I had a 95 4-Runer with a 3.0 V-6 and an auto tranny. I swapped to 5.29 gears when I went with 33's and performance was decent, but not spectacular. The engine was stock with 147k miles on it. Then I decided to bite the bullet to get some more performance.

I went with Downey headers, an Air Raid intake, 2.5" exhaust, a high flow cat and a high flow muffler. Judging by the seat of the pants meter, I would say I gained at least 50 and maybe 60 horsepower.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking to get more performance after gearing has proved to be insufficient.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot the pics...

The whole thing...


Close up...


And the header...

 

you have a 3.4L you mean...lol

 

you need to change ur brake fluid bro.

 

huh?

 

Did the 3.4 clear the hood with only the 1" BL? Did they have to do anything special for hood clearance? The rumor was that you needed a 2-3" BL for everything to fit since the 3.4 is supposedly taller...

I'll bet it goes pretty good. Are 5.29's too much now?

 

That is sweet--now you definatly have my favorite 2nd gen!!

 

Stop trying to rub it in.

:

 

Thanks for the compliments.

Not sure if this merits another thread, but here are some assorted notes on the swap and post swap impressions.

I have a 1" bodylift and Mike thought that would be enough. It is not. One bracket and one hose rub on the insulation on the hood. A 2" would do it, but that creates other issues.

The fan is not centered in the shroud. This is in part due to the engine and in part due to the bodylift repercussions. I hope to create a custom shroud to completely cover the fan and avoid the rubbing issues I was having. The blades hit the shroud when the truck got really articulated.

Cooling is not a problem as reading hot, but it sure gets warm. You can feel the heat rolling out of the engine compartment on the trail and less so going down the road. I plan to add a hood scoop for road cooling and make shround adjustments for trail cooling.

For those considering doing this, physically getting the engine in the truck is not hard. Making everything talk nice is much more of an issue.

 

Very nice upgrade.

If you didn't already add some WaterWetter to your radiator then you should,that will help some with the cooling issues.

 

Thanks for the tip.

Mike, I forgot to add, the 5.29's feel pretty solid now and the mileage is better than it was with the 3.0 I plan to run 35's or larger, so having a little extra gearing for a while is not a big deal.

 

Hey, that looks great man!
I'm running open intake on the 3.0 and it's not bad with 5 spd. I can tell the difference on the hills.
It's good to know that your mileage is better with the 3.4. That's one major point I can tell the wife when it's time to swap. yes, I'm doing it for economic reason.....lol

 

Looks good, Adrian. You may look into going with electric dual fans, the kind with an incorporated shroud. It might help both the cooling and clearence issues

The flexalite p/n FLX-210 is a generic fit for the 3rd gen and can be had from places like Summit Racing for around $200.

 

lookin nice.

 

I think the best electric fan might be the famous Taurus fan mod since it looks like you kept the original 3.0L radiator. Those things move tons of air and should provide all the cooling your new 3.4L will need.....plus they fit a 3.0L radiator very well.

 

Yes, I have the stock 3.0 radiator.

Yes, I thought Taurus too, but Mike was not enthusiastic. It seems like a great way to gain cooling, have the on and off option, etc. I am just concerned generally with the air flow since I have an ARB and winch up there killing direct flow.

 

How much that whole swap set ya back if ya don't mind my askin....

 

Dickhead... Haha, just kidding bro. Looks factory. That's what I love about that swap. Pretty significant boost in performance? Anyplans for a TRD supercharger???

 

I like cheap gas to the supercharger is probably not going to happen.

The performance gain is truly impressive. I can do the speed limit in the mountains. I hit Eisenhower tunnel at 60, I used to need to be redlining at 40 in the right lane.

 

Well, the issues can be fixed quite easily without a body lift. I took out the isulation and cut out a small notch in the underneith support of the hood and mine clears just fine, There was once when I pegged the gas VERY VERY HARD and the motor torqued upp and put a dimple in my hood, but thats no big deal. Aside with removing the insulation, and the notch, I had to "modify one bracket.