wrenchtech

The truck started life out with a 3VZE V6 and a five-speed manual transmission. I want to keep the manual transmission, so the first things I'm looking for are a bellhousing, clutch, flywheel and motor mounts. I have my eye on a bellhousing. I believe it is one of those from Thailand. It comes with nothing else, so I will have to look for everything else clutch-related. It is a fork type bellhousing, not the hydraulic throw out kind.

As far as the rest goes, I am just getting up to speed on what is needed. I am tempted by a low mileage 1997 LS400 engine that is in a local wrecking yard, realizing that it would be better to acquire an entire donor car so that I have everything that matches. I also don't know yet about issues that engines from different years might present. I have heard that the easiest swapping is done with very early engines that came from the vehicles that didn't have traction control. So if I go with this 1997 engine is this going to present extra difficulties? And what about the oil pan? My truck has the stock IFS with no lift. That's the kind of stuff I'm trying to get information about now so if anybody knows of a good website or other kind of tutorial or knowledge base on 1UZ swaps I'd be happy to hear from you.

wrenchtech

I am finding that to do this right there's a definite learning curve. I am reading different build threads that run from pretty ghetto to quite well done. As I'm researching I am hoping to put together a plan to build a reliable truck that looks like it came from the factory with a 1UZ and manual transmission. I am most concerned right now about the bellhousing clutch and flywheel. I think I will probably use an aftermarket bell housing and stick with a clutch fork mounted on a pivot, as opposed to using an automatic bell housing with a transmission adapter and a hydraulic throwout. My choice in this area is governed by my thinking that I want to try to keep is close to an OEM configuration as possible so that if I ever decide to sell the vehicle or if I need to get repairs handled by somebody else, things will go smoother and people won't be freaked out. I intend to document my build thoroughly so that I can produce a kind of owners manual or workshop manual supplement so that anyone working on the vehicle in the future will have a record of what has been done, how it was done and documentation of the parts used so the getting replacement parts and actually doing repairs doesn't turn into a guessing game, which is the reason that most shops won't work on swapped vehicles.

I am trying to keep the build as budget-friendly as possible too. I'm hoping to use off-the-shelf, OEM parts wherever I can. One area where I might deviate from this is on the flywheel. I am not really too keen on using a spacer between the crankshaft and the flywheel. I also would prefer not to have to alter the flywheel bolt pattern by elongating the bolt holes to fit on the 1UZ crankshaft. And thirdly, there can be issues with the ring gear on the flywheel matching up to the starter. I definitely want to get these issues right.

I also need more information on the cooling system. At one end of the spectrum there's a radiator from Northwest toys for about $500. It seems like a turnkey solution that we'll definitely keep my truck cool it's just that once you add a fan shroud and an electric fan you are up to $750. At the other end of the spectrum, I have read that some folks are doing well with a universal aluminum radiator from Summit racing that costs just $159. Whichever route I take, I want to retain my hood latch and my air conditioning condenser. The expensive option from Northwest Toys meets both of those criteria. I'm not sure if the radiator from Summit racing would also.

The thing that scares many people it seems, is the wiring. I am not afraid of wiring. I converted my 1984 xtra cab 4 x 4 from 22R carbureted to 22RE fuel injected by replacing all of the wires in the entire vehicle with the wiring from the 1989 4runner. The 4runner wiring is more complicated because of the power back window and the fact that Toyota ran the wiring harness in the rear half of the passenger compartment runs down both sides of the vehicle, while the pickup truck had a much simpler harness running only on the passenger side to the back of the vehicle. It might not sound like much but I still have a massive pile of wires that I pruned out of that 4runner harness. I like reading wiring diagrams and I enjoy the challenge of tracing down wires and working out the differences. A lot of people who work on their own vehicles say they like the feeling of knowing their vehicles intimately. When you know your vehicles wiring harness intimately, you really know your vehicle.

This is the truck that is going to get the 1UZ. It looks much, much better in this picture than it actually is. I have a restoration thread for this truck in another section on Yotatech.

old87yota

I don't really have any input, but it looks you are on the right track by trying to do this swap the proper way and taking the time to document what you do.

Troubleshooting can be a nightmare if you have no idea of what you did during the swap so creating your own manual sounds like a great idea.

I am not afraid of wiring either. Well.... let me back up, sometimes other's ghetto wiring scares me. Once you understand how the circuits work, wiring can be fun!

I am following this thread.

Good luck!

wrenchtech

Thanks for the kind words. I am trying to make this stuff interesting for other folks to follow as well. I am operating on an extremely tight budget, but I'm trying to turn that handicap into a challenge to get the very best deal on everything I need for my projects. What I have found is that there are many amazing automotive projects to choose from and new lines of affordable tools that are taking away any excuse person could come up with for not getting started.

