91 4runner motor options please

[hammered]

Hey guys
Pulled the 3l vz out of my neighbours runner
Motor is scrap


Now I need to put a motor back in it

Owner is asking for a 22r
Doubt he will notice a diff in power
His 3l was running on 4 cyl
For the past year
7 xs for em missions here before he passed it

Trying to do this on a budget for him
22r here is about 700 bucks
5vz is 2 grand plus

Some of my buddies saying get a 4,3 chev v6
Not sure about mods to install this
Found 2 cheap in town $600-$800

He is into this ride for 8k now and doesn't need a 11 grand runner that is only worth 7 resale here

Any tips on an easy cheap fast install?

Myself I would cut my loss and walk away
He wants to fix it

Give me some direction please

I work on old cruisers mostly here and normally wouldn't touch this ride

Thanks for any input

 

[yotasavg]

I just went through this last summer, and I ended up cutting my losses. But here's where I was at:
5VZ- my first choice because it was a bolt in swap, but the cost of finding one was not jiving well with my potential budget.
3VZ- wasn't going to waste my time
22re- a good option, but they're not the cheapest engine and I knew I'd want to build it right if I was going to go through the trouble of putting it in.
4.3L/3.8L these are good motors in my opinion, but I really wanted to keep it all Toyota
1UZ- This is where I settled and was heading before getting an as-is offer I couldn't refuse. I don't know about sourcing this in central america, but what I found here was I could get a beat up LS400 for about the cost of a 5vz, and part it out to make a money back after I get what I need off it. I still would like to do this swap someday, and I feel that for the trouble of any swap this would be a good one, especially if wanting to keep it all Toyota.

 

[DIESELJEEP]

Why not a toyota diesel?I figured they were available in costa rica?If resale is in his future that would be the best bet,good clean toyota diesels go for stupid money in the usa.But really,you never get the money you put in a vehicle out when you sell it

 

[hammered]

Thanks for helping me beat this dead horse guys

Ryan the owner has an other 4 runner with a 3l diesel as a yard ornament
Blew a head gasket 2xs and bought the 3vz runner
Been sitting here a year now and he will not let me touch it

He isn't willing to go over 2500 for the works on this new wreck he has in the garage

Going to look for a 4.3 chev v6
He runs LPG 90% of the time so will be cheap to run

chev motors are way cheaper than a Toyota and simple motor to work on

Will have to see what is involved to set this up though

Thanks for the input
Much appreciated