Let's Get This 1UZ Tacoma Swap Started

[Smithers]

Sorry everyone I got sidetracked working on a few motorcycles in the last few months and got sidetracked really badly. I had towels over my engines because I felt guilty seeing the poor things in the garage. http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif =] http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/fwf_1uz_a01.jpg


But now it's time to get this show on the road. I need the Lexus in my Taco so I can have fun with it this summer. Recently an old racer buddy of mine has stepped up to offer help with my transmission adapting process. He has all sorts of hydraulic throwout bearings and one with my name on it. It will take a lot of work but it will be worth it. Plus he has tons of leftover high pressure racing fuel adapters and hardware I can pick through. And last night I confirmed that my engineer friend is on standby and ready to help whip out a steel adapter ring for my W59 Tacoma transmission bellhousing to the 1UZ. I'm making room to do the swap tomorrow so I'll be looking forward to starting this week!

[Smithers]

So to make a short list of issues I plan on having to address first:


Engine + Transmission Mating Call
Quickly Finding a Toyota Clutch
Hydraulic Throwout Fitting
Headers In The Mail
Engine Mount Fab / Transmission Mount If Needed
Fuel Line Hookup
Adaptronic Computer Wiring
Custom Intake
Exhaust Fabrication
Instrument Panel


1. 1UZ-FE Engine + W59 Transmission - I'll be making a wooden adapter ring as accurately as I can. I will be having the ring machined from approx. 1/2 steel with a recessed ring for the bellhousing to mate to. I'm just doing one for me and I wouldn't consider making one for anyone else unless I had 5 people willing to buy 5 of them. Sorry but my engineer is in super high demand and is not interested in doing any one-offs except for me. I decided on steel since the holding strength for the bellhousing bolts is a few times higher than with aluminum. Having 4wd with a gear reduction transfercase and larger tires will put much more strain on the adapter than a 2wd street car. It takes longer to machine but is much cheaper, not that AL is too expensive.

2. Toyota Clutch - I shouldn't have much trouble finding the right clutch for my flywheel. I have a couple parts houses near me that I have access to and they'll be happy to let me go through their shelves to find what I need.

3. Hydraulic Throwout Bearing - I didn't want to have to spend a few hundred on a conversion from the standard Toyota shift fork but a friend of mine jumped in and will help out with this and give me one of his racing components that he claims will work perfect with my shift fork pivot. He knows the clearances required and he's done it on all sorts of race vehicles so this isn't an issue with his help. :) Very Happy.

4. Headers - I was even thinking of giving the stock 1UZ manifolds a shot until I found some SS shiny headers for a "too good to be true" price. They are legit though and this will REALLY save me a ton of time and $$. I have come to be friends with a pro welder who can make me headers but just the bends themselves and the collector would be more money than an already assembled set! Even if I have to modify them that will be a cakewalk compared to making some myself. I'm also contemplating running the pipes out each side to a streetbike titanium big bore muffler. I have a couple spare Ti lightweight mufflers that would look crazy mounted just below each door. That might get a little too much attention though! This weekend I'm going to take a couple pictures of the mufflers just mounted in the location I have in mind. That would be fun but a giveaway to any cops with a good eye.

5. Engine Mount Fab - I've been looking at all sort of custom made engine mounts that people have done so I'm full of ideas. I want a rather solid mount with a pivot on a poly bushing. These Lexus engines are really smooth so I'm not even worried. Some people have completely hard mounted the engines without any evident problems or vibration annoyances. The engine should fit just fine under my body that has been lifted already. People have had no problems with the front sump pans under Toyota's that have already had body lifts installed. I'm pretty sure that the transmission won't even be allowed to move from it's current position as the 4wd won't allow any relocating of transmission mounts. I don't foresee this being a big problem at all. If it needs to shift around a little I can fab any new brackets anyways. We'll deal with this as things progress.

http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif INTERMISSION -Play Boring Orchestra Music Now http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif http://www.lextreme.com/forums/images/misc/progress.gif
~-~-~-~-~-~ Break Time! -~-~-~-~-~-~-~

[Smithers]

Shall we continue?

6. Fuel Lines - will be converted to AN style fuel fittings, you know the ones you see on custom and race engines. Same thing: http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_10001_10002_10019_-1_10267 The volume should be about the same since the engines will use about the same amount of fuel. Provided I am not running any boost I won't need anymore fuel than what the 4cyl uses. I should get better MPG with the V8.

7. Adaptronic EMS - This will be all custom and I'll be putting the whole wiring harness on while keeping it tidy and protected. I'm still contemplating where to mount the computer. I'll probably mount it inside the cab to keep it from heat and vibration. Or I was thinking of putting it in it's own custom made box with air holes and rubber mount it. Not sure on this yet.

8. Custom Intake - Just like it says. I'll be using a foam filter connected to the MAF with a silicone hose to the throttle body. I'll be figuring out how much of a flex joint I'll need after I make the engine mounts to the frame. It'll look nice.

9. Exhaust System - Not sure if I want to use an H pipe or X pipe. I'll have some SS headers soon that are made for a Toyota Sequioa. I'll go from that flange down to the crossover pipe and then v-bands connecting to either titanium streetbike big diameter mufflers pointed out each side of the truck just under the doors. Or I have a brand new full size GM truck exhaust system that I could shorten and have it dump over the rear axle towards the ground. Using the v-band connectors would allow me to swap out the loud pipes for the longer full muffler setup when I wanted to. That would be cool.

10. Instrument Panel - Well I have a set of Autometer gauges but I don't want to tear my dash up. I would like to keep it somewhat stock looking inside but I will want to put a gauge for coolant temp at least. I'm sure I'll be mounting that near the stereo in the double-din area under the AC controls.

[Smithers]

All done!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/1uz_toyota_tacoma.jpg

[Smithers]

Alrighty, I took a couple short videos of me beating on the 2.7L engine for just a little while longer tonight. Then I backed er into the garage and dropped the oil so it could drip all night long. Then in the morning I'll have the transmission out in no time so I can start making the adapter template. Then it will just be a matter of time until I get my headers in the mail and the steel adapter is milled out.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_03.jpg

I just got a new pair of bookshelf speakers for the garage too! Great timing. Circuit City is giving up all they have for 40% off now so I got some Sony speakers for $35. Gotta have some good tunes while your working in the garage all day.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_02.jpg

[Smithers]

Grab one and throw it in.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_04.jpg

[Smithers]

Good day, I made some progress indeed.

I LOVE my small bodylift. It's the only way you can clear larger tires on a Tacoma. Plus it gives you all sorts of room to work underneath the truck. Check this out. With the tires, suspension and body lift I don't even have to jack up the truck to drop the tranny/transfer case. I also ripped off all of those lame heat shields a long time ago so it takes an hour to remove the whole thing now. ;)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_08.jpg

And here we go! I'll just bolt them together and I'll be in business.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_07.jpg

Don't get all upset I'm just kidding. Here begins the tedious task of creating the adapter template. Then I'll be knocking on my neighbors door (multi-national precision engineering company) and he'll make sure that the tolerances are spot on when the adapter is water jetted and machined. :D

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_09.jpg

I have a clutch and plate coming at 8AM and I'll be going to pick out my hydraulic throwout after that. Shake and Bake.

[Smithers]

I don't know how I got so lucky but I got some new headers in the mail today! Wow I think they will bolt on and just work like they are. I have some detailed pictures I'll post later on but for now here is the new hotness:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/1uz_headers_02.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/1uz_headers_05.jpg

Thick ol' flanges on these things too! New bolts and gaskets to boot.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/1uz_headers_06.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok I promised myself I would make progress every single day on this build until it was done. Today I picked up the correct clutch and it's good to go. It's quite different than the 3RZ clutch. The clutch that I put on the 3RZ is an aftermarket and I STRONGLY suggest that anyone replacing their clutch on their 3RZ use a TOYOTA clutch ONLY. I have a friend that hated his big "name brand" heavy duty clutch and this one that I got with the flywheel had some chatter in it from the start... mainly when colder but it still just never worked as well as the ones I got from Toyota.

