Toyota engine swap opinions

[Wagoneerlover]

Greetings everyone,

Not for me, but a guy at work has a grand wagoneer with a blown engine (amc 360). He has a guy that will give him a good deal on a wrecked toyota tundra with the 4.7 v8 and five speed trans. The wagoneer is in great shape body and frame wise. He is considering purchasing the tundra and swapping the engine and trans in. What do all of you think? Would this make a good swap candidate for the rig or would it be underpowered etc. My advice to him was go for it, of course it isnt the iforce 5.7 but even the 4.7 would probably be miles ahead with an engine designed for fuel injection.etc. also in getting the wrecked tundra he would have all the parts he.needs. the ecu, drive by wire pedal etc. I also let him know that before purchasing he should measure the toyota engine and trans etc to see if it can fit in the wagon. Lastly he would be on his own as this is not a common swap for a wagoneer like a chevy or ford drivetrain would be.(Almost forgot it is a 2007 toyota tundra with the 4.7). Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Ideas?

[SC/397]

I am a die hard AMC guy so it it is really difficult for me to not give you a difficult time and tell you just to put another 360 in it. Where I am from they are cheap and I actually have them stacked up.. I know this is not the case in other parts of the country..
Now having said all of that, my daily driver is a 01 Tundra with the 4.7. with 318,000 not so easy miles on it. It is a great engine and the truck pulls a trailer like a champ.

[gsmikie]

i did a twin turbo supra motor in a 1980 cherokee a few years back if i was him i would put the body on the toyota that way you get all the upgrades and it would be a lot less work

[Wagoneerlover]

i did a twin turbo supra motor in a 1980 cherokee a few years back if i was him i would put the body on the toyota that way you get all the upgrades and it would be a lot less work

\

I actually never thought of this option. I actually really really like this idea. I have never done an actually swap of a body onto another vehicles frame. (Just in thinking of this) how would this work out? The Toyota being a longer and wider vehicle. Would frame modification need to be done? (Shortening and adjusting the width?) Could be wrong, never done one, but asking. I agree this would be the best of both worlds, you would get the toyota braking system with ABS etc and traction control and you would be rid of the small rotor system that the jeep has (No more getting nervous after stopping a few times)

[Wagoneerlover]

I am a die hard AMC guy so it it is really difficult for me to not give you a difficult time and tell you just to put another 360 in it. Where I am from they are cheap and I actually have them stacked up.. I know this is not the case in other parts of the country..
Now having said all of that, my daily driver is a 01 Tundra with the 4.7. with 318,000 not so easy miles on it. It is a great engine and the truck pulls a trailer like a champ.

It is unfortunate but in these parts the 360 is becoming somewhat troublesome to find (Not unavailable, but not as easy to find) I used to have several junkyards that I used to hit and they had Grand Wagoneers and J trucks lined up as far as you could see. I used to be able to get anything I wanted as it wasnt as though these were parts that people were fighting for. Now they are almost dry. In this area a 360 is somewhat hard to get but a 401 is about as common as Bigfoot or the Lochness monster. (I had a guy try to sell me a short block that not even been tested/magnafluxed for 1200 dollars. Not worth it for a 401 in that condition, IMHO)

[SJTD]

I don't see a body swap being easier. Gonna have to send some time under them with a tape to answer your questions. Seems like a lotsa body swaps end up with a big body lift because of differences between the floor contours and just look bad.

I do see the advantages the OP brought up regarding the brakes, etc.

Do you want the IFS? Alotta Toyota guys get rid of it.

[rang-a-stang]

I think it would be somewhat "worth it" (either Tundra drivetrain in the GW or GW body on the Tundra).

I swapped a 1990 Mustang 5.0HO into a 89 Ranger about a decade ago. Ended up with an awesome truck where everything worked (cold A/C, 4WD, cruise control, etc.) that was totally California Smog legal. So that's where my experience comes from. In fact, that's where my handle comes from Rang(er)-a(nd)-(mu)Stang

It would probably, actually have more power and be a lighter motor. You also get EFI and Toyota reliability. MPG would probably go up quite a bit.

