JonnyBoy

Might seem like the 3.4 swappers are ganging up in here, but that's what I'd probably do too. You said you have access to a welder, and I'm assuming you can weld, so you could probably cut the RE mounts off the frame and weld on the 3.0 mounts for the 3.4. I think it was JasonD, maybe someone else, but they listed the part number for the frame mounts for the 3.0 and the relocation area.

That being said, 5.29's and 33's(pretty close to your 285's, right?) would be overkill for the 3.4. I have 4.10's still in my Runner and 33x10.5's, and I don't have to downshift very often, but you simply need to weigh the options and figure if it's worth it for the life of your 285's.

Don't know much about the M swaps except it's a tight fit for length, and the 3RZ seems like the same amount of wiring as 5VZ, and I hate wiring.

Anyway, food for thought since I'm in the same boat, really. My '83 has 5.29's and a 22r. Crawling seems to be no problem, and with my Weber and such I can actually pull some hills in 5th that I have to downshift for in my Runner, but the '83 is much lighter and I don't usually carry much gear.

Keep us updated, and other swappers please chime in, I wanna know about all the options also!