The Kraken is a mythological giant squid that, according to lore, would attack and sink ships on the high seas.

The stories from sailors might have something to do with the amount of rum consumed on board, and the Kraken is now a popular brand of the sweet spirit. Kraken (↗) is also the name of Jeremie Jeffery’s engineering and fabrication business in Melbourne and the name applied to his stunning LandCruiser.

A classic 60 Series Cruiser

Jeremie bought the relatively rust-free FJ62 back in 2018. It had a dodgy engine, but that didn’t bother Jeremie as it was always his intention to do a V8 engine swap as well as an 80 Series chassis swap.

“I wanted a clean body to start with and didn’t really care about the rest, knowing I was going to do a motor swap,” said Jeremie of his $2000 purchase. “I love wagons and I’ve owned most other Cruisers, so I thought, why not the 60?”

For many LandCruiser fans, the 60 Series was the pinnacle of style. More practical than a 40 Series and boxier than an 80, the 60 could be considered the last of the classic Cruisers. While the styling of the body might be appealing, the ride quality of the leaf-spring suspension is not quite as friendly to passengers.

Modern builders have got around that by swapping coil-sprung 80 Series chassis under classic 60s and older 40 Series models. Many owners do the conversion themselves, while businesses like McKinnon’s Cruisers (↗) in Queensland and LCS4x4 (↗) in Melbourne make a living out of manufacturing components for the conversions and building complete turnkey vehicles for customers. Products from both of those businesses have been used in Jeremie’s build, while Kraken Engineering manufactures and supplies some components to LCS4x4.

Jeremie knew he wanted a V8 in the LandCruiser and bought a conversion kit from Marks 4WD Adaptors soon after getting the Cruiser into his workshop. He stripped the vehicle to a bare chassis and then parked the project for six years.

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Six years later, the build gets serious

In 2024, Jeremie changed plans and committed to a chassis swap as well as the engine swap, so he bought an 80 Series with a shagged powerplant and work started feverishly.

“Once I started with a quick chassis swap and motor swap, it quickly turned into replacing, fixing or custom building everything,” he told us.

There was a fair bit of custom fabrication done on the body, and it’s all subtle. The rear quarter panels were chopped for clearance, and the front guards have been cut and shut to accommodate the 37-inch tyres at full lock. Other neat mods include the fitment of JDM (↗) 60 Series front fender grilles and Nissan GT-R fender indicators. With the body mods completed and all rust and body damage repaired, the shell was painted in Nissan Millennium Jade by JS Panels.

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80 Series chassis and LS1 V8 power

Sliding an LC80 chassis under an LC60 is not a straightforward bolt-in process.

For a start, the wheelbase has to be shortened to match that of the 60 Series body and ensure the 37-inch muddies on ATI beadlocks (↗) sit just right in the modified arches. At the front of the chassis, a GU Nissan steering box was fitted with arms and mounts from LCS4x4 before the chassis was painted. Dobinson’s MMR suspension (↗) with 7-inch shocks was bolted in, with LCS aluminium arms and a Panhard rod completing the suspension. A Kraken-fabricated 200-litre fuel tank is also nestled within the rear frame rails.

A GM LS1 V8 taken from a VZ Commodore sits on the front rails thanks to the Marks adaptor kit, with an H55 five-speed ’box behind it. A standard Toyota transfer case is retained, as are the 80 Series diffs, which have been fitted with ARB Air Lockers (↗).

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The exhaust system starts with a set of Hooker headers (↗) running back to a 3-inch stainless steel system made in-house at Kraken Engineering. The EFI V8 is managed by a Haltech control unit. In fact, you’ll find a lot of Kraken’s and Jeremie’s handiwork around the LandCruiser, including the front and rear bumpers and rock sliders, which are custom-fabricated and painted.

The front bar mounts a 24-volt Warn Hi-Mount winch with a 6.8hp Bullet motor, air freespool and a +75mm drum, all set up for heavy-duty recovery work. The rear bumper includes an integrated towbar and swing-out carrier for the 37-inch spare wheel and tyre.

The electrical system runs three setups, starting with the regular battery and alternator under the bonnet for cranking and all the basics. Another pair of batteries is wired for 24 volts and charged by an Enerdrive DC-DC charger to run the winch, while a 300Ah Renogy lithium battery powers the off-grid system and is charged by a 40-amp Renogy DC-DC charger.

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From off-road weapon to show-stopper

The Cruiser was completed, engineered and registered in December 2025 and has not only proved to be a competent off-roader and touring 4×4 but also a show-stopper, having won multiple accolades at shows around town.

In fact, it was at MotorEx that we first eyed the green machine, and the 60 was awarded the Show-stopper trophy on that occasion. Not bad for a truck that was only ever meant to be a quick V8 engine swap, but we all know how these projects snowball into something more. We’re just glad that it did and we’re able to feature the truck on our pages now.

Of course, a stellar build like this doesn’t happen single-handedly, and Jeremie thanks his wife Amber and daughter Mahlia for putting up with the late nights during the build, Jake for doing the late nights with him, Lawrance at LCS4x4 (↗) for all the guidance, Mitch at Mackielec Industries (↗) for wiring up the Haltech, and Jack at JS Panels for the killer paint job.

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Mods and accessories

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