Is it worth modding my tacoma?

Hey guys, I have a 1995 Toyota Tacoma Xtracab 4WD Automatic 3.4L V6. Just broke 270,000 miles on it today. Is my rig worth upgrading? I have seen some of the build threads on this forum and would love to do something similar to my truck however I have noticed two things:

One, my truck has a ton of miles (No accidents though).
Two, there doesn't seem much out there for the 95's. Like the supercharger issue with the ECU on the 95's.

Is there a good aftermarket for my rig? Or should I look into purchasing a 97-04?

What do you guys think?

I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow.

 

nope

 

Mod whatcha got!!

 

Its really up to you, but im the kind of person who says always work with what you got. If you want to mod it, then go for it.

 

Modding it makes it a whole new truck. It makes it you. The most subtle mods to us may be the best mods you've done. Now as far as worth? Im confused. Worth on re sale no. Worth for pride of ownership and making it yours. Something you can say you did and put your time into it. Yes

 

I mean things like supercharging my truck. I want it to be a beast on the road, not on my wallet.

I'm all about performance mods and one of the first things I would like to do is super charge it, however it seems that there are many issues with the 95.5 tacoma and superchargers.

What are some recommendations you guys have for mods, or perhaps another year of tacoma that will be relatively low price, a first gen, yet easier to work with?

And if you say no don't mod please give a reason.

I'm completely new to modding so ANY and ALL help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

I would not supercharge a truck with 270k on it.. It's up to you a far as mods, but that's pretty high mileage

 

^^^ This

A 270K engine seeing boost for the first time is scary to think about, at the very least it would most likely blow every top end seal. Worst think rings, bearings, bottom end. Buy a lower milage, newer, good running long block if you really have to play with boost.

 

I agree with this.

 

I wouldn't supercharge it with that many miles on it. Plenty of other things you could do to it, though.

 

I respect your decision to ask TW.. but like most things "if you have to ask, then you probably shouldn't."

 

OP: Another question you should ask is, "Why do I want to mod the truck?" For me, I wandered onto a trail in the high country and couldn't make it up a hill. So, I put a new suspension under it, went back and finished the trail. That experience repeated itself over and over until I reached where I am with the truck today.

As for parts, like everyone else said, skip the supercharger. That being said, there are a LOT of parts out there for your rig. I've got a '96 that is mechanically identical to yours, except for the transmission. I've got ~215,000 on the odometer and the truck runs like new. Check out my build thread for ideas on parts and feel free to ask me any questions you have.

I think these older trucks are awesome and have no temptation to get anything newer!

 

Agree with this ^^^

I've got 213,XXX on my 95.5 3.4L 5-speed and I just got 25.3mpg on my last tank: granted the entire tank was spent at under 50mph; you won't see those numbers otherwise
Point is: Truck still runs like a top; I'm confident I can get no less than 400,XXX on it, if I continue to keep it inbetween the lines

And there's piles and piles of mods/after-market parts for our trucks
Thing is; almost all of them are "Off-Road" mods/parts
So, if your thing is pushing extra HP out of it; yeah, you might do better with a 98 and ^

But, I would by no-means abandon the truck you have now; unless you can trade it in almost equally for a 98 or ^

 

Like others have said. No supercharger, unless your planning on rebuilding the engine first. You could always swap in a engine too, if your looking for more HP your going to be taking that engine out sooner or later. Either to rebuild it or replace.

 

If your going to go performance then I would get a newer truck. I have an 03 with just oner 180k but I only plan on installing an intake, full exhaust including headers, and a lift. I think mine is still good enough to mod but its just a mall crawler. But I would like to know for sure. But if you deside to get a new truck keep the old one also its been with you probably for a long time.

 

Hmmm a lot of good advice. Can I just toss a 97 Tacoma ECU in for my current one? Or is this harder than it sounds?

Big question for all of you guys then. If I do an engine swap for my 5VZ what is a good engine to swap in? I would like to keep it Toyota but I'm open to all suggestions. Will a later model Tacoma engine swap in easily?

By easy I mean using the factory mounts and being able to keep my current transmission setup.

 

No

 

I bet if you rebuild it, it'll feel like it's 'modded'.

 

I blew a head gasket in my '95 3.4 manual. I was pretty hard on it though, being my first vehicle. Blew it out in a pit. :/
But if you swap...your making mounts and a new tranny and rear end. Make sure you have another vehicle to drive for a few weeks.

 

its not the ecu everyone is worried about, its the engine itself. if you want to put ANY type of actual, meaningful performance mods in it then i would do a complete overhaul of the engine with new parts (top and bottom) that are made to handle high boost, and replace every seal and gasket. All depends on how much you want to spend. If you are actually serious about engine performance than you would be doing all that work ANYWAY, so it might be a good excuse.

now also ask why do you want performance mods so bad on a pick up truck? if you want to go fast and handle like a boss, get a car. i think you should think about what direction you actually want to go with it before you drop 5 grand in any one direction.

also I would not even go near an engine swap. if you have to ask this kind of question i don't think you have the mechanical and electrical know how to tackle a job like that on your own. its a lot of work and I dont think it is worth it at all. if it comes to that buy a newer truck