BUUUTTT

Keep in mind when swapping something this un-common:
a) Its going to take A LONG TIME because he will have to figure everything out on his own because there is no pedigree (no one has done this before). Its the little things that add up (how to wire up the electronic throttle, where do you mount a speed sensor, integrating the factory Jeep body wiring with the Toyota harness, integrated in the Jeep analog dash with the Tundra digital dash).
b) Parts costs start to add up. In tank fuel pump, wiring connectors, one off exhaust (does he want headers, if so will the Tundra headers fit? probably not). What Radiator to use? How do you connect the Transfer case? if you use Toyota xfer case, how do you wire up the 4WD/2WD selector?
c) If he does this he is going to spend ALOT of time, and ALOT of money to get a slightly better drivetrain. If I were going to spend that much time and effort doing an engine swap I would want something like a GM LS motor (MUCH more power, MUCH better pedigree, MUCH better aftermarket support, a little more money up front), a Ram 3.0 EcoDiesel (WAY better motor, WAY better power, WAY better MPG, but still a lot work), etc. and a 4/5/6 speed auto.

He may save money on the up front drivetrain costs, but in the long run, its going to cost a lot more in both cash and time. If he is going to swap, swap to something a bit more "worth it".

[xabn82]

I think it would be somewhat "worth it" (either Tundra drivetrain in the GW or GW body on the Tundra).

I swapped a 1990 Mustang 5.0HO into a 89 Ranger about a decade ago. Ended up with an awesome truck where everything worked (cold A/C, 4WD, cruise control, etc.) that was totally California Smog legal. So that's where my experience comes from. In fact, that's where my handle comes from Rang(er)-a(nd)-(mu)Stang

It would probably, actually have more power and be a lighter motor. You also get EFI and Toyota reliability. MPG would probably go up quite a bit.

BUUUTTT

Keep in mind when swapping something this un-common:
a) Its going to take A LONG TIME because he will have to figure everything out on his own because there is no pedigree (no one has done this before). Its the little things that add up (how to wire up the electronic throttle, where do you mount a speed sensor, integrating the factory Jeep body wiring with the Toyota harness, integrated in the Jeep analog dash with the Tundra digital dash).
b) Parts costs start to add up. In tank fuel pump, wiring connectors, one off exhaust (does he want headers, if so will the Tundra headers fit? probably not). What Radiator to use? How do you connect the Transfer case? if you use Toyota xfer case, how do you wire up the 4WD/2WD selector?
c) If he does this he is going to spend ALOT of time, and ALOT of money to get a slightly better drivetrain. If I were going to spend that much time and effort doing an engine swap I would want something like a GM LS motor (MUCH more power, MUCH better pedigree, MUCH better aftermarket support, a little more money up front), a Ram 3.0 EcoDiesel (WAY better motor, WAY better power, WAY better MPG, but still a lot work), etc. and a 4/5/6 speed auto.

He may save money on the up front drivetrain costs, but in the long run, its going to cost a lot more in both cash and time. If he is going to swap, swap to something a bit more "worth it".

I totally agree. You can't beat a small block Chevy. My Chevy donor truck has 270,000 miles on it, still runs. My brother has a 1997 Chevy with 200,000 miles on it and it doesn't smoke or leak fluids. Toyotas are tough no doubt, but I really think this swap would be a big headache.

[xabn82]

Find a donor Chevy truck for the wiring harness and everything you need to make it run. That gives you EFI, A/C, PS, Altenator. Even if you get a 2wd truck you can convert transmission for 4X4. Novak has everything you need and you can buy a new, mot rebuilt 5.7 for $2,080. That's the L31 engine for 3/4 ton trucks. Rebuild the 4L60E for about $1500. Much less headache for sure.

[SC/397]

I totally agree. You can't beat a small block Chevy. My Chevy donor truck has 270,000 miles on it, still runs. My brother has a 1997 Chevy with 200,000 miles on it and it doesn't smoke or leak fluids. Toyotas are tough no doubt, but I really think this swap would be a big headache.

I think my Tundra already has

[Wagoneerlover]

I see, I will suggest he avoid it then and go for something more along the lines of the domestic brands.