Old worn out 3RZ Clutch Disc
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_20.jpg

Old worn out 3RZ engine! Ok well not totally worn out but showing it's age. Still kicked butt.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_12.jpg

[Smithers]

Fresh new clutch, check out the rubber isolators... interesting.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_17.jpg

Just placing the clutch and flywheel on for reference
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_10.jpg

Bottom backside of the 3RZ and also showing how much room I have to work with. :D
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_16.jpg

[Smithers]

Here's a good reason to yank the 3RZ engine out. The main pulley seal is just drooling a bit of oil from time to time. And the main oil pan gasket is surely leaking. Not more than a drip or two here and there but the oil really attracts the dirt. Not looking too good. But like I said the engine still runs just great and it's not like I had to keep checking the oil. It doesn't use any oil at all. Toyota builds some really great engines.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_13.jpg

I would say that my front diff bushings all need to be swapped out. Now would be a great time to do this while the engine is out.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_15.jpg

[Smithers]

The rebuildable Donahoe Racing shocks are the best money you can spend. They shafts are so thick and the shock body is so long that when I want to lengthen them all I have to do is send them back and they will put a longer shaft in them! How cool is that? The spring rate makes for a very tight ride but when you hit a jump or some woops they will take them over and over again without breaking a sweat. Best shocks you can buy for the front of your Tacoma. These are the exact same ones they ran on the Donahoe Racing 7S class winning tacoma.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_14.jpg

Like I said I think the shocks would feel a bit more compliant with the heavier V6 engine which they were designed and tested to accommodate. That said I am SURE that they will be PERFECT and provide a better ride for the Lexus V8. I can't wait to see how they will feel with the added weight. I am pretty confident it will ride smoother on the street. :)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_11.jpg

[Smithers]

A very smart engine builder built a dry sump 1UZ with all sorts of racing goodies on it to test out in an open wheel race car that was going to be the basis for a spec-class racing series. He said the stock cams were good for 6,200 rpm before they stopped making horsepower. They will pull a bit higher revs but it's pointless. When I put together a binder of pertinent 1UZ information together to hand to my engine builder I made sure to put one of the best looking 1UZ pictures on the front of it. Good for inspiration.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_19.jpg

Tomorrow I'll be taking measurements and getting the adapter template ready. If I have time I'll also be prepping the empty engine compartment for painting. I can't have a mud colored engine compartment with a super clean engine in there now.

[Smithers]

Daily update: Engine is basically just sitting in the compartment ready to hoist up and out. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to build a crate for it for storage in the morning. I got some work to do cleaning the engine bay out that's for sure. And the steering, power brakes and other misc components needs to be cleaned up just as well.

List of random stuff I need to order/check in the morning:


Billet fuel filter and stainless braided line to go with new AN fittings
Assorted bushings for front end chassis components
Need to check mounting location of oil filter - might need a remote one

[Smithers]

Ok have a look at my new W59 transmission adapter!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_24.jpg

So it's not actually THE adapter but it's the template material. It's 3/16" foam board stuff. Now I just need to begin reverse engineering the castings on both sides of the "adapter".

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_25.jpg

[Smithers]

Step 1: Clean surface
Step 2: Prep with graphite - You can do it the hard way or buy it in a bottle :D
Step 3: Index them by making holes for dowels (on engine side) or bolts (trans side)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_22.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_26.jpg

[Smithers]

Now the good part. Graphite applied to the bellhousing with a toothbrush. So how do I magically make the graphite dust stick to the alloy? Just spray some WD-40 or some other lubricant/oily aerosol spray on it and pat down the excess off with a rag. Then with a brush you can apply the graphite to it with ease.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_23.jpg

Then place the board up against the engine and use the studs/dowels to hold the board in place while you tap it with a large face hammer. It's doesn't have to be a hard hammer of course. You're just tapping it to make a slight impression with the graphite.

Lookin good. :)
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_30.jpg

[Smithers]

I took a few measurements just to make it spot on. I don't want to machine the adapter twice, nope I do not. I did come back a minute later and mark some measurements in order to plot the center point of the transmission input shaft location.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_28.jpg

The bearing fork will be removed from service very soon. Just a picture for reference. Yeah the 1UZ-FE and W59 transmission don't exactly bolt up now do they. I had to try!! hehe.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_27.jpg

[Smithers]

And pushing forward on the removal of the 3RZ I spend some quality time removing electrical connectors allowing me to remove the wiring harness from the engine. This was surely a PITA as they are mostly in hard to reach places and the plastic has fatigued to the point that they nearly break apart when you apply pressure to release and pull them. This took longer than I thought but breaking any of these connectors would be a very regretful.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_21.jpg

The radiator/fan simply pull out in a matter of a couple minutes and the header came off nearly as quickly. Fuel lines, power steering lines all done. No I have to roll it outside a few feet to pull it out of the bay. Not a problem.

[Smithers]

Rain or shine, gotta get this thing done! Just after I pulled the engine the clouds let the rain drops fall. Might be a good idea to scrub the engine bay and wash the crud right out the door.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/1uz_swap_progress_01.jpg

[Smithers]

I stripped down the engine compartment to the bare essentials and then a little more. It should really clean up nice with some degreaser. I'll be doing a little body welding to re-enforce the seams while everything is clear. So after a scrubbing and a little welding a coat of Hammered black will surely make things look good under the hood.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_31.jpg

[Smithers]

Had to pull some unnecessary wires. =]
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_32.jpg

And all the brown hoses and everything else will turn black tomorrow.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_33.jpg

[Smithers]

What worked out really well is the location of the fuel lines. The feed and return line are located EXACTLY where they need to be. If anything I might have to make a short extension but maybe not. I'm pretty happy about this but if only the AC lines and power steering lines were this easy!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_35.jpg

I'll be putting a fuel filter inline near the tank. Since the Tacoma's mount the filter on the engine block there isn't anything but a screen in the fuel tank. No problem, inline aluminum filter to 10 microns will work fine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_34.jpg

[Smithers]

And about header clearance around the drivers side steering shaft... I have plenty of room for the exhaust. Being how the Tacoma's have the steering box just under the front of the cab it makes the shaft go straight down and not out forward like all the cars. So unlike cars the trucks don't have the header clearance issue when it comes to engine placement. This will make my life VERY easy when it comes to the Lexus engine install. Thank goodness for the body lift. I made my own body lift so it's not a typical backwoods 4" body-gap lift. That's way too much anyway. I opted for the body lift for the sake of functionality ie: tire clearance, transmission clearance in terms of cooling and servicing, obstacle clearance, etc etc. A huge benifit is that the body lift makes life MUCH easier to work on your truck. And one more - you actually feel like your driving a truck. :cool:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_36.jpg

[Smithers]

So today was pretty boring. I dropped off a couple things for black powder coating. Then I spec'd out the fuel filter and fittings I'll use to mount the filter in the rear right on top of the fuel tank. And I also measured out the fuel hose I'll need to make my fuel line to go from the hard line to the fuel rail.

Then I cleaned out all the dirt/grime from the engine bay. I have some more degreasing to do on the front drive system before I can paint it up a little. I might as well clean things up really well since the engine won't be leaking and it should stay that way. It's always nice working on clean vehicles.

The adapter is being programmed for processing and I'll be visiting the facility tomorrow morning to check things over. With my measurements I'm sure it will come out spot-on. Then I can put the two components together and whip out some engine mounts very quickly, have them powdercoated and everything will be set to wire up. Easy stuff.

