The Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Sheries has proven itself in any conceivable situation to earn the title “Master of Africa”, however the initial diesel engine left much to be desired.
The initial robust 4.2 in-line six cylinder, fitted to this bakke or station wagon, had an output of only 94kW and 280Nm. Then the single-turbo V8 arrived putting out a more respectable 151kW and 430Nm. However, Steve’s Auto Clinic (SAC) now offer a multi-stage conversion for the 70 Series V8 that delivers over 20 percent more power and 30 percent in extra torque. The upgrade has been dubbed ‘The Beauty’ because of the way this 70 Series performs now. (This name compliments the recently converted Land Cruiser VX200 known as ‘The Beast‘).
In a V8 that already puts the old 4.2D in the shade, this upgrade is impressive indeed. As with any turbodiesel power upgrade, the team at SAC tests the conversion in full before fitting it to a single customer’s vehicle.
As with other power upgrades from SAC a Unichip Plug and Play unit, that is pre-programmed with different engine maps has been used.
The engine maps include:
- a special Anti-Theft setting that immobilises the engine.
- a map that offers the best possible fuel consumption.
- an off road driving and towing heavy equipment map. This map makes the engine very powerful, yet driveable for the times you tow a boat or caravan or when you are looking for low down toque whilst fording rivers or crawling over rocks.
- the final map gives the driver the most possible power from this engine, taking into account throttle response, boost control, fuel pressure, engine temperature, mechanical load amongst other things to boost the performance without placing undue stress on the mechanicals.
The full conversion can include the fitment of a special performance exhaust system that allows the V8 engine to breathe easier. Limiting exhaust back pressure but not increasing engine noise.