1UZ into my Off-Road Long Travel Tacoma

[Smitherz]

1UZ into my Toyota Tacoma

So I was just going to put the motor in my truck but then I started to take a closer look. It seems that the seller lied to me about the engines history. Basically telling me anything to get my money. :rant: ANyways some things were slightly melted from an accident so I decided to tear it all down and replace every belt, seal, piece of rubber all the way down to the valve seals. I ordered a HUGE list of OEM parts like the water pump, distributors, starter contacts, all gaskets, new pulleys, idlers etc etc. There went all my lunch money. So I'm going a little overboard. It's in my nature.

Whenever I work on a car or motorcycle that is mine I have anything powdercoated that I can. This way I just have to give them a decent clean and then the sandblasting and finish work is left to my friends at Pacific Metal Finishing. To me, it's worth every single penny. I powdercoated my 4cyl 3RZ (that is in the truck currently) a crinkle texture black and I love it. People also assume my engine is stroked, ported and running NOS when I pop the hood. It's fun. :sgrin: Now that I have quite a bit more power I thought I would step it up and have it done in a nice Porsche red texture. :147: It will be good for another 200hp. At least that's what people will think when they see it! :icon16: So now that I'm coating things I have been detailing the block very nicely to match. You can see the trickle down effect here. Good thing all the plug wires and other rubber will be nice and black as new. I'm tossing all the EGR crap and making nice plates to integrate what's left. It's going to look pretty mean! All the new parts will be in tomorrow so I should be able to get the engine back together in just a few days.

The parts were hot out of the oven when I stopped by the shop to check on them. I have to take some more stuff to them in the morning. I'll get better pictures tomorrow. Woo hoo Friday!! :friday:



I am planning on the MLS system and a turbo sometime so the red will be backed up with some ponies eventually, mwuahahaha.

 

[stevechumo]

You're putting a 1UZ in a Tacoma? You're having the best of both world into 1 single world. The power coated red is really nice. So is your Tacoma 4x2 or 4x4?

 

[Smitherz]

Thanks I can't wait to put it together. It's 4wd. Here is a picture of the rear and also the engine as it is now with the 3rz 2.7L. It screams and everyone assumes my truck has the V6. They are shocked when I show them the 4 :silly: It hauls off-road but I'm tired of downshifting so much on the freeway. Once I get above 40mph it takes a long time to accelerate from then on. I'll be in heaven with the 1UZ!

 

[Smitherz]

Ok now we are getting somewhere. Today I received all but one or two parts I had ordered. I even received the idler pulley that will replace the hydraulic one. It looks like a match, thanks to Cebby for the tip. Here are some intimate pictures of it for all those who are curious.



Very nice I can't wait to shine it up a little. Here is a pic of the fat pile of parts I picked up from my local Car Quest parts dealer. They take care of me indeed. :thanks: to them! They recently acquired an additional computer system that allows them to access OEM distribution channels!! All of the parts I ordered were OEM accept 1. This is key since the nearest Lexus dealer is 2.5 hours away. I did talk to the Lexus dealer and they gave me some tips that are very tasty pieces of information. :naughty:



Ok the lower left gaskets are from a company that stands behind their set with the ol' Money Back Guaranteed! They look fine to me. I had them before I knew Carquest could get OEM stuff. So before you PM about what Lexus of Santa Barbara told me... a tech there said they don't replace any idler pulleys for the timing belt when they replace it. I thought that was crazy since it requires so many hours to do it. The pulleys aren't that expensive. He also told me that they use a special Toyota gasket dressing called FIPG. I remember this was a topic of great debate so I hope this settles the fight over which type of gasket stuff to use on most of this engine. To my suprise I was able to order this through Carquest Auto as well. Sweeeet. :sly:

 

[Smitherz]

The deeper I got into this engine the happier I was that I am taking my time. The water pump was in horrible shape and surely it was dead. And the water passage gaskets were also worn out and had been leaking! These are very important and I highly recommend replacing these. Check out the condition they were in. Pretty nasty.