[Smithers]

Well everything is right on schedule which is amazing. I just felt bad having a blurry template of the transmission bell housing so I went back and made a much better stencil that I could be confident in. Once I learned how much the materials could cost I just wanted to make sure the measurements were exact with no question. So here we go! I did a much better job of punching the initial holes in the foam board and I secured it down good with a couple of bolts. That way there won't be any movement at all when I tapped the board with the rubber hammer.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_38.jpg

And there we have it! Perfect copy and it will make for a perfect adapter. I can sleep soundly.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_37.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the interesting part. A few measurements and some CAD is all it needs.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_39.jpg

A very nice set of measuring tools. They don't make em like they used to.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_41.jpg

[Smithers]

Time for a break from all this brain work. :rolleyes: Gotta remember why I'm doing all this, to have some fun just like this cat:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_42.jpg

[Smithers]

In the meantime detailing the engine compartment is the plan. I'm not sure if I will want to use the same Hammerite paint on the frame. I would like to keep the frame straight black.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_43.jpg

After a long day, kickin back to any local band was a relief.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_47.jpg

[Smithers]

Back to work. Here is my adapter plate. Not quite finished as you can see.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_45.jpg

[Smithers]

It's always good to know the local guys with the laser table in their shop. :D
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_46.jpg

Before the waterjet cuts out the slab I gotta double check the measurements and determine if any holes overlap and which ones to use. The W59 trans was only using 4 holes to secure it to the engine. The 1UZ uses 6 large ones and the oil pan/skirt used a few smaller diameter ones.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_48.jpg

Measurements and adjustments will be finalized on Monday. In the meantime I will use 1/2" spacers between the engine and the transmission to check clearances and to make templates for the engine mounts. I'll have those water cut, welded and powder coated by mid-week.

[Smithers]

I decided that today I would spend all day cleaning the engine bay really good and go ahead and put some paint on it. I got a little carried away and disassembled the headlights, welded a couple body seams and took care of a couple other details. I have so much room for the engine under there. It's going to be easy. I finished the underhood paint and tomorrow I'll be making my cardboard engine mounts. I have a couple good ideas but it all depends on where the engines center of gravity falls.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_49.jpg

I also found a leaking connection in regards to the AC lines right between the dryer and the radiator. I'm pretty happy about that because I surely want the AC to work.

[Smithers]

This ain't no photoshop this time! Sorry for the English - I feel like a redneck putting a small block into a Chevy Luv.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_02.jpg

Setting the engine down into the frame I had to check clearance all over the place for about an hour. I was happy to see things fall into place but some "modifications" were in order without a doubt. But that's what grinders are for!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_03.jpg

[Smithers]

Gettin' her done.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_01.jpg

I'm not stopping till it's done. I don't recommend that ANYONE make any cuts to any structural member of their own vehicle. Never, so don't do this at home. BUT if you ever do ANY cutting with any tool ALWAYS wear eye protection that either covers your whole face or seals the contaminates out from around your eyes. Not wearing eye protection can result in massive pain and your whole project will surely come to a screeching halt when you get hurt. Safety First and that ain't no joke.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_00.jpg

[Smithers]

Plenty of clearance on the drivers side. It's like the headers were made to fit in this truck!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_05.jpg

Not so lucky on the passenger side. But I have some room to wiggle, especially now after my grinding work, hint hint. ;)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_06.jpg

[Smithers]

It's always handy to have a whole pile of scrap wood around while you are fitting engines. There is no other way to do it that I can think of. It's easily cut down to length, you can use all sorts of different thickness's and it's relatively soft so it won't scratch or dent your nice engine.

I am NOT leaving the oil pan this high up off the crossmember at all.. but this shows how nice it is to have the different thickness of wood to play with.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_07.jpg

Here are all sorts of different sizes of wood that I but down really fast to make sure the engine was sitting level as possible while test fitting things. It worked out really nicely.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_11.jpg

[Smithers]

Now here is where things can get tricky. DON'T EVEN attempt to put a V8 engine into your Toyota Tacoma if you haven't already done a body lift. There is NO way you'll get it to fit. If you do you will really have to cut down your oil pan to be too shallow. If you use another mid or rear sump then you will really still have to cut it for clearance just the same. If you have a 2 wheel drive Tacoma then things will be a little different and maybe easier since the lack of the front gear housing for the 4wd. If you don't have a body lift I would recommend that you look into a dry-sump system. I almost went for one on mine but my body lift allows the 1UZ to fit. I don't know why you wouldn't want a body lift since you have to have one to clear any larger tire than stock anyhow.

Look closely as this picture is worth a thousand bucks here:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_10.jpg

See what I'm talking about? Since the 1UZ engine sits up a tad higher than the stock engine the transmission MUST move UP vertically to mate to it. This isn't a big deal at all with a body lift. For instance I simply moved the transmission cross member up on top of the stock mounting position! It's not going to look like this when I'm done but the measurement is right on and the drive shaft won't mind one bit. You also WANT the 1UZ to sit up a little higher so that it doesn't look so weird sitting down so low in the body when you open the hood. The 1UZ will fit with a body lift, no cutting the oil pan, using headers (manifolds are even wider, not good) and with raising the transmission up a bit just like I did here. So easy.... even a caveman can do it.

[Smithers]

The engine will sit down a little more but I took this picture to look at while I think of a good design for the engine mounts.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_08.jpg

Underside shot of the driver's side. Headers clear the steering shaft slightly but there is a collar that will hit it when it turns. No biggy. I'll just cut off the flange and redirect it to go in the right direction towards the middle of the under chassis where it should be going.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_09.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the before shot:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_13.jpg

Here is the next move:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_14.jpg

[Smithers]

I thought I heard someone say, "Don't do it!!". But it was too late.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_15.jpg

[Smithers]

After capping that off and welding it up it will be stronger than from the factory. The result? A perfectly fitting engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_18.jpg

[Smithers]

After a long day's work I cleaned things up and spent a few minutes making notes for the adapter and deciding which holes to use. Some holes will not be cut into the adapter and a couple will be made for threading the bolts to hold the transmission. Today was good.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_19.jpg

[Smithers]

Also just FYI if you don't have a load balancer on your engine hoist don't even waste your time. It's crucial to your sanity! And for the transmission make sure you have a proper jack, a square table motorcycle jack or 4 wheeler jack with a flat table. The transmission mount is naturally placed by Toyota in the exact spot that the tranny will balance. That means you won't be able to manipulate or remove/install the cross-member with just one jack holding up the middle. It's not that important if you already have the engine in the truck since you can bolt the transmission to the engine to hold the front of it up while you move the jack to the back. But if you don't have an engine to bolt to it's impossible to do it safely. That sucker is heavy.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_04.jpg

[Smithers]

Wow it sure takes a while to load this page. I hope you guys/gals reading this don't mind! Well the last 48 hours has been kinda boring. I've been communicating with lots of people who are helping with different aspects of this build. Mainly the adapter has to be absolutely perfect and it will be after all the measuring and trials and errors and triple checking everything. I'm not exaggerating one bit. I'm not going to have any worries about bolting the engine and transmission together.

The spacing is not a problem either. The headers won't have to be modified AT ALL. The transmission and engine will be very close to level. All I can say is thank goodness for the body lift. I will be extending the steering shaft and using a flex joint on top of that to make sure there isn't any unnecessary stress on the steering components. I don't really care to use a spacer for the steering anymore as that option just seems like a temporary fix to me.

Let's see, the exhaust will be a simple matter. I'm going to have some flanges cut at the same time I have engine mounting plates water cut. I just plan on using my two long straight through 2" titanium mufflers with baffling in them. I guarantee you haven't a clue about what I really have in mind. The exhaust system will be unique, no doubt about that. I can't wait.

Power steering lines will be nearly last on the list... and AC lines will be the next last thing, heh. The can of paint that I used for the engine bay was supposed to be black but sprayed grey. I always thought that was kind of funny and come to find out that someone must have switched the caps on the can I bought! So my second can of paint was actually black so I'll have to go over the whole engine bay again which won't take long.

That's about all I can think of right now.

[Smithers]

Today we were on a mission. My neighbor Charlie wanted to join in on all this fun I was having so we went to it. We made a whole lot of progress since I was able to fit all the steel plates I cut out while he prepped for welding. It just made things go that much faster. With his help I was able to attack all sorts of stressed body panels all around the front of the truck. There were a few random cracks and also body joints that had pulled apart from previous off-road beatings. This truck has seen more vigorous off-highway action then almost any other street legal Tacoma (besides some TTORA members of course cause those guys wheel every weekend they can it seems).

