SAND DUNE SLEDGE HAMMER

105 SERIES CRUISER USES ALL THE BEST GEAR TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF 1FZ POWER... TO THE TUNE OF CLOSE TO 1000HP!

- BRAD MISKIEWICZ

WHEN IT comes to LandCruisers and their many iterations, the LC105 is often listed near the top of the favourites list by Toyota stalwarts, but quickly followed with the caveat that the naturally aspirated versions of either fuel variant would be flat-out trying to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

It was somewhat baffling that the LC105 was only offered with either the 1FZ-FE 4.5-litre petrol six or 1HZ 4.2-litre diesel six, especially when you consider the IFS LC100 was available at the same time with either the 4.7-litre 2UZFE petrol V8 or the equally impressive 4.2-litre 1HD-FTE turbo-diesel engine.

With its live axles front and rear and coil springs all around, the LC105 is better suited to heavy-duty off-road work than the IFS LC100, and it would have benefited greatly in the rough with a bit more power from those more potent powerplants.

Fast forward to today and adding boost to the LC105 is a common path taken for those wanting more power. After playing with a Ford Ranger in diesel form, and finding limits not to his taste, Ben Sigle decided it was time to look at the high-horsepower petrol-powered side of the coin. “I realised pretty early on in the piece that petrol was more fun; more power but more expensive,” said Ben.

Built to achieve a dyno figure north of triple digits, Ben describes his rig as, “A Dubai-spec LandCruiser, used for touring.” Shooting for such hefty numbers is bound to find the weak points in a driveline, with some head gasket and tuning issues partially stalling the ultimate 1FZ-FE DOHC stroker from achieving its best results so far.