LS Swap in a 3rd Gen?

Has anyone done an LS swap on a third GEN? Or know of anyone out there who has?

 

Theres a couple youtubes about it but these trucks are still too new for reasonable repower considerations, not even considering the emissions issues many of us face with repower.

 

I can’t justify pulling out such a “young” and reliable engine just for the power. Don’t get me wrong maybe years down the road it would be cool but right now it’s just an idea.

 

A buddy from back home is LS swapping his 2nd gen access cab. Full tube front and rear clips, long travel, all the desert goodies. I believe it was a scrapyard LS from a Tahoe.

 

Years down the line when it gets tired i plan on a LS3 with a 4L80E surprised i havent seen many LS tacomas

 

There are definitely a few, I think TacomaBeast has one that is LS swapped. Meso is putting a hellcat engine in his. I'll consider putting a 5.3 LH9 in the far future when my engine goes out, but that's years from now, money dependant.

 

That would be sick to see the hellcat engine or the hellephant (or maybe that’s the same one). But I’m with you there I want to do it but it’s just hard to justify pulling the engine out especially since I only have 23,000 miles on it.

 

Can't imagine what this pig weighs after an LS swap and all the associated gusseting. But I'm sure it would get with the program.

 

All aluminum block is pretty light.

 

whats the average price of a swap like a v8 swap

 

I’m wondering this myself! I saw some of the prices for crate motors which ranged from $15k to about $30k. There’s no telling how much the total is when you include labor and any/all auxiliary parts required to complete the build.

 

Silly me, when I saw "hellcat engine" my brain was like, "Really, that would be something to see!" Why did I think that way? To me, this is a "Hellcat Engine" (as in F6F Hellcat):

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_&_Whitney_R-2800_Double_Wasp

 

let’s take flight!

 

I’ve done a tundra 4.7 in a T100, wanted to keep it all Toyota.

Would be tough to fit between firewall and radiator without significant sheet metal work in my opinion.

 

So I’ve been thinking and a lot of people keep saying don’t do a swap because it requires too much of this or too much of that. If I’m willing to swap out an entire engine shit might as well go all out and do whatever you want to at that point..

 

I follow MESO on IG, and let me tell you, his mentality is exactly what you just said, Full Send! He is doing like a four link suspension in the rear, getting the frame reinforced, frame extended to fit the huge thing, custom built differential, the whole 9 yards, then some. It's been a while since he posted any of it to his IG story though. I've been curious as to his progress lately.

 

I’ll start here, where are you located? Your state will dictate how difficult this will really be.

I’m in California, and my swap was street legal, CARB (smog) approved, and honestly, I wouldn’t do it over again.

Knowing I needed EVERYTHING to be smog compliant, I bought a whole driving Tundra to use as a donor vehicle.

Oil sump wouldn’t clear my crossmember, so I ended up mating a Lexus oil pan ( pickup, baffle modification and dip stick).

Fabricated solid engine mounts, nothing factory or aftermarket to work.

Shortened the fan pulley, twin spal fans offset to fit V8 up against radiator.

4Runner v8 radiator, only thing I could find that fit frame rails and would cool the bigger motor. Aux trans cooler in front of that.

Exhaust manifolds didn’t fit. Bought a set of Doug Thorley headers, had to modify drivers side tubes to clear steering and frame.

Fabricated AC compressor lines to mate the tundra condenser and pump to the T100. Finished with functioning heat and ac.

I’m missing a lot of little details, and this doesn’t start the process of building a custom wiring harness. Mated the tundra motor harness to the t100 body harness. Speed sensor issues into the ecu caused problems with the transmission control. On and on.

Well over a year to finish. Motor and trans were in and out of the truck 6 or 7 times to finish up just the mounting (fabricated trans mount too).

Shortened tundra drive shaft.

I could keep going.

I owned it 6 years after the swap and put thousands of trouble free miles on it. But no, I would do it again.

IF* I were to do it over again, I would have just taken the cab of the T100 off and put it on the V8 tundra frame and suspension. Only reason I didn’t was the T100 was already a fully built long travel prerunner.

 

I really want to do this with my 2022 trail edition. LSA with with trans connect and cruise straight from GM. About 20k and you get warranty as well I’ve already put 32k on my truck. So this is very possible in the next few years.

 

Buy a Jeep and then put whatever motor you want in it, they seem to have any motor combo bolt in/plug and play.

 

I mean...lexus does make a 5 liter v8 (471hp, 399 torque), and their other v8's are nice too...there's loads of mods for the 1uzfe...these all are much more advanced than an ls motor too and it's same family so no car builder heresy there. don't know what they make sc'd or turbo'd. our 3.5 engines can make some good power boosted from what I've heard...just do that. an ls has been swapped into everything, kinda lame...it won't be easy and there won't be any kits so why not go for a unique and in family swap instead...or just boost. sorry I'm just not a fan of ls engines and I just love lexus engines though...besides...you ever driven a 400-500 hp car where the chassi, suspension, and tires are DESIGNED FOR that power? they're actually too much for most people. I know a dude who was rich and bought the new model of vette every time they came out with one, he still ended up spinning a few out. I've ridden in a boosted 600hp audi, ridden, and it was turned down because he was on pump gas, he 2/3 throttled it and it was scary as fuck, a little painful if I'm honest...fun...but terrifying too...not even at full power or throttle. you don't want a 400-500 hp tacoma