So anyway getting back to the business:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_20.jpg

[Smithers]

I can't WAIT to see how those headers will look by just looking under each fender from standing next to the truck. It's going to look so trick. People would just check out the grey 3RZ headers and be impressed. Now I'm going to have to keep those SS headers clean. I almost have a hard time calling them headers. I should probably be calling them shorty headers...

So anyhow I bought two cans of black Hammerite paint for the engine compartment. When I sprayed the first can out and then saw that is dried kinda dark grey (annoying) I was pretty bummed! It just didn't look right and I wanted to use the same paint on the shock towers and the frame. But since it wasn't truly black I've been racking my brain on what time of paint to try next. So get this. I break out the second can to finish up just a spot in one of the corners and it sprays BLACK! What the heck?! So today I just re-sprayed the whole engine compartment black with another coat. With the welding we did all around the engine bay it needed some touch ups anyways so it was a good thing to re-coat it and see it all in real black. Much better.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_21.jpg

[Smithers]

I want to get shot of what the shorty headers will look like from the side of the truck but this is the only pic I have right now from when I was doing some measurements while putting the V8 in the Tacoma. I'll get a better picture when I can.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_22.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok another day gone by. I got some news on the fuel line fittings. I wanted an AN style set of connectors to integrate the factory fuel line from the drivers side fender well to connect a stainless line over to the engine and over to a banjo fitting on the fuel regulator on the rail. Well they don't have "reverse flare" AN fittings that would mate with the stock threaded coupler. They offered to machine some for me but that's so much it's ridiculous: couple hundred. Next option? Take the factory Tacoma connector to the main feeding fuel line and also the Lexus banjo fitting side of the Lexus fuel line to NAPA Auto Parts so they can use those hose ends. Use them for what? So they can make me a new fuel line. Yep some Napa stores can do this for you. I want it about 5" longer than the factory Lexus line and of course withe Toyota Tacoma coupler end on it to connect to the Tacoma fuel line. I THINK that the Lexus fuel threaded coupler is the same size and pitch as my Tacoma but the one I happen to have is acting like it's stripped and I don't care to bother trying to make it work. I have the Tacoma fuel line and that threaded end can be used much easier.

So tomorrow I should have a much more cost effective fuel line than buying the cool looking stainless fuel line with AN fittings. I don't really care how it looks and factory looking black would be better IMO. What else today? I cleaned up the Tacoma bell housing nice and almost shiny. It was pretty black but wire or mag wheel Eagle cleaner works awesome for that kind of brake dust looking dirt.

[Smithers]

I was on hand to check out the waterjetting of my engine adapter today. Now that it's cut out it will be taken to the Bridgeport later this week for some counter-boring and cleaning up of the holes that were water cut. It's always impressive to see water and sand cut through steel so easily, so fast. It was pretty fun to watch the machine cut out this plate in less than a half hour. I am hoping that the other place will have time to machine it out in time for the weekend!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/icon_highfive.gif

And for your viewing pleasure - I shot a quick video of the waterjet cutting out the steel plate~! Not too many people have seen a waterjet in action and I had some requests so here it is:

ORnJrjPtIiE


http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_50.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok here we go again with the welder.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_51.jpg

I wanted to make sure that I would have room for the steering shaft while keeping the engine centered in the frame at the same time. I might have been able to clear the steering rod but with the collar clamping down on the splines rotating so close I just decided that I should take care of this while I was waiting on my adapter. I wanted to move the collar down further and away, while at the same time eliminating the extension block that I made when I made my body lift. It worked great but it just wasn't the best solution. Every single body lift mfg. includes an extension in the Tacoma body lift kits. But extending the shaft and using a nice flex joint is really the best way to take care of the business.

This new one I made is really strong as well. And without the long bolts (or additional bolts like popular body lift kits include) this is surely a better solution. I will feel much better floating over the woops in my truck with this solid steering connection. If you have a regular block of spool type extension I recommend using lock-tite, a lock nut and checking it everynow and then if you drive offroad. With this I will have no worries.

Check out my newly extended lower steering shaft. ;)
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_53.jpg

[Smithers]

Yesterday and today were really busy to say the least! Adapter = DONE. I picked it up later on yesterday and immediately made a B-Line straight to Powder Coat USA to have my friends process it with any possible parts that were also being coated. Luck was on my side as they were getting ready to shoot pearl black. Perfect! So this morning I had my adapter in my hot little hands all shiny and ready to work with. Finding the bolts took a few minutes and I had to grind the heads down a little to be nearly flush with the adapter. They adapter was counter bored a good amount but only so much just to be safe. I would rather have a stronger mounting surface and machine my bellhousing a little bit to allow for spacing for the bolt heads.

Have a look at my snazzy vertical mill being put to good use! I removed the most material for the pinion gear that protrudes out from the starter motor when it is engaged. I only wanted to remove a minimal amount just to make sure there wasn't much room for any dirt to drop down in the gaps. I have some ideas for ways to cover up these gaps in the future but that's the last thing on my list as of now.

Keep in mind that this is the BELLHOUSING for the W59 transmission. The starter on the 3RZ engine is located off to the side of the engine and here's a tip: the transmission output shaft isn't exactly the center of the bell housing "circle". It's not even a damn circle.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_55.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_59.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is a test fitting of the bell housing to the adapter to the engine. Absolutely perfect. The powder coating is a little overkill but they take care of me over there. ;) #1 customer

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_54.jpg

[Smithers]

Let's move on shall we? Time for engine mount fabrication fun time. I have my handy old engine mounts that make for some great templates for new engine plates. Made my life easy. And if you look closely I transfer punched the hole locations for some drilling. A little belt sanding and they are looking perfect.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_56.jpg

[Smithers]

More horizontal milling, my favorite thing. I started 3 stage drilling these holes and finished the rest 2 stage. If you just use one bit the hole won't be what it should and you'll have a lot of flaring out on the backside. Use 2 bits with holes this size or risk the bit grabbing at the end which is just a nightmare.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_57.jpg

Plates are all cut out and tomorrow the Sawzall is going to get a workout on the square tubing I have waiting. Then some welding and with that I'll have more stuff ready to have powder coated on Monday morning. Getting carried away with all this steel work, I want to start fabbin some roll cage materials but I must concentrate on the engine of course.

[Smithers]

Yay today was boring and involved a bunch of jumping up and down and all around the truck measuring 200 times. It took just as long to center the engine and transmission with proper clearance as it did to make my driver's side engine mount! Well not counting making the upper and lower mounting plate.

The tools of the trade:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_26.jpg

[Smithers]

Now with the engine SURELY centered in the engine bay I could begin the measuring and head scratching. There are even more exact marks on the tape that I placed on the center lines of the engine bay front and back. Using a jack under the transmission I got the tranny/engine assembly in at the angle that I think is just right. The engine is a little nose up as I like the transmission output shaft to not stress the universal joint with more of an angle than it has to. It's just right.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_27.jpg

[Smithers]

After a couple of minutes measuring with some aluminum angled strips I was able to translate the angles I needed right to the steel. The rectangle tubing makes it easy. I wish I had a bandsaw of some kind but a grinder with a cutting wheel worked nearly as quickly. After cutting a straight line the belt sander quickly makes the lines even more exact.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_31.jpg

The engine mount plate is removable still. There is a hole cut in the engine side mount plate that allows a socket extension to reach inside to connect the mount to the Toyota engine mount. I was able to keep the tubing just to the inside of the engine mount plate so that the engine bolts could be fastened. It was a little tricky and there is no way I could have described what I was about to do until I actually did it. I measured and cut the passenger side as well and tomorrow I'll tack weld it and see how the engine likes to sit in between them. Then I'll put take a look at the hood and make sure it shuts!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_29.jpg

[Smithers]

With how beefy the engine mounts came out that I made I really want to redo the factory Toyota Tacoma mounts. They look so flimsy and the factory bends just look like they are bent from me beating on it in the past. But they are aligned with the engine so they aren't bent. Sometime when I break out the chromoly tubing and get busy on the truck I'll redo the engine mounts with some poly engine mount pads instead of the stock rubber pads. By that time I'll probably want to make some changes anyway.

