My engine swapped 3rd Gen build thread

Vlady · Jan 17, 2023

Impressive.. and fixed taco lean.

Claudiomartinof · Jan 17, 2023

Tacoma ultimate sleeper edition!

I wish I had the knowledge to do something like this!

OP ENJOY!!

hiPSI · Jan 17, 2023

Now, for the hundreds of posers on YouTube that so many of you like to link and quote, here comes the real deal and he probably has zero presence in social media. This is what true modding is fellas, not bolting on some Pep Boys shit and fitting a bigger size tire.
So, all the wannabee's out there, read this guy's first fucking post. He might as well have 10K posts and a million subscribers based on the content of his first post. What is that stupid guy's name on YouTube? That Tacoma guy? Let's see him do this. This should show you the difference between entertainment and real fucking content.
Focker out.

Edit... Rob Motive or some such shit. He put front clevises on and thought he was a badass lol.

Vlady · Jan 17, 2023

hiPSI said: ↑

Now, for the hundreds of posers on YouTube that so many of you like to link and quote, here comes the real deal and he probably has zero presence in social media. This is what true modding is fellas, not bolting on some Pep Boys shit and fitting a bigger size tire.
So, all the wannabee's out there, read this guy's first fucking post. He might as well have 10K posts and a million subscribers based on the content of his first post. What is that stupid guy's name on YouTube? That Tacoma guy? Let's see him do this. This should show you the difference between entertainment and real fucking content.
Fokker out.

Edit... Rob Motive or some such shit. He put front clevises on and thought he was a badass lol.
Click to expand...

I enjoyed this build on YT.
https://youtu.be/ZRewZb8naGg

shotgunbilly420 · Jan 17, 2023

Drewthecarguy[OP] initial post: ↑

Hello thanks for visiting my build thread. Let me start off with a little bit of history.
I’ve done a couple builds with engine swaps and what not, I’m always looking for a challenge and something that’s not been done before or something different. I’ve done tons and tons of LS swaps in older trucks and cars but they seem to easy now a days.

My last build was a Duramax swapped 80 series Landcruiser and it was a blast to do and super challenging.

So after i sold the LC80 I bought this 2016 Tacoma TRD OR with fairly higher miles but was in great condition

My whole plan was to build a truck that I could do some over landing and I wanted to take a trip to Moab and hit some trails. I live in southern Illinois so I needed something that I could drive almost across country, go off-road and drive back home.

I know I needed to do a little bit of a build to take the Tacoma to the next level

Couple exterior mods, black out emblems, trd pro grill, hid headlights, Baja designs fog lights

Next was wheels tires and suspension
I went with Icon Stage 4 suspension with tubular control arms and remotes resis

Wheels and tires are SCS 17s with -38mm
BFG 295/75/17

After those mods it was time for the Moab trip and the truck did great

After the trip I realized the truck needed more power to be more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong the truck does “ok” but driving on the interstate for hours and hours at a time and the constant shifting up and down, and the truck struggling to get through the mountains in Colorado I decided this truck needs power, everything else about the truck is great, it looks good, comfortable, great off road, but just a turd

So that’s where it all started

I done tons and tons and tons of research before choosing the right power train,

Original plan was a LS3 with 6l80 transmission to keep things simple and be plenty of power

The major problem I came up with for engine swapping a 3rd gen is clearance, the trans tunnel opening isn’t very big and the front crossmember and front differential is all in the way, for a LS or LT to work it would have taken a knurly oil pan or a Dry sump pan

I didn’t feel like dishing out the money for a dry sump setup or hand making a pan

So what I went with was a LF3 out of a 2015 Cadillac CTSV sport. It’s a twin turbo V6

On paper it makes the same amount of power as a LS3 but in a smaller package

The LF3 has an almost flat oil pan all the way from the crank pulley all the way to the transmission pan

After the engine arrived I pulled the OE engine out to see what I had to deal with
And I sat the LF3 in for the first time to see what it was going to take

A couple things had to be done to the engine to have it sit where it needed to go, oil filter and oil filter adapter had to be removed for the engine to clear the front differential

So on the oil filter adapter I removed it, cut it in half, taped the holes in it, thread a -10an adapters in it and just relocated the filter to the frame rail

So the engine mounts from the Cadillac alllllmost laid out perfect to hit the factory Tacoma mounts but I ended up just making my own engine mounts that use the factory Tacoma rubber mounts so I didn’t have to cut anything up from the truck

Next I tackled the transmission cooling, back in the day I use to use the radiator transmission coolers until I decided it’s so much easier to just run remote coolers

So I adapted the stock Cadillac transmission cooler lines to 6an and mounted a cooler with fan under the truck

Next hurdle was power steering

Most modern GM vehicles went with electric power steering and the LF3 was no different

I could have figured out how to mount a pump on the engine like a lot of guys do with LT swap but I wanted something more simple so I went with a Volvo S40 power steering pump

I mounted it behind the front bumper and you can reach it from the top of the grill, worked out perfect

