1989 4Runner 1UZ engine swap

I cannot put into words the craziness of this truck with this engine. A first gen 4runner with a high revving V8, 5-speed manual, headers and a 3" Flowmaster exhaust is definitely a head-turner.

To that end....if any of you are even considering an engine swap, this is the ticket. And you're using one of Toyota's best engines in the process. This is the no-brainer swap choice in my opinion. If any of you have any questions, fire away.

Also, Don at NW Toys is the MAN!!!! His gear works, all of it! And he is always there (and quite patient with my needy self initially) to steer you in the right direction.
 
NW Toys! Yeah, I'm going to give Don a shout out. He is the 1uz guy. The harness you buy from him is flawless. It all works first time, zero issues. This harness is the missing link between the engine, ecm and truck. Gauges, fuel, ignition, O2 and AFR sensors, and a few other items. It's well worth the investment.

The other parts I sourced from him on this build were:

Headers, crossover/down-pipes/y-pipe, crossmember/skid plates, bellhousing, flywheel, clutch kit, engine mounts, steering coupler and fuel line kit.

I know that his shop offers swap and upgrade parts for pretty much anything Toyota or Lexus. 22re, 5vzfe, 1uz/2uz/3uz, ... but almost positive they aren't your inline 6 guys, although I am probably wrong about that.
 
The stuff I am finishing this weekend:

manual switches for cooling fans, finish audio install, wire Ebay light bar, better battery tie-down, put the interior back together and work on the crappy dash pad a bit more.......And go do smokie donuts....I didn't say that....., and prep the hood for paint.

Stuff I need to buy/have done:

rear bumper, rear spring bushings and shackles, recover original seats and door panels (out-sourced upholstery shop), materials for my custom rear storage, winch, Harrop (sp?) or Eaton e-lockers, and diff master rebuild kits.

Stuff I need to install next weekend:

Yukon HD rear shafts and disc brake swap parts, FJ80 brake master, SS brake lines, different -6 AN fitting at fuel filter relocation to fuel tank and re-route the clutch slave line.

As you can tell, it's an ongoing list of tasks. But I really am getting so close to being completely done. By spring I should have it buttoned up.
 
That’s astounding. Congratulations and kudos as well! I know what it’s like to have the ongoing list for an engine swap and for me that was just for a 3.0 auto to 3.4 manual... power steering, cruise control, A/C if so desired, coolant lines/hose, about 1 trillion zip ties, gauge operation, clutch line locations/brackets... so I can’t imagine for such a rarer swap what it takes. Again, kudos.

Once it’s all FINAL final and the last of your annoyances are crossed off the list it’s a great feeling.

And after ten years, this is the first time I regret not going to the bigger V8... oh well this will have to do for me

e18aa5f65d97e35848235cc43d1ad9a7.jpg


Much respect. Keep it going.
 
badass! look forward to seeing it burn tires and climb a boulder�� keep up the tech posts. would love to see tight clearance areas like header to steering shaft, crossover pipe and suspension, etc... and, what trans/tcase you using?
 
There were four issues with fitment of the headers around everything else that had to go in the truck.

Steering shaft will not clear as stock. The 3/4 double D into the 1" sleeve hits the primary. To solve this, I cut the existing shaft 6" from the end of the spline going into the column. I went to Borgeson and purchased a 24" stick of 3/4 double D, a coupler and a 3/4 double D to 36-spline u-joint. While it doesn't collapse anymore, it works like a charm.

Fuel supply and return lines are right next to the collector flange on the passenger side. To remedy that, I bought 10 feet of Earl's high pressure fuel line, a couple of -6AN connectors, a metric banjo to -6AN at the fuel buffer, and a metric to -6 coupler to the fuel filter. I ran this all the way from the rail to the tank, where I mounted the OE screw-on filter right to the supply line on top of the tank. It screws right on as the tank supply is an inverted fitting. The existing fuel lines were removed and the new ones routed well away from the header.

The clutch slave is very close to the collector, and the line also picks up quite a bit of heat. I re-routed it, using braided hose covered in heat sleeve then a high temp insulated reflecting cover.

The last issue had to do with the driver side engine mount not being high enough to clearance the collector pipe from the A-arm pivot. The angularity that Don put into the mount is spot on, my guess is this would be a non-issue if I had a solid axle. I simply spaced the two mounts until it cleared (about 1.25"), then fabricated a spacer with holes to match the mount pads and got some longer grade 8 fasteners.
 
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4Reak Show said:
That’s astounding. Congratulations and kudos as well! I know what it’s like to have the ongoing list for an engine swap and for me that was just for a 3.0 auto to 3.4 manual... power steering, cruise control, A/C if so desired, coolant lines/hose, about 1 trillion zip ties, gauge operation, clutch line locations/brackets... so I can’t imagine for such a rarer swap what it takes. Again, kudos.

Once it’s all FINAL final and the last of your annoyances are crossed off the list it’s a great feeling.

And after ten years, this is the first time I regret not going to the bigger V8... oh well this will have to do for me

e18aa5f65d97e35848235cc43d1ad9a7.jpg


Much respect. Keep it going.
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Thanks, and if I may say so, I'm going to guess that a supercharged 3.4, manual second gen is quite a little beast, and a lot of fun! That thing is pretty sweet!
 
