3.0 swap for a 22RE (1 Viewer)

[Steve Harris]

Hey, I hope this won't be a dumb question. I have a 1988 ext. cab 3.0 truck that I drive everyday. I have a 22RE engine that I would like to swap out with the 3.0.
The question is, will the 22RE mount to the sam tranny as the 3.0 or do I need the tranny for the 22re also? If it will mount, is there anything else that might stop me from completing the swap?

Thanks in advance for the replys.

 

[KliersLC]

Never done it but should swap right over and bolt right in. Wiring harness is likely different, but should be pretty straight forward.
Good luck,
Dan

 

[lunyou]

yes good luck
lunyou

 

[DirtyHarry]

No it doesn't swap right over and bolt in. The wiring harness and motor mounts are different, and at the very least you will need a somewhat rare turbo truck bellhousing to mate the R series motor to your R series transmission. The tach will not work either, not sure about the rest of the instrument cluster. In my opinion this swap is way more trouble than it is worth.

 

[bkg]

No it doesn't swap right over and bolt in. The wiring harness and motor mounts are different, and at the very least you will need a somewhat rare turbo truck bellhousing to mate the R series motor to your R series transmission. The tach will not work either, not sure about the rest of the instrument cluster. In my opinion this swap is way more trouble than it is worth.

Harry speaks the truth. You'll go through one heck of a lot of work for no gain...

As stated, you'll need to find the R151 bellhousing, which will be like finding the lost treasure of Atlantis. You'll have to swap the entire wiring harness, likely a good portion of what's under the dash as well. Motor mounts will need to be redone, Tach won't work (the rest of the gauges will), etc.

 

[stumpy]

if you are going to go to the trouble of doing a swap, why waste your time with a 22RE? do this....

http://www.offroadsolutions.com/technicalarticles.htm

swap in a 3.4 for that crappy 3.0. much better performance and you can supercharge a 3.4 very easily. building a 22RE would be fun, but to go to all that trouble to get less horsepower and torque seems a little counter-intuitive to me...



e

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Considering the mere 150 hp the 3.0 has, and the options for getting more power out of a 22re, I would build your motor. I have found that a healthy 22re with the right gearing works quite well. I also had a an 87 22ret that was awesome, never should have sold it. But if you are going to go to the trouble of an actual engine swap, I would do a GM motor. You can buy plug and play harnesses, which you can't do with a toy motor. I do admit a 3.4 would be very cool, and plenty of power, but its nowhere near as easy or cheap. I would love a tundra V8 in my 40. But wiring up anything OBDII is going to be a nightmare to get right, and only 95 3.4's are not OBDII. One of my friends has a LT1 powered 86 extracab using the stock 5 speed, and it's very amusing to say the least. Especially with no lift and 31's on stock tacoma wheels. Looks like just a nice clean stock truck.

 

[Tigerstripe40]

But if you are going to go to the trouble of an actual engine swap, I would do a GM motor. You can buy plug and play harnesses, which you can't do with a toy motor. I do admit a 3.4 would be very cool, and plenty of power, but its nowhere near as easy or cheap.

NOT TRUE

ORS has a wiring harness to drop in the 3.4 into the spot where a 3.0 was.

 

[stumpy]

But if you are going to go to the trouble of an actual engine swap, I would do a GM motor. You can buy plug and play harnesses, which you can't do with a toy motor. I do admit a 3.4 would be very cool, and plenty of power, but its nowhere near as easy or cheap.

gm. yuck. (flame away)


putting in the 3.4 with an offroad solutions harness wouldnt be cheap, but i think it could be done just as cleanly and still be TOYOTA. if you want a chev 350, i got a crappy old pickup down the street that wouldnt require a swap at all. i say if you are going to buy a toyota, keep it toyota. people dont usually buy toyota pickups for their amazing body lines...



e

 

[lunyou]

a toyota with a GM motor in it is blasphemy

lunyou

 

[Eric Winkworth]

gm. yuck. (flame away)


putting in the 3.4 with an offroad solutions harness wouldnt be cheap, but i think it could be done just as cleanly and still be TOYOTA. if you want a chev 350, i got a crappy old pickup down the street that wouldnt require a swap at all. i say if you are going to buy a toyota, keep it toyota. people dont usually buy toyota pickups for their amazing body lines...



e

I agree 100% also I think very strongly that a V8 is a stupied motor, unless maybe you wanna win a race or something! A 22RE is a good motor, along with other 4 cylinders and of cousre diesels!

Toyota!

 

[ken_79-fj40]

NOT TRUE

ORS has a wiring harness to drop in the 3.4 into the spot where a 3.0 was.

