Engine rebuild vs Crate engine ?

No shit sherlock, that's why I also said "LSX or something silly". Doesn't stop some people.

 

If you rebuild the OE motor then you'll keep your truck numbers matching which will add to your resale value

 

You think that's bad my Gen 1 sbc , I was just quoted $26k for 700hp all forged rotating assy with H beam rods , Solid roller cam , aluminum cyl heads

 

Mine blew a head gasket and worse at 153k, I found a salvage engine with 112k on it for $900 + $400 shipping to Anchoragua- gotta love life in the colonies- got it swapped out up in Fairbanks- kudos to Sunshine Rae motors- road tested it for around 700 miles and then hit the Allan 3k later runs like a clock. Used 3/4 of a qt of oil, I’m alright with that. Seems to have more power than the original mistreated engine- thanks to the PO. Anyway I vote for low mileage salvage as first option.

 

Time for Pro's and Cons!!!

Engine Rebuild (if done yourself):

Pros:
1) You know what went in to the build (parts)
2) You know the quality of work performed
3) Attention to detail (falls under quality of work)
4) You know what was and wasn't replaced
5) Your own timeline to get it done
6) Your own budget in the build (quality of parts used, and what you choose to replace, and what the machine shop does)
7) No labor cost in the build (only your own time)

Cons:
1) No warranty on work (if something fails you have to fix it)
2) Machine shop cost can be expensive (I would say 50% of rebuild cost or more)
3) Your time. If you have the time, great! If not, well this may not be the best option
4) Experience/knowledge - If you have never done it it may take even longer, and mistakes may be made with no warranty as you did it yourself
5) You have to have the right tooling/equipment (Engine stand, torque wrenches, ring compressor, manuals, etc...)
6) You have to have a second vehicle (When you take the engine out and apart you have to take parts to the machine shop)


Crate Engine!

Pros:
1) Usually comes with a limited warranty
2) Ships to you so you can do an engine swap in a day
3) Convenience
4) Spare parts (parts that you do not end up using from the engine that arrived are always good for spares)
5) Saves time on replacement
6) No specialty tools required (usually)
7) You have a second engine (your old one) you can rebuild ON YOUR OWN TIME and sell it to make a profit once rebuilt
8) If you have an issue with the Crate engine you have your old engine you can swap back in (if not in the process of rebuild) while you wait for a refund or warranty claim with the seller.
9) If engine is a rebuild, you saved yourself time and parts since someone else rebuilt it for you
10) Plug and play (within reason)

Cons:
1) Unknown mileage. (unless it is advertised as 0 miles rebuilt, the seller can tell you anything, but you don't really know since you weren't there during the removal process so you have to trust his/her word)
2) Buying it unseen so you don't necessarily know what is the condition of the storage situation. It could have had only 30K miles on it but it sat outside on a pallet in the rain for a year....you never know....
3) If rebuilt unit, you don't know what exact parts were installed during the rebuild or quality of work performed.
4) Shipping charges are substantial if not shipped to a commercial address with a forklift
5) A lot of it comes to the trust in the seller.


I am sure I am leaving some stuff out but this is just a general Pros/Cons. For my own engine, I bought a crate 3RZ from Ebay who got it from Japan with roughly 40K miles according to the seller. He provided a compression test video for each cylinder panning to the serial number on the engine back to the cylinder tested and he did that for all 4.

I had to transfer a bunch of stuff because it was from Japan. Exhaust manifold, oil pan, intake, harness, accessory brackets, etc..... I bought all new gaskets and installed all new timing components while I was in there. Basically a partial rebuild before I installed it. My old 3RZ I am rebuilding on my own time with my own parts and making sure it is perfect. I will probably sink around 4-5K in to it but it will be with all forged components and the way I want it. Bulletproof motor ready for a supercharger.


Third comment down.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/engine-swap-project.569291/#post-18756589




Just my 2c.

 

Love the Casita

 

good thread with alot of info that also is helping me since im facing the same situation as OP with my 2rz, im thinking of swapping my 2rz out with for a 3rz jdm. is it just as simple as swapping out my old 2rz and instlling a 3rz?

 

What did you end up doing and how did it work out for you?

 

What was involved with your jdm swap?

There are allota people saying you have to change some things since the motor is from Japan...

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/jdm-motor-in-2002-dcsb-sr5-prerunner.485128/

 

Thank you, but hat thread is for a 5VZ swap, I'm only interested in the 3RZ swap, as I'm sure there would be a few differences between the two.