4toy89

So I found out that the "rebuilt" motor I recently purchased might be a pile of poop... so im planning out what my next move may be. I dont want to do another 3vze in my truck so my options come down to 5vze-fe, small block chevy, or a 7mgte. Personally I'd like to stay with a toy motor but im wondering how much fabrication I would need to do with the 7mgte, or if people on here feel that the 5vze is all around the best route. I have many options but mony is a factor so I am trying to weigh all my options. Any opinions of people that have done these swaps would be great. Also I pretty sure I know the answer to this question but I'd like to double check. I bought a set of headers for my 3vze and if i do a 5vze will these still fit?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

3.4 swap
Reliability, availability and feasibility.

:wabbit2:

4toy89

Why is the 7mgte not reliable? Can you explain a little more in depth? Ive also kicked around the idea of a diesel conversion but I know that means alot more $$

tj884Rdlx

you'll have a much easier time finding a decent 3.4 3rz than you will a 7mg. if you already have the motor, that's a different story. but if not, i'd also recommend the 3.4.

do a google search for swapping the 3rz in vs. the 7mg. i bet you'll find a lot more information on the first one. but you'll see how much customizing is involved in each one. which one has direct tranny bolt up and which requires a bell housing mod; which has exhaust and driveshafts on the correct side vs. opposing sides, etc. that's the stuff which will make the swap easy for difficult. from what i've read, the 3rz sounds much easier to replace the 3.0 you have. but i'm a 22re guy, so do some research on the swaps to draw your own conclusion.

4toy89

I know that doing a 3.4 is almost a direct swap with the exception of some piping and wiring.. the 3rz i looked at and it basically has the same power or less then my 3vze so I kinda did away with that idea. If Im doing a swap I want more power and better economy which the 3.4 should give me but I thought that the 7m being turbo'd might give me a better base platform and since it is a I6 those useally have better tq naturally. THe other thought I had was going diesel. I know i might have to sacrafice on HP but the toruqe and fuel economy should make be much better. As well as the reliability of them. This is kinda where I am at currently. Ive had a 22re and it was a love hate relationship. I hated how slow and gutless it was but the reliablity of it was great... for the most part.

bob200587

You should use a Ford 2.3L.

4toy89

Is that a joke? Or is that a serious statement? I know nothing about it so fill me in... why that motor?

bob200587

I'm kidding.

I think you should go with a 3.4 like everyone else is recommending. If you wanted a 4cly you could go 22RE.

OR there's the Cummins 4bt if you wanted to go diesel. although that might be a bit heavy for IFS. I haven't read up on that swap much, but maybe some of the larger torsion bars would hold the weight better. With a SAS you would have plenty of ways to handle the extra weight, but I assume you're not wanting to do that anytime soon. Heck, I'm assuming you have IFS.

4toy89

Ya correct I have an 89 v6 5 speed. So iave had a 22re and hated it. I like being able to merge with traffic and what not so that's not an option for me. Diesel would be the way I'd like to go but finding a 1kz-te would not be easy or cheap. So that's why it was the three motors I stated earlier. I'm just curious why a 7mgte not what people would do? I feel like its a better base platform... But that's just me

R.DesJardin

iTrader: (1)

The 5VZ is the best swap for your setup. I do think a 3RZ would smoke any stock 3VZ no problem, so the hp is the same but the way the RZ's deliver it, yes! When I grow up I hope to have a 2RZ-Turbo, oh-yeah.

tj884Rdlx

i guess you need to decide how much of a conversion you want to do. if you are prepared for the full conversion to diesel, there's online how-to's for VW TDI's being swapped into just about anything, and they are really good motors. but that's not just a swap, that's a conversion!

when i had to replace my engine, i had to think practical, because at the time it was my daily driver, and i was really budget conscious. so i went with the smartest thing, which was drop a new 22re in and keep the whole truck 22re as-is.

my suggestion for the 3.4 will allow you to keep much more of the 3.0 stuff you have existing; the 3.0 to 3.4 swap is WELL DOCUMENTED, and if you need more HP, you can put on the TRD supercharger. the 3.4 is newer technology, meaning more techs will recognize it, more parts are available for it, more accessories, etc.

unless i was going to do a full-on 1UZ swap to get one of my personal favorite engines, (the Lexus 4.0), i think the 3rz is the top choice for the application. far fewer customizations are necessary with this swap than any other IMHO. save that money to upgrade the rest of your driveline to handle the new power.

do some more reading. read the swap threads, and see how long it took for some vs. others. see how many obstacles they hit while in progress, and how they overcame them. fabrication on the fly can turn a few weeks into a few months, and crush the momentum on a project, turning it into a headache.

bob200587

Never had that problem.

4toy89

Well that's because you're running 31inch tires on stock gearing. I'm running 33's on stock gearing and it was SLOW... Even when I had 32's it was still very slow but not as bad. I like the fact that I can go up a hill and not have to rev it up to 4 to 5k to make it up the hill. I know I could switch the gearing but with my 3vze I run the stock gearing and 33's and don't notice them much. That's why I like the added torque and hp. Just my preference though. I've had all three motors. The 5vze is my fav so far

Capt. Red Beard

Isn't the 3.4L the 5rz? I thought the 3rz was 2.7. All the posts here seem to recommend the "3.4 3rz". I'm so confused.

schwyter

iTrader: (1)

holy thread revival

Capt. Red Beard

Is it a valid question? Or did I miss something. I'm still a noob.

niall

the 5vz is a 3.4l v6 Toyota Motor, the 3rz is a 2.7l inline 4

selk78

anything on the swap yet?

2big4arunner

its too bad that this thread is so old. I have a freshly rebuilt 7mgte that I might wanna sell. Its still in the machine shop... now thats new ;p

Red Wagon

As this thread has been necroed I'll ask here. Everyone loves the 3.4 as its a solid choice. Given its age now are there any newer Toyota engines as a great pick for more power into a 1st or 2nd Gen?

I have a spare frame in my parts truck I want to do something interesting with. All planning stages now but it will be awesome when I am done.