Smileyshaun
Observer
If you're going to do a swap do a 3rz swap , great mileage, much more drivability and super easy conversion from a 22re .
1986 Toyota 4Runner Baja Budget Build
- Thread starter zelseman
- Start date
bkg
Explorer
I would highly recommend NOT doing this. *Maybe* an all aluminum 5.3 LS... but only if you're willing to spend money on transmission and axles...
battleaxe
Captain Obvious
Honestly, not a single motor swap into these 22RE trucks is bolt in (Except for the RZ motors with mounts). I guess that's why my mind gravitates towards the Chev swap.
It's not about having the complete donor truck, it's about the fab work required to get the swap done. Cut your mounts off, reweld or completely fabricate new ones depending on what you're swapping.
Sorry, I'm letting my anti 22RE sentiments show. It's not that they're bad, they're just underwhelmingly boring.
It's not about having the complete donor truck, it's about the fab work required to get the swap done. Cut your mounts off, reweld or completely fabricate new ones depending on what you're swapping.
Sorry, I'm letting my anti 22RE sentiments show. It's not that they're bad, they're just underwhelmingly boring.
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battleaxe
Captain Obvious
I definitely wouldn't rate it as easy. The wiring is a headache, and the oil pan has to be significantly modified to fit IFS.
It's simpler than a lot of swaps, and yes it's bolt in if you buy the mounts from Chilkat.
Smileyshaun
Observer
Helped a buddy do it , he had a conversion harness , motor mounts and an oil pan . took a weekend and a trip to the muffler shop .
battleaxe
Captain Obvious
If the conversion harness and oil pan are readily available, I stand corrected. I'll admit I'm a little out of the loop, and haven't seen a swap done in a number of years.
Smileyshaun
Observer
yeah there's a couple companies that do and now they make some really nice stand-alone harness to
zelseman
Observer
We have had really bad, rainy weather since we have started this project, so today we worked in the drizzle. The plan was to replace the front shocks and play some musical tires. Currently there are 29” street tires on it and we are switching them with some 31x10.5x15 AT’s. I really like the black wheels with the white paint, so we are switching the wheels soon to the 31’s.
There are tired shocks all around, but only one side has rusted. The driver’s side looked nearly untouched. The passenger side was rusted all over. The front was much easier than the rear.
This is the look with the 31’s, which fit perfect for our setup. We are swapping the wheels for the set that are in the first photos. These are just spare wheels that need some love, but I think that will be another project for my father in laws rig…
We had to pull the spare tire to get access to the shackles and to generally clean up the area under the bed. The previous own had installed a really simple rear bumper that will be the foundation for our tire carrier bumper. Unfortunately, his design did not account for removal of the spare. So off comes the bumper. It will be getting a rework to hold a spare tire and two jerry cans of fuel, so I am not worried about the paint job, for now. Notice the overspray from when he painted it after install...some people.
The fronts came off relatively easy and the bils went in perfect. The rears were not that easy. The shocks came off well enough, but the leaf springs and ubolts were pretty rusty and seized so I got to work with the PB Blaster and breaker bar/impact. Everything came off in one piece and then it was time for degreaser and paint to try and curb some of the surface rust. Black paint is great compared to the yellow that the PO used.
The shackles have some surface rust so I will hit it with the wire wheel and black paint before installing. I bought the bushing kit and u bolts for the leaf springs, so everything should operate like new when installed. At least it will be much better than 5-inch blocks in the back.
My order from Toyota Parts 4U was shipped from Jacksonville, FL (because ARB is in Florida?) and one of my leaf packs didn’t show up. It shows a weather delay online and UPS hasn’t responded to my e-mails. I will give it a couple of days and if I still don’t have springs, I will call Toyota of Dallas and figure something out. In the meantime, the driver’s side will stay put together in case I need to move the truck for some reason.
The spare is a 31x10.5x15 and is starting to crack and rot so we will be picking up a matching spare for the truck in the next couple of weeks before we leave. The spare will likely get a coat of black paint to match the wheels since it will be on a tire carrier.
There are tired shocks all around, but only one side has rusted. The driver’s side looked nearly untouched. The passenger side was rusted all over. The front was much easier than the rear.
