Not your average 80-series LS swap.
We are not going to let the purists down about another 80-series Toyota Land Cruiser with a LS V8 underneath the hood. The latest Fullboost video shows Frank the Tank, an 80-series Land Cruiser built by Mark Boxer from HoonTV.
We can’t forget to mention that the truck is a panel truck before we talk about the powerplant. This basically means that the factory panels at the back of the truck are removed and replaced with lighter ones. It is a great way to showcase the Baja prerunner aesthetic. This conversion was done at the expense of the rear doors and made it a two-door Land Cruiser.
Although swapping an LS for a Land Cruiser was not a new idea, the availability of many conversion kits made it easy to ‘Frank the Tank.’ Boxer was able to use the Marks4wd kit, which allowed him to retain the original airbox, fuel lines and headers as well as the tower shafts. Boxer had hoped to turbocharge the LS but he decided to keep it stock and only add minor components such as a new exhaust or cam.
The exterior of Frank the Tank was covered in a bedliner. This isn’t the first instance of Rhino Liner being used on an offroad vehicle’s exterior. But there’s more to the Land Cruiser than meets the eye. The guys added new bumpers, fender flares and other modifications to the panel truck conversion.
Boxer stated that there isn’t much he would change about the bulletproof setup after all was said and done. Boxer mentioned that plans were being made for engine swaps such as a 1JZ but it was impossible to make the LS swap due to the engineering expertise behind it.