interested in trading for a chevota..
 

Hey all,

This is my first post, not sure if im in the right spot. Anyways I am interested in trading my 94 4runner for a 94 toyota pickup with a chevy 350 and turbo tranny. I have a couple years experience with toyotas, but hardly any with v8 conversions. I am meeting the guy this weekend, and I am wondering what I should look for in the truck to ensure that it is a solid build? He only values the truck worth $4500, which is pretty cheap compared to other builds on craigslist.. He says it has a tranny leak but he is fixing that also there is mild body damage on the right side.. Seems like a good deal to me, to good to be true?..
What are your guys' opinions?

Any input is helpful,

Thanks, Paden Tyler

My 4Runner:
http://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/4159199014.html

His Chevota:
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/4167509815.html

if you want a v8 swapped rig, then that's your choice. the only thing i would be 100% on is making sure that the rig is 100% legit with DMV/Smog/Referee, etc otherwise you'll possibly be shooting yourself in the foot when it comes time to deal with them (coming from a CA background where this stuff is VERY important to be legal)

other things to think about on that rig you're looking at is regarding how they achieved 7" of lift? are the 37s on stock axles? is the rig re-geared? what transfer case is used - toyota or chevy? does all the speedo/odo work on the th350?

i do know that stock toyota IFS axles do not like tires larger than 35s if you're actually going to wheel it moderately hard - also the fact that a basic 350 engine will have somewhere around 250+ horsepower and the Toyota was only designed with 130hp might be of some concern on all those stock parts in the drivetrain.

so not necessarily a bad decision to trade, just some things to consider vs doing a v8 swap on your current rig (but then again it's not a pickup)

Thank you for your reply highonpottery, very helpful. He did not build it, he bought it that way. He claims that only the tranny and 350 are chevy, everything else (t case, drivelines, axles) is toyota. I doubt he knows if it has stock gears. Another thing is that I generally take it easy on my rigs.. I don't plan to mud bog the piss out of it, but i definitely want to be fine on the road and do some hill climbs. Would you say the ifs, transfer case, drivelines, and axles will be alright? I realize there's no way to know, just looking for opinions.

Lastly, I made sure it had a clean title in his name, is there any other dmv stuff i should be aware of?

Thanks, Paden

i think OR is more relaxed with the smog stuff, but in CA it would need some paperwork for DMV and smog to be ok for road use.

a lot of people do the v8 swap and are totally fine if they're easy on it. personally, i feel the need for overbuilt stuff so I don't get stranded and would make sure everything in my driveline can handle the powerplant. on the other side of the spectrum it's totally possible to break stock parts on a 100% stock rig, just depends on the driver and the scenario involved.

somewhat comes down to traction + power when you're going to break something - crawling and hill climbs can both deliver a good amount of traction (like after a bounce uphill then axle suddenly grabs on a locked axle) and the extra HP can likely break a part. on the road and in loose mud you don't really have much holding the tire still when trying to go forward, thus less chance to break parts. the v8 effects many parts if you think about it - driveshaft(s), ujoints, differentials, axles, cv's, axle wrap, etc etc. then again, all things that can be addressed as time goes on/as you find weak-links.

aside from all that stuff related to the engine, i would just compare overall shape of the vehicle to yours. there isn't a whole lot of info provided on the truck's part and only one pic, and your 4runner looks decently cared for - so just use your brain on that one.