Sniv's Custom Long Travel Build

[JBurt]

Eh, you're still in school and a long ways from home. I'd replace the HG, resurface the heads, and wait till time/money allow the swap you want. Unless you buy the Lexus and drive that until you swap a new motor into your 4runner. Alanflies took the Lexus and Toyota transmission and made a Franekstein transmission. However you could find cracked heads when you take them off.

There is an SC400 on my way home I see everyday but my 4runner is a 97 and the lexus is a 94, and in wonderful Commiefornia you can only swap in an engine newer than your vehicle.

 

[4Running Daily]

Eh, you're still in school and a long ways from home. I'd replace the HG, resurface the heads, and wait till time/money allow the swap you want. Unless you buy the Lexus and drive that until you swap a new motor into your 4runner. Alanflies took the Lexus and Toyota transmission and made a Franekstein transmission. However you could find cracked heads when you take them off.

There is an SC400 on my way home I see everyday but my 4runner is a 97 and the lexus is a 94, and in wonderful Commiefornia you can only swap in an engine newer than your vehicle.

Also in California, you have to swap an engine from a truck into a truck. You can't put a car engine in a truck.

 

[JBurt]

Well that's two counts against it then...

Another argument for a turbo. /hijack

 

[Twisted Sid]

Also in California, you have to swap an engine from a truck into a truck. You can't put a car engine in a truck.

Not true. Car and regular truck engine can be swapped. You just cant do heavy duty truck engines into lighter duty vehicles. I would post the regulation but the BAR website wont load for me right now.

 

[4Running Daily]

Not true. Car and regular truck engine can be swapped. You just cant do heavy duty truck engines into lighter duty vehicles. I would post the regulation but the BAR website wont load for me right now.

What constitutes a "heavy duty truck engine"

 

[cashman]

What constitutes a "heavy duty truck engine"

Here are the CARB regulations re: engine swap in California.
"Replacement Engines
Entire engines can be replacement parts. As with any other replacement part, the engine must be identical to the original. If the replacement block or engine is obtained without emissions equipment, all the equipment from the original engine must be installed on the replacement block.
If the engine is not identical to the original then it is not a replacement part, instead it is considered an engine change.
Engine changes are a modification that must meet certain requirements to be legal (please see "Engine Changes").

Japanese Replacement Engines
Used engines imported from Japan can be used as replacement engines as long as the engine being used has been identified as functionally identical to the original engine. Please refer to the engine importers catalogue to determine if a replacement engine is legal for installation in your vehicle.

Engine Changes
Engine changes are legal as long as the following requirements are met to ensure that the change does not increase pollution from the vehicle:
The engine must be the same year or newer than the vehicle.
The engine must be from the same type of vehicle (passenger car, light-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, etc.) based on gross vehicle weight.
If the vehicle is a California certified vehicle then the engine must also be a California certified engine.
All emissions control equipment must remain on the installed engine.
Vehicles converted to 100% electric drive, with all power supplied by on-board batteries are considered in compliance with the engine change requirements. All fuel system components must be removed prior to inspection.

After an engine change, vehicles must first be inspected by a state referee station. The vehicle will be inspected to ensure that all the equipment required is in place, and vehicle will be emissions tested subject to the specifications of the installed engine." link - Replacement Parts Guidelines - Aftermarket, Performance and Add-On Parts Regulations

 

[4Running Daily]

Not true. Car and regular truck engine can be swapped. You just cant do heavy duty truck engines into lighter duty vehicles. I would post the regulation but the BAR website wont load for me right now.

The engine must be from the same type of vehicle (passenger car, light-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, etc.) based on gross vehicle weight.

Am I crazy or does this phrase not mean you can't swap a passenger car motor into a light duty truck.

 

[cashmoney]

Semi truck.

 

[snivilous]

Good thing the runner is registered where they don't inspect anything. Back on track...

 

[Unner]

Do you have another way to get around while the truck is down? I think that would be a huge factor in what you end up doing engine wise.

Sucks to hear that happened, makes me glad I've got skids now though. For your next set of skids I would recommend having them mount to the factory tow hook bolt location if your stock skid mounts are too busted up.

