POWER HAULER
1JZ-POWERED TOYOTA HILUX
Ah, the humble utility vehicle. Affectionately known simply as ‘utes’, these infinitely versatile machines have become a staple in New Zealand’s automotive culture. Whether you’re into jacking them up and running over anything in your path; cutting the chassis to bits to slam it into the ground and watch it collect cat’s eyes everywhere you go; or simply hauling around an array of parts, tools, and whatever else may find itself thrown in the tray, you really can’t go past a solid ute! So, when you’ve spent more years than you can count driving them on the daily for work and found yourself fascinated with how good they can look with the right minimal modifications but disillusioned with their inability to go fast when chucking in the jandal, what do you do?
For Christchurch tradie Vaughan Struthers, it could only mean one thing: tearing out the lacking four-cylinder heart from his ’96-spec Toyota Hilux (LN85) in favour of a straight-six turbo power plant that could satisfy his desire to feel like something is actually happening at the depression of the loud pedal — oh, and like any good ute owner, Vaughan needed it to look bloody grouse on the outside too.
“I’ve always been the odd one out with a fascination with utes, and always appreciated seeing the work people put into incorporating aggressive engines into sketchy body types. So, when it came to building this, it had to be a six-cylinder, and I wanted it to keep it within the family — Toyota with Toyota,” explains Vaughan. “After a bit of research on what I could extract the most power out of, for the least amount of effort and budget — I wanted to steer clear of touching the internals, as I was a broke apprentice — the easy answer was the modest 1JZ-GTE.”
Fitting two extra cylinders into the already-small nose cavity proved to be a bit trickier than Vaughan expected; he tells us that it was “two steps forwards, 10 steps back” to make it all work — so much so that he happily admits that every single component has a reason for being the way it is, and most have been modified to suit the conversion; it definitely wasn’t a drop-in-and-forget job!
Good mate Alex Bowers whipped up the custom engine mounts that see the motor bolted in place, while Bryce Dijk took care of most of the fabrication work, including all the piping. One of the biggest challenges was creating a turbo manifold that would allow the BorgWarner S300 to clear the the master cylinder and front tubs while leaving enough room for the required pipework and bonnet clearance. Vaughan credits Sinco for its dedication on this front, sending a prototype unit back and forth between Christchurch and Hamilton until it was perfect. The rest of the package remains fairly simple, making
use of proven 1JZ-GTE upgrade combinations such as the Bosch injectors and a Link G4+ Storm ECU. The result is a solid 391kW and 612Nm of torque as tuned by Spec Performance, which is impressive considering it’s a stock head and block.
To support all this new-found wildness, Vaughan has had the chassis C-notched five inches and tubbed the front arches to bring the centre of gravity much closer to the ground, making use of Monroe 4WD Hilux shocks and reset leaf springs to get it sitting right over the 18x9.5-inch and 18x10.5-inch Touchdown TD-136s. To ensure that the vehicle still has the ability to pull up when required, R33 GTS25-T four-pot calipers have been adapted to fit up front along with a pair of drilled and slotted Ford XR6T rotors. Down back, though, she’s still an all-drum party!
The exterior finish comes courtesy of another mate, Oscar Kwon. Vaughan explains that Oscar was the mastermind behind all the panelling and preparation for paint. He fitted the full front from the much beefier LN106 four-wheel-drive Hilux (’88–
Hidden below the custom tray liner is a full fuel setup that includes a Bosch 044 primary pump, Carter lift pump, and custom surge tank that are plumbed with 8AN braided line and fittings Despite committing to one of Toyota’s finest power plants, Vaughan had never actually driven anything 1JZ powered until the ute was complete! We doubt that he went unimpressed by the 391kW hit it delivers
’89MY), which has wider-flared guards and a four-wheel-drive bumper, valance, and wing mirrors. The tray hasn’t escaped the same treatment; in fact, it is perhaps one of the most modified parts of the ute. Oscar cut the LN85 flares off the original tray and seamwelded them onto a new KZN165 unit.
“It’s a smoother-looking tray to begin with, but the factory flares are not as appealing to me and didn’t tuck the wheels as nicely, being 20mm wider either side,” Vaughan tells us.
The tailgate has been completely shaved, much like the door handles and aerial on the guard, and Vaughan himself set about making a custom tray lining with marine-grade plywood. It employs
routed 50x3mm aluminium strips that are symmetrically positioned and incorporates a hidden join for the hatch covering the fuel system and battery. From flush-mounted tie-down points to the flush-mounted bonnet latches on the hatch to keep light hands at bay, the tray is immaculate despite being all about purpose — Vaughan asks: without the tray, is it even a ute?
True to the ute’s humble working roots, the inside of the cabin remains almost completely factory, including the front and rear bench seats that are good for going six-up! Vaughan explains that, while the exterior and performance suggest otherwise, he wanted the interior to remind the occupants that these machines were really only built to do 90kph downhill with a good back wind. The only modification, as such, comes by way of the new carpet, a Speights dash mat, and the optioned petrol-model cluster that includes oil-pressure, water-temperature, and fuel-level gauges; a voltmeter; a rev counter; and a speedometer. The cluster is a pretty snazzy piece of kit, if you know just how basic these old Hilux utes were, and everything functions as though it has just rolled out of the factory, thanks to the wiring wizardry of Sam Williamson at Sparks Auto Electric.
Now complete, the ute checks all the boxes of what you could ask for from a humble utility. It’s that perfect blend of the practicalities of a parts hauler — despite the anxiety it gives us at the idea of putting anything in the immaculate tray — and something that you don’t mind having your photo taken next to. Better yet, it offers enough punching force to get you to the bakery and back at smoko, with time to spare. Despite being a massive labour of love for Vaughan and the network of friends that he enlisted to make it happen, the experience has filled Vaughan’s head with a raft of ideas about what he wants to do next.
As he tells us, “Money doesn’t grow on trees — the old girl has to go to fund the next mission!” So, if, at the end of reading this article, you’ve found yourself as fascinated with utes as Vaughan is but don’t want to know the disappointment of an underpowered heart, fire us a message on the NZ Performance Car Facebook page and we’ll put you in touch.
With space being a concern, the custom three-inch exhaust exits behind the driver’s side rear passenger door with twin 2.5-inch stainless-steel side pipes
The tailgate, aerial, and door handles may make the exterior smoother to look at, but Vaughan laughs at the number of times that he’s managed to lock himself out of the ute as a result of those missing handles THANKS: