Well (such a deep subject for a shallow mind), gonna go with the rebuild of the 3.0 with exception to reflowing exhaust. Documentation to follow.

Upon quick eval from machinist, appears crank bearing slipped causing some slapping of the valves/piston. More to come as far as which path to take: rebuild or replace with 3.4 manual.

I want to thank everyone on the forum for all the great information. It has really aided me in the new project I purchased ... a 1994 4 Runner for 750.00. Engine had a knocking on the passenger side with little power. It has 181,030 miles. In tearing down engine 3.slow, nothing looks to bad, other than oil cooler being clogged, PVC totally clogged and some carbon buildup on pistons. Sending heads and lower unit to machine shop for a checkup sometime very soon. More to come as I continue to flow the wealth of information from everyone. THANKS AGAIN.