Hilux RV8

[Risky]

Ok...I know it's not a surf but it is Toyota..well mostly.
Our truck is gorgeous, was a 2.2 petrol and is straight as and nigh on rust free. We decided that she was too good to off road and there's NO WAY we wanted to ruin the truck seeing as she got this far in life without any damage.
Taking that into consideration we wanted a bit more oooomph so the 2.2 had to go. We looked at the Lexus route but my gut feeling was that despite the obvious Toyota with a Toyota engine, the Rover V8 was simple to do for my 1st attempt at something like this.

It turned out really well and the tinkering around is what I love doing. had to employ the services of a local bloke for the SS headers to be made etc and to weld the engine mounts in, I wanted it done by a "pro" for the engineering report side of thing if needed...it was by DVLA.

Anyways...it's done, it drives spot on, looks good and sounds great in my opinion.........BUT......it's not a TOYOTA heart in our truck!

I've joined this forum after a mate from HPOC gave me the link to the Lexsurf threads.....I LOVE the Lexus look, sound...everything about it is tops in my opinion.

So now I have a dilemma. Do I stick with the Rover or swop it for the one I really wanted in the 1st place but bottled out on?
Ideas are....Get LS400 and rob all the parts as needed, running and tested, low mileage jobby. Then sell the Rover V8 as a ready to swop into another Hilux Pickup, turnkey type thingy...custom made SS exhausts, and use the money to (part) fund the Lexus swop.

I've done a fair few quid on the Rover swop so would want to re-coup as much as possible but whoever took this engine would have the benefit of a complete build thread if needed.

Looking at Vince's conversions has wetted my appetite but it's all a lot of money for a toy I hardly use.....BUT I FOOKING LOOOOOOOOOVE THAT LEXUS LUMP!!

A few piccies...our truck, Rover V8....lovely job BUT.....it could be so much better!!











I could get the majority of the work done myself to save £££'s but I also know this job is a lot more technical than the Rover swop.
Stuff like ECU's and keeping the 4x4 gearing would be above me, I would hate to ruin what is a gorgeous truck even with a Rover in it.
Thoughts/suggestions etc ???

[BUSHWHACKER]

That looks bluddie gorgeous!
If you can turn out work like that you can do a Lexus swap no problem.

[Risky]

That looks bluddie gorgeous!
If you can turn out work like that you can do a Lexus swap no problem.

Cheers Mr Vince, the god of Lexus lumps!
I enjoyed stripping and building the Rover, simple stuff, basic mechanical knowledge. Cleaning it up and tarting about is "relaxing" to me. The only real problem was getting headers to fit, nothing really did the job that I wanted hence I employed the bloke that made this system. Everything along the way I found easy but I asked questions and read other build threads.

I'm put off the Lexus swop mainly by the fabrication of headers and the ECU side of things...oh and the gearbox mating up etc.

Rover as you know is a simple aftermarket bellhousing to join it up..works as normal. I think my arse would go if I started cutting up my gearbox or whatever it is I have to do.

Our truck is so mint inside and out and the V8 makes it go well, not really interested in speed moreso the V8 burbling away. I feel like I'm cheating the old girl outta her full potential without a Toyota engine....I can see this getting expensive, AGAIN!!

See if this link works?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f45iHUlnVws

[BUSHWHACKER]

Saw the video, are you part Borg too? you seem to have an electronic grow on your ear.
Can I hear a lack of a balance pipe in that exhaust system?
What radiator is that in the photos?


Re: the Lexus headers, I always use the ones that came with the V8, and just position the engine so they don't need any modification.

[gary-r]

lovely truck - engine bay is immaculate

my kind of engine too - distributor and a carb the lexus electrickery bits take a while to get your head round when you're a points and condenser person.

[Risky]

Saw the video, are you part Borg too? you seem to have an electronic grow on your ear.
Can I hear a lack of a balance pipe in that exhaust system?
What radiator is that in the photos?


Re: the Lexus headers, I always use the ones that came with the V8, and just position the engine so they don't need any modification.

Nah, just a bit deaf! Earpiece stuffed in lughole due to unbreakable mobile phone breaking its speaker...can only hear through headset..poxy thing.
Your ears are correct regarding balance pipe. It was mentioned but did not appear on the finished system. Without going into it the bloke that made the system was a bit "tempermental" and things never got done quickly. Balance pipe was put off for whatever reason he came up with?

The radiator is from an Isuza NPR or NQR...cannot remember (could find out) but it fitted a treat and was cheap....guy ordered 1 but 2 turned up...I got it for £50 BRAND NEW, result huh!

Headers sounds interesting. I've not had a sniff around a 400 lump to get an idea about doing a swop...might try and find a motor to look at.

