What would you do if you had a Toyota Land Cruiser that had 200,000 miles on the clock? Most of us would probably just drive it until it could go no further. But one YouTuber decided he wasn’t going to do that with his car.
The YouTuber behind the Rare Vehicles in Action channel decided to do something quite special with his Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series. And that was to swap out its standard engine and shove in the massive Yanmar diesel engine that came directly from a boat.
That gave the Toyota over 300 hp and nearly cut its 0- 60 mph time in half, from 16 seconds to 8.8 seconds. When this Land Cruiser rolled off the production line, the last thing Toyota expected was to one day have a big diesel engine from a boat under the hood.
But there is some method to the madness here. The engine that now powers this Land Cruiser is closely related to an engine Toyota offered with the SUV for just a couple of years. The difference is that many of its components are substantially beefed up.
Why a Yanmar Diesel Engine in a Toyota Land Cruiser?
The YouTuber explained the reasoning for putting the big diesel engine into the unassuming Land Cruiser. The Yanmar 6LP engine now under the hood is closely related to the 1HD-FT 4.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine Toyota offered for a couple of years. Originally, though, this Land Cruiser had the more common 12-valve 4.2-liter turbodiesel powertrain. But this Yanmar engine makes roughly twice as much horsepower as the standard engine.
That was before an updated airbox was fitted to the car. This was to bypass the factory intake, which was known to restrict engine performance. However, it wasn’t as simple as swapping the two engines out. Marine engines cool themselves by circulating seawater, so the sea pump had to come off this engine before it could go into the car.
The YouTuber also had to fit the car with a new, standard Toyota radiator and new hoses to provide proper cooling. The oil sump and pickup were also swapped to allow better clearance, while the YouTuber also took the injection pump and inlet manifold from a 1HD-FT engine to give to the Yanmar. The engine was the standout of this rebuild. However, the YouTuber also worked on other parts of the car, which ensured it would run better with its new powertrain.
What Else Was Done to the Toyota?
In addition to the engine, Rare Vehicles in Action rebuilt the front axle. This included new drive shafts, kingpins, CV joints, and bearings. To better handle the extra power, a higher-geared H152 five-speed manual transmission was put into the SUV. The YouTuber said that allowed the car to hold 60mph while running at just 1,600rpm. He also added rear backing plates to the car, and these cost $500 alone.
The reason for that is that the plates, bought from Front Range Off Road Fab in America, are no longer made by Toyota. So getting hold of them in 2026 is harder than it used to be. Amazingly, the Land Cruiser’s chassis is in great shape. Its single owner from new had sprayed old engine oil underneath every year, allowing it to stay in great condition. With the engine swap complete, the YouTuber is also aiming to retrim the interior and give the Land Cruiser a repaint. Maybe it will be on the road for another 200,000 miles.