Hey all, I am new here and was just wondering which engine I should put into my VLT? Currently it has a stock RB20 with standard turbo. I was wondering if I should put a 2JZ into her? How hard would it be? What sort of problems would I run into? The other option would be to go an RB25DET or maybe a 25/30 combo. Would like to know your thoughts. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

An RB30. To answer your question with a more important question; What do you want out of the car itself? Just asking what engine is like picking a dress without knowing the occasion my friend!

Fair call. Car wont be running any drags or nothing, just a weekend cruiser that I can show off.

For that I think a 2JZ would be useless for the effort. RB30, cheap, simple, and less chance of having hassle on the street. Plus they can make plenty of power and look nice if that's what you're after. Probably not needed in a cruiser but you could go 25/30 if you really want to stand out a tad more.

It you want street cred, answer is simple RB30ET SOHC or 5.0. Putting anything other than what was issued from factory is not valid. If you want a twin cam buy a skyline or supra they don't belong on VL's

lol there's nothing really special about a 5L vl in terms of 'street cred' (no offence to anyone who's got one), and if twin cam heads don't belong in vl's then we'd better send Maatouks a memo. If you were to go 2JZ then I can't imagine you coming away from it without spending 15k minimum, and if it's just a weekend cruiser it would be wasted. It's an open ended question, and ultimately up to you, how much money you want to spend, how much effort you want to put in, and what you prefer...

both the RB30ET and 5L are both out dated engines and nothing special in relation to the newer twin cam and LS variants. What makes them special is that these car/engine combinations formed the VL culture. Any other engine combo is just making a VL go fast, but doesn't have the same appeal IMO.

Thats true, you could throw any engine into any car and make it go fast. Using what was there from factory is what makes the car that bit more 'special' if you like

Rb30

+1 rb30

For a weekender I'd personally go for originality and stick with what was available from factory, even to the point of sticking to what the build plate says, engine wise. That's just me but, others think different. As for the 5L, having owned one I know they aren't big on power, but in the VL shell they still pack quite a bit of punch, even with only minor mods like exhaust and intake. Plus, you can't beat the sound of a 5.0 as far as I'm concerned, some will disagree and that's fine, I know what I like.

The one you can afford.

RB30et can be a cruiser and can be built for power down the track if you get bored

I would say the best option is a 26/30 combo for a VL, cheapish easy no special mods required, great power and still has the cool street cred as it's not factory really..... I just wish I chucked on the 26 head on my stroker RB34. Just my opinion really

^^^ putting a twin cam in a VL is almost as unethical as putting an RB in a torana.. : P

Why would you want to slot a 5lt in It? The RB30 makes awesome power and even better with a 26 head on it. If you were starting from scratch and going to put on different manifolds and forged pistons and rods then CRAZY not too go the 26 head

Which engine should I put in? So you want feed back on what engines people have and what they like about them in a VL? Effort. Anything you put into a vl will make you question why you bothered to attempt it in the first place at leats once or twice along the way. But if you are determined you will do complete it and not sell as a "project", to enjoy your pride n hard work. If is worth the effort in the end. RB30 Go for a ride in a vl turbo with 200kw plus power on the next cruise or just slip some one some cash for a ride along. Try this with a v8 vl as well, what ever v8 is in it. See what tunes you on.