Land cruiser straight 6 vs V8?

[NCFJ]

Driving a 60/62 with more than adequate power is an experience any 60/62 owner should try at least once. It's not about speed. It's about not having to jump on it and race from light to light just to keep up in everyday traffic. It's about not having to plan a pass for two miles out on the interstate. It's about not getting over with the 18 wheelers on steep grades. The argument about going slow and enjoying the drive just does not cut it. Those with adequate power can chose to slow down.

 

[Clutch]

Love the color of the bottom one.

Pretty cool, eh?

Looks like you can grab a 100 for about $15K, from quickie skim in the classifieds.

longevity? LSx motors outlast, have better economy, and are easier to work on than the UZ engine, in addition 45hp more and a broader tq band in its weakest iteration.

the V8 in the 100 may be better than the 6 in the 80, but its by no means a hotrod at 230hp, and low end tq is fit for a sedan. the quirky power curve is what made the 5 speed auto such an improvement over the 4 speed. its what i would refer to the engine as adequate. if i had a choice between keeping the 60 all toyota, with the 4.7, or using the chevy 4.8, i'd still use the 4.8/5.3. i'd skip the ls6.0 as i think with my gearing i'd be tempting driveline fate.

Why not just buy a Tahoe/Suburban instead of fussing with all the engine swap tomfoolery? They both are going to do the same task, or is it just the sheet metal looks cooler on the LC's? By the sounds of things you're wanting a freeway blaster...the Chevy is going to be a Hell of a lot more comfortable than that buck board 60.

Border Patrol just does a mild lift, and cuts off the bottom front valance, and they do fine in the dirt.

 

[upcruiser]

Driving a 60/62 with more than adequate power is an experience any 60/62 owner should try at least once. It's not about speed. It's about not having to jump on it and race from light to light just to keep up in everyday traffic. It's about not having to plan a pass for two miles out on the interstate. It's about not getting over with the 18 wheelers on steep grades. The argument about going slow and enjoying the drive just does not cut it. Those with adequate power can chose to slow down.

My point was yeah if you are freeway driving and city driving for that matter it's not adequate. I live in an area 3 hours from the nearest freeway and I didn't drive much freeway with my 60's when I lived in the west either. But even when I did, I really didn't have a problem most of the time with my FJ60 driving I70 in the mountains and going the speed limit, even with a good load. The passes themselves no, but that's about the worst scenario for any vehicle climbing Vail and Eisenhower passes. I still was going faster than most of the semis. My point was, if it's a rig you are traveling in, spending a lot of time in the backcountry and connecting it highway it's fine. I know, I have done it for over 25+ years in various 6 cylinder cruisers, a couple of 4 cylinder Troopers, a DI Rover, and various other more powerful modern 4x4's as well. The most memorable trips by far happened to be on the least powerful rigs and these were continent crossing trips a month to 3 months in duration. Daily driving driving, yeah it would be frustrating but any armored loaded rig looking like it was ready to enter the Camel Trophy is a pretty lousy daily driving experience for that matter.

 

[upcruiser]

lol. armor, oversize tires, winch, liquids, some spares, roofrack, dog.

hit the scales next 2 week offroad trip you take. i bet yinz guyz are a bit heavier than you think.

a dry 100 is 5300, and dry 60 is 4200. it was one reason i went back to a 60. that and the toybox.... and the view... and the look... and the stick. lotsa reasons. .... but weight was a big one.

I weighed my 80 series before a 2 month trip where I was living in it. 5,500lbs. That's without me in it but I was traveling solo. I wasn't nuts with armor, but lifted, 33's roof basket, bullbar, winch, 15 gallons of spare fuel, sleeping platform, tools/recovery gear, ski gear, mountain bike gear, kayaking gear. Yeah you can go nuts and make a lot more weight, Dave Drucks 80 probably was close to 7,000lbs and he had pretty much every conceivable thing you could bolt on that thing plus a trailer too. That's a pretty radical example and definitely more stuff than you would really need but you can definitely do that. I am saying that you definitely don't need that much stuff and that if you do, you should probably be choosing a different rig as you are pushing the envelope and seriously going to compromise your reliability and add wear and tear. Get involved in an accident, regardless to who is at fault and find out what happens when you are grossly over your GVWR. That's the thing that gets me, not Cruiser specific, but pretty much every make and model on this forum people seem to have very little concern for GVWR. Tacoma's and Wranglers seem to be the worst offenders.

