From FB (American Cars Talk group):
"The 1UZ-FE's specifications include:
- All-aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder liners — similar to the LS.
- DOHC 32-valve heads — four valves per cylinder
- Six-bolt main bearing caps — the LS uses six bolts on its performance versions; the 1UZ had six bolts standard on every engine Toyota built from 1989 forward.
- Forged steel crankshaft.
- Forged steel connecting rods.
- Weight: 365 pounds complete with accessories — 35 pounds lighter than a dressed LS1 and 150 pounds lighter than a dressed 5.0 Windsor ... A hot rodder pulling a blown 5.0 from a Fox-body Mustang and installing a 1UZ gains 150 pounds of weight reduction from the engine swap alone — before touching the suspension, wheels, or body.
- Toyota designed the 1UZ to run at sustained high RPM in a luxury sedan for 200,000 miles without a rebuild. The result is a bottom end that holds 500 HP on stock internals with boost — supercharged 1UZ builds making 450 to 600 HP on factory crankshafts and rods are common in the drift and drag communities.
The swap ecosystem is growing because the math is irresistible.
A used 1UZ from a salvage-yard Lexus LS400 or SC400 costs $300 to $800. Swap adapter plates for Ford and GM bellhousing patterns are available from specialist manufacturers like Collins Adapters and Suprastore.
A CD009 six-speed manual transmission from a Nissan 350Z bolts up with an adapter for $500 to $800 — giving the 1UZ a modern six-speed manual that the original Lexus automatic never offered.
Rod Millen — the legendary New Zealand rally champion — built a 1932 Ford Roadster with a VVT-i 1UZ V8 that became one of the most famous hot rods at SEMA.
The engine swap community has documented 1UZ installations in Fox-body Mustangs, S13/S14 Nissans, Toyota AE86s, Mazda Miatas, Volvo 240s, BMW E30s, and at least one 1955 Chevrolet pickup.
The engine fits where an LS fits because the 1UZ's external dimensions are nearly identical to a Gen III LS — a coincidence of engineering that makes adapter plates and motor mount fabrication straightforward.
The non-VVT-i version (1989-1997) is the one the swap community prefers — and the reason is the same reason the LBZ Duramax outsells the LMM: simplicity. The pre-1997 1UZ has no variable valve timing, no electronic throttle, and a standalone-friendly ECU that aftermarket companies like Megasquirt and Haltech can replace with a plug-and-play harness.
The timing belt — not a chain — requires replacement every 90,000 miles, which sounds like a maintenance burden until you consider that the non-interference design means a broken belt doesn't destroy the engine. A broken timing chain on an LS destroys it. The 1UZ's timing belt is a $200 maintenance event every 90,000 miles. The LS's timing chain is a $2,000 catastrophe if it fails.
The engine that Toyota designed offers 90 percent of the LS's performance at 30 percent of the junkyard cost, 85 percent of the weight, and zero percent of the timing chain anxiety."
1UZ-FE FAQ ,Swap Guide For The 84-89 4runner and Pickup:
1UZ Engine: The Bulletproof V8 That Lived Through Four Decades:
"The UZ engine family consists of three different engines, namely the 1UZ-FE (4.0-liter), 2UZ-FE (4.7-liter), 3UZ-FE (4.3-liter). The 1UZ launched the UZ family in 1989 and was specifically designed for the Lexus LS 400. Toyota's ambition here was to build a V8 that was quieter and lighter than anything BMW or Mercedes-Benz was manufacturing at the time. Of the three, the 1UZ is still the most celebrated of Lexus' UZ V8s."
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