What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Haha that's nice of you to say. I would totally do something like that one day, if I had the money. With the huge demand and market for Toyota pickups and SUV's in California, there would be no shortage of any interest.

And if you think I'm leaving this place anytime soon, you're very wrong. LOL.

 

No its gunna be a lifted Mercedes sedan with 2jz engines shop, but he wont have the title foe any of the cars but will make dramatic videos about them

 

The engines are about the same, but the emissions equipment will of course limit the engine's capabilities. Turbos can always be swapped out if necessary for SMOG requirements. Just as long as you have all the original emissions equipment and follow all the California BAR guidelines, then you can do an engine swap in California.

Of course if I wasn't limited to using SMOG legal engines, I would do a 1KD-FTV Turbodiesel swap from a Toyota Hilux or Prado. Even easier to do than 2JZ because the 1KD was already mated to the A340F. But there's no way I can make that legal since the engine was never sold in the US domestic market.

 

Oh once that E320 kicks the bucket I'm buying a 1 Ton 4x4 Diesel frame and dropping the E320 body on top of it. I don't care how ridiculous it sounds, 3,000 pounds of Luxury German engineering coming careening towards you on a trail on a lifted 4x4 frame is just about the funniest thing I can ever imagine.

This is what I'm imagining.

Yes that's a DeLorean.

 

You running spacers?

 

Replaced my drivers side door handle. I noticed the door handle (outside only) was not springing back into position which within a matter of weeks became progressively worse. If I locked the truck, I would have to manually grab the drivers side knob and lift to unlock.
After reading on this forum all the bad reviews on the aftermarket ones, I paid about $74 for an oem replacement (Part #

$84 69220-35020 Exterior Driver Side Front Door Handle

69220-35020).
If you ever do this, it's a great time (if you have power windows) to grease the window tracks and regulator assembly. The window would "chatter" some when going down, and now it's smooth as butter.

 

I had the same experience as you except I replaced mine with 3 OEM handles and each one kept breaking. Finally ordered a Dorman brand one and it's been perfect ever since...I was breaking OEM ones every couple of weeks because that little black lip above the arrow in your picture wouldn't press down on the metal lever. The Dorman handles have a bigger black lip on them.

Might just be something fucked up inside my door with the rods but the Dorman one works best for me.

You have my sympathy though...I never want to see the inside of a Tacoma door ever again. Got so sick of having to take mine apart lol.

 

You can kinda see the La’sal Mountains/ Moab in the back. Pretty shitty country to walk into.

 

3 OEM handles! That's expensive! Well, I'm hoping to get another 14 years out of this replacement.

 

yeah it was awful. That metal latch inside the handle kept bending out of place so the black plastic lip wouldn't press it down...happened with each OEM handle I bought. Luckily I got 2 of them from Amazon when they were on sale, but one of them I bought from the local dealer for $150 thinking that maybe something was wrong with the Amazon ones, but that one lasted me maybe 2 weeks. I was pissed. The Dorman one I got for $15 and put in last time has lasted a couple months now.

 

The hardest part for me was getting the lock assembly lined up in the door handle groove while positioning the handle in the door. The inside of my forearms look like a bob cat used them as a scratching post!

 

yeah sure...if you want to have no money at all go for it.

98+ 2jz is the most sought after 2jz out there due to the VVTi. So even if you find a wrecked supra..you'll pay about 3-5 grand for the motor alone as you can't do a JDM lexus 2jz swap. 2jz parts are very expensive...seriously. You think taco parts are bad? I had an 87 supra when i was your age. Wasn't even a 2jz supra and holy fuck that shit adds up.

as for you tranny..idk. Might be direct bolt on. I know the r150 is as is basically the same as the r154. SO you might as well do a manual swap. One of the reasons your truck is so gutless and slow now is its got an auto tranny from the 90s in it. Power suck. get a manual if you're going through that effort.

Also, should have just left it a prerunner if you want to do a 2jz swap. Would have been much easier. would need new crossmembers and moutns for the tranny and such. New drive shafts too. If you do it Id get a stronger rear diff like a 9'' so you could boost to the moon and not worry...front diff is fucked but whatever.

I did the math once and a lot of research. If you want to pass smog which I didn't, it'll be even more expensive, but doing a JDM swap for a VVTi 2jz was about 7-9000 bucks done right with rebuilt turbos and the like. Might as well add another 3-4 for you though to be safe if you have to meet emissions.


Really though.


Way cheaper to do an LS swap, more power for less money and more reliable. Not that many LS tacos out there so still major cool factor.


But...as I've said to others in here think about a motor swap *Cough* @what road *cough* it is NOT an easy thing to do and takes a massive amount of time, money, and dedication.

 

For me, the hardest time was the first time I attempted to take the handle apart because I didn't have the right kind of wrench to get inside that tight space...took me nearly 3 hours with a normal wrench trying to find the sweet spot to get the 10mm socket on those 2 nuts that hold the handle on.

Second time it happened I wised up and got a small socket wrench with a swivel head and it made the job 100x easier.

 

I can understand why it's so expensive. A 2JZ-GTE in a Tacoma would be just about the unique engine swap ever. But I know it's difficult, a normal USDM engine swap with all the SMOG requirements is difficult - but it's a dream. The reason why I was thinking 2JZ-GTE instead of LS is because of the uniqueness factor, and the fact that the 2JZ already has the same A340E transmission mated to it.

If I had about $5,000 I could buy a USDM Supra off Copart with everything I need - but they're so rare I only see them pop up a couple times a year.

I'll probably never swap the engine on this truck, at least for the foreseeable future. But just imagining what could be is a reward in itself. I was considering a 5VZ swap for a while, but it doesn't have the kind of power I'm looking for. I would just Turbo the 3RZ I already have, but, you know - SMOG legality and all makes it difficult.

 

Well, def have a bent wheel haha, still shimmys a bit at speed. Find around town and over 75mph though. Discount tire said they would swap the tires and balance again for free if I bought some steelies through them so probably just gonna do that. Steelies are cheap at $58 per.

 

Yeah, I know exactly which 10mm bolt you are referring to! The space to get that rear bolt out is tighter than a peckers hat

 

Just make sure it's a California engine and not Fed 49 state engine.

 

Oh also anyone want to buy my F5s and KO2s. They're just taking up space in my garage.

 

its been done. There is at least 2 4wd 2jzgte tacos out there and countless 5lug 2jz/1jz tacomas out there and lots of pretacos/4runners with 7m motors.

And would buy a super for 5k wrecked all day. that's cheap. But im willing to bet they the auto ones with 2jzge motors not 2jzgte motors. There would be no point in doing a 2jzge motor in my opinion. Way to much work for very little reward other than you say you have a 2jz...and people go COOL! then they see its just a ge motor and go...oh..hm. meh.

5vz with a blower would knock your socks off compared to the 3rz you have now. In stock form the 5vz motor is plenty of motor for these trucks, especially with a bit of boost.

Hell just going to a manual tranny would improve things a lot.

 

If given the choice between free 7M and drivetrain and leaving it alone and driving it how it is I'd leave it alone. 7M isn't worth the effort unless your restoring a Supra.