I dunno about a tell-all thread, probably is one somewhere on here. I would order a catalog from Downey OffRoad...i got one years ago and it was more like an instruction manual than just a catalog. Here's a link...
http://www.downeyoff-road.com/Catalog/index.htmI plan on swapping one of my 4.3 Chevy V6's into the 93 4Runner i just bought. It currently has a 3.slow/ auto, but if i'm gonna have 6 cylinders i'd rather have a 4.3 than a 3.0, and rather have a 5-speed than a crapomatic.