I got an 88' toyota 4x4 with a 22re...long story short, engine died and i was looking into a few options...
Basically my questions are, if I were to get a rebuilt 22rtec could I just drop it in? Or would I have to do some modifications? And would that be smog legal in Cali?

I'm pretty sure that I would need to get an ECU for a turbo and do something about the fuel pump, but then again I really don't know.

Any info helps...thanks

Also, would it be possible to put a turbo on a 22re? Or would it be better just to get a 22rtec?

 

Is it smog legal in Cali? Well, that depends on whether you get a 22R-TE, or 22R-TEC. The C stands for California emissions. Can you just drop it in? Yes, but you need the turbo ECU and harness to go with the turbo motor, and you'll have to redo the exhaust. Stock fuel pump is sufficient for the turbo motor.

can you just turbo the 22R-E? Well that depends. Turboing a stock 22R-E is not a terribly good idea unless you lower the compression and ideally beef up the head gasket. The turbo motors run larger injectors and have fuel maps to handle increased airflow. You can get away with it to a certain extent on a N/A motor, but it's not optimal.