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Hi, I've been following the forum for a bit but this is a first time post. Thought some of you may be as interested in my t-100 story as i have been in yours. Hoping to maybe get a few tips and leave some that will benefit others.
Anyways, over the last few months I've managed to procure not just one T-100 but three. Not at all what I had planned on. The first two I picked up as a project. The third I bought as a daily but it ended up being a lemon. right now i'm in the midst of turning three into one.
The First is a 1993 3.0L 6 Cylinder Auto.
The Second a 1995 3.4L 6 Cylinder Standard SR5
The Third a 1997 3.4L 6 Cylinder Auto
All 4x4
The '93 I acquired in a trade for a dirtbike.
The New England weather really did a number on the '93 a truck that lived on an island its whole life.
That's it. Damn thing wouldn't die even though the rest of the truck had rotted out from around it. when i got it there was no truck bed and the gas tank was so rotten around the fuel pump seal the motor only ran for two minutes at a time. Just long enough to get it onto the trailer.
The '97:
Also aquired in the trade. Has a blown head gasket from the looks of it due to a failed cooling system. The rest of the truck is near pristine. It looks like it spent most of its time down south. The Chump I got it from didn't even have a title for this puppy. But with the help of Facebook and a ferry ticket with a name on it that I found on the floor I've been able to get in contact with the holder.
The '95 was a scam. Guy I got it from covered the frame in black undercoating. making imperfection invisible, especially on a rainy day. I ground down the frame when I noticed the truck bed was flopping around on bumps. Some of you may want to avert your eyes for these next few photos, and remember not to make my mistake and to pound on the frame a bit more before you buy a car.
This is what 20 years in New England can do to your vehicle.
Red marker indicates the cracks
The Cracks are just forward of the rear cab mounts. . . on opposite sides. The welds are from the previous owners and as you can see failed shortly after acquiring the vehicle. There's no sense in welding a frame unless you plan on completely encasing the frame IMO. Angle iron alone tends to bow out when put under pressure.
So as you can see I'm in a bit of a predicament. Originally I was planning on salvaging the frame by welding it back together but after getting a better look at it, it really doesn't seem like much of an option. My plan as of right now is to do an engine swap.
Which leads me to my question. I want to drop a 3.4L motor from a 1995 standard transmission sr5 into a 1997 3.4L auto transmission (Not SR5). Has anyone done a swap like this before,
From the looks of it it wont be a plug and play job. what were the big differences? Will the difference in transmission lead to any necessary customization's i should know about? in the wiring harness for example?
I'm trying to make the best of a bad situation. Any insight would be appreciated.
Last edited by T_Man; 03-22-2016 at 02:12 PM.
Reason: Motor swap question
Do you still have this truck? I have parts if you need any I resurrected my 1995 t100 after I got t-boned earlier this year. I ended up swapping a bed and a bunch of parts from a part truck I bought still have a lot of it left pm me if you need any parts. I'm in the south so rust is a lot less of an issue
I do! well one of them. Its been a busy year on the farm and i only just got back around to it a couple weeks ago. I ended up scrapping the one with the frame issue. I appreciate the offer for parts but am now sitting on two t-100s worth of parts and am elbow deep in a headgasket repair on the third.
I do! well one of them. Its been a busy year on the farm and i only just got back around to it a couple weeks ago. I ended up scrapping the one with the frame issue. I appreciate the offer for parts but am now sitting on two t-100s worth of parts and am elbow deep in a headgasket repair on the third.
Just stumbled on your project. I just finished bringing back a 95 Taco that spent all its life in New England. It will be worth it, trust me!
What's the plan with the one you still have? I grew up with our family truck being a 94 T100. We kept it immaculate until it was traded in.
are you just swapping engines or engine and trans to get the manual in the 97? either way i believe the computer changed in 96 so the harness might be slightly different but the long block should be identical.
easiest way to go IMO would be a long block swap and keep all the wiring and sensors from the 97 in the 97 with the 95 block.
then rebuild the 97 block and put in the 95 and build a purely offroad truck for the farm or wheeling after hacking the whole frame out and tubing it all.or just keep it for spare for the 97
hey! thanks for the interest and the pointer! I was planning on replacing the head gasket in the 97 but just found out the other day that its seized so im gonna swap the motors. I'm gonna swap the wiring harness, the sensors are good to know about, I know the air housing has to be moved over too. Is their any other changes I should make that anyone knows about?
I ended up scrapping the 95 frame. In retrospect I'm glad i did rather than try to save it. Almost decided to tow the truck from just the front end to the scrap yard. Glad I went with the trailer the whole thing turned into a pretzel in the process of getting it to the scrapyard.
03-21-2016, 03:27 PM