 

[derpiful]

Dang, that really sucks! Super unfortunate that it caused a fair bit of damage. In your current situation, I'd recommend doing a rebuild of the 3.4- it just seems like it's the easiest with your time and garage (or rather, no garage). Keep us updated, and good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Brilliant]

swap the 3.4 if you want it up and running again quick.

 

[BoostedRNR]

I've got a set of dirty 3.4 heads that supposedly came off a good running low mileage truck. The guy claimed it had a bottom end knock. Motor was extremely sludge filled, but the cam journals look good on the one head I tore down. I was going to keep them for backup, but if you want I'll sell them for $40. You can come check them out if you want

 

[snivilous]

I decided to just fix the 3.4, it'll be the fastest and easiest option considering I am working out of a parking lot, even if it's below 0 lately...

I bought the heads from [MENTION=105529]BoostedRNR[/MENTION], I am hoping they are flat still so I can swap them right in the instant I pull the current warped heads. It's been a few weeks since the previous post, I had finals so ignored the truck, then got hit hard by the flu a week and a half ago and am still recovering from that as well as being chauffeured to and then from CO with my girlfriend the past week. However, before I got hit with the plague and then went on "vacation" I dropped the heads off at an engine shop to get cleaned up because they looked like this:

I've never personally handled, let alone seen, sludgy heads so these were lots of fun. Apparently some Arab guy had it and just abused the shit out of his runner and never changed the oil, again, SUPPOSEDLY they're still flat so fingers crossed.

Today I picked the heads up, they were soaked in an acid bath or something similar for a weekend. Still not great looking, but a massive improvement.

The guy at the shop said since they weren't super clean that he would dunk them again for no extra cost if I went through and pulled the cams and lifters so the valves could get cleaned out, and I also got a chance to take a screw driver and close hanger and get out some of the massive blobs still stuck.

Cams, shims, and lifters removed.

Lots of grudge under the lifters.

For reference: this is the first time tearing past the valve covers into a 5VZ. The FSM says to use your hands to pull the shims and lifters, and it took me awhile to figure out what to do. There's a notch on the side of the lifter, and if you pop a small screw driver in there then the shim will pop off. The actual lifter is similar to a piston and has a skirt that goes down, I just grabbed the lip on the top where the shim drops in with some needle nose and pulled it in multiple spots until it came up. Just an FYI for anyone who searches for how to do it, since it's a different valve setup than other engines I've worked on and took me awhile to understand how to pull everything off despite it being so easy.

So I pulled the cams, shims, lifters, miscellaneous bolts, journals, and spark plugs (which probably were never changed and miraculously weren't seized, but still a ***** to get out). Dropped the heads back off at the shop and will go get them tomorrow, hopefully find out they're in spec which is within 0.004" of flat.

The engine still needs to be torn down more, I've taken the radiator out and intake manifold and all the other shit on top. Next step is valve covers and everything below them. Not sure when I'll get around to working on the engine, a lot of it depends on if the heads are flat to motivate me to work in the freezing temperatures. Everything has to break in the winter, it's never in the summer or when I have access to the garage back home. :redbrick:

 

[Asaspades93]

it's never in the summer or when I have access to the garage back home. :redbrick:

This is why you have me, i'm always breaking shit

 

[smallfry]

That sludge reminds me of the issue I had with my 4runner.

 

[BoostedRNR]

I still can't believe how nasty that motor was! I'll be pulling the motor out of my old Ford this weekend, I know the feeling working out in this cold. Sure wish I had a functional shop.......

 

[snivilous]

That sludge reminds me of the issue I had with my 4runner.

What did you end up doing?

 

[snivilous]

Finally got the heads back today, $116 to clean the heads twice and then mill the bottom which seems like a pretty good deal.

Much cleaner than they were! The machinist pressure tested them too, so the valve seats are still good. I just bought the viton valve seal set from LC Engineering, I also have my head gasket and head bolts kit coming in sometime this week (hopefully) from a buddies shop. I bought some funky little valve spring compressor from harbor freight, we'll see how that works. Once I do the valve seals I'm gonna check the valve lash, once that is within spec I'll be set to drop the heads in. I'm guessing two weeks, between all the parts that need to come in and then if the weather cooperates to put the engine back together.

First decent test drive will probably be to KOH and 1200 miles on the new top end

 

[Unner]

Nice progress, $116 for all that seems like a steal to me too!