 

[upcruiser]

longevity? LSx motors outlast, have better economy, and are easier to work on than the UZ engine, in addition 45hp more and a broader tq band in its weakest iteration.

the V8 in the 100 may be better than the 6 in the 80, but its by no means a hotrod at 230hp, and low end tq is fit for a sedan. the quirky power curve is what made the 5 speed auto such an improvement over the 4 speed. its what i would refer to the engine as adequate. if i had a choice between keeping the 60 all toyota, with the 4.7, or using the chevy 4.8, i'd still use the 4.8/5.3. i'd skip the ls6.0 as i think with my gearing i'd be tempting driveline fate.

Safe to say, the LS motors are some of the best gas engines ever built. I agree with Clutch though, just grab a Suburban and dial that in. Way more room and for NA you can get parts in any small town if needed. They are crazy reliable.

 

[zimm]

Pretty cool, eh?

Looks like you can grab a 100 for about $15K, from quickie skim in the classifieds.







Why not just buy a Tahoe/Suburban instead of fussing with all the engine swap tomfoolery? They both are going to do the same task, or is it just the sheet metal looks cooler on the LC's? By the sounds of things you're wanting a freeway blaster...the Chevy is going to be a Hell of a lot more comfortable than that buck board 60.

Border Patrol just does a mild lift, and cuts off the bottom front valance, and they do fine in the dirt.


View attachment 416888

LC's arent full size. i still have a built lx470 and G, and a 40. the chevy is too big for any trails i like to hit. the LX pushes it in bulk (7000+ wet). the 60 has the ideal wheelbase and track, to still permit me to sleep in it, 6'4", AND be able to pick lines an excursion cant (that would be my full size pick, for an suv). i aint doin' "dirt" and as noted, the ease of building the drivetrain.

i love the 60 look. i got my 4" lift with 2" springs and 2" lift, and use bilsteins, so the spring arch isnt horrid and it ride soft. its not bad, not much worse than the G, really. washboard sucks ***, but i dont run into much of that here, so its articulation is a sacrifice i'm ok with.

in 10 more years, age may want that 100 back in the rotation. the 100 IS a better truck, but we dont always love the best woman, do we?

 

[zimm]

Safe to say, the LS motors are some of the best gas engines ever built. I agree with Clutch though, just grab a Suburban and dial that in. Way more room and for NA you can get parts in any small town if needed. They are crazy reliable.

you cannot dial a suburban in to do the trails i do with this 60. well, i wont say cannot, but i've seen the frustration and results. at some point the challenge isnt any fun. if i wanted a footprint that big, id use a pickup.

 

[zimm]

btw.

us 40 south at uniontown, in the lx470, with m416 and rtt requires 3rd in 35 shoes, stock gears.

the 60 on 35's, with 4.88 AND h55f and a warmed over 2f, mostly dry, will reduce to third going up to the summit on both sides.

the back way to my cabin, Dunbar road, has a section i will see 2nd on for about a football field and you gotta hammer it to 4k to see 3rd, or you wont pull thru 3rd.

thats 3 times a month. keeping a 2 f revved for 5 minutes, your brain has images of things flying thru the engine block.

 

[zimm]

I weighed my 80 series before a 2 month trip where I was living in it. 5,500lbs. That's without me in it but I was traveling solo. I wasn't nuts with armor, but lifted, 33's roof basket, bullbar, winch, 15 gallons of spare fuel, sleeping platform, tools/recovery gear, ski gear, mountain bike gear, kayaking gear. Yeah you can go nuts and make a lot more weight, Dave Drucks 80 probably was close to 7,000lbs and he had pretty much every conceivable thing you could bolt on that thing plus a trailer too. That's a pretty radical example and definitely more stuff than you would really need but you can definitely do that. I am saying that you definitely don't need that much stuff and that if you do, you should probably be choosing a different rig as you are pushing the envelope and seriously going to compromise your reliability and add wear and tear. Get involved in an accident, regardless to who is at fault and find out what happens when you are grossly over your GVWR. That's the thing that gets me, not Cruiser specific, but pretty much every make and model on this forum people seem to have very little concern for GVWR. Tacoma's and Wranglers seem to be the worst offenders.

fzj80 is 4800lbs dry.

bullbar winch 5000

rearbumber, carriers 5200

sliders, 5300

skids 5400

roof rack and roof box 5500

tools and spares 5650

drawers (AO?) 5800

all YOUR cloths and adventure gear 6200

fuel, water, kitchen, shackes, straps etc 6400...

and i'm sure i missed something. rtt and mount? 6550

it adds up FAST. thats not even the tank fuel and a pair of bodies. you'll be at 7100 with that.

