Feasible engine swaps?

I have a 2000 taco i4 5spd that has been nothing but dependable for me. Today I ran her dry of oil because the oils pressure gauge line sprung a tiny pinhole leak that I didn't notice until she quit on the highway. I've always wanted to make this truck into a project and somehow squeeze one of the older Lexus tundra v8s into it. Unfortunately now I don't have time for that project but an engine swap is imminent. Just wanted to know if anyone could suggest one that is an upgrade from the 2.7 but is somewhat doable without getting too crazy with front end work and cross member fab type stuff. I'm a diesel mechanic so I know my stuff but I'm looking for advice as to a somewhat practical upgrade. This old girls my baby and I want to give her some loving. Any suggestions and insight would be greatly appreciated...

 

Any and all info is appreciated including sources for parts/engines and procedures etc. I'm located in eastern Canada if that helps..

 

If you're looking for more power and ease of swap I'd thing a 3.4 would be the easiest engine to shovel in there.

 

SBC+T56. Make it happen.

 

I've seen an LS3 in a first gen taco so it's doable.

 

I found a decent 3.4 at a junkyard near me for 700.. Can anyone tell me or post a link that tells me everything I'll need for a 2.7 to 3.4 swap?

 

I have seen these engines run dry on oil then still run fine after if it frees up when it cools down.

I know most mechanics just assume major damage results but its worth checking first so I must ask if you confirmed serious damage yet?

as to upgrading engine you need 6cylinder struts to support the extra weight, radiator and shroud, motor mounts, wiring harness, truck ECM computer, and cruise control ECM swapped out along with entire exhaust system so having a donor vehicle can save you "major" money on sourcing all that separately. maybe you can work a deal with someone in the for sale section with everything you need.

 

Agreed


You can put almost anything into anything else if you have enough money and time.

 

I've always wanted to put a VQ30DE from a Nissan Maxima (4th gen, cheap and easy to find) in. They are a 3.0L V6 that has similar (if not better) specs to the 5VZ-FE and they are bullet proof. This engine had been on the Ward's 10 best engines list every year it was in production and its successor the VQ35DE is on the list as well. I have one in a 98 Maxima that I want to swap into my truck when I can get a transmission adapter made for it. They are strong (189 hp and 205 lb·ft) if you get it out of a 4th gen Maxima, there are more powerful VQ30DE engines in other Nissan models.

Plus as an added bonus, they are timing chain driven and super simple to work on if mounted longitudinally. They are even made for boost (they have a MAF and MAP system in place) and there was a bossted version sold in Japan (hence the systems already in place). Always wanted to do this swap but don't have the time yet, but the MAxima is a great daily driver (28 MPG highway, and my 98 with 183,xxx miles still gets that)

 

Well, what we really need is an available conversion like the one from Cotybuilt- easy to find, reliable power, better mpg, better torque.

 

Depends on what your goal is. What Rock Lobster says, Fast and Easy drop in another 2.7 - More power and about the same gas mileage go with the 3.4, this what I did and it is more complicated and more expensive. involves a lot of changes, Trans, clutch, frame mounts for the motor, radiator, emissions, etc. But it can be done, best to have a donor vehicle. Good Luck

 

This is probably one of the f'ing dumbest ideas I think I've ever heard. If you could even get the piece of shit to run "reliably", that would be an enormous amount of work. Someday, when you decide to sell the piece of crap, who in the hell would buy that abortion??? Ed

 

so tell us how you really feel, lol

 

4bt Cummins. Would probably require a shit ton of fab work and beefing up of things but it would be sweet and probably get 30+mpgs.

 

Someone's having his menses....

Anyhow, I never plan to sell my truck and doing mechanical and electrical work is fun for me (making it fit is the hardest part). Engine swaps are pretty common among older yota owners, just because you are incapable of doing it doesn't mean someone else is. So you sir, may shove that in one of your various gaping crevasses.

 

Keep us posted Speed Racer on your progress. We'll enjoy the entertainment.



Ed

 

I've been saying for a while now that if my 3.4 ever died I would do an LS swap. Fortunately my motor is running just fine but my buddy is in a similar situation to you. He blew the motor up about a month ago and has decided that a swap is the way to go.

After looking at the costs of doing a Lexus swap it's just not worth the money. Digging around locally he found a wrecked truck with a 5.3 LM7 LS motor with 58K. He had to pull it himself but the seller let it go for $500 complete with trans/transfer case and all the wiring and computer.

Looking at the motor it looks like the swap is going to be pretty simple. Only real hurdle looks like the custom drive shafts and whatever else the V8 breaks along the way.

Right now he's about $700 into the project with the motor and misc. parts and supplies. All told he's thinks $2000-$2500 to complete the swap.

As soon as the motor goes in for a test fit I plan to take pics as I'll be helping him with the build (I've done LS swaps into other cars) and posting them here.

 

So.....let me see if I can figure this out...You want to replace a reliable engine, 5vz-fe, with a similar engine? The 5vz-fe has had well over 200k miles put on them on a regular basis. Mine has just under 250k. Why? You gain nothing other than over complicating the whole process. If you said you wanted to drop an engine with more power I could understand, but the only thing you gain from this is a headache and less money in your pocket. Not saying it can't be done, but why in the hell would you?

 

Not at all, I have a 3RZ-FE 2.7L in my truck, with more blow-by than an old slant 6 (previous owner was not kind to it). The VQ30DE is known to hit 300K and upwards and has quite a bit of power and unlike the 5VZ-FE and 3RZ-FE will take boost rather gracefully as it was designed for it.

My truck is old and is a toy, if you don't want to swap your engines I'm not saying you must. It is just something I'd like to do as a project when I have the time and money and was given as a suggestion of a reliable engine to acquire that can be had for cheap.

 

I dunno about the 5vz, but look around on YouTube, the 3rz seems pretty boost friendly to me. Some of them pushin the 1k mark for ponies. And I'm not sayin not to do the Nissan swap, by all means, its your truck do what you want. Nothin wrong with being different, just thought I'd throw that out there about the boost.