Nix_Toy
Wheeler
Reged: 10/08/03
Posts: 232
Loc: Crestview, Florida
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Alright, I've read a few threads on here about swapping in a 3.4L into a variety of trucks, but nothing really pertains to my truck. I know Off Road Solutions is coming up with, or has already made conversion kits for the older model trucks, such as mine, '85. I just want to know if anyone has actually done it, and either tell me to stay away from the project or push foward with it. I used to own a '98 Tacoma with the 3.4L, and I loved that engine.. way better than the 4 Cyl I have now. Since Im stuck here in Korea for another 6 months, I'm saving all my money to put towards this project, so cost has nothing to do with it. So once again, if anyone can give any kind of info, I'd highly appreciate it. 
Thanks -Nick-
Looks like the engine will fit, but how about 35's?! 
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DirtyHarry
Toyota Moderator
Reged: 11/15/00
Posts: 4192
Loc: Rapid City/Albuquerque/Reno
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Have you seen the feature on Dan Basham's 4Runner? There is some information there that might be helpful to you. I have not performed this swap myself so unfortunately I have no firsthand experience to add.
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Harry Wagner
Harry Situations
4x4Wire's Toyota Section
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Red_Chili
Toyota Section Staffer
Reged: 08/24/01
Posts: 5986
Loc: Littleton, CO
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I run 35s with a SAS, no body lift, 5" spring lift and the friendly hammer mods to the fender well. Axle 3.5" forward, works great.
As far as the 3.4 (which I have researched a lot, but not done) into the first gens, the additional hangup is the tranny. You need an R-series (R150, 1988-1994 3.0V6 application, or 1995-2000 3.4V6 application which is slightly better, or R151F 22RTE application, exceedingly rare but I have one ). With the R150 you need the V6 adapter to use your transfer case, or an R150 tcase. With an R151 you need a 23 spline input shaft to your tcase, or a turbo (23 spline) tcase. Oh yeah, and if going R151, you need the R150 bellhousing complete, to mate to the 3.4. You also need a hybrid clutch, with turbo and 3.4 parts as needed.
There are other bits, you need a 3-row radiator (a 3.0 V6 model will bolt right in), you might need a 3.0 oil pan to clear the axle depending on lift - which means you need a reengineered dipstick - you need to move your motor mounts a little, you need all the accessories from the 3.4 like PS pump, alternator, A/C compressor as applicable, though there are possibly (varyingly painful) ways to make do with what you have if you have to.
You need a body lift, or a sawzall for your hood. I will go the sawzall method. I have this fantasy of all kinds of esoteric gauges peering at me from the rear of a hood scoop, telling me the status of an abnormally aspirated locomotion system. Its only money. I'll probably be NA for a long time.
Then comes the wiring harness. *Little bit of time* on this phase of the project, you need to marry the 3.4 harness with the 22RE one. That's why Mike Caskey gets a pretty penny, he has to pay some poor phool to do some of the most tedious work on the planet imho.
Then there are bits like the fuel pump, exhaust routing depending on what year manifolds you find or which headers you choose, and other little details. Mike suggests moving the motor forward for firewall clearance and going behind the heads like Toyota does, I think I'll go under the bellhousing or fab up a custom oilpan (with increased capacity) to clear a crossover. Mike's kit is supposed to address all these maddening details either as kit parts or as installation advice. Its a lot of money, but when you look at all that is involved, it seems not out of the range of reason.
Its not a formidable project if compared with other swaps, but its a good deal of careful work if you do it yourself, or an exceedingly expensive project if you want it turn-key. Frankly I look forward to it.
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-Bill
'87 4Runner w/ '96 5VZ-FE, 'Red Chili II'
'97 Taco XtraCab 3RZ-FE, 'BlackBean'
TLCA # 13257, Rising Sun 4x4 Club Land Use Coordinator
"He who stops being better stops being good." -Oliver Cromwell
Edited by Bill_Morgan (10/08/03 12:47 PM)
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Nix_Toy
Wheeler
Reged: 10/08/03
Posts: 232
Loc: Crestview, Florida
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Wow.. thanks a lot for that info. You've obviously been doing a little more research than I have! Pretty much everything you said was all i wanted to know, except the motor mount part. I just can't get a straight answer about this, do you just relocate the original 22RE's motor mounts, or mate Tacoma mounts on there!? But again, thanks!
-Nick_
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Red_Chili
Toyota Section Staffer
Reged: 08/24/01
Posts: 5986
Loc: Littleton, CO
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Check with Mike directly, I think he just includes some Toy motor mounts in the kit, and you remove yours with a torch or plasma cutter and grinder. I have not asked him if my plan of NOT moving the motor forward means I can re-use the stock motor mounts, but I don't think so. Would be a pleasant surprise.
Motor mounts were the LEAST of my worries... 
