Which engine to swap into 1st gen 4runner?

I’ve got a nice, fairly clean 87 t4r. It’s my DD, it’s stock except for the soft top. It’s as slow as can be with the 22re and auto transmission. The 22re burns some oil, and instead of rebuilding Or replacing, I’m considering swapping something else in there. My commute is all highway and the stock engine has trouble keeping up with 70mph traffic. 

What engines fit in these things? Are there other engines that will bolt to the same Bell housing? I’m all over the place with different ideas in my head, from Lexus v8 (1uz) to k series. I’m sure grm will have some great ideas. 

I’m not against switching transmissions, but keeping the same one is a lot less work. I do need to retain 4wd for winter use. Off-road use isn’t really something I do with it. It’s too nice cosmetically 

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. LS swap.

If it fits, an iron lsx with auto tranny wouldn’t be bad. They are cheap. I like that 

Have you looked into the 1UZ option much? I remember from some of my Jeep XJ reading that the AW4 used behind the 4.0 in an XJ is actually a Toyota trans. Like pretty much the same as the one used in the Lexus LS400 among other things. I think somebody once did a 1JZ swap in an XJ using the Lexus bellhousing on the Jeep AW4.

Pretty sure that same trans also got used in 90s 4wd Toyotas, so either finding a transfer case that works in your truck or keeping your stock one might be possible.

It's possible I know this because I spent about an hour thinking about putting a 1uz in my old 2 door XJ.

There is a long history of stuffing SBC's into these from way back when they were new and the TPI engine was the "LS of the 80's".  A number of swaps were profiled in off roading magazines of the era and it fits like it was meant to be. Swap bits were sold by Advance Adapters.

Turbo rotary, no question.

start here  dellowconversions.com.au/product/toyota-supra-w55-58-series-5-speed-to-mazda-rotary-13b-manual-bellhousing/

and let grm be your guide 

Chevy 4.3s and Buick 3.8s have also been done many times. 

I6 from a Land Cruiser

I love the 1uz engine and think it would be a really cool swap. But I think the iron LS offers a pretty strong case for it, not least of which is more displacement and more power in a smaller package combined with a better aftermarket and support for engine controls.

I think your truck screams for a v8, though. An i4 would be just as much work and a bit of a letdown. Trucks need torque!

I’d look into the Toyota 3.4 out of a Taco. I know they’re a popular replacement for the 3.0. 

Years ago I knew a guy with a similar vintage pickup that had a Ford 289 in it. The thing looked stock from the outside until he cranked it. He DD'd it, and according to him 4wd still worked fine. I know nothing about how he did it, and I suspect it was because he had that engine laying around. If it were me I'd go with whatever V8 was simplest.

BTW, a quick google search shows that the 3.4 is actually pretty common in these. It should do what you need to do. Just don't put a 3.0 in there.

In reply to ultraclyde :

Short deck Windsor (289/302) has a lot going for it in "V8 where it don't belong" applications besides there being a lot of them laying around. They're more or less the smallest and lightest iron block OHV V8s, good aftermarket on account of Mustang, oil pan is readily available in front or (mostly) rear sump, distributor is up front so no firewall clearance issues, and manual trans is relatively easy.

Keith Tanner said:

I’d look into the Toyota 3.4 out of a Taco. I know they’re a popular replacement for the 3.0. 

3.4 is a slam dunk. Everything you need is out there, from wires to mounts, if you aren't about to fab it yourself. 

A Jaguar V-12.  Because no one would ever expect that...and we would *all* love to see the thread.

GMC Twin Six!

I have 2 sweet 1UZ's that I would sell you with the harness and a fresh ECU that has had all the caps replaced. PM me if interested.

either a 3.0 or 3.4  V-6 will drop right in, and either will give a big bump in power over your 4 cylinder.

I'm pretty sure the 7M-GTE from a 3rd gen supra fits. I've seen the non-turbo one swapped in before. Otherwise, I'm with all yhe suggestions for the 3.4l out of Tacomas/3rd gen 4Runners. You'll be darn close to 100 hp and 100 ft lbs. up from your 22re and won't give up any reliability. 

Seems like the 3.4 is the winner. Likely the easiest and enough power to keep me from getting run over on the highway 

1uz, no debate about it. I’ve said it before, I’m into mine $1,250.00. It’s cheap, affordable to repair, makes power, lighter than an Ls swap, better MPg than an LS swap, goes 1,000,000 miles or more. Plus, everything has been done for you, so you don’t have to pioneer the way ahead. 

About 10 years ago I had a neighbour that had a first gen 4runner with a 1uz swap.

After a bit of digging on Google I found his build thread from ages back. It might have some useful information in there.

4runner build

One of my coworkers has a 1g 4runner with a 3.4 swap. He found a TRD supercharger and was having it powdercoated before install when we left for summer break. 

Having said that, i would still 1uz in this case. The fact that you can easily (like, dont modify crossmember or driveshafts easy) get a 4wd auto to work with it in this app is a big factor. 

It seems that the 3.4 requires a different gearbox too. I guess it’s not the clear winner. I’ll have to look at what’s involved in the 1uz. Also it’s so much cooler than the 3.4 in my mind. 

I have a 1st gen 4runner and I put a 7MGE out of a late 80's Supra.   You can use your original trans and with some 82 supra 5MGE motor mounts it bolts right in place and is an easy swap.