I'd ditch the 3 litre just because their weak and the headgaskets go all the time.I just replaced one on my wifes 4runner which is just like yours.The 350 in mine fit like a glove without banging up the firewall.The hood latch stayed in the same spot but I had to make room for the electric fan though.Fabbed the motormounts and hooked up a few wires and fired it up.It runs at about 180' all the time.To make things easier,I'd do a s.a.s.The ifs is pretty lame and 99 % of the people on this forum will tell you the same.Good luck.
I disagree on the reliability of the 3.0 It isnt the greatest engine, but it has been a very good, very reliable engine for me. Aside from the head gasket recall, my truck has never had any problems with head gasket, and it has 186,000 miles or so on it. I have 3 friends who both have the 3.0, and neither have had any problems with it either. One of their trucks has almost 300,000 on it, and he has done nothing but regular maintenance ( ie oil, fluids, filters, belts, etc.) I went from a 360v8 to the 3.0, and I was happy with the preformance. I had to get used to not having the v8 power, but overall, it was not bad. Also, i dont know what boat Swamper is in, but like myself, he is a younger member of the board. I dont know if he has another vehicle, but personally I couldnt stand to have my truck down for an SAS and an engine right now timewise, nor could I afford it financially. I would replace the Water pump, andknowing that a new engine needs to be coming soon, start saving up for it. Then when I had more money/better job/another DD/won the lottery I would do the SAS, and the Engine Swap, both of which I personally intend to do as well. I just dont know of too many people who at 19-20 years old can pull off a SAS/ engine swap w/o some serious financial assistance or fabrication skills. Of course, I have no idea about your situation Swamper, but this is just my
I'll shutup now
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