1st gen engine swap options, and related BS

Back then it was a super simple swap using a engine swap conversion package from Advance adapters

 

one of the downsides to today's more complex, electronically controlled and tech integrated cars. harder to work on, even harder to mod, and still harder to do big stuff like a swap.

part of the reason i love my first gen. enough technology to be comfortable and semi-refined but it still is pretty easy to work on and diagnose. there isn't even a proper dipstick on my dad's 2014 BMW X1. you have to go into the infotainment system and find the technical section to check the oil level.

 

A first gen is still easy to do a gen 1 sbc or LS swap

 

hurrah! there is hope for me yet!

in all seriousness though. glad to hear that someone else thinks it's possible... let alone easy.

 

Yeah, true, makes sense.
Cummins are everywhere!
I just looked this up. Another Cummins pro for the 2.8 is that they’re made here.
That’s pretty sweet.

 

gotta love made in the USA. keeping jobs here at home is important, especially given what's going on right now.

plus... cummins badge

call me shallow

 

Cheaper to source the engine, lighter, lots of aftermarket support. The Cummins is a good engine, but the vw makes more sense for this light duty application. I say that in comparison to the 4bt but know nothing about the R2.8, so maybe I could be convinced otherwise.

 

makes sense. like i mentioned to @otis24, i mainly included the 4bt out of respect for the engine. it is, after all, the classic cummins 4-banger. for comparison, the R2.8 is about 330 lbs lighter than the 4bt and was designed (as i understand) as a crate engine to be swapped into lighter vehicles (like jeeps). I do agree that, compared to the 4bt, the VW or Mercedes makes way more sense. but i am intrigued by the r2.8...
the cost is a big issue though. you can only buy the R2.8 new from Cummins directly which costs about $9,000. that's a lot of dough! for that much money i'd speculate that you could buy a VW diesel, rebuild it completely, throw some more power parts at it, and put it in the truck. actually come to think about it that might even cost less if you could find an affordable donor car with a VW diesel...but i admittedly know nothing about those engines other than that they exist.

 

@otis24 more on the 1KZ option, i just looked it up and it seems like you can find the engines via ebay for around 4k, that also includes a manual trans... but i don't know if that includes a transfer case. I admittedly didn't read the ads too closely. looking like that's the prime option for a diesel swapped Taco. plus it keeps it original toyota. not sure how much aftermarket support there is for it though. i'd still like to be able to have a bit of fun with the skinny pedal. i'd love to pull into a Toyota dealership with my 500k mile 1KZ swapped 1st gen for an oil change though. it'd be well worth the arm and a leg they charge you just to see the look on the techs' faces. "oh yah it's completely stock"
still, i love the idea of a cummins swapped tacoma. a "Tacummins" if you will (credit to @madmax700r for coming up with that name... i'm not that creative)

plus if i ended up having to do stuff like cutting and welding the rear trans crossmember, that might give me an excuse to upgrade to a fancy multiprocess mig/tig/stick welder from my old A/C Buzzbox from the 1970s. i do love buying new tools

also... found this on the import performance website. pretty much exactly what i'd want to do to mine eventually... except i might like to keep the second battery in the engine bay if possible. https://www.importperformanceusa.com/project/2004-expedition-tacoma-with-1kz/

 

Hey Alex,

I have spend some time thinking about this as the 3.4 V6 leaves a lot to be desired (my prior car was an Audi RS6 - wolf in sheeps clothing 4.2 V8 twin turbo @ 450hp/420tq).
Here are my thoughts if I have to replace the engine or a make the DCSB a dedicated trail rig:

Lexus 4.7l V8

Benefits

- keeping it all in the Toyota
- parts availability
- more tq to move those 35" or greater
- keep it 4x4
- tied for first choice​

drawbacks

- heat/fuel economy​

Ford 5.0l V8

Benefits

- fuel injected
- parts availability
- more tq to move those 35" or greater
- tied for first choice​

drawbacks

- heat/fuel economy​

Any Diesel

Benefits

- torque
- fuel economy
- torque
- any truck stop can work on a diesel
- abundance of fuel for bugout sitch​

drawbacks

- weight
- initial cost​

Supercharger

Benefits

- mostly plug/play
- instant torque
- can be finicky on troubleshooting​

drawbacks

- cost
- additional maintenance​

Turbo

Benefit

- horsepower gain (not what I'm looking for; tq is)​

drawback

- heat
- requires spool up to be useful
- tight fit in the 1st gens​

Big Block or 427

Benefit

- horsepower gain (not what I'm looking for; tq is)​

drawback

- heat
- fuel economy
- tight fit in the 1st gens​

Its all about what will work for you.
Since I currently don't trailer my truck to Moab or DV or whatnot, it has to be somewhat practical.

