I've been on hiatus for quite a while after mistakenly selling my FJ40 way too early a couple decades ago, but I'm finally back after buying a rusty FJ80 that doesn't run or stop or anything else. It needs a lot of love, and parts. The dash says it's got only 121,000 miles on it but all the other parts scream that's a lie. The engine was taken apart at least 10 years ago and the head was disassembled and left outside, and it sat ever since. So, my primary goal is to get it running. Then I'll work on the details like brakes.
With the engine head in really poor condition and all the valves, springs, who knows what other parts missing, the question becomes do I toss $$ at the old 3FE to see if it's salvageable to get it running quickly or jump into a 2UZ swap. Those seem plentiful in this area and not too pricey. But I will be doing all the work myself on weekends and my neighbors don't want a nonrunner sitting in my driveway for the next 3 years while I source details. This will not be used for any crazy offroading adventures, but mostly to tow the boat to the ramp. I've read several of the 2UZ swap posts and it sounds like the major components are straightforward - the engine, trans, ECM, and wiring harness along with a lot of head scratching. Others say it's a minimum 1,000-hour job. I've rebuilt several trucks but all non-computerized. What am I missing other than lots of wiring experience? Is there a "bad" era for the 2UZ that should be avoided?
With the engine head in really poor condition and all the valves, springs, who knows what other parts missing, the question becomes do I toss $$ at the old 3FE to see if it's salvageable to get it running quickly or jump into a 2UZ swap. Those seem plentiful in this area and not too pricey. But I will be doing all the work myself on weekends and my neighbors don't want a nonrunner sitting in my driveway for the next 3 years while I source details. This will not be used for any crazy offroading adventures, but mostly to tow the boat to the ramp. I've read several of the 2UZ swap posts and it sounds like the major components are straightforward - the engine, trans, ECM, and wiring harness along with a lot of head scratching. Others say it's a minimum 1,000-hour job. I've rebuilt several trucks but all non-computerized. What am I missing other than lots of wiring experience? Is there a "bad" era for the 2UZ that should be avoided?
