SEMA builds tend to be over the top, but when everyone has a kandy-colored, lifted, widebodied Frankenstein one way to stand out from the crowd is with an absolutely bone stock-appearing classic. That’s what Toyota did with this plain-Jane FJ60 on which even the paint is an un-SEMA-like grayscale. Of course, since it’s SEMA there has to be some crazy mods, and under the hood of the Turbo Trail Cruiser is a forced-induction engine from a modern Tundra.
The “The Turbo Trail Cruiser is about showing what happens when Toyota’s modern performance technology is integrated into one of our most iconic classics,” said Marty Schwerter, the director of Toyota’s Motorsports Garage who led the project.
The goal of the build was to maintain a strict factory-original look but with the Tundra’s twin-turbo 3.4-liter V6 making 389 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It replaces the original FJ60’s carbureted 4.2-liter straight-six, which made 135 horses and 210 lb-ft of torque, more than doubling the output of the stock 1985 Land Cruiser.
Perhaps more importantly, the swap was completed without modifying the firewall or mounting points. In the press release Toyota says that the team fabricated new motor mounts and “machined an adapter plate to mate the i-FORCE V6 engine to the bell housing of the FJ60’s factory 5-speed transmission”. The only way that’s possible is if the base 1985 Land Cruiser wasn’t USDM, as the American-market FJ60 only came with a 4-speed manual.
Other custom bits included a new oil pan for the Tundra V6 to fit with the J60 crossmember, a new radiator fitted to the original core support, and a custom wiring harness. A 1.5-inch lift with 35-inch tires and shackle reversal kit provides more ground clearance.
An aftermarket JBL stereo and speakers were added to the interior and the paint is a PPG reproduction of the Land Cruiser’s 147 Silver offered from 1985-87, perhaps with a bit more flake in the mix. Said Schwerter, “It’s a hot-rod approach with Toyota DNA — power, drivability, and reliability in a package that still feels true to the original Land Cruiser.”
Images courtesy of Toyota.
