this could get a little out of hand...
 

ok, heres the deal. i have an '87 4runner that i have gutted of just about everthing in the quest of building it into a 4x4 machine. i am replacing the IFS with a dana 44 and ox locker, and the stock rear end with a ford 9" and an arb air locker (as for now because its already in the diff). my question for you all is this: i am looking for an engine/tranny combo to drop in the truck and am having some problems. my first thought was a chevy 383 stroker, but i would need to convert it to efi to pass smog and that costs a lot of $$$. after some hard searching, i have found a '01 ls1 v8/t56 six speed tranny out of a camaro that is within my budget. ($5000) it includes the wiring harness and the ecu. does this swap sound feasable? are there any transfer cases that will work with the t56? the entire truck is going to be modified, including the frame, so space isnt really and issue, but this is my first 4x4 project (i have only built street rods and race cars) and i was wondering if this combo would work off road (because i love it for the street).
i will be sure to post pictures of the swap and the entire build for your enjoyment, although it could be a while before i really get started.
any and all info would be appreciated.

The engine/tranny is $5000 on it's own? That's a lot of coin, I'd suggest looking around some more. It's also a hell of a lot of engine, I'd go for one of the more common swaps like a 4.3 v6 or a supra I6 engine.

i agree, if you are going to change out the ecu and what not you might as well get supra motor and put in it, go toyota all the way. you can defintely get enough power out of it.

For $5K you could build up a p-pumped cummins 4bt that would be pushing arround 275 hp and well over 400ft lbs(closer to 450-475) of torque(mind you the "4" in 4bt stands for pistons, its a 3.9L I-4). Run a NV4500 behind it with a np205. You could crawl with the best of them, or drop it in 3rd gear and spin the tires through the slop with ease. This is what i would do. But then again i love diesels.

Or, with $5K you could wow everyone and put in a 2jze.

if i was to stick with a gasser i would swap in a 4.3 cheby. It would be easier to do, you can always hop it up more, (or You could get a GM 4.3 crate motor that is rated at 260hp), plus it is still a reliable motor.. Lightweight rigs dont always need fire breathing v-8's, we can get away with less than the bigger guys. Plus if you were to be running a LS1, dana 44 breakage would appear real quick.

I'm working on getting all the parts together for the 4.3/NV4500 swap. The engine can be built very strong (almost V8 strong) and is very reliable. Most parts are interchangable with the 350. You can get adapters to run the toyota t-case or just about anyother case you can think of. Advance Adapters makes almost anything and everything you could need, there are a bunch more companies out there with conversion stuff. Just do a yahoo search. For $5k you could do this swap and probably still change for dual cases.

I just recently swapped a Ford 3.8 into my bro's CJ5 and it has all the power he will ever need. Mated a T18 tranny behind it. Those bolted right up. And it's pretty light too. Seems like the engine is lighter than the tranny/t-case combo. The whole Jeep weighs in at around 3600 pounds.

IMHO, I would stay away from a V8. they are just too heavy for me. A good running V6 will be just as powerful. And tons lighter. Which means less breakage.

i'd say a v6 would be the way to go for a toyota if you have to put a domestic engine in.

how hard was it to hook up that 3.8? was it an engine out of something like a taurus? they have the same transmission pattern as a small block ford, right?

Taurus was front drive. It was probably out of a Mustang or one of their other rear drivers.

can't remember the model it came from. but it was a pretty easy swap.
the hard part was figuring the driver's side exhaust. very tight between the frame and engine. Then again, his jeep isn't a DD. So, half the wiring wasn't used.

I'd go 2jz, people have gotten crazy horsepower out of that motor. Like 900 hp with stock internals.

That 2jz would be a real tight fit wouldn't it, with it being a long straight 6? But yeah you can pull a crapload hp out of that motor.

Have you thought about installing a late model 3.4L Toyota V6(190hp)? They can be found fairly easily and the wiring harness kit can be bought from Off Road Solutions. That is what we plan to do to our '89 4Runner. Add a TRD SC(265hp) and you will have plenty of power. Add some URD upgrades and well over 300hp is attained reliabley. Keep it Toyota! I'm sure you could do most of this for around $5K.

-Sean

I don't remember where I saw it, but somebody had a first gen Runner with an LS1.

If I ever have enough money(and know how, ability, etc) I would love to put in an LS1. The LS1 is one of my favorite engines.

I've also seen Ford's 302 swapped into a 3rd gen. Also very cool.

there's also a guy in australia that put a ford 302 into a second gen. i'll see if i can find his page...

Here it is: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~jonhel5/

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