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UZ V8 Manual Transmission Conversion FAQ
Which transmission should I use for my Toyota/Lexus V8?
Answer: It depends. What chassis are you installing this in? Is it an engine swap to a different chassis, or are you just converting your LS/SC/GS/truck to a manual? How much HP are you looking to make? What purpose are you building it for (pure race car, street car/weekend warrior, rock crawler, etc.)? What is your budget?
Here's some options. Our latest and most proud recent transmission development is our Nissan CD009 6 speed adapter plate. This adapts ANY 2003-2018 Nissan 350Z, 370Z, Infiniti G35, or G37 6 speed manual to your UZ, though we strongly recommend using the 2006+ version, and recommend this transmission the most of the ones we offer.. Confirmed fitments so far have been on the following transmission designations: CD001, CD003, CD005, CD008, CD009, CD00A, JK41A, JK41B, JK40C, 1EA0A, and 1EA0B. Our friends at Sound Performance have put over 1200 rwhp through a factory version of these transmissions and never broke it. They also have nearly the exact same ratios as the V160, and can be easily had for less than $1000 used, or around $1800 new. This is the best bang for the buck regardless of what your goals and plans are.
If you're going to leave your V8 mostly stock, N/A, and you've swapped it into a lighter vehicle (240SX, tube chassis, Miata, Triumph, etc.), then you could go with the lighter W55 or W58 5 speed series transmission, found in N/A Supras from 1982-2002, the SC300/Soarer (1991-2000), and the IS300/Altezza (2001-2005). You would then need our W series adapter plate.
If you're looking to use the V8 in a heavier car (Lexus, Supra, truck chassis, etc.) and/or plan on boosting it and making more than 350 but less than 550 rwhp, our most common long time option has been the R series transmission. These were in 5 speed Toyota trucks as well as the 87-92 Supra turbo. They've been known to handle 500 rwhp and more when built properly. The R154 also has multiple shifter housing options, making swaps a bit easier with existing parts. Our R series adapter plate is available here.
GM and Jeep both used newer versions of these transmissions under the designations MA5 and AR5, which can be found in the Chevy Colorado, Hummer H3, Pontiac Solstice, and Saturn Sky. These have become popular options to replace the aging R154, since theyre an updated design with newer synchros, and often more readily available for a better price.
What parts do I need to do a manual swap?
Answer: our adapter plate, flywheel, throw out bearing, and clutch. Depending on the chassis you're using, you will need other parts as well, such as a driveshaft, transmission mount, and possibly shifter modification.
What do I have to modify to fit the transmission adapter to my UZ engine?
Only our CD009 plate requires modification for fitment, and only because these transmissions did not come with serviceable bellhousings. The case is 1 piece. Other modifications will need to be made for your setup to fit regardless of chassis, but you will not need to do any welding or custom work to mate the drivetrain together
Why do I need an adapter? Can't I just bolt a manual transmission to my 1UZ/2UZ/3UZ?
The 2UZ Land Cruiser had an optional 5 speed manual in UAE only. These are the only manual transmission UZ V8 vehicles Toyota has offered to the public that we know of. They use their own clutch, flywheel, and other individual parts, none of which are readily available in the USA, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, or Europe. Because of this, the factory options are cost prohibitive and not worth trying to use or adapt. We ship worldwide almost daily, so there's no reason not to use one of our high quality kits that we have been making for years and tested heavily. Our kits are made to handle the rigors of abuse, whether it be in a drift car, race car, off-road truck, Baja racer, or hill climber, rest assured our adapters will hold up under pressure!
How much will it cost?
There's no easy answer for this. Considering you will need to factor in the cost of the transmission, flywheel, clutch, individual parts, fabrication to fit the chassis, and potentially labor, it can be fairly reasonable or extremely high. Keep in mind that it might seem better to go the cheaper option at first, but it costs much more in the long run to do it wrong and fix your mistakes!
Short answer: about $2000-$4000 USD in parts
Which clutch should I use?
How much power are you going to make? It's important to remember that the clutch is meant to be the "fuse" of the system, and that it should fail before the transmission or any other parts of the drivetrain. That said, you will still need a clutch capable of reliably holding the power you're looking to make with it. If you are building a daily driver/mostly street car, it might be worth getting a less aggressive clutch that is more manageable.
At a certain level, you can expect to need to jump up to a twin disc clutch as well. Usually this is roughly at the cusp of 600+ rwhp. There are single disc clutches that can hold this, however they usually come with higher pressure plate loads (this is bad for the crankshaft thrust washer and can cause crankwalk!) and are not very friendly to slip. Twin disc clutches tend to be easier to manage/drive and will last longer as well. Their main issue is cost typically, which is still less than having to do major engine repairs from crankwalk. Here's a link to our most popular twin disc clutch.
