DeadPhish

My aunt gave me her 95 4Runner Limited 4wd. That's the good part, the down side is that the engine is shot! The truck itself is in great shape however she severely neglected the maintance. First thing i noticed during the inital teardown was the rust in the radiator that should have been my red flag The power steering pump was leaking and all she ever did was just add fluid to it so I had to clean about 2 gallons of fluid before I could even get to the bolts. So I got the engine out and took it to the local machine shop to get it machined to start the rebuild. Well, turns out the damage is too deep and I have to start over either with a reman or find a donor block and start the build myself. After my research and knowing my schedule I think I am going to go with a reman long block. I have found a few companys that I am looking at for this; do you have any suggestions? The 3.4 swap was considered but no longer an option for me so begins my journey of the "runner resurrection"
I have a 77 CJ7 that I did a complete off frame restoration with, the problem with that is that I put to much money in it and I dont even take it off road. In 3 years I have put 2200 miles on that Jeep. That is not going to be the case with this project. I plan on fabricating bumpers and nerf bars and to use this truck at my hunting camp
Any suggestions or lessons you learned would be greatly appreciated!
I will try and post pics as I make progress.

donomite49

a plug and play swap from http://toyonlyswaps.com/ is what i would do.

DeadPhish

thats the first time I came across that company. I dont know much about them or doing the 3.4 swap I kind of like the idea of going back with what came out. I know they(3.0) are underpowered but I dont plan on doing any drag racing. I want the most straight forward install as the removal of the engine itself was already a big enough pain in arse.
i was looking at the dressed block from nwteamyota
http://www.nwteamyota.com/#!engines-...-dressed-block
has anyone ever used this option?

DeadPhish

I forgot to mention that it only has 120,000 miles on it. well it did when it crapped out.

crazypaint

Puta stocker back in it maybe put headers on it to help out exhaust flow maybe some other minor mods to help longgivity just my .02

hockey88fan

Denny's auto machine in Williamsport md has a 3vze waiting for you. MLS head gasket and arp studs, pull the trigger my friend, this is your second thread regarding this. I understand the hesitation, I thought about for 6 months mulling over all the options. Now I wonder why I was so hesitant. Shipping is like $150 to anywhere in the u.s., it runs like I just drove it off the lot new. 3yr 36,000 mile warranty, call him and atleast talk to him. I can pm u his phone and his cell. He's answered my call every time I've called and answered all my dumb questions. I must've called him 10 times over the past 6 months while I was trying to make my decision.

donomite49

the thing i noticed right away is nwteamyota uses oem toyota parts which is very important for a long lasting motor.

the thing to think about is you can upgrade to a better engine for about the same amount of money. 50 HP is a big upgrade you can use in real world driving/towing etc.

DeadPhish

Hockey, your right I do have some hesitation. I just want to weigh out all the options before I make this purchase I am for sure going to go back with 3.0 but not sure exactly which one. I think both shops produce a quality product. I like the fact that NW Yota only works on toyota engines. they use all the oem products. Yea it cost a little more but in my lifetime I have come to realize you get what you pay for I also like the fact that you can go with the dressed long block, this pretty much has everything on it ready to go. timing is set at tdc and several other bolt ons are ready to go. Once again this just takes some of the time and frustration out of my life.

Bullet22r

get a landcruiser 2f engine things were built like a tank and that straight 6 for the torque

DeadPhish

the 2f engine is not an option for me, i am trying to keep this as simple and straight forward as possible. Right now I am just checking on certain mods/upgrades for the 3.0 I am looking into headers and exhaust. I dont think the "super stock" high output engine is for me either. What else would you do to the 3.0?

niall

Don't do ANYTHING to the 3.0.

It's a waste of time, the high output engines make no noticable power difference after you factor in drivetrain loss.

If you want something reliable, put in a reman 3v, and treat it right, if you want power or economy, wrong motor.

Someone said headers? Through those on for better sound if you want.

aviator

The LC 2F eng is a very tight fit for the smaller eng bay of the 4runner.
The 3.0 is a good engine provided you maintain it... install a set of headers before you drop it in and you will see a boost in available power and also eliminate the head gasket eating issue caused by the heat from the crossover pipe.
Several members are doing merc. diesel conversions with great success... if you want power/economy this is the route for you.

niall

Headers to slow the head gasket issue is a good point, and you will see a slight rise in throttle response.

Downside is, a reman, plus headers, and any other "power adders" on the 3v quickly add up to more than dropping a 5v in, which will give you more power off the bat, and greater potential in the long run.

Zpd426

You may be able to find a junkyard 5vz with low miles for cheap. The 3.4 in my t100 dropped a piston and we got a 98 4runner motor with 30k miles for around 3k after install. So if you do your own work you may be able to cut your costs down a lot

DeadPhish

Well I think I am just going to go with a quality reman 3.0 Maybe some headers. however I dont want that pissed bumble bee sound. Does the headers give it that? I also am thinking of doing a small body lift maybe 1.5" or 2" and wrapping the manifold and crossover pipe with some thermal tape. I am not looking for anything that is high output. Just a decent 4wd to go to my duck hole. My main goal is to get this thing running and take to colorado for my annual elk hunt in October. so custom bumpers, sliders and a roof rack will follow after I get it back running. once again thanks for everyones help. I did do several searches and got a lot of good info that way. However I still like to communicate with others that have been down this road before.
I guess the best part about this is that I have not spent a dollar yet.

niall

If you're not worried about any extra power, just grab you'reself a reman and throw it in, make sure they use genuine toyota gaskets (at very least head gasket), and use the stock exhaust manifolds.

Having had headers on the 3vze, they're almost useless, the sound isn't that great, and the stock cast manifolds flow more than good enough for the amount of power you can get out of that motor.

I bought a reman off ebay once, "Oregan Engine Rebuilders" I think they were, it's not in my truck, but last I checked it was still going strong in a buddies.

aviator

The angry bumble bee noise is from those silly coffee can size mufflers the ricers use... headers make no real difference to the sound at all...

DeadPhish

DAMN HAIL!!!!!!!!! We got bad hail storm here last week and it hit my 4runner. Cracked windshield and dents all over it. Now good news. The crazy aunt that gave me this truck still has full coverage insurance. I am thinking of paying the deductible and making a claim. So the question would be will they still work on it if the engine is pulled? I had the vehicle parked out on some land we have while I was home working on the engine. 2nd question is do I fix it or take the money.

BamaYota1

If you have that much hail damage, it is probably totaled. Take the money and buy one with a good engine. Set the motor back in before adjuster comes. You can tell them it wa there while you were working on it. How did you get the engine out while it was in a field anyway? Take some pics of the damage so we all can see.

aviator

You had the engine pulled for repairs... that event is unrelated to the damage caused by the hail which is an act of god and would have happened anyway regardless of the engine being there or not... as long as you don't try to claim for the engine as well the ins. should cover the repair less the value of the deductible that's what the ins. is there for.