‘Frank the Tank’ Toyota Land Cruiser Gets Brutal LS Power

Classic Land Cruiser LS swap features a unique panel van design and the L77 V8 from a Holden Commodore.

While the Toyota Land Cruiser isn’t quite as successful in the United States, the Japanese SUV is one of the most popular choice of off-road enthusiasts in many other countries. Of course, like all popular Japanese vehicles, owners have taken to replacing the standard Toyota engine with an LS-based V8, resulting in a far-more-capable machine.

The folks from the FullBoost YouTube channel recently met up with Mark Boxer of HoonTV. Boxer has an LS-swapped Toyota Land Cruiser, but he didn’t just stop at changing the engine. He also transformed this Land Cruiser into a two-door panel van, creating one of the most unique examples of the popular Toyota SUV we have ever seen. Boxer calls the modified Toyota “Frank the Tank” and with the help of lots of factory parts from a Holden VF Commodore, this rig is completely legal for road use in Australia.

Adding LS Power

The video jumps around quite a bit, but we learn that Boxer has owned this 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser for quite some time. It was previously a battered off-road toy with more than 600,000 kilometers when he decided to make a cool project build.

The heart of this modified Toyota is a 6.0-liter V8 from a VF Commodore. In stock form, this engine would have delivered around 362 horsepower and 391 lbs-ft of torque, but this L77 is not stock. It features an aftermarket camshaft and headers, so it is likely making upwards of 400 horsepower. We don’t know exactly how much engine it is making, but we know that the most powerful engine option in this Land Cruiser offered just 212 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. As a result, any LS V8 is going to offer a massive improvement in power.

In addition to using the General Motors engine, this Land Cruiser also features a GM 6L80 automatic transmission, complete with manual gear selection with the factory Holden shifter. Using a kit from Marks4WD, the GM engine and transmission works with the Toyota front and rear differential, along with the factory Toyota fuel lines.

Even the wiring harness is a blend of the GM and Toyota factory setups, making this a relatively simple plug-and-play drivetrain swap. All of the emission components, including approved catalytic convertors, making this GM-powered Land Cruiser 100 percent street legal in Boxer’s home in Australia.

Best of all, it rides and drives like it was a factory engine option, offering better fuel economy than the less powerful factory Toyota engine. Built to be a comfortable cruiser more than an off-road beast, this LS-powered Toyota even has air conditioning and Boxer plans to add cruise control in the near future.

Creating the Panel Look

It is pointed out in the video that LS-swapping a Land Cruiser has become relatively common, so to make this Toyota unique, Boxer converted it to a two-door panel van.

This process began by welding the rear doors shut and adding reinforcements to the window openings. Once the inner structure was reinforced, the metal skin was added, covering the rear doors and the windows around the cargo area. Boxer wanted this Land Cruiser to be legal, so after the conversion, it was properly registered as a two-seat station wagon. The exterior is completed with a functional hood and the exterior vehicle was painted with black bedliner.

Frank the Tank also features a full Pedders suspension setup that balances off-road abilities and on-road comforts, lifting it two inches over the stock height and making room for 35-inch tires. Finally, this Land Cruiser has a part-time four-wheel-drive kit that allows Boxer to ride around in rear-drive mode, rather than full-time four-wheel-drive.

Towards the end of the video, Boxer points out that you can do a cheap swap, but he suggests paying a little more for a modern engine and transmission.

Join the LS1Tech forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com