Looking to upgrade

I enjoy my little 4 banger 02 PreRunner SR5 Taco and it's good on trails and mild off-road, but sometimes I feel I need more power to get where I really want to go. A friend told me I should put a small block 350 in it but I'm skeptical about that. Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

I haven't done anything to it yet and it sees a fair amount of highway use. I've got a buddy who is planning on hooking me up with a suspension lift, changing the gear ratio and maybe one or two other things. I'm just waiting on him to get back from Iraq. My budget isn't too high right now, but at the end of the year it will be nearly unlimited.
I'm looking for things I can mostly do myself for reasonably cheap. If I don't have to swap the engine I don't want to. But modding the engine is a possibility

 

You won't see any real power gains unless you turbo or supercharge. Horsepower is expensive.

 

Just wondering what situations you're getting in where more power is the answer? Most of the time off-roading is much more technique and driving skill then power. Properly geared that 4 banger should be just fine, unless you're climbing trees...

 

I guess power isn't quite the right word. I was using it more as a general term. A lot of what I'd like to get into is steep slopes with heavy underbrush on exposed bedrock and whatnot. I threw my buddy's tires on and they were gripping but when I got any kind of forward movement I was stopped by a small rise or something of the sort. I also like to tear through the mud but I can't get into anything too soupy. I'm friends with a lot of mechanics and they were the ones suggesting the engine swap so I could just muscle through what their boggers do.

 

Can anyone tell me how to change my gear ratio? I'm not incredibly mechanically inclined. Just know how to change my oil, spark plugs, filters etc. Never had to do anything more

 

Surprised no one has responded. Changing gears is definitely a more involved mod to do yourself. I've never done it personally, but have checked into it. Need 2 sets of gears, front and rear, 2 install kits (bearings, washers, etc.), plus the install. I think it was around $1500 last I checked, with someone to install it.