R154? Good or no good?

[TTV8RA23]

Hey guys as you can see i am new to the site and i have a few questions about R154's? I have searched pretty thouroughly and not found anything specific about this really.

I have purchased an R154 for my project which is a twin turbo 1uzfe R154(?) hilux diff power steering and adjustable coil over suspension blaady blaady bla all going into a 1976 RA23 which i had alot of issues finding over here in NZ .

My question is, is the R154 a good box or not . At the time of purchasing i had heard nothing but good things about them but since buying it i have heard alot of negative things about them, Piss weak truck boxes hard to shift not smooth and noisy just to name a few. I have even been told by some people that the W58 is stronger/better.

I will be doing the obligatory 1st gear thrust washer up grade (if i decide to still run with an R154) and running good oil etc but the thing that still concerns me is the reported number of breakages pople have been having with these boxes. I paid a fortune for it considering apprentice wages in NZ and would be abosulutely bloody heart broken if i was to break it. I originally spent the money as i thought it would be a huge over kill and that i would never have problems with it ever.

I am planning/hoping to make 300 to 350kw at the wheels (maybe more in the future) with various mods to the motor obviously, and been a young fulla (19) i dont exactly have a light foot and would probably be giving the car a bit of abuse 4th or 5th gear burnouts bit of recreational drifting fair bit of drag racing and bit of track work. Im running 245/45/17 rubber on the back for street and track duties and i am planning a complete different diff suspension unit for drag racing and running 9 inch slicks.

Im just wondering whether or not the gearbox will stand up to the abuse a lead footed 19 year old would give it? i realise the car is quite light with not huge rubber so it would probably just break traction before breaking the gearbox(hopefully )

I have had a few blasphemous suggestions from other people about using a nissan 350z 6 speed box but i am unsure of the strength and as far as i can see there are only two other options V160!! (GULP) or a Tremec TKO600 (double GULP) or the like but i am uncertain of the prices and if i am likely to break the R154 i would much rather sell it now and buy a V160 rather than blow the R154 and have a useless heap of scrap not worth selling and having to fork out the hole amount of money and manufacturing a new bell housing etc etc.

So any tips or advice on strength of R154s and there ability to stand up to abuse would be very much appreciated as would a few prices on a V160 or TKO600?

Cheers guys and forgive me if i have repeated anything in here but like i said im new to toymods and have not seen anything regarding theses specific issues.

[BlackSupra]

If you are going to break one, it would be most likely when you launch at the drags with slicks.

They are truck boxes and W58's do shift smoother. But a W58 will explode if you try and do anything hard with it and 350rwkw.

[hemi twofifteen turbo]

They are pretty strong. It's not the hp that is going to kill it, it's the torque. Being a 1uz + boost it's going to have plenty but I think you'll be allright for a while. I've heard good and bad, and from personal experience i'm going with the good.

[TTV8RA23]

Thanks guys for the real quick replys i will probably be running quite tall nine inch slicks and a 4.1:1 or 4.3:1 diff head welded solid and have real soft springs and 90/10 shocks to really get it squatting and launching hard. Cos as i said i will be running a hole different rear end for drag racing. It will include different shocks and springs and as i said previously a welded center and just standard hilux drums where as for street and track duties i have a 3.7:1 center with a lockrite center in it (the were designed for 4WDs) and will be running the matching brakes to the front which are 2002 LS400 brakes BIG! (Biggest four pot calipers i have ever seen!) and more suitable street/track shocks and springs. I really dont want there to any chance of busting the gear box cos if it does blow it will be alot of money down the gurgler. The clutch i am planning on using will not be a viscious one, im planning on making my own twin plate using a heavy duty 9 1.2" pressure plate and running two clutch discs with my own friction disc i make for between them and my own flywheel that i make to suit.

Anyone out there needing flywheels made i can do them as cashies if you want all i will need to know is a few details bout the clutch and i could make something up for you. I have done a couple before for mates 1UZFEs and i have a couple more to make when i get back home from this god forsaken place that is antarctica. Its not a business i run or anything im a third year fitter turner apprentice and my boss is real good about me doing homers and stuff and i have seen alot of guys on here struggling to get flywheels for anything less than a bloody ridiculous price. $300 for 1040 grade mild steel one (medium to heavy duty) or about 350-400 for a 4140 grade one (super heavy duty) the will come with ring gear and all holes drilled to suit your specific clutch. Could probably do them for just about anything if you give me the right details. they will be machined out of a piece of billet shaft too not cold rolled plate like alot of companys seem to do. PM me if interested.

Lol i need to try and do a few cashies so i can save up the extra pennys i made need to possibly update to a V160 now. Anyone out there got any reasonable estimates on a price for one of these? If its not too expensive there maybe a good condition R154 and (i think) a 1jz bell housing for sale. im not selling it for anyless than i paid for it either. Pretty firm on $2000 kiwi dollars! I dont think this is ridiculously over priced as thats what i paid for it and that was the cheapest one i have ever seen advertised. Or could do trade plus cash for a V160 but i doubt anyone would be looking to down grade from a V160 lol. Though this brings to light another question are V160s as good as theyre cracked up to be i think i recall hearing a story a while ago where a bloke broke three V160s before going to a R154??? Bull s#@t i presume but just gotta ask?