Now on to my favorite part. The powder coating. I had a box of little random parts coated black today. I love throwing all the little parts in a box and handing them off to my buddies at Pacific Metal Finishing. They wash and sandblast the parts before coating them. They even bake the parts for me if they were really greasy before they coat them. They really make sure the finish is perfect. If it's questionable they will ask me if I want them to do it again (the only situation was a restoration of a trailer I had them coat in the past). I just love not having to spend the time prepping/blasting the parts! Here is a picture of the difference with a couple parts. Better than new. I have a replacement for that pulley pictured. It's crusty. :arg:

 

[Smitherz]

I've been waiting all week to see what the covers will look like on the engine. I got them back today and had a little time to rest one on top of the engine just for kicks. :love: It looks better than I thought it would. I alllmost had them done black but I'm glad I went red.





I can't wait to get back to work on this baby. I bought some bits to help shine up the block surfaces nice and clean so I'll need to put in some quality time tomorrow making it worthy of the red covers. :shrug: No pain, no gain.

 

[stevechumo]

Yes, I agree that you'll suprise many people with the 1UZ (plenty of torques) on this Tacoma. You can run along with those V6 Tacoma installed with the TRD supercharger with no problem. But 1 thing I think would be hard to do is the adaptor between the 1UZ into the Tacoma tranny.

 

[Smitherz]

Ahh that's just a small challenge. I can mill out an aluminum one and cut back the bellhousing if needed. If I can't get it perfect I can always knock on the door of Advanced Adapters. They live in my backyard. That would be cheating though. :sasmokin:

 

[stevechumo]

I hope you can get it done simply and successfully. Perhaps the MPG will still be the same as the V6. My Tacoma 4WD consumes about 14 MPG (slow to average speed) although Toyota estmated it to be in the 16-19 MPG.

I'm seeing that you're running the BFGoodridge tires on your Tacoma and I'm running the BFGoodridge Rugged Trail T/A tires. The tires are very smooth but they screech if I corner fast and hard. That annoys me. Do your tires screech, too?

Is your truck for show? I'm seeing that you're having some hydraulic tubes (look like shocks) under the bed. I saw 1 time that a guy used the remote and turn the bed circling up and down like a basket ball.

 

[Lextreme II]

Smitherz,

How much does it cost to power coat? I am thinking of the valve covers, lower and upper intakes.

 

[Smitherz]

Yeah I'm really being optimistic about the fuel mileage. My current engine really doesn't get good mpg at all. The Lexus engine will be more efficient without a doubt. My tires don't screech much at all. When they do the tone sounds lower like a full size truck... not like a car tire squeal. I love the mud terrain BFG. They are the best tire I have found for my needs. I have so much experience driving at the limit with them that in general, I can drive just as fast on the street as other medium terrain tires. They have saved my life with their awesome grip.

I have fun showing off my truck at meets or hanging around shows but I basically just use it for fun. I want to use it more than show it off. I just like to keep my stuff clean and I like to put a lot of extra effort into it for both functionality and show. No rotating bed for me. That is strictly a lowrider thing.

 

[Smitherz]

Powder coating is basically whatever your local shop will charge for time with a small fee sprinkled on top for the powder. The guys around here are typically 60 an hr. I have known and supported them for years so they quote me much less than usual. The color took a week to arrive from the East Coast. Usually if you bring something like a rim from a motorcycle or car it's $50-60 (the minimum charge) for a common color in flat or gloss. For both valve covers, upper AND lower intake I would expect a shop (IN CALIFORNIA) to charge at least 150 for black and 40-50 more for a unique color.

They really have to burn off the grease, clean and sandblast the pieces well, then plug holes and tape off openings. It's a lot of prep just like painting anything else automotive. Those pieces are more difficult to prep because they have to make good and sure that any residue is removed from any crevices or depressions in the piece in order to gaurantee their work. It takes some experience to do these pieces correctly. I've seen other work where the coating just doesn't even stick or it peels up from a spot that wasn't cleaned enough. I skipped the lower intake. It's barely visible and clean enough as it is to look good.

When/if you do have them done make sure and give them a very close inspection when you pick them up just in case. They are a challenge to powder coat I have been told.

