3.4 swap hood clearance
09-04-2017, 03:33 PM
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3.4 swap hood clearance
I have been putting this off but it's now time to deal with the hood. I prefer not to cut a hole and put a scoop and so I'm leaning towards doing a body lift. My only concerns is the other work that goes along with the lift. I know the common body lift for this swap is a 1" or 1,5". My truck is a 94(3rd gen), anyone know if I'll run into problems with break lines, shifter, etc.? Any advice helps!
09-05-2017, 09:15 AM
#2
I did a 2" body lift, and this is what I ran into:
-steering: there should be enough adjustment in the steering linkage joints to extend the steering shaft a little bit. My rag joint was torn, so I had to replace that (a total pain in the ass), but the joints were just a little stuck. Nothing a hammer and chisel couldn't fix.
-brake lines: no issue. I just "pulled" them apart a bit.
-fuel and clutch lines: I replaced these anyway, so not an issue. SS-braided clutch lines are reasonable on ebay (serch: "toyota truck clutch line").
-wiring: only the rear lights and transmission wiring are affected. Just watch out for pulling (jack up a quarter inch, check everything, repeat). If something is almost pulled tight, remove a cable holding tab/clip, should give a bit of slack.
-shifters: Mine are completely custom. But if you manage to use the stock crossmember, I recommend a short-throw shifter (marlin crawler has a nice one). This raises your main shift lever about an inch. The t-case lever will still be shorter, but you can get short extensions (search: "toyota shift lever extension").
When you lift the truck body, lift one side at a time, keeping the other side bolted but loose. This will let you raise the cab safely. A good lift point is below the front door on the cab. Do not lift from the fender. I messed up doing it like that.
The bed hold-down bolts will be rusty. I had a decent time getting them off with an impact wrench, but one was rusted on. I had to get a nut splitter (cheap at a parts store).
I used a high-lift jack and rubber scrap between the jack and cab/body. This worked really well. You may need 2 people to help with this project, but a body lift is a good way to go with this swap. I recommend 4crawler's kit. He makes some really nice spacers.
edit: if you keep the engine low (stock 3.0 mounts or custom), you can use a 1 or 1.5 inch lift. I used chilkat adapters, and my engine sits up a bit higher (hence needing a 2 inch body lift)
-steering: there should be enough adjustment in the steering linkage joints to extend the steering shaft a little bit. My rag joint was torn, so I had to replace that (a total pain in the ass), but the joints were just a little stuck. Nothing a hammer and chisel couldn't fix.
-brake lines: no issue. I just "pulled" them apart a bit.
-fuel and clutch lines: I replaced these anyway, so not an issue. SS-braided clutch lines are reasonable on ebay (serch: "toyota truck clutch line").
-wiring: only the rear lights and transmission wiring are affected. Just watch out for pulling (jack up a quarter inch, check everything, repeat). If something is almost pulled tight, remove a cable holding tab/clip, should give a bit of slack.
-shifters: Mine are completely custom. But if you manage to use the stock crossmember, I recommend a short-throw shifter (marlin crawler has a nice one). This raises your main shift lever about an inch. The t-case lever will still be shorter, but you can get short extensions (search: "toyota shift lever extension").
When you lift the truck body, lift one side at a time, keeping the other side bolted but loose. This will let you raise the cab safely. A good lift point is below the front door on the cab. Do not lift from the fender. I messed up doing it like that.
The bed hold-down bolts will be rusty. I had a decent time getting them off with an impact wrench, but one was rusted on. I had to get a nut splitter (cheap at a parts store).
I used a high-lift jack and rubber scrap between the jack and cab/body. This worked really well. You may need 2 people to help with this project, but a body lift is a good way to go with this swap. I recommend 4crawler's kit. He makes some really nice spacers.
edit: if you keep the engine low (stock 3.0 mounts or custom), you can use a 1 or 1.5 inch lift. I used chilkat adapters, and my engine sits up a bit higher (hence needing a 2 inch body lift)
Last edited by irab88; 09-05-2017 at 09:19 AM.
09-14-2017, 10:42 AM
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body lift for 3.4
When I did mine I was concerned with keeping it as low as possible but making sure the hood closed. I was also keeping my auto trans from my 3.0. I made all my own spacer blocks at 1 1/4" since I had read somewhere that 1" might not be enough and while I was at it I put Energy Suspension body mount bushings in. I think it came out around 1 1/2". Only other modification I had to make was to space the auto linkage the same distance down away from the body. Steering and brakes were fine. Been on the road now for about 6 months with no troubles. Mine is a 1990 sr5.