That said... I have noticed that the salvage auction price for a running 1990 to 1997 Lexus LS 400 is about $350. A deal like that would be spectacular. Unfortunately, none of the salvage auctions that are close to me are open to the public. I could hire a broker to buy a car for me in nearby Chicago, but the broker's fee, on top of the auction fees, quickly turns a $350 car into a $700 car. It's not too hard to find a car at that price point on craigslist or Facebook marketplace and I will be happy to avoid the bureaucracy that seems to be a big part of the auction process.

In addition to being really frugal when buying car parts, I am also making it part of my mission to prove that you can put together a pretty good set of tools without having to spend big dollars. To that end, I have just purchased a 50 amp plasma cutter and a 160 amp stick welder for the quite reasonable sum of $331 ($191 for the plasma cutter and $139 for the stick welder, free shipping included). Of course, the tools are made overseas. I would like to buy domestically produced products but I just didn't have an extra $3000 lying around. I am already leveraging my investment by undertaking a project to make a sandblasting pot out of a nearly new 40 pound propane tank that I purchased for $20.

There is also no shortage of restoration work to be done on the truck and the new tools are coming in handy there as well. In the last couple days, I have replaced the cross member that the back of the gas tank and the muffler hang from. After successfully test fitting my new used replacement gas tank, I will take it down so that I can finish painting the rear half of the frame and running new brake and fuel lines. After that my freshly sandblasted and painted leaf springs and axle housing will go on with some shiny new hardware and new urethane bushings all around. That, and so much more.

wrenchtech

A thing of beauty (not my truck) and the look I'm aspiring to.




Lexus V8 transplanted into '95 4runner

wrenchtech

I'm seeing a couple of different sellers on eBay offering these stainless steel headers for the 2UZFE powered Toyota Tundra for just over $100 for a pair! If they can be fitted to the 2UZFE they should bolt right up to the 1UZ. On top of that, Tundra headers are supposed to be a good fit for this conversion, with some modification. Unless someone knows a reason why they absolutely won't work, I am feeling like it would be a small risk to order some up and give them a try.



Toyota Tundra 2UZFE headers

wrenchtech

Runs and Drives,Minor Dent/Scratches, Normal Wear. Buy-it-Now price. $400! After fees it would probably be about $600 to get this thing off the auction lot. I wish I could go to the auctions in nearby Chicago, but Illinois doesn't allow private parties to buy at their insurance auctions. I could get a broker to buy for me, but that would add an additional $250. Minnesota and Iowa are states near me that have auctions that are open to the public. Of the two, Minnesota has far more volume at their Minneapolis locations, Unfortunately it's a 700 mile round trip from southeastern Wisconsin where I live. I think I better keep looking at craigslist And Facebook marketplace for something local. In just one recent example, I just saw a 1994 LS400 going for $800. It was about 75 miles away from my house. The owner said it needed brakes. Probably could've got him down to $600. That sounds better, but the allure of a $300 LS400 from the auction yard Has still got me thinking.




Copart auction for Lexus LS400

xTRDKenny92

The ebay headers have one major downfall, they will crack. At least in my case. I would highly recommend tossing some ceramic coating spray paint on the first. But they bolt right up, fit nicely, and the exhaust dumps out in the right location!

MaddMaxx

Updates? Did you buy a donor car?

wrenchtech

I have abandoned the idea of putting a 1UZFE in my truck. After studying the situation, I am finding that I am more interested in having a four cylinder Volkswagen TDI diesel under my hood. After seeing TDI powered trucks on 37 inch tires breaking all four tires loose thanks to the massive torque shove these little little engines are capable of generating, I am sold. It is also no small factor in my decision-making that, as with the 1UZFE, I could reasonably expect Volkswagen's little diesel to last 500,000 miles. And 35 miles per gallon it's nothing to sneeze at either. Diesel Conversion Services in Kalispell, Montana, well known in the heavy duty diesel pickup truck world, is getting ready to release an adapter for Toyota trucks with R series manual transmissions. If it is as good as their other products, I expect to be a customer. TDConversions in British Columbia Canada is also another well-established supplier for Volkswagen TDI swap components. For folks who are interested in learning more about this conversion there is a Facebook page for TDI swapped trucks of a number of different brands (Ford, Jeep and Toyota among them). After spending a short time I'm at page I am happy to find that the folks over there are much like the good people here on yotatech. They seem to be friendly and willing to help out people getting started, and they are a rich source of information and an amazing bunch of mechanical hackers, expert at finding out which easily sourced components work to get the biggest bang for your buck. And many of the swappers are hard-core Toyota 4 x 4 enthusiasts, so you'll feel right at home. And of course, you will want to report your successes on in this venerable forum as well.