Topic: what's better a 3.4 engine or the 2.7 enigine/ 6v or the 4cyl???

[crazymoritz97]

hey guys or gals i going to do a engine swap . one my 80 truck . i hear diffent thing one both engines . what could i do ? need info ? i know they are both great motors

[H8PVMNT]

I am pretty happy with my 3RZ.  It has good milage and way better power than the 22re it replaced without having too much balls.  With the 3RZ you still have that 4cyl feel and won't be breaking stuff as much.  I preffer to wheel a 4cyl and I really like the 4cyl engine bay with a bit more elbow room but that's just me.

I have a buddy with a 3.4 in his '85 pickup and it is pretty awesome, more of a hot rod.

For me personally I would keep a 4 cyl truck a 4cyl and if I was starting with a V6 I would swap the better V6, but it all depends on what you want out of it and your driving style.

You need a different trans either way, so there is no advantage for you either way from you current setup for cost.

They are both really great swaps, a large improvement over the old stuff and both totally worth while.  Maybe see what you gan get ahold of for a doner vehicle and use whichever comes first?

[jrock]

I absolutely love my 3rz, tons more power than my tired old 22re. They don't weigh anything either so no special leaf packs. 5vz is nice for the power but adds a weight, nice if your looking for even more power. If I want more power in displacement, I'd go 1uz v8 that weight not much more than a 22r.

[H8PVMNT]

I've been wanting to do something with a 1UZ as well.  That would be something else!

[John Doe]

I am currently working on putting a 3.4 into my 85 to replace the 22re. I went this route to give me more power when going up the steeper mountain passes, and because I found a good set up locally for a great price.

[12 valveR]

What are good years to use on both engines and can I put an engine out of an automatic in my 5speed runner?

[m44offroad]

For a 1st gen truck, personally I would use the 3rz simply due to size.

Toyota was hit or miss as to whether the crank was drilled for the pilot bearing on vehicles with automatics so it is a good idea to get all your parts from a donor with a manual trans, preferably the same donor. My donor was a rollover with 103k on the clock and the entire truck was delivered to my house for 1400.

I would have to check years but for a 5vz swap, I would avoid the later 5vz engines with a throttle motor, although that is personal preference.

On my 87 4runner I used a 1998 3rz from a wrecked 2wd 4runner which has the 2 coil packs, I would have rather used a 2000+ with coil on plug setup but either will work, the only one I would refuse to touch is the early version with the distributor just due to parts availability.

Now looking back (almost 3000 miles later), if I had to do it again I would have probably used the 5vz instead for the simple reason that it was made to fit around the IFS front end and a hole in the hood looks kinda  8). Overall I have been happy with the 2.7, bolted up to the existing trans and transfer, it has plenty of power even with the heavy ass 255/75r17 guard dogs on 17inch FJ steelies, factory 4.10s at 7000 feet elevation. In the near future I will be re gearing to 4.88s more to limit the top end, there is no justifiable reason for a 87 4runner to do 120mph

[Cheesemaker]

I'd go with a 3RZ for many reasons.  Smaller, so you can easily work on them, and if you wanted a belt driven OBA. 

I've followed Bigmike up the four lane to Shaver lake area last summer.  He has a 3RZ with 5.29's, and 37's.  And he was taking it easy so I wouldn't get lost following him.  And I was doing 65+ mph, and he said he still had lots of throttle left to go. 

As for the oil pan situation, companies like Sky Offroad had a replacement pan, and oil pickup that makes it a drop in fit for older rigs. 

[Yotaleigheehoo]

My 79 longbed is getting a 3Rz. I too really like te 3.4 but don't want to cram it in and lose my working space.

I also have plans for A/C and York compressor.

[tyes]

I'll go NONE of the above and stick a Lexus V8 1UZ and call it a day.. why not just go big when these V8 are so easy to get...

[AZ 4X4]

What is a good year to go with and what all needs to be done to swap in the Lexus engine?