1KZ-TE swapped Tacoma

There’s not much I think I would do differently besides doing a cleaner job with the wiring. I have a few things I plan on doing once I have some more time and money; new lift pump, boost controller, Unichip, fuel heater, 275mm clutch and flywheel, stuff like that.

It’s the R150F five speed. I haven’t found much info on the diesel specific transmissions but it seems like it has similar if not the same gearing as my buddy’s 02 with the 3.4 and R150F.

 

Is this stuff that you wouldn't have want/need to replace if you had bought the kd? If that makes sense.

 

Well I’m not sure how the performance mods would compare to a stock 1KD, I’ve been mostly focused on the KZ for the last 4.5 years and kinda put the KD swap on the “maybe someday” shelf. Most of the stuff I want to do is for either performance or drivability. Without being fully educated on the subject I would say the drivability mods would be necessary for the KD but less so for the performance mods.

The boost controller, upgraded clutch/flywheel, and Unichip tuner would pair well with the turbo upgrade, front mount intercooler and 3” exhaust. I’ve already done the ten-blade fan upgrade but I’m also looking at upgrading the radiator because these motors are kinda notorious for cracking the head when they get hot and a new replacement from AMC in the UK is a few thousand bucks after shipping (IF you can find a site that will ship it to the US) and getting a used head rebuilt can be kinda hit or miss when buying overseas.

For drivability/reliability I’m planning on a catch can because I’ve noticed some oil building up in the intercooler piping.
Fuel heater for days that dip below 30-35°F when the fuel gels up and gives me a shaky idle during cold starts until I turn the high idle on and get it to temp.
The current fuel pump setup is great for daily driving but it can’t keep up very well during a really hard third, fourth or fifth gear pull. I’d like to put a new lift pump either in-tank or in-line to supply ample fuel pressure and that would definitely need to be done before any more performance mods.

Some of the guys I’ve talked to in Australia have even done balance shaft deletes and gotten decent results in fuel efficiency and horsepower but it doesn’t seem very common among the down under diesel community.

HD Automotive has a fairly extensive tuning guide here: https://hdautomotive.com.au/2024/11/19/1kz-te-turbo-upgrade/