I was thinking about buying a 2nd generation 4runner and doing a solid axle conversion. I want to be able to put 38's on it. I was told that the v6 motors that came in these 4runners were not exactly the best engine toyota ever built. Some suggested that I put in a chevy V8. I am kinda against that becasue I know how reliable a toyota motor can be. So my question is if i want to swap in a V8 or a diesel and keep it a toyota power plant what engines should I consider and how much of a pain is it going to be. I need power to turn the big tires and I want to keep the gearing high enough that i can still drive it at highway speeds. Thanks.

 

If you have to ask "how much of a pain will it be" you are not ready to swap an engine.

You have obviously found to Engine Swap section...so read up.

 

Well, I have swapped other engines before but my question is, is there an engine that would suit my needs and would be simpler that something else. Are there kits to swap certain motors in,etc. I am pretty sure I can handle the mechanical work as I am a heavy equipment mechanic by trade.

 

Swapping in a 3.4 in place of the 3.0 is by far the simplest swap to do. Good HP gains but won't be a race car. Should push 38's no problem however.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160/

If you go bigger, say a V8 from what ever source, you most likely will start to have to worry about drivetrain failures if you have a heavy foot and plan to run big meats.

 

Are there any upgrades for the drivetrain to handle the abuse from a V8? I would really like a diesel because of the reliability and the low end torque.

 

Looks like I get to second Elvota. The 3.4 swap is very easy to do, compared to any other swaps. If you like, you can go normally aspirated, but if that's not enough power, think about blowing it. Supercharge it, I mean.

 

I have a friend that owns a fab shop, I was thinking about maybe doing a 2JZGTE out of a supra.

 

Sounds like you want to crawl....

... still crawling....

...38's at highway speeds... mall crawling?

Okay... for more help perhaps you should define the goal of this Toyota.

Do you want 38's so your Toyota will look big, or go big?

The answer will make a difference in the powerplant and gearing you end up using. To be honest, if you want to stay on road and just be tall, a Chevy is probably going to be a better platform to start with. If you are planning on cutting up all the sheet metal, keeping it low and stuffing some 38's underneath to hit the trails... then the Toyota has some potential.

Then again... a 22RE will work very well with 38's on the trail. 9 times out of 10 it's gearing not HP that gets you through unless you are looking at some very slick or muddy terrain.

 

I want to keep the gearing high enough for highway speeds because I don't want to have to trailer it every where. This is not going to be a strictly off road truck, 38's for more look than function. More power for higher gear ratio means it won't be stuck at 5,000 rpms going down the road and I might not have to fill it with gas every day. I am not saying that I need it do be able to go 120 mph but to be able to go 80 mph or so at a relatively low rpm would be nice. I'm not going to try and take it across country but if I want to drive it from PA to OH it would be nice to be able to do so.

 

Well, the general rule is 5.29's for 35's or larger. Some will run 5.71's on 38's and bigger but there is a debate about the strength of those. Of course, these ratios are in reference to using Toyota axles. If you go domestic on your axles or drivetrain these ratios are going to slightly change, but staying in the ballpark should keep your RPM's where you want them.

IMO, going bigger than 37's for what you described doing would be overkill. In fact, 35's sounds like a better way to go for a DD/ non-trailered rig unless you are planning on doing trails almost every weekend.

I'd lean back to putting in a 3.4 because of the ease of swap and reliability of the engine... as well as staying all Toyota which to me is what having a Toyota is about.

You can SC like RobD said and Mt.Goat has done. I have heard however that the SC 3.4 might not be the best for crawling... but will make you smile big time when haulin'.

 

Thanks for the info. What year 4 runner did the 3.4 come in?

 

3.4L engines were in:

95-98 T100
96-02 4Runner
95-04 Tacoma

You are all over the charts here, talking 2JZ swap and 3.4 swap, V8, etc etc. Do you even have the money to do these swaps, or are you just wasting time? If you don't even know what a 3.4 is, you shouldn't be doing engine swaps.

 

New to toyota their buddy. None of your business how much money I have. But since you ask I have over 50K in the bank. What's wrong with talking about different motors? Why does not knowing what trucks the 3.4 came in disqualify my from being able to do the engine swap? How does that take away from my mechanical abilities?

 

I have seen these threads a million times. "Oh dude sweet i want to do a Diesel conversion! NO, i want a 2JZ conversion! YEA awesome!"

Then the thread dies, and no one ever does any such conversion. I didn't ask you how much money you have, i asked you if you had the money to do it. Simple yes or no question. I don't care how much money you say you have, because on the net everyone is a millionare and we all have a 12" penis.

Look, all I am saying is, you need to SEARCH and Research your options. There are tons of threads here, and tons of options out there for engine swaps. Asking the same redundant questions in this thread and jumping all over the place about different engines you 'want' is getting nothing done. You want to do an engine swap? Get off the internet, go buy an engine, and start fabbing stuff up. One of your first questions was "how big of a pain will it be" That right there tells me you have NO knowledge of engine swaps, or any real intention of doing one.

 

well I guess I should have stated it as...is there an engine swap that is going to be less of a pain than another. And that was answered for me..thanks.

 

4.3 chevy is my vote!

Great lowend power
Cheap
Cheap
Wait I said Cheap
Cheap and its American and Cheap

Best way if you want to go with the 3.4 is to find a full donor rig! You get all off it cause every year or two little changes in electrical make it Darn near imposible to get it running right. TRUST ME ive learned my lesson with that. The 4.3 chevy parts are on the shelf at local stores unlike the expensive toyota parts only able to get from the dealer or Junkyards. Both the 3.4 and 4.3 are comperably nice and have great power, performance and reliability. the 4.3 is easier to wire and work with IMO. The 3.4 was more of a straight bolt in wire quick then fine tune. Parts for the 4.3 swap can be gotten from Advanced Adapters (AA) Downey offroad and Northwest offroad. Check out offroad solutions for 3.4 info and parts (unless you can DIY )

4.3 is a Great swap IMO I know of more 4.3 swappped rigs and they all love them. get a supercharger and push upwards of 500HP. the 350 is also nice but very heavy and the 5speed yota tranny and axles wont like it so much. Could go full width SAS and through some 60's under it and be good axle wise with a 350 no porb Also if you go 350 ide say just through in the auto from one instead of the 5spd. 4.3 is what i would reccomend for ya!

Check out my build threads ive got alot of info on both swaps

 

BTW its no PITA its what we do here

I have had my days of hatting it but its more of at the moment and frustrated when things arent going the exact way you want it too!


I think its fun and love it and will take the goods and bads that come with it

OH!!! and DC NEW to toyota???

 

I think he meant he was new to Toyota Phil.

But thanks for the vote-o-confidence

 

 

Thanks for the info. I am new to toyota other than the 2nd gen supra that some friends of mine built, but we put a 383 mopar in it.