[Risky]

lovely truck - engine bay is immaculate

my kind of engine too - distributor and a carb the lexus electrickery bits take a while to get your head round when you're a points and condenser person.

Cheers, I spent a day cleaning it with the intentions of having it resprayed...It came up lovely so saved my money!
It was EFI, I was going to run the injection but the carb/manifold came up on the Forum so stuffed that on. I know EFI was probably more precise but I set this up with a mate and it seems to run pretty damn well. It's not going offroading so angles of dangle not an issue, that said we went to Sibertoff?? and had no problems flying around there.

I'd need to "understand" what's involved with all the electrics and ECU side of a conversion before I went for it. I took the lazy option with the RV8 but the Lexus is definately the motor i'd prefer in our truck.

[gary-r]

iv'e had both engines and the lexus lump is miles in front. once you figure out what does what in the spaghetti its not so bad. vince is a wealth of information when it goes wrong.

i did end up with a glovebox that holds 1 pencil and a stamp though.


i am looking for a vf1a transfer case (chain driven) if you or anyone on the hi lux site has one - tried the breakers and no luck so far.

[BUSHWHACKER]

I've wired up eight Lexus V8s now, (all auto transmissions) seven of which have had different ECUs, but all of them have have the same connections in common to get them to work.
I'm confident enough now to make a plug 'n' play engine loom for people who want to do their own conversions into Hilux's but don't feel confident about all the wiring. All I'll need is the customer's engine/transmission loom sent to me. (Everything just unplugs and it can't be re-connected wrongly)

Going to get myself a V8 as a test engine for the looms to make sure they'll work before sending them back.

[Risky]

I've wired up eight Lexus V8s now, (all auto transmissions) seven of which have had different ECUs, but all of them have have the same connections in common to get them to work.
I'm confident enough now to make a plug 'n' play engine loom for people who want to do their own conversions into Hilux's but don't feel confident about all the wiring. All I'll need is the customer's engine/transmission loom sent to me. (Everything just unplugs and it can't be re-connected wrongly)

Going to get myself a V8 as a test engine for the looms to make sure they'll work before sending them back.

That's encouraging news about the ECU's. I'm thinking that the truck would be better off with the Lexus engine and box (standard) because the Hilux box is the weakpoint with the RV8..supposedly? I drive it gently 99.9% of the time so not much of a risk of breaking anything.

I'd like to see a Lexsurf to get an idea of the way it all looks. Does the gear selector fit back in the right place, what about the reliability of the transfer box etc?
All looks and sounds pretty do able and with the information around I reckon 2012 may be seeing our truck restored to 100% Toyota

[Diezel Weazel]

A really nice looking Truck just begging to be Lexurf -ed imho !!
2012 roll on Can't wait to see this

10+ Years of Surfs .... My Yota is faultless to a " T "

[GBV8]

Bueatiful truck you have there. Those headers look the dogs b@lls.
I'd love to see a set something like that on my own.
Not enough room or something I believe to do it right with the Surf???

Get a 1UZ into your Yota, ya know it makes sense

[Risky]

Cheers for comments, I KNOW a Lexus lump is the way to go...eventually.
I took the truck out yesterday with the mrs and the dog, had to take the mrs otherwise she gets jealous...I was talking about the Lexus swop and it being auto and when I had to stop at the next set of lights I forgot to put the clutch in ..DOH, that MUST be a sign of what to do

I was speaking to Ryan on the HPOC forum and he suggested just modding the headers from the Rover SS ones I have, Hmmmm?? They cost me a fortune to have built and they fit well, headers was the biggest problem with the whole job in my opinion.
If I had access to a pipe bending machine I'd of had a go at them myself...ahh well, can't do everything.

The truck is lovely and gets looks and comments all the time and even more now with the V8. Driving it is much easier with the extra ooomph. Just sits there and pulls along up hills on the motorway in 5th without dropping speed...love it.

I think that I shall try and pick up all the bits I need from the shopping list on this forum as and when they come up at the right price, i.e Donor car, odds and sods...get it all stashed and then slap it in..simples!!

Time to start trawling the pages on here and reading up on 2012's next job.

[BUSHWHACKER]

I'm doing a manual gearbox version in a couple of months.
What gearbox are you using, R150? W56?

[Risky]

Viewed a 400 earlier, only had 104k on it but was not what he described it as...mint, gorgeous, superb, yadda yadda...usual stuff. Even though it was up for £695 for quick sale it was not for me...I told him to let me know if it don't sell then maybe do a deal...£350 maximum. There's plenty more out there! No rush.

Is it right that it matters that the gear selector must be the type that runs straight rather than the one that goes kinda dog leggy thingy shape...or does it not matter?