I ran some russel 6an power steering Lines under the radiator and worked out great

Next a couple goodies it needed

Gotta have a CSF radiator to help keep things cool and I went with ZZP downpipes

Next was transmission shifting,

My duramax swap in my 80series I used a Lokar shifter and I always had a problem getting out of Park and it drove me nuts so I told myself I wasn’t going to do that again

So I went with PCS electric shifter
I had a buddy of mine with a laser cutter cut me out a perfect hole for the remote in a piece of aluminum, I then did a small bit of trimming in the center console to get a nice flat surface for it to sit in and it turn out great, I think I’m going to just brush the aluminum and clear coat it and call it a day

Next I went with a ZZP intake for a Cadillac ATSV and it fit perfect in the Tacoma, I’m going to relocated the battery to the passenger side since I won’t be using the stock intake anymore

Also from ZZP i picked up one of their heat exchangers and high volume water pump that I mounted behind the front grille, fits perfect in the behind the grill, they also included a stencil with it if you wanted to put a logo on it so I did

I also picked up a awesome fuse box setup from Overland Equipped, that way I can power my heat exchanger pump, power steering pump, and all the engine swap power easily and neatly

Installed a 2018 Camaro SS PWM cooling fan onto the CSF radiator and it worked out good after making a few small brackets

Intercooler heat exchanger reservoir mounted and plumbed and everything flows nicely, the CTSV sport has a sealed system from the factory and that was the number one complaint was, air in the system and how much it sucked to bleed it. So I went with a open system and plugged the bleeder port with a fitting I had laying around

Fuel system is done, I should have taken more pictures but i forgot, I mounted a Aeromotive 340 in a Second Gen bucket, 3rd gen Tacomas have a awesome PWM brushless fuel pump but it’s returnless and hard to control, so I went with a 2nd bucket that has provisions for a fuel return. I then went with the basic LS swap configuration, corvette fuel filter, regulator to a -6an fuel line up to the rail

and thats pretty much it
I’ve been driving this thing working the bugs out for a little while and I can say it was all worth it, it’s way quicker, gets into 8th around 50mph and doesn’t hunt for gears, interstate cruising is worlds different then stock, I still have things to do to the truck like finish 4wd but that will come soon for now enjoy the pictures and any questions let know

Click to expand...

Wtf smart and lots of time

hiPSI · Jan 17, 2023

Vlady said: ↑

I enjoyed this build on YT.
https://youtu.be/ZRewZb8naGg
Click to expand...

You know my point...

RustyGreen · Jan 17, 2023

Welcome to the forum

If there is a TW prize for the most impressive first post it is yours, no contest.

CygnusX191 · Jan 17, 2023

@TacomaDad18 where you at?

phillstill · Jan 17, 2023

Ohhhhhh!!!!!
I bet that is fun to drive. I used to have a 2016 CTS V-Sport.

ACEkraut · Jan 17, 2023

After reading through your build I do have a few ideas for a few minor improvements.....

You might have missed a punctuation here or misspelled something there.....

Nope, I got nothing.....

Amazing work on the swap but kudos also for the down to earth, ah shucks style of sharing the build.

Drewthecarguy · Jan 17, 2023

Pickeledpigsfeet said: ↑

Can you tell me more about the Volvo S40 power steering pump? I have a crawler that has limited space for a pump and this looks like maybe the ticket.
Click to expand...

It’s very simple, 3 wire hookup, it can be canbus controlled but if you just feed it a 12v switched signal it’s at like 70% output which is plenty, my steering feels just like stock

Hogleg918 said: ↑

So I’ve been looking at CTS-V and V sports. I may have missed the transmission, did you put in the transmission from the CTS-V Sport or source it from somewhere else? I saw something about 8th gear so I assume it’s a GM trans.
Where did you pickup the motor from? Mind sharing how much that set you back? Awesome truck and idea.
Click to expand...

im using the CTS-Vsport Tranny for now, it’s a Aisin TL-80N and it’s a amazing transmission, probably one of the best transmissions I’ve used before, the shifts are sooooo crisp, sounds like a BMW to be honest, got the motor and tranny from a salvage yard, engine and trans can be had for around 6-7k probably

Stocklocker said: ↑

I wanna see a burn-out!
Click to expand...

next time the weather is decent I’ll make a good video of it, walk around and some drive bys and what not including massive burnouts

fxntime said: ↑

Very cool. You going to go with a manual transfer case or stick with the auto? Will you have to fab a transfer case adapter to get something to fit and mod the driveshafts if the length is different?
Click to expand...

first plan was to use a Atlas case but the 20 week wait has me trying to figure out a different plan. Possibly use a newer Colorado transmission and transfer case, the issue I have is the Aisin trans doesn’t have a removable rear housing like most GM trans. So I can’t bolt any sort of transfer case adapter or anything to it so I either have to change trans or divorced transfer case

