his listing that he bought the Land Cruiser as an experiment to see if he enjoyed owning an older vehicle; apparently, the experiment is over. The Land Cruiser sports a GM LT4 engine paired to a 4L60E transmission, and it’s listed here on eBay with bids to just over $3,000 with no reserve.
The GM engine swap is a surprise, as I would have thought a first-time “old” vehicle owner would have stuck with a truck in bone-stock condition. That being said, I actually just got the call that the block from my ’97 LX450 has been honed and re-assembled by the machine shop following the discovery of an unmitigated head gasket issue, so perhaps the seller was wise to pick up a truck with a newer engine that was presumably serviced before installation. The motor certainly looks like it belongs in this engine bay, but the seller does report that it’s a bit unfinished in some areas.
One of those areas includes the center console in the interior, which has been removed to allow for more range of motion. According to the seller, it was necessary to remove the console to create the “….range needed to shift the transfer case from 4 Low to 4 High.” Along the same lines, the seller mentions that the transmission range indicator doesn’t work and that he had to make some tweaks to get the reverse lights to work. The overall vibe of this Toyota is that of a “rolling project” that no one have ever completely buttoned up.
There’s a variety of other repairs needed to make the truck into more of a reliable runner, but the seller reports it does run and drive – however, he suspects it has a loose U-joint due to a persistent rattle at speed. There is evidence of an oil leak behind the distributor and a leaking driver’s side ball joint. Overall, this is a bit of a gamble as you’re taking on someone else’s project, but with no reserve, it could go cheaply enough to mitigate some of the risks.
I would have rather seen a 4.7L V8 from the Toyota truck but the small block Chevy if done correctly is also a good candidate. More power over the inline 6 and I bet fuel economy is about the same if not slightly better especially if it’s was swapped over to part time hubs.
Absolutely! Thank you! I’m not putting GM junk in my Toyota.
If it has a loose U-joint why not tighten it up or replace it?
LT engines are totally user Unfriendly!!
Wrong! LT1 engines are solid performers especially the 5.7 LT1. Lastly you Opti-Spark Naah Sayers can save your comments because I’ve had several opti equipped cars with no issues as long as you maintain the water pumps.
And, it’s got the famous Chevrolet small block oil leak. Nice!
LT4?good for 340hp.probably not alot of peoples first choice.i have worked on an LT1 before.servicing the opti-spark and doing plugs on these is a real pain.but while you have the front apart for the oil leak,replace the water pump and the optispark.would use the MSD replacement and remember never wash the front of motor,to be on the safe side.
Company about 15 miles from me has been putting Chev V8 diesels in Toyota’s, Nissan’s & anything else a client wants for 40 years (Brunswick Diesels) very popular & find them all over Australia now