This is the look with the 31’s, which fit perfect for our setup. We are swapping the wheels for the set that are in the first photos. These are just spare wheels that need some love, but I think that will be another project for my father in laws rig…
We had to pull the spare tire to get access to the shackles and to generally clean up the area under the bed. The previous own had installed a really simple rear bumper that will be the foundation for our tire carrier bumper. Unfortunately, his design did not account for removal of the spare. So off comes the bumper. It will be getting a rework to hold a spare tire and two jerry cans of fuel, so I am not worried about the paint job, for now. Notice the overspray from when he painted it after install...some people.
The fronts came off relatively easy and the bils went in perfect. The rears were not that easy. The shocks came off well enough, but the leaf springs and ubolts were pretty rusty and seized so I got to work with the PB Blaster and breaker bar/impact. Everything came off in one piece and then it was time for degreaser and paint to try and curb some of the surface rust. Black paint is great compared to the yellow that the PO used.
The shackles have some surface rust so I will hit it with the wire wheel and black paint before installing. I bought the bushing kit and u bolts for the leaf springs, so everything should operate like new when installed. At least it will be much better than 5-inch blocks in the back.
My order from Toyota Parts 4U was shipped from Jacksonville, FL (because ARB is in Florida?) and one of my leaf packs didn’t show up. It shows a weather delay online and UPS hasn’t responded to my e-mails. I will give it a couple of days and if I still don’t have springs, I will call Toyota of Dallas and figure something out. In the meantime, the driver’s side will stay put together in case I need to move the truck for some reason.
The spare is a 31x10.5x15 and is starting to crack and rot so we will be picking up a matching spare for the truck in the next couple of weeks before we leave. The spare will likely get a coat of black paint to match the wheels since it will be on a tire carrier.
Summit Cruisers Jr
Well-known member
Looking good! That yellow is definitely an interesting choice by the PO. I’m not super familiar with motor swaps in these, but the 3rz and 5vz seem to be the go to swaps for what reason? I would think that for all the work involved, the Toyota 4.0L 1UZs would be just as popular but they don’t seem to be that common. I know several people with first gen tundras with the bigger 2UZs and 5 speed autos that push 18-20mpg. I figure a 1UZ and a 5 speed would do better and be tremendously more fun.
zelseman
Observer
Our spring arrived! Finally, UPS showed up with our driver's side leaf spring after waiting a week for hurricane delays. Getting the springs on was easy after doing the other side, and the shock only gave us a little bit of trouble. A word of caution on OLD MAN EMU springs for the 1st gen 4Runner: OME advertises a 2" lift, and this is more like 4" AT LEAST. My Bilstein 4600 shocks are the limiting factor in the suspension right now. We will see how it looks with 500+lbs of junk in the back, but for right now I am not thrilled with the spring height. Hopefully they ride okay and I will forget all about my truck being too high.
You can check out more in-depth photos, part numbers, and words on our most recent blog post.
Next up on the agenda is the paint. We sanded all weekend and got everything taped up just in time for the wind to gust to 10 MPH. We made due with what we had. Will have more photos when everything is put back together in a couple of days.
You can check out more in-depth photos, part numbers, and words on our most recent blog post.
Next up on the agenda is the paint. We sanded all weekend and got everything taped up just in time for the wind to gust to 10 MPH. We made due with what we had. Will have more photos when everything is put back together in a couple of days.
TheCascadeKid
Observer
Looking great! What brand/mixture are you using for paint? I shot my hood with thinned implement paint. It came out with a bit more orange peel than I had hoped for, but it was also my first foray into auto paint.
battleaxe
Captain Obvious
The RZ motor is a nice go to because of the simplicity. No custom bellhousing, clutch etc. I have talked to a few guys with the 1UZ swapped in first and second gen 4runners that get 25+ mpg
This. After 300k miles on my first gen, the rears were nearly inverted. They will settle some, but not a huge amount.
zelseman
Observer
The previous springs were aftermarket units with a block lift added, but it had been wheeled hard in it's previous life. I am learning to deal with the extra height, hopefully with full weight in the back we will like it a little more.
We used a generic paint from the paint shop. It's similar in quality to PPG, without the price tag. My father-in-law is the mastermind behind the painting, I am just good for prep. It is not showroom finish by any means, but it is more than acceptable for our uses.
We are going to keep an eye on them and see how they do. I am excited to ride on new suspension.