HondaGM · Jan 17, 2023

Drewthecarguy[OP] said: ↑

It’s very simple, 3 wire hookup, it can be canbus controlled but if you just feed it a 12v switched signal it’s at like 70% output which is plenty, my steering feels just like stock

im using the CTS-Vsport Tranny for now, it’s a Aisin TL-80N and it’s a amazing transmission, probably one of the best transmissions I’ve used before, the shifts are sooooo crisp, sounds like a BMW to be honest, got the motor and tranny from a salvage yard, engine and trans can be had for around 6-7k probably

next time the weather is decent I’ll make a good video of it, walk around and some drive bys and what not including massive burnouts

first plan was to use a Atlas case but the 20 week wait has me trying to figure out a different plan. Possibly use a newer Colorado transmission and transfer case, the issue I have is the Aisin trans ⚧️
Click to expand...

Will it do a burnout?

Drewthecarguy · Jan 17, 2023

And thanks everyone for the comments, I had this build going on the IH8Mud forum but their 3rd gen section is kinda lacking

Drewthecarguy · Jan 17, 2023

HondaGM said: ↑

Will it do a burnout?
Click to expand...

very easily with the 34 inch tires and stock 3.91 rear gear

CygnusX191 · Jan 17, 2023

Drewthecarguy[OP] said: ↑

It’s very simple, 3 wire hookup, it can be canbus controlled but if you just feed it a 12v switched signal it’s at like 70% output which is plenty, my steering feels just like stock

im using the CTS-Vsport Tranny for now, it’s a Aisin TL-80N and it’s a amazing transmission, probably one of the best transmissions I’ve used before, the shifts are sooooo crisp, sounds like a BMW to be honest, got the motor and tranny from a salvage yard, engine and trans can be had for around 6-7k probably

next time the weather is decent I’ll make a good video of it, walk around and some drive bys and what not including massive burnouts

first plan was to use a Atlas case but the 20 week wait has me trying to figure out a different plan. Possibly use a newer Colorado transmission and transfer case, the issue I have is the Aisin trans doesn’t have a removable rear housing like most GM trans. So I can’t bolt any sort of transfer case adapter or anything to it so I either have to change trans or divorced transfer case
Click to expand...

I would avoid the crawlerado transmission.

Drewthecarguy[OP] said: ↑

very easily with the 34 inch tires and stock 3.91 rear gear
Click to expand...

It's an OR. 4.30 rear

Bcjammerx · Jan 17, 2023

ok this is a bit beyond bad ass...420 hp is freaking amazing too! Ok now I have a question. was it cheaper/easier to do this swap than twin turboing the 3.5 already in it? even if you added forged rods and pistons to the factory engine (the lf3 had "strengthened" rods and different pistons so for an even match I mean)?

Canadian Caber · Jan 17, 2023

Wow! Some talent there! Would love to see this alive on YT.

HondaGM · Jan 17, 2023

Drewthecarguy[OP] said: ↑

very easily with the 34 inch tires and stock 3.91 rear gear
Click to expand...

I’m sure it will probably burn them off with that engine..

Sterling_vH111 · Jan 17, 2023

Solid first post OP. Hell yeah.

erok81 · Jan 17, 2023

Bcjammerx said: ↑

ok this is a bit beyond bad ass...420 hp is freaking amazing too! Ok now I have a question. was it cheaper/easier to do this swap than twin turboing the 3.5 already in it? even if you added forged rods and pistons to the factory engine (the lf3 had "strengthened" rods and different pistons so for an even match I mean)?
Click to expand...

I can’t find that turbo kit anymore but I saw some for sale ads that listed the new price as $7k for the base kit. Add in a fully built engine and OP’s swap is going to be less expensive and still provide more power stock. Obviously different skill levels involved between the two kits.

Then there’s this, which would be hard pressed from the twin turbo kit I’d imagine.

ColoradoTJ said: ↑

Ah hell yeah!!!

Those ATS V motors move the Cadillac’s around a track very nicely!!!
With a couple mods and tune 500+HP is pretty easy.

An ATS V is on the short list for my next A to B.
Click to expand...

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My engine swapped 3rd Gen build thread

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My engine swapped 3rd Gen build thread

#41 Vlady Well-Known Member

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Claudiomartinof Well-Known Member

#43
hiPSI Laminar Flow

#44
Vlady Well-Known Member

#45
shotgunbilly420 OG Owner 249+ mi club/Tacoma enthusiast

#46
hiPSI Laminar Flow

#47
RustyGreen A breaker point guy in a Bluetooth world

#48
CygnusX191 Gangster of Boats

#49
phillstill Long hair don't care

#50
ACEkraut Well-Known Member

#51
Drewthecarguy [OP] Well-Known Member

#52
HondaGM Call sign Monke

#53
Drewthecarguy [OP] Well-Known Member

#54
Drewthecarguy [OP] Well-Known Member

#55
CygnusX191 Gangster of Boats

#56
Bcjammerx I'm not ALWAYS an a-hole, I swear

#57
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