[Smithers]

And after all that work the steering shaft still is interfering with the headers. But I had to get the engine exactly where I want it before I could make any decisions on where to start cutting. The last thing I did was take the header to a friends little shop to see if he wanted to chip in with some header mods for me. We chopped the header end off right in front of the collector and tomorrow he'll bring me some radius'd cuts for me to tack weld where I want them in order for clearance. I'll be moving the flange in towards the engine obviously and extending the section between the collector and the flange. It's another half of a day but it will be done with plenty of clearance on all sides with no interference while under heavy use. The steering shaft is kinda important after all. :rolleyes:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_28.jpg

[Smithers]

Keeping in the tradition of posting everything I do everyday here are a couple pictures of the finished dimensions of the engine mounts. This morning I just had to adjust the passenger side pieces and tack them together. I then double checked everything and went ahead and welded them together, project overkill style. The ears that these mount to on the frame will surely fold or crumble way before these will show any signs of fatigue.

The confusing angle :D
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_61.jpg

[Smithers]

The Toyota 3RZ engine mounts that you see here have more rubber than I would prefer but hey, they were free and I'm not feeling like re-inventing the wheel for the sake of time. Looking at what the Toyota mounts sit on makes me want to redo the whole front end right now. But forget that I just want the engine running for now. Gotta know when to say when.

My 3RZ mounts are probably 3 years old and are half worn out I would think. Like I said before I made these mounts strong and easily adaptable to flat poly pads that I can mount on new frame mounts when the time comes. These are angled and cut down to the absolute perfect size that I need to keep the engine exactly where I want it at the exact angle. It took me longer to get the engine to sit where I wanted it than it did to cut and tac weld these mounts. I measure many times as I want the 1UZ engine and W59 transmission to sit exactly where I'm putting it.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_60.jpg

Notching the parts that you are making allows you to stack them together where you measured them in the first place. This way the pieces on both sides will all "sit" together in place with just the weight of the engine. It was kind of funny but I made two tac welds to the drivers side mount and on the other side the engines weight simply sandwiched the notched parts together. I then let down the whole engine (bolted to the transmission obviously) on the mounts to double check that it would compress the 3RZ rubber mounts to the height that I wanted. With the whole weight of the engine then resting on the mounts I confirmed that the engine was level and not leaning towards one side. After that, tac weld it a couple times and remove for the finishing touches.

[Smithers]

As soon as the welding was done I cut out a couple of holes in the upper side of the engine mount that would allow a socket and extension access to the one nut that holds my new creation onto the factory 3RZ rubber mount. The hole is in the middle of the top plate that faces the engine. It has not structural role and can't be seen once the mount is bolted to the engine. This lets me separate the new mount I made from the 3RZ rubber mount. I removed the rubber mounts and welded up the pieces then left as fast as I could to have them powdercoated black. I'll be picking them up in the morning and placing the engine in the truck to measure my power steering hydraulic lines that I'll have made asap.

So tomorrow:


Pick up coated mounts
Insert 1UZ into Tacoma
Measure powersteering lines to be made
Fit header (now cut off) and 3" tubing pieces to fit and tac weld around steering shaft
Have buddy weld the stainless header mods up
Get in some quality time and come up with final solution for transmission mount

[Smithers]

Ahh the transmission mount. All of you Tacoma guys are going to be so jealous of the height of the transmission in relation to the frame. :) You know how the transfer case and crossmember hangs down? Well my tranny now mounts much higher than that so I can basically cut off the ears that protrude from the frame that the crossmember bolts to.

You know, these things to the left and right in this picture:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_33.jpg

Those ears coming out from the frame look so ugly. I could leave them there and make a couple of plates to bolt on the front and back in order to hold the cross member directly on top of it. But what do you think of that? Yeah it's a quick fix and I can just leave it be just for the time being. I want to make a new cross member so badly but that would take a whole day to do it like I want. Ahhhhhh I can't say if I'll do it or not right now. I know, I could EASILY cut them from the bottom of the frame and just trim them allowing me to move them upward in between the frame rails. Alright! Done deal. I can have that done tomorrow.

Here is the trans/transfer case mounted where they are going to stay:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_12.jpg

[Smithers]

Is it going in or out? Make up your mind already!! So much fun I don't even care. I'm focused on finishing so much I forget just how much fun it will be once it's done. =D

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/captain_1uz.jpg

[Smithers]

Reading my todo list yesterday everyone probably thinks I'm on crack to think I was going to get that much stuff done. I got close, even though I'm sick. :(

First up today I ran to go pick up my engine mounts from the coating company:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_32.jpg

Those bolt holes are really close to the square tubing but I ground down the welds to allow for installation of course:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_33.jpg

[Smithers]

The next good deed on the list was to go cut out my header flange that I cut off from the collector so that I could make some room around the steering shaft. The cut after the collector left a hole 3" in diameter. I put a 2 1/2" tube up to the collector and that didn't come close to filling the hole. So I grabbed a 3" piece of stainless and bingo! 3" exhaust it is!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_35.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_36.jpg

[Smithers]

Now to cut a hole in the flange so that I could slip the tube inside of it and weld it. The flanges are so big they are big enough to accommodate luckily. Just to humor a friend of mine at a shop I used his 3" hole saw that he showed to me. I laughed and decided to waste some time just trying it for fun. It was a joke. That steel is SO damn tough. For such cheap eBay headers they sure are strong!! The company that sold them to me really was blowing them out. These are really high quality headers. Yeah the collector isn't the most accurate piece ever made but the welds are amazing and they are true stainless steel with super thick and strong steel flanges.

Just for fun here is a video clip of the feeble attempt at cutting this flange with the hole saw. =] Smokey!

GksexIVmJdk

The hole saw started to smoke instantly even when I shot some lubricant at it to help:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_37.jpg

[Smithers]

I probably spent 10 minutes going at it just to see what it would do. I barely was able to score a ring around the cut. There was not any cutting going on at all. It's nice to think that this would have worked though. Ain't happenin though!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_38.jpg

[Smithers]

So time to quit playing around. I grabbed the plasma cutter and let it loose on this flange. The stainless wouldn't cut at all of course but it provided a nice guide for me to follow all around the perimeter. The stainless did heat up and just turn into molton steel which dripped off as I cut around it. Watch those toes! That stuff was dripping off a little hotter than a wax candle that's for sure.

It looks like a piece of junk but trust me, it's cleans up really nice!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_39.jpg

And VioLa!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_40.jpg

[Smithers]

Here we have a picture showing the 3" tubing which fit perfectly inside the opening just after the collector on the header:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_46.jpg

Just one problem... not I have to do the other side to match! :mad: PITA
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_44.jpg

[Smithers]

While I was playing around in the steel shop I decided to chop a couple pieces of rectangular tubing for my transmission mounts. Here you can see my guide that I put down long ways down the side of the tubing to run the plasma torch on top of. This allows me to make a perfect line right down the steel.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_41.jpg

Plasma cutters are one of the most amazingly convenient tools. Just got to wear eye protection and stand back from the fireworks as best as you can.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_42.jpg

[Smithers]

And the last dirty deed I did today was the last of the house cleaning inside the engine bay. I just had to degrease some more and unbolt some of the lines. I also have been annoyed by slag that was clinging to some of the metal around the compartment from the Toyota factory. The grinder mopped up the random slag nice and smooth. Then I went ahead a took advantage of the warm sun by painting the whole thing.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_48.jpg

Tomorrow the whole thing will be dried and ready for me to lower the engine in. I can then make the final measurements and fit and tack the tubing for the headers. With the headers and engine mounts & painting down I can start working on the smaller items on the engine swap list.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_47.jpg

[Smithers]

I've been really sick so I'm moving a bit slower right now.Thank goodness my friends have as much enthusiasm as I do about this project. Here is a donation from a good friend of mine's racing trailer.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_49.jpg

One of them even has the correct bearing I need... but it's a little crusty so I am surely ordering a new one tomorrow. I would rather have to buy a bearing than the whole thing. What was also encouraging is that the pilot bearing in my 3RZ seems to be the exact size as the ID of the crank's output shaft. I'm going to pull it out of there tomorrow when I go snag a friends bearing puller. Or maybe I can just go buy one faster and save the swearing I would be doing otherwise.