Amazing rig, amazing job, and great writeup ! When I get a little further along in my diesel swap I will have to make a thread, and hope it is half as good as this one! Great job again
 
boscounderfoot said:
Thanks, and if I may say so, I'm going to guess that a supercharged 3.4, manual second gen is quite a little beast, and a lot of fun! That thing is pretty sweet!
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Well thank you. Yeah it definitely has more pep than the 3.0 auto is came with. Just doesn’t quite feel like a V8 though. I’ve never thought of a v8 manual. That’s pretty rare.
 
Could you help

boscounderfoot said:
This swap was done without using a body lift, cutting the radiator support or bashing the trans tunnel. As well as not having to modify the stock shift linkage pass-through, as the trans/t-case are tucked one inch up in the rear and one inch back from stock. Also, I didn't have to modify either of the driveshafts. They both worked fine.

I am running all of the stock gauges, although the tach is still not adjusted perfectly. It still shows 400 rpm too high. The check engine light functions, I corrected initial codes for a cam position sensor and crank sensor. Now it's good. It's pretty much a stock 1uz that I resealed, had injectors cleaned, new upper gaskets, JDM non-trac throttle body and SC400 air box.

The electrical is really not that bad. I picked up a good set of wiring diagrams for both vehicles and literally removed 40% of the old 1uz harness, as well as the same from the old 3vze. Everything is plug and play, wired correctly and works. I even solved the license plate and reverse lights that never worked before.
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Any way I could get a copy of those wiring diagrams from you, thats the only thing ive got left to finish on my swap, it would be appreciated.
 
270k miles?! I just bought a used Hilux Surf with 60k miles and was already worrying about it! You give me hope!
 
Already breaking stuff! Dangit!

Been rather lame keeping you folks up to date on the 1uz 4Runner. Sorry about that. So anyway, she is now a daily driver! Yup, it's solid and running amazing......and it's now breaking stuff......damnit!

Went for a light-ish 4 wheel and camp last weekend. Nothing crazy, but the old, stock rear leaf springs decided they were done. Two big bangs I heard while giving the old girl a little gas was the lower leaf turned itself into a two piece job. But I finished the weekend with them and drove back.

New springs, OME C009R, poly bushings, U-bolts and OME greasable shackles showed up yesterday. I will be tossing those in tonight. But first, I need to yank the two lower springs out of the pack. Don't get me wrong, they're great springs, but I've been here a few times and done the OME spring dance on these first gen trucks. That leaf pack as sent is WAY too stiff, and rakes the truck so bad it looks ridiculous. Running the four full length leafs without the two flat overloads works really well in these trucks. Food for thought for any of you guys contemplating new rear leafs.

I also tore up a rear wheel bearing, knew that was coming. Now I'm forced to finish the 4340 rear axles and disc swap. I'll worry about the no e-brake thing later, and I just need to cut down the shafts and bolt everything in.
 
ToyotaWorldRunners said:
This is an awesome thread, thank you! I'm definitely now torn between a 1uz and a diesel swap (om606). Great write up, thanks for being so detailed!
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That's a tough one!!!! I am really looking at the 1kz-te diesel swap for my gen 2. It's currently a 3-slow, auto.

If you want fun factor, there is nothing like the 1uz. And do the manual instead of the auto. It's actually easier because it simplifies the wiring.

Either one is cool as hell.
 
zidaro said:
badass! look forward to seeing it burn tires and climb a boulder�� keep up the tech posts. would love to see tight clearance areas like header to steering shaft, crossover pipe and suspension, etc... and, what trans/tcase you using?
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I'll take some pictures of the underside while I have it up on the lift tonight. The transmission and t-case are the stock R150F 5-speed and the v6 chain driven t-case. They work fine, although it's a little high strung on the highway with the 4.56's. Probably going to cure that with a set of 35's instead of the current 285/75x16's.

The exhaust has turned into a mess. I gave a national chain shop a chance to weld in my exhaust as the shop (our shop) has been crazy busy. Well, they f'd it up big time, the welds are......hmm, wtf is that? The crappy install pissed me off so bad, I paid the knuckleheads for their time and bailed. Now, the catalytic converter just started rattling, its guts are loose and it sounds like a marbles game going on in my exhaust.
The annoying metallic rattle, coupled with the crappy labor has forced my hand. I just got my new 3" OBD2 CARB cat and will be cutting everything loose and reweld the exhaust myself. So bummed those guys can't find decent technicians anymore. Mein...... Muffler sucks, don't waste your time or money going to these chain shops.
 
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Dropzone said:
how did you drawers come out?
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I haven't had the time to get those finished either. My list is still rather long for the truck. I really need to get on that, camping/wheeling with everything just tossed in the back or in blue bins sucks. And it doesn't help matters that lumber prices went through the roof. Who thought $100 for a sheet of plywood was appropriate?
 
So cool you got it running correctly. I couldn't imagine how fun this would be to drive. The power must be unreal.

How do emissions work in CO with an engine swap like this? Same test every 2 years? No issues with headers?
 
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