vanzam

Im going to drop something bigger into my 87 pickup. My truck has some good mods already, chaos in the front, 16" kings in the rear, front to rear roll cage, its set up for baja racing, jumping, serious pounding. I want an engine that makes me think before i floor it. Something i will not want to replace because i was passed going uphill at 10000 feet going 80 in colorado. Has anyone got experience behind the wheel with different engines? Some options? 1. Toyota V6 with Supercharger 2. 350 3. 5.0 out of mustang? 4. 4.3l toyota? Any comments would be helpful.

trythis

It was fun reading about the guy that put the dual turbo supra engine in his truck. He had problems moving with stock tires until third gear. Not that I have any experience there, but it wasnt in your list of options, so I thought I would mention it.

ToyRunner1

I don't normally get passed here in Colorado. I would not recommend my swap due to all the computer controlled crap that we had to deal with, but it sure is nice having the power...

Red3.slow

I'd stick with a toyota motor. Just because its a toyota truck I would keep a toyota motor in it. But that just my opinion

celica

check out the guy with the Lexus 4.7L V8 in this second Gen

snap-on

they guy i got my 2 motor's from was putting a 5.0 in his first gen 4runner that was setup for desert beat'n.

personlly id go 5vze SC. less weight than the huge 4.7 V8 (course if you went yota V8 then you could also get the SC for it and have ooooddllles of stupid power!!! but not with out serious $$$$ i got a guy in town that picked up a SC for the V8 and it set him back $4500 for the SC alone)

Bumpin' Yota

good god instead of doing a supercharger for 4500 on the v8 just turbo it! Same low end torque, more top end power, and no parasitic drag.

Engine swaps? 7mgte is where its at me thinks. Or a turbo charged 5vz-fe

mastacox

I'm torn between the Toyota 3.4 w/ SC or a 5.0

You can pump some serious power out of a 5.0 with medium modification, around 300-350 hp, the Toy 3.4 would be able to get to probably 300 with SC, URD, and 7th injector kit. If you want to have to "think before you floor it" you're going to want a roaring V-8 with approaching 400 hp I would say.

Ok, I'm not torn anymore, get a Mustang 5.0 with an '89 ECU, Ford Racing GT-40 intake, high preformance headers, a big cam, 80mm TB, all the goodies, you're good to go. If you find a good deal, I think you could do that for about 4-5 grand. Just make sure your tranny can keep up! Then, if you need even more power turbos or superchargers are plentiful, and those Mustang guys can tune those engines like no one's business...

Holy moly, I want a truck with 400 hp and a baja suspension

Bumpin' Yota

dont forget the GT40 heads. Much better heads than in the foxbodies...

Even cheaper and more power potential would be a 5.7 small block with a nice aggressive cam and 10:1 compression with good heads. Carbureated rocks! hehehe uber simple!

mastacox

Touche', GT40 heads too. Don't 5.0's fit pretty easily because they have the distributor up front?

Elton

how bout a 2JZ with a turbo ??

vanzam

Looks like the 5.0 is winning. 300hp tops with a v6? 400+ with the 5.0. What about reliability? Im racing the baja 1000, breaking down is worse than going slow. Is the 5.0 reliable? About the tranny, big and strong, automatic, and heavy to keep the CG low(center of gravity). Getting air at 80 is scary enough...

mastacox

Well, more than anything it depends on the components you have in it. Obviously Toyota's are notorious for their reliability, it's hard to say for the 5.0. More than anything I would say it's a matter of trial and error, unless someone else chimes in... Just keep it well-cooled, well-oiled, and well maintained, should do as well as any engine.

As for tranny, I'd say an AOD or AOD-E would do nicely, same one my buddy did when we swapped a 5.0 into his Xploder. Holy moly, that Explorer is huge now... Dana 60 front/Dana 70 rear with 41" Michelin XL's

mastacox

You might poke around some Mustang sites, racers want power and reliability too...

89macrunner

have you thought about a lexus 4.0 v8? 300hp 300ft\lbs of torque right from the factory and lots of aftermarket stuff is around for it. They are also a very reliable engine.

mastacox

I would be worried about the carb'd engine, especially over heavy duty Baja-Style racing. I feel like EFI helps make sure you get the right amount of gas regardless of the alititude, time of day, temperature, etc. But I know a well tuned carbed engine can really haul.

vanzam

What happens if i put too much power in? Is there such a thing? I have 35 12.5 bfs on the rear with 2" spacers and 35 10.5s on the front with a t100 front ifs. power versus reliability? is there such a thing as both?

mastacox

Well, depends on how much your truck weighs I suppose... and how you drive.

Can a T-100 front end handle 300 hp and big jumps? I don't know... I'm pretty sure not 400 hp though. You'll need a bigger set of cv's, and maybe an uber-hardened ring gear.

Sonofmayhem

lets see some pics of this truck, and arent most desert trucks carbed cheby engines? or some weird ass hybrid? personally id go with a 3.4 supercharged. that way the axles and such would hold pretty much and youd get good speed outta it. Or if your really fancy id like to see a tundra iforce in there.

vanzam

Tundra iforce, now were talking. I drive a 2005 tundra everyday, it is fast. I loved driving it fast offroad, but I hit a tree a few months ago, so im not going to do that anymore. Could i fit an iforce in my 87? I know i could, but without major body and frame modifications. With a supercharger, itd have some power. Theres one for under 3k on ebay right now. Ill get the tape out... Ill post some pictures soon, YTs not letting me post the ones i have cause there too big, im better with a wrench than a keyboard.