Answer: It depends. What chassis are you installing this in? Is it an engine swap to a different chassis, or are you just converting your LS/SC/GS/truck to a manual? How much HP are you looking to make? What purpose are you building it for (pure race car, street car/weekend warrior, rock crawler, etc.)? What is your budget?
Here's some options. Our latest and most proud recent transmission development is our Nissan CD009 6 speed adapter plate. This adapts ANY 2003-2018 Nissan 350Z, 370Z, Infiniti G35, or G37 6 speed manual to your UZ, though we strongly recommend using the 2006+ version, and recommend this transmission the most of the ones we offer.. Confirmed fitments so far have been on the following transmission designations: CD001, CD003, CD005, CD008, CD009, CD00A, JK41A, JK41B, JK40C, 1EA0A, and 1EA0B. Our friends at Sound Performance have put over 1200 rwhp through a factory version of these transmissions and never broke it. They also have nearly the exact same ratios as the V160, and can be easily had for less than $1000 used, or around $1800 new. This is the best bang for the buck regardless of what your goals and plans are.
If you're going to leave your V8 mostly stock, N/A, and you've swapped it into a lighter vehicle (240SX, tube chassis, Miata, Triumph, etc.), then you could go with the lighter W55 or W58 5 speed series transmission, found in N/A Supras from 1982-2002, the SC300/Soarer (1991-2000), and the IS300/Altezza (2001-2005). You would then need our W series adapter plate.
If you're looking to use the V8 in a heavier car (Lexus, Supra, truck chassis, etc.) and/or plan on boosting it and making more than 350 but less than 550 rwhp, our most common long time option has been the R series transmission. These were in 5 speed Toyota trucks as well as the 87-92 Supra turbo. They've been known to handle 500 rwhp and more when built properly. The R154 also has multiple shifter housing options, making swaps a bit easier with existing parts. Our R series adapter plate is available here.
GM and Jeep both used newer versions of these transmissions under the designations MA5 and AR5, which can be found in the Chevy Colorado, Hummer H3, Pontiac Solstice, and Saturn Sky. These have become popular options to replace the aging R154, since theyre an updated design with newer synchros, and often more readily available for a better price.
What parts do I need to do a manual swap?
Answer: our adapter plate, flywheel, throw out bearing, and clutch. Depending on the chassis you're using, you will need other parts as well, such as a driveshaft, transmission mount, and possibly shifter modification.
What do I have to modify to fit the transmission adapter to my UZ engine?
Only our CD009 plate requires modification for fitment, and only because these transmissions did not come with serviceable bellhousings. The case is 1 piece. Other modifications will need to be made for your setup to fit regardless of chassis, but you will not need to do any welding or custom work to mate the drivetrain together
Why do I need an adapter? Can't I just bolt a manual transmission to my 1UZ/2UZ/3UZ?
The 2UZ Land Cruiser had an optional 5 speed manual in UAE only. These are the only manual transmission UZ V8 vehicles Toyota has offered to the public that we know of. They use their own clutch, flywheel, and other individual parts, none of which are readily available in the USA, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, or Europe. Because of this, the factory options are cost prohibitive and not worth trying to use or adapt. We ship worldwide almost daily, so there's no reason not to use one of our high quality kits that we have been making for years and tested heavily. Our kits are made to handle the rigors of abuse, whether it be in a drift car, race car, off-road truck, Baja racer, or hill climber, rest assured our adapters will hold up under pressure!
How much will it cost?
There's no easy answer for this. Considering you will need to factor in the cost of the transmission, flywheel, clutch, individual parts, fabrication to fit the chassis, and potentially labor, it can be fairly reasonable or extremely high. Keep in mind that it might seem better to go the cheaper option at first, but it costs much more in the long run to do it wrong and fix your mistakes!
Short answer: about $2000-$4000 USD in parts
Which clutch should I use?
How much power are you going to make? It's important to remember that the clutch is meant to be the "fuse" of the system, and that it should fail before the transmission or any other parts of the drivetrain. That said, you will still need a clutch capable of reliably holding the power you're looking to make with it. If you are building a daily driver/mostly street car, it might be worth getting a less aggressive clutch that is more manageable.
At a certain level, you can expect to need to jump up to a twin disc clutch as well. Usually this is roughly at the cusp of 600+ rwhp. There are single disc clutches that can hold this, however they usually come with higher pressure plate loads (this is bad for the crankshaft thrust washer and can cause crankwalk!) and are not very friendly to slip. Twin disc clutches tend to be easier to manage/drive and will last longer as well. Their main issue is cost typically, which is still less than having to do major engine repairs from crankwalk. Here's a link to our most popular twin disc clutch.
