83 toyota chevy 350 swap need some input please
02-26-2010, 01:52 PM
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83 toyota chevy 350 swap need some input please
So I'm planning on doing a 350 conversion in my 83 yota. I'm pretty much just wondering if anyone knows of sites that could help. Advanceadapters.com sell the motor mount kits for 84 and newer for bolt on. They sell kits for 79-83 but have to be welded. Does anyone know of a reputable place that sells bolt on mounts. Has anyone done this swap and might be able to tell me a little bit about what to expect as far as possibly pushing the firewall back a little or getting the radiator to fit. What radiartor should I use? Stock toyota with an upgraded electric fan. I expect to have to cut the inner wheel wells. I have a four inch lift and planning on getting a three inch body lift for clearance. Should I go with the auto tranny that has been on the 350 and use that t-case as well or should I keep the toyota t-case. Right now I'm planning on the chevy motor, tranny, and t-case and just splicing the drivelines. Anyways any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
02-26-2010, 08:13 PM
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After thinking about it some more I would like to keep a manual. Would Chevy or Toyota be better? Also if I went with Toyota a lot of people say to go with an 85 or newer tranny. Would the drive shafts line up? Would I have to make sure that the tranny and t-case came from a straight axle? Any help is much appreciated. Also I have trust in bolts to hold the motor mounts up. So i'm not to worried about the factory welded mounts holding up. Might go with the weld on ones though. Only ones I can find.
04-04-2010, 10:24 AM
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welded or not, the motor mounts will be strong enough. the welded is better because you can move your block back and forth to get optimum clearance on distributer and water pump. wth mine i used a serpentine belt system out of a an 89 chev van. which gave me room to move mine forward, i barely had to move the firewall, just a few taps with a 2x4, but i could of gotten after market distributer which is smaller
04-11-2010, 09:10 PM
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if you use chev 4 spd. your toyo diffs wont take the snap. there is a bell housing adapter to go from chev motor, to toyo tranny. iffy tho, never done it. i ran a turbo 350 with ratchet shifter
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08-29-2010, 11:12 PM
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Northwestoffroad.com sells bolt on mounts for this and that's the first I've heard of someone saying the Toyota axles won't handle the "snap" from a chevy trans!! I beg to differ of course like everything else it depends on how you treat it but I have many friends that have done this swap with a chevy trans and their axles hold up just fine!!! Also thanks for the idea on the serpentine belt kit I'm going to have to do that to mine I'm starting the swap soon 22r is already out!!
08-30-2010, 08:20 PM
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i found a pic
ifoujnd i pic of my 85 swap with the serpentine, i dont know how to put the picture up on here. heh, funny i cannt do the swap but not this chat stuff, i wanna show you guys, i have it on my computer, just dont know how to put it into the forum
08-30-2010, 08:34 PM
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When it comes to the trannys and the rest of the drivetrain you want to take a few things into consideration.
1. Small block chevy puts out anywhere from 150-400 hp on average (some are rated much lower and much much higher depending on a multitude of factors).
2. 22r's and 22re's put out between 85-130 hp (again average numbers so bear with me).
3. Toyota's drive trains are built to handle the hp and torque that their engines put out. One of the reasons these trucks take a lot of abuse is the fact that the engine doesnt put much strain on the drivetrain itself.
4. Chevy's TH350 and TH400 will take a lot of abuse and handle a decent amount of HP, plus you get a wide variety of upgrades, transfer cases and pretty much anything you can think of.
5. Cheap to fix and replacements parts are readily available anywhere.
6. Absolutely must run a transmission cooler no questions asked.
1. Small block chevy puts out anywhere from 150-400 hp on average (some are rated much lower and much much higher depending on a multitude of factors).
2. 22r's and 22re's put out between 85-130 hp (again average numbers so bear with me).
3. Toyota's drive trains are built to handle the hp and torque that their engines put out. One of the reasons these trucks take a lot of abuse is the fact that the engine doesnt put much strain on the drivetrain itself.
4. Chevy's TH350 and TH400 will take a lot of abuse and handle a decent amount of HP, plus you get a wide variety of upgrades, transfer cases and pretty much anything you can think of.
5. Cheap to fix and replacements parts are readily available anywhere.
6. Absolutely must run a transmission cooler no questions asked.
12-15-2011, 09:00 PM
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i have a 82 p/u with a slightly modified chevy 350 motor witha turbo 400 trans and 205 t case, i suggest all weld on mounts, as mentioned so you can fit your motor, i suggest the hammer treatment to your firewall for the distibutor to fit as you nbeed all the space you can get for your rad, i overheated 2 other 350's due to rad issues i found that running a radiator out of an early 80's landcruiser works , i cut the metal mounts off the radiator and welded them on the other side so the rad can be further forward into teh grill area, i use a 92 taurus fan to cool it as well, i also cut my whole rad support apart to counter sink the rad forward and welded in solid angle iron pieces to bolt to,
as for the diffs , they will hold up to a chevy 350 as long as you are not HAMMERING on it in 4 low, i have only broken 1 axle in the 5 years ive driven my truck, (i have a locker and i do a lot of donuts) i also found that 529 gears WILL NOT hold up i run the stock 4'.10's and i have not broken a diff yet
as for the drivelines i ran the stock chevy drive lines that came off the chevy donor truck and welded toyota flanges on the end of the shafts ( after measuring of course )
Funnest truck ever
as for the diffs , they will hold up to a chevy 350 as long as you are not HAMMERING on it in 4 low, i have only broken 1 axle in the 5 years ive driven my truck, (i have a locker and i do a lot of donuts) i also found that 529 gears WILL NOT hold up i run the stock 4'.10's and i have not broken a diff yet
as for the drivelines i ran the stock chevy drive lines that came off the chevy donor truck and welded toyota flanges on the end of the shafts ( after measuring of course )
Funnest truck ever
03-11-2012, 02:27 PM
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i run a 350/350 combo with the toyota t-case. if I ever start running my yota any harder I will most likely upgrade my t-case though. If you do the swap you will want to upgrade your radiator as well. Check out www.summitracing.com that is where I got mine from, an electric fan will definitely give you a little more room for the motor but if you do it right you can go with the driven fan though. Also if you are going to refab your mounts I would try and stay away from that body lift. I have a 4inch body lift still on mine from the previous owner and I absolutely hate it. Do yourself a favor and fab it until it fits rather than taking the body lift way out. Hope this helped.
