I think my 22R has about had it (204k miles) without a rebuild. I have decided to stick with the 22R instead of going to a Supra engine. I need something really, really reliable, and the 5/6/7MGEs really just aren't reliable enough for me. A remanufactured engine is around $1600. This would have a 2 year/24k mile warranty. I would also get a weber carb and headers/exhaust (needs exhaust anyway for next inspection) while I'm at it, bringing the total cost to $2300 when everything is said and done. My other option is to rebuild the engine I have. This would require taking it to a machine shop and having everything taken care of. The advantage to this is I could go to .040" overbored pistons, increase the compression ratio slightly, go to a slightly hotter street cam & bigger valves, and a recurved distributor. The end cost would be about $1500-1800 depending on the machine work needed, but there would be no warranty whatsoever, also the modifications would increase fuel use. Also, are there any advantages to going with oversized bearings? What is the point of that? Are they able to withstand increased power or is it a reliability issue?

 

oversized bearings are used because the crank had to be turned down due to wear or damage. Its easier to put in over sized bearings than to weld up all the rod and main bearing journals and machine them back to stock diameters. HTH

 

If my 22R died I'd probably chuck a naturally aspirated diesel in there

Also, are you concerned about reliability through general use? or how reliable it will be out in the middle of nowhere?

I would have thought the performance mods, including the weber, would be less dependable than stock

 

As underpowered as these engines are I'd go with a rebuild and mod it up. you can also get a stroker crank from www.lcengineering.com to make it a 2.6 liter. You might not really need the extra power, but if you do the milage to me is trivial.

 

If you're reasonably mechanically adept and have access to the required facilities, rebuild your own engine. I don't trust any work I farm out to others so I keep it to a minimum. Some things like boring/honing the block, grinding crankshafts, etc. I have to farm out, but I see and approve the finished results before any assembly is done. Buying a complete reman or rebuilt engine, all those inner steps are hidden so you have to rely on the shops warranty and reputation. Of course, if you build your own, you have no warranty. Any warranty for the rebuild is not gonna cover removal & replacement anyway, that labor's all yours if you need to file a warranty claim. FWIW, I rebuilt my SBC in a 5'×10' storage shed so space is not really a necessity nor is electric power.

 

I would go NA diesel, but it seems to me at that point I might as well be swapping in a 302 or something of that nature...I've never seen a write up of putting in even the optional diesel...I would have no idea about transmission compatibility (probably not very good...diesels make power at lower rpms than gas engines, so they probably use different ratios than my 2wd 5spd hehe) and engine mounts, etc. Plus there would be the whole issue of gas tank, fuel lines, sourcing an engine (I've looked but never found a RELIABLE source for even a semi "drop-in" diesel) etc.

Secondly, weber carbs are probably BETTER than stock carbs, from everything I've read and heard gas mileage is improved and drivability is either not affected or improved...this does not sound like a problem to me. I do wonder about the other modifications, though. I have never rebuilt an engine before, but I am mechanically inclined and careful/patient when it comes to such things. The only things I am worried about are the actual machining, which are totally out of my hands. I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between GOOD machine work and POOR machine work, other than visual inspection for obvious mistakes, and measuring/testing as many dimensions as possible for error. I'd love to just yank the block, bust open the FSM and go to work. Maybe I'll stop waffling and "just do it."

As for a stroker crank...there's another option for that....I noticed it while looking for 7MGE stroker kits (don't ask hehe) it is located here and costs $1899 for just parts (including custom forged pistons of any compression ratio and diameter) or $2299 for an assembled shortblock. I assume the shortblock has a core charge, but the website doesn't say anything about it.

 

The Toyota diesels used a W series tranny, specifically a W56 like 22RE trucks did. However, I have been hearing conflicting reports on whether the bellhousing from a 22RE W56 would bolt up to a 2L or whether the diesel had it's own bellhousing pattern.

 

I just need to know where to buy a 22R short block in Denver CO. I a fan of buying vrs building...it's a warranty thing ya know