Has anyone used a V8 conversion kit for their 1st gen 4runner? If so, what kind was it and what did come with? Does anyone know who is better: Northwest or Downey? Thanx.

I have not personally done the swap, but Advance Adapters has an excellent reputation for good parts, and I have seen their stuff after the swap and it looks great. 4Wheeler used them for a lot of their work back in the 80's on Toyota swaps.
http://eshop.advanceadapters.com/

Go with the AA stuff HERE

Does any one of you know what all comes in the adapter kit from AA? It says on the site that it comes with the bellhousing but thats all it says.

i have a chevy350 in my 84 4runner with AA gear

i don't get it why buy a kit when every thang you need it there.first off the 22r motor mounts will work with the 350 chevy pick-up mounts.to do so you need the lower chevy mount with rubber side.that mount is able to be drilled with a 1/2 drill bit so insted of 3 bolts in a triangle like chevy youll have 2 bolt holes one on front one on back that mount to the fact toyota frame.and it will sit 2" from the fire wall(inclueding trans bell) and 2"1/4 in from rad.if you drill right it should sit level left to right.now for the trans any th350,th400,700r4 pre1993 .you use a trans mount out of a s-10 or s-15 4x4 blazer or pick-up and shim it up 3/32" to get the right angle.and there its in.now the stuff youll need to buy is a radiator and a set of exhaust manifolds off a 82-92 camaro or firebird. then its just small thangs like wiring,drivelines,ect.i have done it this way for years i have 3 4runners done this way and 2 pick-ups done but one with a 5.7 gm diesel and the other is a 1.9 vw diesel.

never buy anything from northwest i have heard horror stories about them. search pirate 4x4 for northwest offroad and youll get the picture

First of all, are you aware that this thread is 7 years old?

Anyway, at the time I was only 17 years old and really didn't do any fabricating yet, so I wanted something easy to install and hassle free. That's why I went with AA's kit. I DID NOT use any GM transmission. I stuck with my good old W-56 which is still holding up quite well.

I wouldn't outright condemn them, but even with my limited dealings with them, I had some troubles. The motor mounts I got from them came with the wrong instructions (for a Ford instead of a Chevy), needed to be mounted backwards to work, and the nuts and bolts given did not go together (one was fine thread, the other coarse!). They ARE very beefy, well-made units, but everything else was a mess. My headers have worked out great, though--well-made, and fit fine. While placing another order over the phone with the head guy (he doesn't seem to have a staff), I casually mentioned the goofs on the mounts in a friendly "I'm sure this was a mistake" kind of tone, he got dowright testy with me and tried to make me out to be the bad guy. Whatever, dude (LOL). Oh, and their hours--what a joke! Something like Tues-Fri, 9-5 minus an hour for lunch. I WOULD order from them again, but I would do so with caution.

im so sick of this people bringing dead threads to life....my own fault for not nipping it in the butt....

Nah, 7 years isn't dead--just REALLY withered and moldy! At least the topic is one that many others may still have questions about, as it's still a relevant idea (even moreso now, given how old the original engines are). It would be nice if people would check the dates before replying to ancient questions.

There's nothing wrong with resurrecting an old thread if you have the same problem or question, just shows you're taking the time to Search.
Dredging it up to answer it is a noobie thing and no one gets hurt.

Condemning some one on hear-say is a bigger problem.
Actual experiences are more meaningful.
But keep in mind every company has a bad day now and then.
I've been dealing with All Pro, Marlin, Downey, BudBuilt, and others for years.
Luckily I've had more good experiences than bad.

And remember, you rarely hear about good experiences, but always hear about the bad.

i suppose your right fourwd1.
guess i just had a bad day.

Hey guys, I just started using this forum and I had a couple questions. I just bought a 2004 SR5 2WD V6. I was just wondering how difficult it was to swap the 4.7 v8 into it. I have a wrecked 2007 V8 4WD (so I have the engine, ecu, and any other parts I might need). My dad and I will be doing the swap ourselves. That being said, here are my questions.

1. Besides the engine itself, what will I need to swap over from the V8?

2. Will the 2WD transmission from the V6 bolt up the the V8?

3. If I have to use the transmission from the V8, can I remove the front driveshafts until I can do the full 4WD conversion?

Like I said, I already have the parts to swap. I just don't know what my options are or which route to take. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

you are in the classic folder (84-95) you are gonna want the 4th gen (2003-2009) folder