In the States and the world, the LS engine swap has become a household name, so much so that it's starting to get a little old. Do not confuse that with hating on the LS engine, because it's an amazing platform for performance and reliability. With so many builds using them as the power source, however, it's refreshing when the norm is flipped on its head.

Like the LS engine, Mighty Car Mods (MCM) has become a household name in the world's car community. If you're unfamiliar with MCM, two friends—Marty and Moog—started their YouTube channel back in 2007, modifying the cars they had. Over the years, their brand and reach has grown immensely, impacting all corners of the globe. They've even come stateside and had a fun build-off with Roadkill last year. Over the years, they've had many friends in different facets of the auto-aftermarket industry help them out with their builds, particularly their buddy Al, aka "Turbo Yoda," owner of AM Auto in Queensland, Australia.

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Currently, Al is working on a very interesting build for a friend: a 1970 ZC Ford Fairlane. This exact car was never delivered to the states but has many familiar components: a 302 Windsor engine, C4 transmission, and the conventional Mustang/Cougar-esqe engine bay that doesn't leave too much room for big engines.

Despite this, the new engine is a 1UZ unit from Toyota. It is a 4.0L V8 with four overhead camshafts, six-bolt mains, and 10:1 compression, which is good for about 251 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Given Al's nickname, more power will be found through a turbocharger. The transmission is another Toyota part built by Aisin-Warner. It is one of several variations of the A430, an automatic found in anything from a 4Runner to a Supra. For this project, the transmission has a manual valve body.

Usually, the MCM guys are present for any builds of their own going on around AM Auto, but with their busy schedule, they are not involved with this project. They still wanted to cover the progress of it, and on their secondary YouTube channel, they started a show called The Skid Factory. This show documents Al and Woody, another mechanical wizard from AM Auto, and this Fairlane build.

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Not only do our friends Down Under have some awesome muscle cars that we never saw in the States but the engines differ from what we can get. This makes for unique engine and car combos that are otherwise unheard of, and this Fairlane build is a perfect example of that. Would a Toyota OHV engine be the first choice of swap into a classic car here? Probably not, but it was available for these guys and is a new take on a restomod. The series has been going on for a few weeks now, but I have to say I'm intrigued by where the build is going. Al's fabrication work is top notch, and with a little creativity, he and Woody are building a simple, quality car with a significant twist.