 

[Smitherz]

So I picked up some polishing compounds and am contemplating what to do with the random aluminum parts and how far to clean up the block and heads. I am leaning towards an extreme clean with some chemicals to make the alloy bleached and shiny like new. But there are some stains that I will have to sand down with a rotatary sanding tool of my choice. I did a little test on a piece that had some casting imperfections and found that I could sand the piece down and then give it a good polish. The only problem is that some lines might develope from casting deviations as well as the divots that exist from casting as well. The sanding gives a nice consistant texture that I find is the most productive result. I wish I had the time to anodize everything but I definitely don't want to spend more than a day on what I have left to clean up! Time to move on.

 

[Smitherz]

I'm going to be lazy and take in my aluminum water passage pieces and water neck/thermostat housing in and have them powdercoat them. I will probably have them done with clear. I'm not sure clear or red like the rest. My lower intake manifold is shiny and spotless so it would be a waste to have that coated.

My new valve keeper remover tool will be in on Wednesday morning so that will allow a couple of days for the poweder coating. No mechanic locally seems to know what the valve seal removing pliers looks like which shocked me. The tool trucks that drive around don't have them and they want to order them for me. What a pain in the butt. :ugh:

 

[Smitherz]

I put in a long day today making sure things are just right. I have been detailing things just a little too much but this is my dream engine basically. Now I need to do the contacts in the starter, order up a set of injector O-rings and those plastic nipples that go on the bottoms of them. They all seem to be cracked from old age. :sigh1:

It will be so nice to have everything back on the engine instead of floating around the garage! :scool:

 

[Smitherz]

Just a picture of some detail. Quick polish on things for the heck of it and powdercoating to give a better than new finish. Probably won't be able to see most of this when it's all together but it's nice to have it done my way.

 

[3rides]

Hey there Smitherz.
I'm suprised to see someone sticking a 1uz into the exact same truck (kinda the same) as mine! I'm running a 95 taco with a 3rz as well. My head is shot so it is time to stop puting money into the 3rz and invest in a 1uz swap. I'm only in the planning stages for now but hopefullly will start collecting parts soon. I'm up in Canada, so parts aren't quite as readily available (with a reasonable shipping price). Hopefully I will find a motor in good shape within Canada or a JDM engine.
When I get it installed I'll be converting it to run on propane (dual fuel actually) in order to reduce fueling costs.
Right now I am looking into a solution to the w59 tranny to 1uz adapter. My father is a machinist so I'm sure it wont be a problem (fingers crossed).

What are you running for tire size and gearing? I'm runnning 37's and 4.88s (not low enough gearing but thats how i got it). Are you running IFS or a solid axle up front? I've got a ford high pinion dana 44 infront. Coild springs and 3-link suspension all around, locked front and rear etc...

Keep up the nice looking work on the engine!

Greg

 

[Smitherz]

Yeah the adapter is going to be a custom piece. I'm just going to make my own plate probably although before I start I'll be talking with a local company that might want to make one for me. The fuel consumption with the 1UZ will be the same as my 3RZ I'm sure, if not a lil better. I have headers and custom intake right now and it sucks the fuel a little but it moves the truck a lot faster than stock.

I'm running 285/75 - 16s with IFS (Donaho Racing Shocks). I've never geared it as 4-lo is really where I do my best offroad work and I do a lot of high speed wheelin. I would be topped out in 5th-lo a lot if I geared down. On the street the truck isn't very effective but it's not slow either. The 1UZ will be the cure for all situations and be in near- new condition compared to my current powerplant.

Make sure you get a engine in very good condition even though it might cost you a little more. If you have to do much rebuilding on it, the parts will nickel and dime you to death. Once my engine is in I'll move onto building a long travel front end and cage. I can't start on any of this until I have the wieght and dimensions decided so in goes the 1UZ. =] I'm taking my time on things now instead of just ploppin it in like I had originally planned. It's hard to resist detailing things. I'm glad you like how it's coming together.

 

[Tacoma_Kyle]

Interesting rear end, cantilevered shocks? neat. What travel you pullin in the back?

Awesome seein a 1uz in a taco.

 

[Smitherz]

I measured a clean 17" usable travel but if things get crazy it can stretch a little more. It's fairly progressive so it really takes some air to get it bottomed out. It's a lot of fun to fly by other trucks when they have to slow down for rough stuff. It leaves them confused since my truck looks fairly stock without fiberglass.