Cheers guys and once again thanks for your help this toymods thing is a bloody invaluable resource to DIYers like myself that has been thinking about and researching his project for the last two or three years. And now finnally has enough bits together scraped scrummaged and scrounged together to start making it happen. Dont get me wrong with the scraping and scrummaging though the bits i have been aquiring are not rubbish i have just been waiting and holding my wallet tight (as apprentices have to do) till i find the best component for the best price. When i get back to NZ i will be starting a thread up on the readers rides so i can show you what i have got and try get some suggestions about the things i am still unsure about. Once again cheers guys huge thumbs up to you all you seem to be bloody TOYOTA geniuses!

[TTV8RA23]

I was just reading up about ratios etc for R154 and V160 and i noticed top gear on the 154 is higher than the 160?? Seems odd. I also read on the same thread that you can get the tremec TKO600 for 2k US? Is this correct? If so then i better do some research and some possible purchasing!(saving for another four bloddy months ) Opinions guys?

[Grega]

just a question if i may, if your intended use is drag racing only then i'd be looking towards a very strong auto instead of a manual. theres a fellow in SA, MV autos IIRC who can build very strong auto boxes to go behind these.

i know its not really feedback on the R154, but, i'm looking towards the purpose for your build thats all...

[Hiro]

I was just reading up about ratios etc for R154 and V160 and i noticed top gear on the 154 is higher than the 160??

Top gear ratio for a particular gearbox is kinda irrelevant if you don't take into consideration the stock final drive ratio in the diff that the gearbox originally came in. A truck gearbox is likely to be paired to a fairly short final drive, to give good load-hauling abilities

[TTV8RA23]

For Grega,
The car is not been built specifically for drag racing is going to be a predominantly street car driven most days hopefully. The plan is for it to be an all rounder, I want to go to as many track days as i can and night war drags as well as a bit of recreational drifting and lots and lots of burn outs. The main reason im not going auto though is cos i plain dont like them. My dad has been trying to convince me to go auto for a long time and there is no way im going to. No worrys about not been feedback on the R154

For Hiro
Top gear ratio is not irrelevant in my case at all as i am using a hilux diff the tallest ratio diff i can get is 3.7:1 and they go all the way down to 5:1 so i would rather get a TKO600 (which i am now really really considering) as it would still give me a not too bad cruising revs at 100kmh it would be doing 2300rpm with the tyres im running which is still high for a V8 and a theoretical top speed of 283kmh at 6500rpm.

TKO600 is looking bloody good right now absolutely bullet proof and cheaper than a V160and much better ratios for my application. Still looking for further feed back though guys or interest in the R154 if anyone wants it. I bought it about a year ago with a twelve month warranty and havent done anything with it as yet and its starting to look like i wont be unless someone seriously convinces me otherwise.

[Norbie]

V160 is about $2.5-3.5k for a bare box. For a TT 1UZ though you'd be crazy to go with anything less than a TKO600, especially when there are slicks involved.

[Soarer21]

at 100kmh it would be doing 2300rpm with the tyres im running which is still high for a V8.

It'd be high if you were running a 253 holden or similar. However you've chosen a 4ltr multi-valve Toyota engine. 2300rpm is nothing for one of these engines. 1/3rd max rpm... too easy

[TTV8RA23]

Cheers norbie just what i thought. Rats another s#%t load of money saving to do! TKO600 i think it is!!

To soarer 21, I realise its not high revs really but the lower the better(to an extent) for cruising fuel consumption etc. I realise its not high revs at all but i think it is good revs i no the capabilities of these engines my father and i have put several of them in jet boats and i have done a huge amount of research aka read justens write up on the GT8.

Cheers guys for the feedback especially you norbie lol make me spend those dollars. But i do want to do it right the first time. Cheers!

[Hiro]

For Hiro
Top gear ratio is not irrelevant in my case at all as i am using a hilux diff the tallest ratio diff i can get is 3.7:1

Which Hilux though? The older ones would be running a W-series gearbox, with different ratios to an R- or V-series

[TTV8RA23]

I dont really understand what you are asking here ??? Its a hilux diff i am using and the ratio is 3.7:1 i cant get any taller as they were never made. Therefore i want to buy a gear box with the tallest possible (within reason of course) top gear so that i have relatively low revs when im cruising at 100kmh. Using a twin turbo 1UZFE as stated so im not really worried about not having enough torque to pull away in first gear .

[Hiro]

I mean that an early Hilux would be running an R-series engine, with a W-series gearbox behind it, which would have a different rear end to a newer Hilux with a RZ engine and R-series gearbox, thus possibly changing the final drive. I don't know the exact details (I'm more into Corollas than Hillii), but I bet the rear-ends are different. It might make a huge difference, or it might make no difference whatsoever, but saying "Hilux" rear-end can be quite vague

[Norbie]

My Supra and my Century sit on 2300-2400 at highway speeds and return good fuel economy (for what they are), so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

Keep in mind though that if you build a car like this it's not going to sip fuel like your mum's Corolla. There are always compromises to be made, and with a performance car fuel economy is one of the first casualties. I understand your concerns but there are practical limits.