Looking forward to have this part over and done with. It's going along pretty smoothly.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_53.jpg

The QMI is a more expensive hydraulic throwout bearing. I'm not exactly sure why but I am very happy to have the ability to service the bearing rollers so easily with it's features. You can also change out the bearing and the diameter of the parts as well. But if you really want one for less money here is a great alternative that people have been very happy with: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=HRE-82870

I don't see how you can go wrong with the Howe hydraulic throwout bearing. And for half the price I surely would have been using one if I didn't have friends chipping in with the QMI unit.

[Smithers]

For those of you who want to see what the backside of this hydraulic throwout bearing looks like. It indexes on the pivot for the clutch fork that is there from the factory. Install a shiny new bearuing, hook up the hydraulic lines and I'll be in business.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_54.jpg

[Smithers]

I'm also going to have a friend flare out some 2.5" tubing for the collector on the header. 3" is a little nuts and I'm not building a drag truck. It would just cost me more money to run the larger stuff and who knows the result.. 2.5" will be perfect. I'll also be switching to a more standard flange that I can just buy a whole set for under $20. I'm done messing around with these whacky custom flanges.

[Smithers]

Feeling much better today, not fully 100% but well enough to get a lot done on the truck. I want and took the throwout bearing out of the Quarter Master Inc. unit (QMI for short). The bearing has a service hole in it so you can put a red tube from a spray can in the hole and spray solvent. I used BrakeClean spray to rinse it out and then I packed lithium synthetic grease in and out of the bearing. It spins like near new and the cleaning saved me from buying another spendy bearing.

Then I went to work to button up the steering shaft. I'm not going to use more than one universal joint like some others have suggested to circumvent the header. They are really expensive and not the proper way to take care of the fitment issues. I extended the shaft a bit to compensate for the body lift as I mentioned before. Here I shaved it down and welded a section of tube to it for an extension.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_58.jpg

[Smithers]

As you can see it's hard to make certain that the shaft is centered in the extension just by looking at it. So I put it in the vise so that I could have a better reference point to check the alignment. The picture simply shows a better line to align the shaft before I welded it. I used a screwdriver to wedge in there to adjust the shaft straight.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_59.jpg

So then I cleaned and prepped the universal extension and connecting piece for the steering. Everything welded up just fine. I just tacked the shaft extension on the top side so that I could drive it to test if the steering wheel goes straight. The steering wheel connects with a spline but it's not fine enough to make slight adjustments to the steering wheel position. By testing out the alignment before fully welding it I can get it exact.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_57.jpg

[Smithers]

Now for the pilot bearing. I was very happy to find that the pilot bearing straight from my 3RZ engine fits right into the 1UZ! How cool is that? I was lucky enough to locate a Snap-On brand bearing puller and it worked very quickly. The bearing popped right in and I could move on.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_60.jpg


Moving on to the flywheel and clutch here is a picture of things fitted together. The ring gear is recessed behind my adapter just a little so this gives me the impression that I will have to machine down the bellhousing so that the transmission shaft will reach the pilot bearing appropriately.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_55.jpg

[Smithers]

I jumped in the engine bay of the Tacoma with the flywheel/ clutch assembly to install on the transmission shaft. I put the QMI throwout in there and then the assembly. This clearly shows that the starter gear will be recessed which means the bellhousing will have to be shortened to match. I won't be able to just machine the engine side of the bellhousing. Seeing the difference in depth, I'll have to remove some material from the transmission side of the bellhousing as well.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_56.jpg

Comparing the 4 cyl engine and the 8 I see that the 4 cyl flywheel protrudes out slightly further than the 8. Great that means even more material I'll need to remove from the bellhousing. Although I will just have to get close, I'll still be putting the housing on the mill tomorrow and spending some quality time.

[Smithers]

The engine bay awaiting the 1UZ. The engine mounts are in place and the paint is dry.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_64.jpg

[Smithers]

Ahhh it's nice to see the engine mounts in and working like advertised. All the measuring and pulling hair out paid off. I seem to have a ton of space where the oil filter is located. I'm hoping that I won't have to use the adapter for the oil filter location. Here in this picture we you can also see how much of a "S" shaped bend I'll have to cut and weld onto the header collector. I got a piece of stainless steel flared out a little at a muffler shop so that I can put it in the collector and just form the surround steel to get a good union between the two.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_62.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_64.jpg

[Smithers]

The transmission is in the perfect place, just where I wanted it. I will remove the measured material I have in mine from the bellhouseing which will, in turn, cause the transmission to move forward just enough to line up with the transmission mount. This is a picture of the mount as it sits right now. Then engine is in and once the bellhousing is modified then the transmissions own mount will simply fall into place.

Measure 10 time and cut once. :D
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_61.jpg

[Smithers]

Feeling 90% today. I had to tend to some work this morning but was able to get away at noon to keep the ball rolling on the truck fabrication. I knew the exhaust would be a pain in the butt and I was correct. The headers the I bought we so cheap I am still just so thankful to have them. Cutting them at the collector and replacing the 2.25" with 2.5" is definitely the way to go! What a big difference. I HAD to cut the drivers side to put in a couple bends to get it to clear the steering shaft. That was a tricky little devil but I got it spot on. It was really difficult to arrange and cut the pipe bends to make them mate to give me the exact result I had in my head. Not for rookies that's for sure. I'm sure you have to be somewhat artistically minded as well.

Here is one side all done and ready to race. I got the tip to come up perfectly up through the hood Jesse James style.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_66.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok I'm kidding that is the drivers side header turned upside down. But it's fun to look at it oriented like that. :D Here is how it actually will be positioned right side up on the drivers side. Boy and I glad to have it done. It was stressful since I had to cut and tac weld it then take it to my neighbors. Then I cut out the second bent tube and tacked it on and had to take it back to my house then install and make sure it was positioned just how it had to fit. But as you can see it sure bends in quickly right after the header to hug the engine and clear that steering shaft.

Mission complete:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_68.jpg

[Smithers]

Here we are up close so you can see how I modded mine. I cut the collector to open up a nearly 3" hole. Then I took a short piece of tube that I bent a little to give me the first curve. Then I tacked it in there and heated up the surrounding collector with a torch and molded it to the tubing with a hammer while it was red hot. Then I finished the tig welding. Then the second piece I added went a little smoother since they were from the same piece of stock. Tomorrow if I feel like a perfectionist I can polish out that stainless to match the rest.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_65.jpg

[Smithers]

To make the other side match I cut the collector to open it up. Then tomorrow I'll install it on the engine and find out exactly what angle I want to weld in the tubing. It would clear before I chopped it but I'll angle it down a little more just to make it symmetrical to the driver's side and when I weld in the new piece it will be angled down straight instead of angled out like it was.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_69.jpg

I also picked up a couple bungs to reposition the O2 sensors if I want. The headers I hace locate it right at the collector which might be the correct location but I am not sure about it being mounted from the bottom. I'll have to read the Innovate wideband sensor install guide that I have. I thought the O2 should be located a couple inches down the line but I might be wrong.

[Smithers]

And on with the show! http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/icon_popcorn.gif

Another half day worth of exhaust fab, crossmember creating and and stressful tig welding. I'm pretty tired. Nothing like doing some metal work and then taking the engine in and out of a truck in the middle of it all. We are insane for doing such things and calling it fun. I'm going to skip the X pipe altogether and just run the exhaust back another 2ft to a muffler on each side. I have a very strong feeling that I'll be lengthening the exhaust once I change the cab supports in the near future. I don't even want to spend the time right now if I'm just going to change things later on.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_70.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the progress I got done on my bellhousing today. The 1uz-fe is getting that much closer to operating status in the Tacoma. It's close...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_15.jpg

Tomorrow after I get my cutters sharpened on my fly cutter I'll finish milling the surfaces and they will be welded back together if everything goes as planned. I almost finished removing the stock but my cutters just wouldn't last for the duration. Maybe if I had a nice powerfeed Bridgeport they would have made it but my poor little Enco just can't hack it for that long. I've surely saved myself so much money by making things on my own that I've paid for that machine a few times already. Plus I got the Enco verticle mill for a bargain from a friend. Moving the thing was basically part of the deal! hehe. You can't just go and move one of those things! You have to have some heady equipment to load and haul it away.

