i am calling upon anybody who has ever swapped any engine into a first gen 4runner! i really want to ditch the slow 4 and get something more POWERFUL. the thing is, i really dont have the know how or the tools to do this kind of project, but if i could see or feel the power of a swapped engine, i think that would motivate me to go for it. so if everyone could please comment on their own experience tell me about it, or, even better, anyone who lives anywhere close(or far) to dallas/fort worth who wants to show off their pride and joy let me know!

 

There are quite a few different conversions out there, and the more popular ones even have kits available from companies such as Downey, NWOR, and Advance Adapters.
The Buick 231 (?) and the Chevy Vortec 4.3 seem to be the most popular V6 engine swaps out there for 1st gens. With these engines (at least the 4.3) you can use your stock tranny, with the adapter kit of course.
Anything more powerful than a v6 and you'll need to upgrade your transmission and drivetrain....ect ect.
I've looked into it alot and engine swaps ARE NOT cheap, especially non-toyota ones....but from what I've gathered they're not incredibly difficult, just time and money consuming.
Oh yeah, use the search There's so much more to learn and it's ALL OVER the net.

 

What are your reasons for the swap? Just "more power"?

I've done a (finsihed, rather) 3.8 Buick and a 4.3 TBI. Personally, *I* don't like either engine. The only reason I put the 4.3 in place of the 3.8 is that the bellhousing was a dual pattern, so I didn't have to buy a new one.

But... For what I have into the 4.3 swap (and what I had into the 3.8), I could have done a Supercharged/Gadgetized/3.4...

 

We are just finishing a 3.4L (late model tacoma/4Runner) swap into an '89 4Runner. It would be ideal if you already had a V6 3.0 but it can still be done to your 22re.
Try the search function and if you still have questions, fire away!

 

if you are just looking for more power... look towards www.lcengineering.com along with a standard engine rebuild.... it may end up cheaper in the long run, you will know whats in there, and the history and whatnot, and a 4 cylinder can produce a lot of power if tuned/setup right

 

Check this guys page out. He did a 3.4L swap on his 1st gen which I am thinkin about doin on mine. He has a pretty good write up on it.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/projects/basham_4runner/

 

Supracharged.com

Nuff said!