dual batteries and controllers and a size up in tires? 7200.

fridge? damn 7250

may as well put a case of beer in it 7300

 

[Clutch]

LC's arent full size. i still have a built lx470 and G, and a 40. the chevy is too big for any trails i like to hit. the LX pushes it in bulk (7000+ wet). the 60 has the ideal wheelbase and track, to still permit me to sleep in it, 6'4", AND be able to pick lines an excursion cant (that would be my full size pick, for an suv). i aint doin' "dirt" and as noted, the ease of building the drivetrain.

i love the 60 look. i got my 4" lift with 2" springs and 2" lift, and use bilsteins, so the spring arch isnt horrid and it ride soft. its not bad, not much worse than the G, really. washboard sucks ***, but i dont run into much of that here, so its articulation is a sacrifice i'm ok with.

in 10 more years, age may want that 100 back in the rotation. the 100 IS a better truck, but we dont always love the best woman, do we?

Ahhh...just sounded like you wanted the LS power for making cross country trips... these days think you're better off with a tow rig and buying one of those gawd awful UTV things for running trails, and actually have some while doing it.

Seems like a lot of work and still have leaf springs, for all the trouble, might as well sling an 80 chassis under the 60 while you're at it.

 

[upcruiser]

you cannot dial a suburban in to do the trails i do with this 60. well, i wont say cannot, but i've seen the frustration and results. at some point the challenge isnt any fun. if i wanted a footprint that big, id use a pickup.

Not saying you can nor would want to, was making the point of carrying payload more so and the broader sense of overlanding which is travelling and getting into the back country, not wheeling. If you are deliberately choosing difficult routes or trails than a solid axle Cruiser is going to have an edge with width, wheelbase, and weight. That said, a 2500 Suburban like mine is only 3" wider than a 100 so it really isn't THAT much wider. 130" wheelbase is the same as a Defender 130.... but no one is going to argue a Suburban is going to fit in places a 60 will. But get 95% of the places I need to get to in the backcountry, sure. No problem.

 

[upcruiser]

btw.

us 40 south at uniontown, in the lx470, with m416 and rtt requires 3rd in 35 shoes, stock gears.

the 60 on 35's, with 4.88 AND h55f and a warmed over 2f, mostly dry, will reduce to third going up to the summit on both sides.

the back way to my cabin, Dunbar road, has a section i will see 2nd on for about a football field and you gotta hammer it to 4k to see 3rd, or you wont pull thru 3rd.

thats 3 times a month. keeping a 2 f revved for 5 minutes, your brain has images of things flying thru the engine block.

My last 60 could keep 45-50 up Eisenhower Pass coming up from Dillon eastbound, 33's stock gears, engine stock 230,000 miles on it. Wasn't that bad. About the same speed my FJ80 did on it. If I lived in Denver and had to drive I70 daily I definitely wouldn't want to settle for less than a 100 series powerwise, it's just painful working a vehicle that hard for such long periods and going so slow.

 

[upcruiser]

fzj80 is 4800lbs dry.

bullbar winch 5000

rearbumber, carriers 5200

sliders, 5300

skids 5400

roof rack and roof box 5500

tools and spares 5650

drawers (AO?) 5800

all YOUR cloths and adventure gear 6200

fuel, water, kitchen, shackes, straps etc 6400...

and i'm sure i missed something. rtt and mount? 6550

it adds up FAST. thats not even the tank fuel and a pair of bodies. you'll be at 7100 with that.

dual batteries and controllers and a size up in tires? 7200.

fridge? damn 7250

may as well put a case of beer in it 7300

And my point is more along the lines of you don't need to throw the whole catalogue of crap at a vehicle, I think people are way overbuilding their rigs. You do that to any vehicle and it ruins it. Crossing the Atacama solo or something sure you can justify it. Hell, better throw a dual spare setup on there. Of course you CAN put as much weight as you want on a truck, my humble opinion, and probably the minority on this site, you are ruining your vehicle.... or again, if you have to hang so much stuff on the outside your vehicle and carry 2500lbs of payload between gear .armor, etc.... you chose the wrong vehicle.

 

[NCFJ]

Seems like a lot of work and still have leaf springs, for all the trouble, might as well sling an 80 chassis under the 60 while you're at it.

Working on it as we speak, with an LS3 Connect & Cruise

Did I mention I am bias?

 

[NCFJ]

I agree about trucks being overloaded. "Overlanding" has become the rage and there are plenty of "Outfitters" out there looking to sell you every widget known to man.