3rz Engine Rebuild questions

I have a 1998 Tacoma with a 3rz and a 5 speed with just over 300k miles on it. It runs like a top although is seeping oil here and there. I want to go through the drive train and give it a fresh paint job. I love the little thing and never want to part with it.
I would love to give it a little more oomph I've been eyeballing the LCE long blocks but with how well mine runs although tired I think I want to do a complete rebuild on what I have. I put the question to LCE but haven't got a reply, they have a rebuild kit on there site I'm wondering if I rebuild with there kit I will have the same motor as there long block they sell for 10 grand no? I as well I will do one of there head packages (stage 1 or 2), header/exhaust, looking at the flywheel options and it would be the perfect time for a new clutch.
So, is the rebuild kit they offer a better/different than stock outcome? Different from there complete longblock?
I have also been looking into the LCE supercharger and I'm intrigued with the low boost option along with the said options above. One thing I don't want to change is the reliability of the motor as it had been up to now. I have only had the truck 4 years and it had 265k on it when I bought it and 300k+ now so likely it has been a little tired since I've owned it so a fresh motor may make a significant difference on its own? I do like the idea of a little more than the stock 150-ish hp. I'm not looking to squeeze every last drop of performance out of it but better climbs through mountain passes and a little towing would be awsome.
Thanks in advanced to any and all input and answers!

 

Nice truck!

After debating everything for a while, I ordered a Sunwest longblock for a 3RZ powered 1995.5 single cab I just purchased with a blown head gasket. They seem to have a good reputation for their work and are budget friendly compared with other options.

LCE stuff has always had a pretty good reputation but they've also always been really proud of what they provide, both in their cost and also in their support. I had a buddy buy one of their Stage 2 22RE's and it grenaded and they wouldn't stand by their work; said it was his fault. They might have been right but my perspective of them is likely skewed by his bad experience.

As for performance, there's a few things you can do to get some oomph from a good motor. Check valve lash, clean fuel injectors, and make sure you've got new spark plugs and filters. Adding an aftermarket header has good results, especially if your exhaust manifold is cracking (which is common and leads to other issues). Other than that, adding boost (supercharger, turbo) is the only real option for making power, but it's spendy and you'll potentially be giving up reliability and drivability, depending on your setup.

I say give it a thorough tune up, change the fluids and run the wheels off it another 10 years until you actually have an issue!

 

I rebuilt my engine with a cheap engine rebuild kit. Do not cheap out on the main seals. I ended up redoing both. I chose to rebuild my engine versus getting a reman because all my bearing surfaces and cylinder walls were still good. All I did was buy standard size pistons, rings and bearings. I dropped my engine block and head off to a local machine shop. They checked for cracks, berry honed the cylinders and trued the head mating surface. Power openers are LCE header, balance shafts delete from LCE, home brew electric fan setup and HPS cold air kit. The header and the balance shaft delete helped the most. From the drivers seat the motor can breathe better to 4500 rpm where it would feel like it would plateau at around 3500 rpm. The cold air kit I did for looks, to clean up the engine bay and easier to get to the throttle body. The home made electric fan setup was to get rid of the viscous fan. Parasitic power loss but more jet engine sound at start up. I also had my injectors cleaned by Mr. Injector (sonic cleaning)
A long block will be much faster as far as swapping motors if money is no object. If money is an object then you can spend your money on good parts and services. I spent about $500 for the machine shop, rebuild kits can be $500-800 or at least they were. My valves were good too. If you buy a new head or a ported and polished stage 2 head, that will take care of that. Make sure that top end is squared away otherwise there is no use in rebuilding the bottom. Especially if you dip in to superchargers. Low boost will probably cost you a quarter of the reliability, depending on if you stick with low boost. Slippery slope and all that. If you wanted more robust hp and tq then I'd opt for higher compression. There's also how you are using your power. Are you losing it all in bigger tires? Consider a gear change ($1k if you DIY) or go down in tire size. I ran stock tire sizes for a second and the truck felt like a corolla, zippy.