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-Bill
'87 4Runner w/ '96 5VZ-FE, 'Red Chili II'
'97 Taco XtraCab 3RZ-FE, 'BlackBean'
TLCA # 13257, Rising Sun 4x4 Club Land Use Coordinator
"He who stops being better stops being good." -Oliver Cromwell
Edited by Bill_Morgan (10/08/03 12:57 PM)
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Frankenyota
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 09/06/02
Posts: 1257
Loc: Tacoma, Washington
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From what I have read around the net if you have a 3.0 the 3.0 mounts will bolt onto the 3.4 block, which will then bolt right into the engine compartment. If you have the 22RE then it will be MUCH more work to locate/mount the engine, and you have to source a decent tranny too. It will be way cheaper and easier to do in a V6 truck. I plan to find an 88 or 89 runner with blown 3.0 when I get back to conus.
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1986 4X4, 1991 22RE, 5.71 gears,ARB Rear, aux fuel tank, 3mm O/S TB/intake, engnbldr cam, LCE header, magnaflow w/2.25 exh. custom 4 color paint job :-P 33X12.5 Goodyear MT/Rs
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Esquire812
Trail Leader
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 5688
Loc: Port Orchard, Washington
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Im kinda curious all of a sudden. The 3.0L was first available in 1988 right? Were the frames sent to the factory already pre-determined for the 22R-E or 3.0L? Seems like it would be a PIA if something got outta order and them little fellas were trying to wrestle a 3.0L onto a 2.4L platform. Dangit...its only Wednesday and you guys are making me think again!!!
~Darin 
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88' 4x4 *22R-EB Gen II*
87' $Runner *22R-EB Gen I*
85' Sillyca 22R-Esq
"I LIVE IN MY OWN WORLD...THEY KNOW ME WELL THERE"
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DirtyHarry
Toyota Moderator
Reged: 11/15/00
Posts: 4192
Loc: Rapid City/Albuquerque/Reno
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Personally I don't think that making motor mounts is that hard. I would WAY rather do that than mess with wiring.  Jay K made some nice mounts for his
RokToy.
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Harry Wagner
Harry Situations
4x4Wire's Toyota Section
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Red_Chili
Toyota Section Staffer
Reged: 08/24/01
Posts: 5986
Loc: Littleton, CO
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Quote:
Im kinda curious all of a sudden. The 3.0L was first available in 1988 right? Were the frames sent to the factory already pre-determined for the 22R-E or 3.0L? Seems like it would be a PIA if something got outta order and them little fellas were trying to wrestle a 3.0L onto a 2.4L platform. Dangit...its only Wednesday and you guys are making me think again!!!
~Darin
Hmmmm.... Knowing (well, not knowing, more like intuiting, as in, "I wonder how THAT is disassembled... yep, just like I thought, that Japanese engineer is pretty predictable...") how Toyota handled their assemblies, and the fact they practically invented Kanban (don't ask) and were masters of assembly efficiency, I bet you have a veeeeery good point. The ol' noggin says, they would have made any changes to the motor side of the mount interface, not the frame side.
But as Harry says, it ain't that hard. The wiring is tricky to do right, easy to do ugly or wrong. I worked at the rocket ranch out in Waterton, and I can testify that a decent, clean, and durable wiring harness is not built in an hour. I might pay for that part. 
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-Bill
'87 4Runner w/ '96 5VZ-FE, 'Red Chili II'
'97 Taco XtraCab 3RZ-FE, 'BlackBean'
TLCA # 13257, Rising Sun 4x4 Club Land Use Coordinator
"He who stops being better stops being good." -Oliver Cromwell
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Red_Chili
Toyota Section Staffer
Reged: 08/24/01
Posts: 5986
Loc: Littleton, CO
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Quote:
From what I have read around the net if you have a 3.0 the 3.0 mounts will bolt onto the 3.4 block, which will then bolt right into the engine compartment. If you have the 22RE then it will be MUCH more work to locate/mount the engine, and you have to source a decent tranny too. It will be way cheaper and easier to do in a V6 truck. I plan to find an 88 or 89 runner with blown 3.0 when I get back to conus.
Tranny solutions are pretty easy actually*, you have several choices. The devil's in the details of shifter location, mating with a crawler, etc. But there are lots of options. You'd be faced with the same crawler issues (need an adapter) in a 3.slow, and you'd still have wiring to deal with.
[CAVEAT_EMPTOR_ALERT]
*Note: author is blowing out his shorts on opinion, as he has not yet proven empirically all his theorizing actually works, nor does he have a working prototype. It sounds really good though, and quite convincing.
[END_ALERT]
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-Bill
'87 4Runner w/ '96 5VZ-FE, 'Red Chili II'
'97 Taco XtraCab 3RZ-FE, 'BlackBean'
TLCA # 13257, Rising Sun 4x4 Club Land Use Coordinator
"He who stops being better stops being good." -Oliver Cromwell
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