4bytruckin

or drop a chevy v8 in it . just my 2 cents. cheap easy reliable. and parts are cheaper too. i can get 600 hp out of a turbo charged 383 stroker and like 590 ftp tourque. i don't know about those nissan engines. i used a nissan maxima diesel engine in my s10 truggy once. inline six and smoked worse than a gm 6.2 diesel. just go gm and save your money for a supercharger

Bumpin' Yota

if a diesel "smokes" you need MORE boost!!

but yeah its stupid easy to make absolutely rediculous power levels with a GM smallblock

1989toy4wd

I would do the 2jz-gte swap...700hp on stock bottom end is possible....plus its easier, more efficient, and someone makes a kit for this swap (I think??)!
Plus you would be keeping it toyota!!

You could also put in a V8 from a lexus...straightforward swap (little more work)

Or, just put in a 3.4 supercharged....WAYYYYY easy!!!!

typical8o8

the Nissan VQ engines are really good engines but unless you're willing to do some major fabbing, it would be much easier to do a 3.4 swap. i have a 2002 Altima with the original VQ35 and am happy with it. it gets about 26 mpg average even with 240 horses (higher in other models). the power curve is very smooth and can plant you in your seat if you need it to. Nissan has done a complete 180 after Renault took over a few years ago. they have really stepped up. but as much as i like the engine, i wouldn't even entertain the idea of swapping it in place of the 3vze just based on the cost:benefit ratio. if i wanted a little more power i would go with the 3.4. if i wanted even more power i'd supercharge it. if i wanted even more power i'd go w/ a GM. for the amount of time & money that would be needed to swap in a VQ, you could probably do a 3.4L swap + SAS and probably more.

CJM

I highly doubt it would work without being fabbing hell.

LIke others have suggested a chevy 350 smallblock V8 is a good donor or a yota v8. Really though for the money a chevy 350 is the way to go.

Simann

Good luck finding a motor that is not even out yet.

That honestly is not a good platform for a truck, maybe a light weight sports car with beneficial aerodynamic abilities that far outweigh the 4runners brick like structure in the wind tunnel.

The point is, thats an extrememly light weight motor (internally) and the power band has starts at the higher rpm. Unless your wanting to build your 4runner into a Renault E-Space F1 Minivan, I would suggest sticking with the tride and true v8 swaps or even just boosting a 3vz...or better yet stuffing the 7m inside the motor bay.

Vq's are great motors, but not for heavy un-aerodynamic trucks that absolutely need torque.


Of course this is my OPINION, and if you disagree I have zero problems with that. So rock on!
-Jonathan

typical8o8

i disagree that it's a bad truck platform. the engines produce more torque than HP when stock and many people described the VQ35 as a truck engine squeezed under a car's hood. there is more than enough torque and power in those engines. the VQ35DE was used in '01-'04 Pathfinders as well as Muranos and Infiniti FX35. it is true that you reach peak torque and HP at higher RPMs but that's what gears are for. the VQ40DE which is used in current Frontiers has 291 ft-lbs of torque at 4k RPM while the VQ35DE has 246 ft-lbs of torque at 4.4k RPM. there are TONS of people running 22R-E's in their Runners and i wouldn't consider that a heavy motor. unless you plan to go from dead stop in 3rd gear, you'll get moving. that being said, I STILL DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH THE TIME & EFFORT.

Bumpin' Yota

damn....291ftlbs of tq? shizznizzle!

typical8o8

the 4.0L V6 engines in the new Tacos push 236 hp @ 5.2k RPM and 266 ft-lbs of torque @ 4k RPM and gets slightly better city mileage than the VQ40 so the 2 are pretty close. i think i'll wait another decade for prices to drop though. i just can't see myself buying a new $20k+ toy to take wheeling.

motoracer47

i somewhat disagree. while the vq35de does make good torque, if you compare the 35de to the 40de torque curves, youll see the 40 has much more torque under 3k rpm, where most of your time is spent in a truck application. what i find the most interesting, is the fact that this "new" hr engine really and truly is the exact same bottom end and the vq40de. i have no idea why nissan called the new vq40de a de and not an hr, there are less than 10 interchangable parts between a vq40de and a vq35de, even though they are supposed to be from the same engine family. this is from a nissan tech that got to inspect one of the new 40de's when they first came out, and found they were completly different from the 35de's. i wont be supprised if the new gtr sports a VQ40HRTT, the 40de bottom end with this "new" engines heads, intake, and supporting hardware.
but in response to the original thread, hope im not sounding harsh, but if you apply logic to this, essentially there is no way it will work. yes someone will say it can be made to work with enough money, and this is true, but:
1: you cannot even buy this engine at all right now
2. you would have to have a custom bellhousing made to adapt it to the runners tranny
3. to keep it legal, you would have to transplant the ecu and wiring harness from the nissan, and it will absolutly not comunicate at all with the toyota transmission if you stay auto(neither will 07+ toyotas, everyone is moving to CAN now instead of waiting for 08)
basically, no, it cant be done