I have encountered a 1st gen 1995-1997 SAS 42" with a SBC 350 on the Naches trail.
It was a sight to see and impressive but not street legal in any form.

 

Hey Ben (or Benjamin, whichever you prefer), you've obviously given it a good amount of thought. my vote would either go for the diesel or the Lexus 4.7L for a couple reasons.

in favor of the 4.7L, who doesnt love a V8 swap? and i'd personally air on the side of keeping the engine Toyota. you're spot on in that the 5.0L Ford has more aftermarket/general parts availability, but for everything that the 4.7 would probably need i'd imagine you'd be able to find it if needed.

As far as the diesel pros and cons, those are all solid, but another thought crossed my mind as soon as you talked about it's availability at just about any truck stop. Diesel keeps forever, whereas gas has a relatively short shelf life (unless you go to the trouble to find non-ethanol fuel and stabilize it). especially since you mentioned a bugout situation, that'd come in mighty handy. just some more thoughts to "add fuel to the fire".

thanks for sharing!

 

A turbo can be sized properly to provide more torque easily

 

Why is there no option to choose the Toyota 1HD-FTE Aussie 6cyl 4.2L turbo diesel? The dream diesel

 

because of my own ignorance. gimmie a sec and i'll add it.

 

out of curiosity, why pick this one over the 1KZ?

 

Mainly that it’s a bigger, more powerful engine. 4.2 vs 3.0. It’s supposedly one of the best engines Toyota has ever made, so I’ve heard.
I’ve honestly never heard of one ever being swapped, let alone on in the US. Just wishful thinking haha, but if I could I’d spend a fortune to have one of these.
If it was a legit option I’d choose it but realistically I’d choose the 1kz out of anything else on the list. I had the privilege to ride in a 1kz swapped Tacoma earlier this year and it is like a diesel version of the 3.4. Small quiet and just enough power. But the 1HD would be the the Toyota equivalent of a 5.9 12 valve Cummins.

 

makes sense. that's awesome that you had the opportunity to ride in a 1KZ swapped taco! i'd love to get a chance to poke around one of those, and ask some questions about what the guy did. my main curiosity would be what the gear ratio is? seems to me like you'd need to seriously upgear (numerically lower) the axles to keep the RPMs on a diesel to reasonable levels. anyone have any thoughts about this? i've thought about just giving the import performance place in bend a call, but i also would feel kinda bad taking up their time with something that they realistically won't get any money from. at the most i'd look at buying the motor and all the other necessary parts from them... but do all the work myself.

 

It’s a lot of work. But depends how far you want to go with it. I went alittle far with mine and the only thing Toyota that’s left is part of the frame and body.

 

Hey I’ll have an 8” FART can on my truck when I’m done!! And I have one just because I can since the truck is stupid anyways

 

Yeah, your work is amazing by the way. Never had any opportunty to reference it in a practical application but i hope to in the future. Personally i'm not sure how far i'd want to go with my truck. the more i think about it the more i like the idea of doing a Toyota 1KZ Diesel swap (assuming I do go the diesel route). As far as these kinds of things go, it's pretty much plug and play (comparatively speaking of course). I love the idea of a 4BT or R2.8 swap but the comparative ease of a 1KZ makes me lean towards that.

Hey... No judgement here. there is a big difference between a Cummins swapped Tacoma and a 4cyl Honda Civic. I'd gladly listen to a straight-piped diesel (even a 4cyl) with a big ole exhaust... a riced out civic in my high school parking lot? not so much.


out of curiosity, any ideas on how i might add power to the 1KZ? I'm relatively new to the world of diesels or diesel swaps and, if i recall correctly from reading through your thread you're a diesel mechanic. I know you probably don't have a whole lot of direct experience with the 1KZ since i don't think it was ever sold in North America, but i'm more looking for general advice on adding power. Thanks!