[Smithers]

Here is a picture I took after I vacuumed up the mess it made. I also removed the cutters as I have to take them in to have them sharpened first thing in the morning.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_06.jpg

Here is the engine deck plate all machined super flat. Just need to bevel the edges of it for welding stock to fill and it will be stronger than the day it was cast, seriously. I have the help of some serious welding wizards that will be using a couple different welders to ensure a super strong junction. Plus with the material removed it will be even more stout than factory.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_07.jpg

To continue on I went and grabbed a roughing endmill to finish removing the desired material. It wasn't as fast but it worked better and was more controlled. If I had turned up the speed it would have went faster but I just didn't want to spend the time to change the belts. Here is a video showing the machine in action finishing up the bell end.

4YTsxCmGMLg

[Smithers]

Making more progress. My new modded bellhousing is looking very very strong with the welding we've been doing on it. The water cooling line in the Miller got punctured so my friend welding it up couldn't hold onto the torch anymore. Hopefully soon we'll get a new line and finish it up on the inside and around the outside. After a few tack welds I drove back to install it on the engine/trans just to check the pilot bearing clearance and it is RIGHT on. I measured enough times so I expected it!

Click on the "I AGREE" to watch a short video of the welding in progress:
oLJS9_t7nB4


Making the Magic happen:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_19.jpg

It's pretty fun using all these tools I've been collecting as well as my friends welders. As long as I'm not on some production line! It get's old once you do it for the 3rd time. ;) It's going to be hard to sleep tonight. I will be making some major progress this weekend now that this will be all done.

[SuperRunner]

So are you using the adapter flange, or the welded bellhousing?

BTY, looks good.

[Smithers]

Hey good to hear from ya. I'm using both my adapter which allows them to bolt up. Then I had to shorten the bellhousing to get the transmission shaft to mate properly into the pilot bearing of the engine. It's perfect as far as I can tell so far. The new part for the Dynasty 200 Miller machine will be here tomorrow supposedly. So I crossing my finger that the we'll be able to finish up the welding this weekend. I have plenty to do in the meantime but it would love to start installing the radiator.

I have a couple racing steel bellhousings to use for material and I can easily make a jig to fab a steel bellhousing. I don't think I'll need to since the aluminum should be strong enough IMO. But it's an option. Looking back at the whole process I would have built a steel one if I had to do it all over again.

Time for sleeeeep. I need to start dragging out the wiring components. I think I'll be starting on that this weekend.

[Smithers]

So waiting for some parts for the welder left me with some time to button up the interior. It's nice to have it all together and over with now. No more stray parts inside. I'm on my way to having a totally rejuvenated truck inside and out.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_interior_34.jpg

I'm most happy with how the instrument cluster came out. It was really really dirty before and the plastic casing was scratched from cleaning it. Now it's nearly new after taking it completely apart and polishing it clear again.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_interior_33.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the welding setup. The cart they made for it is awesome. The wheels just need to be swapped out for some that are a little more heavy duty. There are some great ideas built into this thing though.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_21.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok since I had to do a lot of boring things today and yesterday I thought I would at least do something fun and locate and prep some goodies I've been keeping in boxes. Well first I'll show the boring stuff. Cleaning up some dirty scum from under the hood. Since the paint looks so good now I have to clean all the brackets, hoses and wires.

Before:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_63.jpg

[Smithers]

With a little elbow grease, some degreaser and wet/dry sandpaper for the hoses... here is the after:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_62.jpg

And that heater hose was SOLID dirt and nasty. Nothing less than sand paper would remove that dried up mud coating.

[Smithers]

And now the fun stuff. Here is the Adaptronic ecu and wiring harness and something else all in a box. It's all been hidden away for months waiting for me to get around to it. I can't wait to wire this baby up.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_64.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the Innovate Wideband o2 system. This will surely help the Adaptronic controller really get a good reading on how well the engine is being tuned. I would never run the 1UZFE engine with any mods, let alone an aftermarket EMS, without a wideband monitor of some sort. Your engine will thank you.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_66.jpg

[Smithers]

And finally here are some gauges I keep wondering if I should put in the cab. I had to save a lot of weekend job money to buy these back when I was a kid. I made a nice little aluminum panel out of a sign to fit in front of the instrument cluster in my 88 RX-7 turbo. Ahhh that car ripped. Yeah I need to start thinking up where I can fit these in without them being annoying. I won't be using a big panel for switches though. I might use a couple underneath though.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_65.jpg

[Smithers]

A little about the power steering adapting to make the 1UZ-FE power steering pump work the Tacoma rack. I have been given the tip that the pump will work correctly but I need to extend the power steering lines to reach. The Lexus pump is on the right side of the truck and the Tacoma power steering rack is located down on the left side. I was getting a fitting from the back of Carquest yesterday and I saw that they had all of the hydraulic fittings and hoses you could ever need. So later this week they will take care of that for me. It's pretty simple so they'll be able to do it while I wait... or maybe they will just make me do it myself. :)Either way it won't be as much of an issue as I was thinking it would be.

I was told that the V6 Tacomas have the longer power steering lines that would hook up the Lexus pump but it will be cheaper and a lot faster for me to just have them extended.

A local friend of mine is putting a 1UZ into his friends 96 4Runner. I went to visit him and see what he's doing for the steering. That older truck has the torsion front suspension and those have the power steering box on the right side whereas the newer ones and Tacomas have a rack/pinion with the lines connecting on the left side. So he basically had to go from the right side of his engine straight down to the box which was a really short distance.

[Smithers]

Yesterday I was able to track down some 3/16 nuts to put on my 1/8" clutch hard line. By doing this I'll cut off the metric nut and make it standard. That way I can simply use my steel braided standard line to connect it up to the Quarter Master hydraulic throwout bearing. The progress has been slow but sure in these last couple of days.

[Smithers]

The work has been slow but steady. Special tool after special tool I have to go borrow. Here is the whole thing all together. I don't recommend going this route to anyone thinking of using this engine and transmission combo. It was much more work than would have been needed for building a steel bellhousing.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_67.jpg

[Smithers]

Fitting 'er up.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_68.jpg

[Smithers]

There was plenty of space when I test fitted the clutch and flywheel combo in the Tacoma. Since the housing was shortened I was a little nervous about clearance but it's all good. The flywheel won't even fit this far back and the starter pinion will have enough space with the notch I machined into the top of it.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_69.jpg

[Smithers]

I have the flywheel and the clutch connected to the engine but I can't put the thing together permanently until the I connect the hydraulic throwout. What a PITA. Going from Metric to Standard is very difficult. I finally cut off the metric nipple from the Tacoma and tracked down a flaring tool so I could attach my own 3/16 fitting. THEN I had to go rummage around my friends race trailer and spend some quality time searching for the combination of fittings I needed to go from that size to 1/4" AN fitting to connect to the Quarter Master throwout mechanism. This was not fun at all. Here is what you can look forward to:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_71.jpg

I'm sure you can just buy a braided line with a metric female and a male end on the other side, maybe if anyone makes them. A custom one will be even more $$. It would be nice to have a single line but what I have put together will work just the same and let me move on with the swap.

[Smithers]

Tomorrow the engine and trans will be together for the final assembly. I'm short on 17mm/12mm thread engine bolts. Then I'll pressurize the clutch and see how it feels. I'm definitely ready to move on with something more interesting... like assembling the intake or doing some wiring... anything.

