Toyota Land Cruisers are known for their rugged durability and outstanding off road performance. Toyota Land Cruisers are probably one of the best designed vehicles, as far as strength is concerned.

The durability of the chassis and transfer case components offers a great opportunity for the installation of new engine & transmission assemblies. One of the major weaknesses of Land Cruisers is the cast aluminum transfer case.

In 1963, Toyota began using a one piece aluminum transfer case coupled to a 3 speed manual transmission. This transfer case had a 10 spline input gear. The 10 spline transfer case used either a vacuum or mechanical linkage.

Beginning in 1974, Toyota changed the transmission to a 4 speed manual. Although they continued using the same transfer case, they changed the input gear to 16 splines. In August of 1980, Toyota once again changed the drivetrain. The 16 & 19 spline transfer cases are both mechanical. Most kits for these transfer cases include a T/C shifter bracket to retain the mechanical linkages.

Land Cruisers supported the stock transmission & transfer case from 1963-1980 by using bellhousing mounts. When installing a new transmission, a new crossmember is mandatory. Land Cruisers with the split style 19 spline transfer case used a crossmember that was located underneath the stock transmission from 1980 to 1987.

The NV4500 5-speed transmission is also an option when retaining the Land Cruiser 6 cylinder.