Greetings everyone, I think it's time that I start putting together a swap thread that's separate from my SAS build thread and give you all the play by play.
My starting point is a fully loaded 1995 Toyota 4runner 4x4 automatic. I purposely went looking for an automatic to start with for trail running during moose season here in Alaska so that I could throw it in park and jump out.
I bought this rig around 8 years ago and I'm probably the third or fourth owner at this point. It came up from Nevada or some other dry area and has almost no rust!! One of the previous owners did a 1 inch body lift and put a safari rack on the roof plus an ARB bumper.
So, all in all, I think I picked the perfect starting point.
Currently my 3 inch TG SAS is complete, running 37 inch swampers and I've been running it as a play toy/hunting buggy for a few years while biding my time looking for the perfect donor for a 3.4 swap.
When I regeared to 5.29s and added air lockers my ABS went away, and the cruise control didn't work when I got it, so I'll be skipping that part of the swap.
I came across someone selling a 1996 T-100 on craigslist one day about 2 years ago that had a bad knock in the engine but ran and drove. PLUS there was a spare 3.4 in the bed, all for $900!!!
So, me being the sniper that I am, I pulled the trigger from halfway across the state, had them drive it to a friends house in that neck of the woods, prove to him that it ran and moved under its own power and got him to pay for it.
I then paid him back and a month later went on a road trip with my flat bed trailer and brought it home.
I left the truck as a runner for quite a spell while I took the spare engine apart and had a local machine shop rebuild the short block and heads.
I should probably mention now that I fully intended (and still do) to throw my wallet at this project even while doing most of the work myself.
Not being in any hurry has been great, the old 3.0 with almost 200,000 miles on it still runs fine. Of course turning 37s even regeared I was getting beat by every VW bug and civic in the neighborhood.
So, timeline wise we are up to winter 2019/20 and I pulled EVERYTHING out of the T-100. Exhaust, gas tank, wires, controllers, trans/tcase, by the time I was finished it was nothing but a rolling shell.
The automatic transmission went out for rebuild, here's the plan, I'll use the entire engine/trans/tcase and the wiring and transmission functionality issues will be minimal right?
I'll likely have to come back to this and add pictures on another post with some play by play action, but here's the punch line for now, The T-100 t-case is a direct shift out of the top, whereas the 4runner being an automatic shift is totally different.
The whole t-case sits farther back and I'll have to fab up a tranny mount or crossmember, the front driveshaft will have to be lengthened, and the rear driveshaft shortened.
Any money that I thought I might be saving in buying a wiring harness from ORS or anyone else to use my original tranny with the 3.4 just went out the window.
EDIT: 11/18/21 I found out today that the transmission mount is different, but the output flanges are still in the same location, so no modifications are needed to the driveshafts.

 

She's already got some flex but no muscle to back it up! More to come.

 

Ok, here's a little back story on me, I was an apprentice mechanic at a Toy stealership when this 4runner was new. I left before the 3.4 came out, I've never owned one, and I've never swapped one, so I'm not an expert.
I was a mechanic for over a decade and still have my tools. I put a lift in my garage at home and I'm too old to roll around on the ground anymore.
Here's the donor truck that I drove into the shop under its own power, perfect for me since I know all the electronics function!!

nobody has cared for this clunker for a very long time, not one panel is straight.

It doesn't show in the pictures, but something inside is very angry and wants out!!

The pictures below are the extra engine that was in the bed when I bought it!! after rebuild and painting of course!


I got this back from the machine shop just over a year and a half ago and put it together through covid lock down and the following winter

the plans are for everything to be rebuilt, new, cleaned/painted etc. I don't want any surprises when it's go time!

No need for fancy, just looking for "clean and new"




testing out my homebuilt spreader bar to be able to pick the engine up as high as I can and still swivel too! no more chain and hook taking up distance.

 

Looks good! Can't wait to see that shiny hunk in the runner!
After I finished my 3.4 swap in my pickup I immediately found a 95 runner with a blown head gasket and bought it. I was just excited to 3.4 swap everything in my path! Turned out I didn't have the time or money to do it again so I sold it, so I'm going to live my 95 runner dream through you

 

damn, good work!

 

Well, just dream on then!!
I already love my buggy and I can't wait to actually feel something when I hit the gas. I live at sea level and still can't pull any kind of a hill without slowing down.
If I never went on the road it might not be so bad, but I want to drive to the trails and I don't believe in trailer queens.

 

Thanks, more to come, just too much for one post, or even one day.
I'm already fully committed at this point, I sold the running 3.slow and transmission and t-case and a head gasket set (not needed yet) and head bolts and tune up parts (all taking up space on the shelf and no good to me now) for $500.
I made it a smoking deal just to make sure it wouldn't be rattling around my shop in my way for months.

 

You will love the 3.4! It's no V8, but it absolutely beats the pants off a 3.slow.
I live at 6,500 ft, and my truck couldn't even reach the speed limit on the interstate with 31's. Now it can hold cruise unless I hit a major incline. 33's didn't help that though.

 

well, here's some more glamor shots.

Modified alternator bracket to suck it in tighter to the block. before cleanup and powder coat.

the shortest belt I could get on the alternator without further modification

front axle strapped up to the frame before removing the tires and pulling the 3.0 to get more room for the engine hoist

Make it kneel and you get way better access!!

Here's why I made it bow down! 3.0 gone!

I've been looking forward to this for a very long time, 3.4 making itself comfortable!