Maybe true, but he doesn't have a 3.0 he has a 22r. A few years ago I could have hooked him up with a 55k mile 22ret I had laying around I planned on putting in my 89. Gave that one to a buddy to put into an 84 celica. I know lots of you don't like the thought of GM motors, and personally I've never swapped a GM motor into any of the 14 toyota 4x4's i've owned myself. At least not yet. But after being wrench man on 3 toyota pickup gm swaps, and one ford swap I was simply sharing it can be done cheap, and very easily. Toyota motors are fine, but driving a minitruck with 300hp is quite fun. And my friends 86 gets 21mpg with a tpi lt1. I do plan on a 350 swap to replace the 2F for my fj40, but i'm not touching it until the motor is 100% ready on the stand, and I have everything ready to go. I don't know where Steve is, but around here in New England, most 88's are $500 trucks. Most people I know with a rig this old that isn't a show rig aren't interested in keeping them pure. Maybe thats why he's asking about the 3.0, perhaps it's free.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

a toyota with a GM motor in it is blasphemy

lunyou

Says the guy with 48 posts who said it would bolt right up and plug in. That wire harness alone is $650 bucks. Low mileage 3.4's go for around $1500 around here, plus all the other stuff to go with it. This could become a $3000+ swap really quick. Not saying it wouldn't be cool, just overly expensive.

 

[stumpy]

i agree that it wouldnt be cheap. but i have never met anyone who has done a motor swap, aside from an F to 2F, that did it relatively cheaply. there are many chevotas in my local land cruiser club, but i cant say that any one of those guys was into the swap for less than $4K. rebuilding a motor, aside from the gasket kit, seems to be about the same regardless of size, and an aftermarket wiring kit to solve all of the problems seems to run about as much as rebuilding a block. the last jegs i looked at had a complete LT1 somewhere in the $2500 range, WITHOUT harness!

i would think that any motor that is going to be swapped isnt going to be cheap. and, yes, a $500 truck with a $4K motor swap in it seems silly. but we dont drive land cruisers and pour thousands into them because it makes economic sense, right?

yes, chevotas are common and plentiful and everybody i have ever spoken to who owned a cruiser knows of someone who did the swap. but aside from the guys who get frame-up restos, i have yet to meet a chevota owner who is completely satisfied with the swap.

but hell, i dont even have 50 posts yet, so my opinion is worthless.


e

 

[lunyou]

Says the guy with 48 posts who said it would bolt right up and plug in. That wire harness alone is $650 bucks. Low mileage 3.4's go for around $1500 around here, plus all the other stuff to go with it. This could become a $3000+ swap really quick. Not saying it wouldn't be cool, just overly expensive.

i never said it would plug in and bolt right up did I?

I said "yes, good luck" i meant "Yes, good luck" as saying good luck you are going to need it. I don't know what the particulars in droping different motors in cars are. If you read some other posts i was asking about dropping a 3.4 into miner pickup witha 3.0. I was figuring it was just a thought and not really possible without a new tranny and new motor mounts.

when i agree with what the person above me said i will say "i agree" not "yes"

lunyou

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Lunyou, I apoligize for my hasty post. I just take these types of things a bit more personally, because I make my living as a mail order parts company sales rep/ tech help guy. I deal with customers on a daily basis who get bad information they believe to be true "on the internet" about all kinds of mechanical swaps on cars. Once the vehicle is immobile and they realize it won't work like they were told, they call someone like myself and we tell them what they are trying to do either won't work, or won't work without lots of other parts that cost $$$ they weren't planning on. Guess who gets who the badmouthing, the guy who knew it wouldn't work in the first place, not the guy on the internet.

 

[lunyou]

hey its not problem. I understand totally. The internet can be a blessing or a curse. There is tons of information on the web but some is good info most is bad info.

Im here for the good info just like everyone else.

Actually when i said "yes good luck" it was more of a sarcastic remark since i figured it would be a very extensive swap but words on the internet don't convey sarcasim to well.

No need to apologize.

lunyou

 

[lunyou]

^that was my 50th post

lunyou

 

[tacomafj-80]

dito on the motor mounts. 4.3 vortec v-6?

 

[bkg]

Maybe true, but he doesn't have a 3.0 he has a 22r.

The Original Poster has a 3.0...

I've done a NUMBER of engine swaps. 3.8 buick, 4.3 TBI, 22re's, etc...

I think it's foolish to spend $$ on a GM motor - been there, done that. To the tune of $4200. If anyone says swapping a GM engine in a toyota is cheap, they have NEVER done it. It's not cheap if done right. Cobbled together? Sure, it can be done relatively cheap... but not keeping any of the toyota drivetrain (tranny/tcase).

In this particular case, a harness from ORS and a few days work will get the poster a 190HP v6 w/ Toyota power and reliability. Skip the GM - the 4.3's suck gas worse than the 3.0...