What do you guys recommend? (1986 toyota 4x4 would be a dd and offroad use) Alot of people i've talked to say go with the 3.8 Buick V6... also info on the swap would be nice, like what i would have to change or replace on my truck.
well theres one thing you can do with that 3.8l gm engine that would work fine with your off road build and i was thinking about it for a long time but decided to keep it Toyota, you get a 3.8l and slap some 4.3 heads on it, I've never see it done, but I've read it can give you a tremendous amount of power out it!
ya very common, prob is it tends to over heat at slow speeds, what could i do to keep it cooler when 4wheelin?
maybe put in a radiator for a v-8, and run electric fans so they always spin fast no matter how slow you go.
It depenmds opn how much power your looking for. A 22rte would be easy and a good power increase, then there is a 7mgte, 2jz, chev 350. All will take modification, money and work. But i think the easyiest would be a 22rte. Making that fit should be a breeze.
i really wouldnt recommend a turbo for 4 wheelin. its got to spool up..and moving slow probly isnt the best for it. now i would recomment the supercharger...but i havent really seen to many people running those...
How about the 4.3 Vortec GM engine. Advanced Adapters even makes a full kit to make it bolt in. Since you have an 86 truck just order up the turbo radiator and that will give you a 3 row which is more than enough as long as the fan is doing the job. Jake
i got my supercharger from a wheeler that kept melting his pistons. you still kinda have to spool on a SC, and they really dont like to be floored from idle, make a serious lean condition. they are good for the street where you can "squeeze" the throttle, but off road you have to be able to punch it and survive. a NA motor with a torque curve that starts just off idle is the ultimate off road rig, be it EFI or carb. i think a weber 32/36 moderately built eng and exhaust on a 22r is the best motor for wheelin out there. you'll get twice the range of any V8, or enuff gas to wheel with somebody with a V8 till they run out and be able to give them some to get you both home. plus with less stuff to break, less stuff will break. most people only think about the power when doin a eng swap for off road. but when do you ever need 300hp off road? my tires spin just fine with a 22r, go anywhere my buddy with a AMC 360 can. and he never needs half the power he has. gears are a much better option then a bigger eng. in my opinion.
im not looking for it to be just a 4wheeler, and when mudding with my buddies in their chevy's im usually the one getting stuck cause my tires just basically stop spinning cause i have no power... and also, it would be fun to have some speed when driving on the streets so i dont have to floooor it the whole way up the on ramp to get up to speed like i do now lol
the 4.3l gm is hard on the bottem end, like i said before get a 3.8 and put 4.3 heads on it! thats just my opinion. Phil
I have a 231 (3.8) and TH350 in my 83 Toy 4X4 p/u. It was a common swap in the 80's, before the 4.3 came out.
The older odd-fire 231's (3.8) like I swapped into mine were even worse on running hot then the later even-fires. I had a high density 3 core rad built, and mine can crawl all day in 90* weather and not even come close to overheating.
so what engine would u reccomend and do the make an adapter so i can keep my manual tranny or should i get a new tranny?
You are correct. I picked up an 87 22RTE p/u with the intent of rebuilding for my 84 4Runner rockcrawler, but after a lot of research I realized it would not be appropriate for my use. And wheeling with someone who had an RTE in their truck confirmed that.
