Jeff Harper’s 2004 Hilux Tiger with a Supercharged 3UZ V8

Jeff Harper was disappointed Toyota did not make a 2004 Hilux Tiger with a single cab and short bed. He dreamt of a compact pickup truck with plenty of power to prowl the streets of Thailand. Jeff collaborated with several talented companies to bring his vision to reality.

The project’s heart is a supercharged 4.3 L Lexus 3UZ-FE V8 swapped by Mactec. The built motor features a block bored .050 over with Eagle ESP connecting rods and Traum custom 10:1 compression pistons. The heads use Kelford 208FI VVTi camshafts (254/264) (9.6mm/9.5m) and K-Tech valve springs and titanium retainers.

On top of the motor is a Bullet Cars intake manifold, custom intercooler, and 2.4 L Whipple supercharger pulling air through a GT500 dual 60 mm throttle body. The supercharger features a custom adjustable idler pulley bracket made by Khun Kem.

The warm weather in Thailand required Jeff to invest in a heavy duty intercooler. Unfortunately no company made an intercooler for the Bullet intake manifold. So he made his own using a 1UZ intercooler core in a custom billet aluminum housing made by Khun Kem. Coolant is circulated by a Craig Davies booster pump and cooled through a water-to-air heat exchanger with twin fans.

The motor runs on an upgraded fuel system featuring Five0-Racing 1250 cc Black Ops injectors fed by a DeatschWerks 350 lph E85 external pump. A Link ECU controls everything with a Link Flexfuel sensor. Jeff asked GetTuned Tuning Service to tune the motor. On E20 fuel the motor made 435 hp to the wheels on conservative timing to avoid detonation. Switching to E85 fuel, the V8 made 519 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque to the wheels on 0.73 bar (10.5 psi) of boost.

Behind the V8 is a custom adapter from Mactec allowing the motor to bolt to a KS Racing Thailand bellhousing on a G-Force T5 five-speed manual transmission. Between the two is a BK Racing Clutches twin-disc clutch and flywheel. The final piece of the drivetrain is a Toyota 8.5-inch rear end with 4.10 gears, Detroit TrueTrac limited-slip differential and 30-spline axles.

The truck’s frame and bed was shorted 11 inches by Volcano Customs in Nonthaburi, Thailand. They also mini tubbed the bed for wider rear tires. The suspension was rebuilt with high performance wheel bearings, adjustable shocks, and traction bars made by Mactec. Jeff removed some of the rear leaf springs to lower the rear. With 600+ hp on tap, Jeff made sure the brakes were up to task. He installed a set of Audi R8 calipers in the front and back with BMW M5 ventilated rotors and mounting brackets.

Jeff wanted the truck’s look to match the performance. Up front is an Earn Fiberglass Shop cowl hood which helps make room for the supercharger. There is also a TRD grill, Australian Hilux headlight surround, and Tiger SUV 4×4 lower bumper faring. Volcano Custom also widened the wheel arches and Jeff made an aluminum NASCAR-style rear spoiler. MPF Paint Garage prepped the body and painted everything in Mazda Ceramic Metallic paint.

The interior was given new insulation and carpet by Ton Upholstery Shop. Jeff kept the bench seat but added new door panels. In the foot well is a VW/Audi drive-by-wire accelerator pedal that controls the Ford GT500 throttle body by the Link ECU.