 

Here's some pictures of my battery tray and hold down plus the transmission mount I fabricated.
Just FYI, I found out that the mount I originally ordered didn't fit and I'd had it too long to send it back. I ordered another and found that both of them had loose center bolts, just barely finger tight.
Also, the plate that caps the bolt head was barely tacked on. So I welded it all in place, here's the pics:

I added another tack to this

tightened the nut a little and welded all in place

my welds still need work, but it'll hold



not going anywhere!

Most of the major components are in place, I'm currently adding heat shielding to the wiring harness and cables on the fire wall so I don't melt my speedo or trans kick down cable.
Starter is in, I think I'll get to work on the wiring this weekend and see if I can get the oil pressure gauge working so I can crank it over for a while and watch for oil pressure.
I already dodged one bullet, I forgot that I left the oil pan and pickup tube loose in case I needed to swap pans, wouldn't have taken long to see oil coming out all around the pan since there was no sealant, but the loose pickup could have wiped out some bearings if I tried to fire it up! All good now, but putting the engine together last winter and doing the swap this winter makes it tough to remember things.

 

Well, I got to looking at my aftermarket shifter to get it hooked up before installing heat shields and working on exhaust, I realized that the action was backwards from what I needed.
It pushes the cable going into park where I need it to pull.
So, using the old linkages from the original tranny I built a pivot point where I could attach the cable farther back and pointed to the rear. Here's the pics:

Just no way I could imagine the original shifter working, so B&M to the rescue. I thought about putting a "teeter totter" pivot assembly towards the rear to change the direction for the cable, but there just isn't enough room to make it work.

Here's my solution to the push vs pull dilemma before I painted it.

install/remove about 30 times, drill/clamp/weld, test fit. only took all day.

with the nylon washers and spacer that I used I had better put some heat shielding here before I put the exhaust together.

I'll get some pictures of the selector mounted in the cab when I get the cover in place. It appears to have enough room to accept my rear window switch and an overdrive button too!

 

Here's what I've been doing in the last few weeks (yes I'm moving slowly on the swap).
I installed a cheap intake until I can find a Tacoma donor for an air cleaner, the T100 box is bigger than I'd like.

Taco intake tube off of Amazon and a filter, good enough for now.

I tore into the Cluster, pulled the T100 apart too, later work will make the ECT P/N lite work when the T-case is in neutral, had to take the lite cover from the T-100, lower left.
Soldered in the 10K ohm resistor.

Probably won't use the PRNDL from the T100, but maybe later.

Resistance is futile

I took the t-case shifter out, cut a slot in the shaft, bent it and welded it, cleaned the housing and pivot ball, greased and reinstalled. I also welded a plate over the holes in the original shifter mount so I'd have a flat surface to mount a shifter boot.

Before, that is in 4x4, so 2wd is WAY forward.

cut a slot

bend it shut, I cut it twice.

welded up and welded on the top of the stock shifter

plate closed up, that stick is in 2wd in this pic, same angle as 4x4 used to be

Here's the new shifter and t-case stick. Just need to decide what I'm covering the center hump with and where I'm putting the O/D switch and rear window control switch.

 

Well, what can I say, I'm too old to spend hours on end under the dash. So I'm running wires through the firewall, connecting one at a time from the IH1 and IH2 connectors to the IE1 and IE2 connectors. After testing circuits and running the engine I'll pull them back to the engine compartment and do the re-pinning to shorten everything up and install the ECM in it's final location.

Organized mess?

everything here can be unplugged and pulled back into the engine bay for final wiring

 

I started work on the exhaust by making heat shields for a few items, the old cat from the 3.slow donated its shield since it was hollow anyway.

this should keep my shifter pivot from melting the nylon washers

 

wow! having been stationed in alaska a lifetime ago i know that things are hard to find. going halfway across the state for parts takes dedication.
i admire you tackling this project!

 

I needed to secure the shifter better and cover up the hole in the carpet before installing the T-case shift boot and trans shifter cover with the switches mounted for the rear window and O/D switch.
I used Rivnuts and 3/8 inch bolts to hold the shifter, not going anywhere now!!

Rivnut, like a threaded rivot.

Using my Power steering pulley tool to crush the Rivnuts


Instant threaded insert

I pulled the front seats and covered the trans tunnel with a rubber cargo mat, then came the covers

I covered the hump with a cut up cargo mat, far from stock but it'll do.

Good spot for the O/D switch and rear window switch, stock one broke.

 

Today it made gas into Vroom Vroom noises!!!
It made oil pressure (nervous moment with a new rebuild).
It came up to temp and never went over 192 *F
Tach works
OBD II works
Fluids all stayed inside
It purrs like a kitten (ok, so without exhaust it's more of a roar)

I still need to work on the A/C and clean up the wiring harness plus mount the ECU and put the dash back together.
I should be headed to have the tail pipe bent up and the muffler installed next week and have the tranny shop bless the rebuild and adjust the kickdown cable.
I'm also still planning to replace the fuel level sender and front shackle bushings this winter too.

 

 

I trailered the 4runner to the tranny shop that did my rebuild and had them adjust the kick down cable and bless the install, they're happy with it.
Friday I'll be dropping it off at a shop down the road to get the exhaust bent/welded up from the cat back.
I still need to hook up the evap and clean up the wiring so I can mount up the ECU. but it is running great!!

 

Good job!
I should've rebuilt mine before I dropped it in, now I have HG issues after 10 yrs. The early 3.4 T100 still have HG issues.
I get to start over ... without the wiring or exhaust stuff.
I need up changing the gears to 4:88 with 35's I have the 5 Spd 150F still.