I also scored a Sirius reciever unit to use in the truck as well. I've always wanted one and a friend of mine offered to trade me his Sirius thingy for my GPS unit. It's funny because I was wanting a new GPS to put in my truck to use for the speed indicator function. I would like to integrate it somewhere in the dash so that I can see how fast I'm going on the freeway and such. I just was bummed because I already have a GPS and I would hate to have two. So problem solved. I couldn't be happier. And it comes with a subscription... how long? We don't know. He got it with a new truck he bought and it just keeps on playing. If it just works forever then I really got a good deal.

Someday when my truck is running I can actually move on to a rollcage through the cab which will also serve as a base for my seats and stereo system in the back. I HOPE to be doing this in the next month. For now have a look at this sweet black dragon of a Trans-Am that I saw the other morning near my house:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/auto_transam_01.jpg

[Smithers]

Ahhh it's so annoying working out all the details now. I had to cut down some of the longer metric transmission bolts to use and then go dig up some additional bolts for some other things that I didn't have enough of. Luckily I was able go to a buddies shop and go through the buckets of metric bolts he saves. At least I'll have every single bolt correct and each will be stamped with the corresponding number for each hole that it is for. That makes engine work really quick when swapping out clutches or servicing the transmission or anything.

The throwout is looking good as well. Now I have the hydraulic bearing adapted and ready for duty. With that out of the way and a complete set of engine and transmission bolts I'm actually ready to move forward finally. Like I said the details are a time killer.

[Smithers]

This afternoon I had to take care of even more details before putting the engine in, hopefully for the last time. I had to track down the hose that is used for the front differential vent. Then I had to tighten down the clamps to hold some solid lines in place around the engine compartment. With those things done I set the engine in and the transmission mated right up without much hassle.

I'm now just stressing over the power steering lines. I remember trying to get those off and they are on EXTREMELY tight. I don't know why that much force would be needed to assemble them but they really hammered them tight. I even used a bar for leverage on the line wrenches and still nothing was going to come loose. Maybe I can get more leverage from below? I don't know but I'll have to focus on this tomorrow. I'm going to start researching if it would be possible to install the clamps to extend them without removing them from the truck. I'm not really looking forward to it but my friends at Paso Carquest will help me out.

[Smithers]

I'm basically just trying to locate a power steering high pressure line for a 5vz V6 Tacoma engine. These engines have the power steering pump on the passenger side just like the Lexus and it should fit right on. Of course the Tacoma 3RZ is on the drivers side with a much shorter line.

I have someone I can talk to about splicing my line to make it longer but that won't be until tomorrow. I am looking around to buy a used line in the meantime. Then I can move on to the radiator fitting.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzinstall_01.jpg

[Smithers]

First the engine and then the rest...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/fwf_2uztaco.jpg

[Smithers]

Well scratch the idea for buying a used line. I missed out on a Craigslist line for $20. The posting expired!
Lesson for the day: If you see something you might want on Craigslist write down the contact info immediately. If you just save the link it will probably expire when you come back to it later on. And Google doesn't cache the Craigslist ads anymore so there will be no history of it.

It's a complete waste of time to go looking around a selvage yard for a line that they will probably want $100 for. At least around here that's their attitude. They always want way too much. Napa and Carquest etc. they don't want to do anything that they can't just put an adapter on. It seems that they can't even touch metric hose or line ends so that didn't work out.

So I contacted a racing buddy who turned me in the direction of a business called American Hose in Santa Maria CA. These guys know what they are doing. I made the trip there and he looked at it, gave me a price of $50 and I said, "make it so!".

Check out the end result!!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_steering_01.jpg

[Smithers]

The cool thing about American Hose is that the owner didn't make it sound like some big smoke and mirrors Special OP. He didn't make an appointment, he didn't tell me it would take a week. He just walked in the back and started working. Jim was also kind enough to allow me to come back and watch the magic happen. He simply cut off the hard lines from the factory compression fittings and then brought out some standard couplers to silver solder/weld them onto. After a little cleaning and prep he brought out the torch and made it happen. He even showed me different hoses and showed me some blue hose that he offered at 3x the price while he laughed. I said, "hmmmm no black is just fine by me!". I guess some people like to use blue for some reason. I don't want to be that Fast and Furious.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_steering_02.jpg

Now if for some reason the line gets punctured I can just replace the hose with a standard high pressure hose that I can find anywhere. I am extremely happy with the result. Nice and clean looking as well.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_steering_03.jpg

[Smithers]

It was a fun experience learning so much about high pressure lines for power steering units. Especially adapting the fancy Tacoma pressure fittings to regular style fittings in order to use standard high pressure hoses you can buy off the shelf at any tractor or equipment business. The owner of American Hose explained all the high pressure numbers for different hydraulic systems and showed me all sorts of fancy high dollar hydraulic lines he has made for some very expensive industrial and agricultural machines. Pretty cool stuff.

So once I took care of the Tacoma power steering problem... I then headed over to Harbor Freight to go on a quick shopping spree.

[Smithers]

A lot of the things that I typically use were on sale so that was nice. You can't have enough C-clamps when your doing your metal fab and welding! They practically were giving these things away today. Also picked up a few packs of heat shrink for when I start working on the new engine electrical harness. Fuses - why pay $5 for a 5 pack when Harbor has them for $3 for a whole assorted box. JB Weld... heh that stuff works awesome! Don't kid yourself. I finally used the last of my super old tubes so I needed to grab a new package.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_tools.jpg

[Smithers]

Nothing like some coffee and some Sawzall in the morning.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_73.jpg

[Smithers]

It might not look like it but I got a lot done today. I had to work on the water line passages such as deleting the routing that goes through the throttle body for preheating. The heater hoses are also important to me. Staying warm while traveling up through the snow and mountains is key. I was able to go through the Carquest inventory and pick out some hoses that are perfectly formed to go right where I need em to. Besides that I made a couple plates to block off some other vacuum and exhaust holes/passageways. The Adaptronic doesn't need much. Basically the ISC and atmostpheric vaccuum lines are the only things that I need to preserve. It's basically all sorted out now. It's just easier to do it with the upper manifold loose.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_74.jpg

Tomorrow I'll be assembling the engines front pulleys, belts and beauty panels. It's going to look completely different very soon. The radiator will also go right in. I need to swap the fan over to the front to push the air now that there isn't enough room for the puller fan. Although I need to look closer at this since I have been tempted to build out the front just a bit while at the same time bracing it since it's not too rigid from the factory at all. We'll see.

[Smithers]

ALrighty, another day. Time to get to work. I picked up some new hoses to hook up the heater. I had a couple that were close but I know they would just crimp once they heated up with coolant. Since I picked them out of the Carquest inventory I thought I would post a picture of the part number for those who are thinking of doing the same. They are made by Gates.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_78.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_92.jpg

[Smithers]

Basically today was the final fitting of the upper intake manifold and some other stuff. Before you slap on that upper make sure and put the cold start injector back in. I doubt I'll be hooking this up but you have to plug the hole and you have to plug the fuel line that feeds it so I'm putting it back in.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_81.jpg

[Smithers]

Time to go back over every nut and bolt to make sure that there is nothing I'm forgetting. Note the piece of tape is exactly the center of the truck. ;)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_79.jpg

Also it's time to put the crank pulley on and also the plastic covers that protect the timing belt and pulleys.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_77.jpg

[Smithers]

In the interest of making SURE that no sand or dirt gets by the timing belt covers I completely stripped the plastic covers of all the rubber trim. The trim is probably nice and soft from the factory so they didn't need to use any type of sealer to make them close off the seams. But nowadays the rubber gets a little hard so I put gasket sealer around all the plastic guards once I cleaned them. Then I put the rubber seals back around them and to make them stay in place while the FIPK / RTV Black dried I cut off a couple pieces of regular wire to wrap them up. This worked perfectly and after a couple hours they were nice and tight and ready to defend the engine from sand.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_75.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_76.jpg

[Smithers]

Now a big issue with the 1UZ-FE engine is that they use a special hydraulic pump that is located on the front of the engine in the bracket/pulley that you see on the driver side. In my pictures I already am showing the dummy idler that replaces the Lexus hydraulic pump. The Lexus pump only works with the Lexus power steering as it's quite complicated. So you need to get a dummy idler from a Toyota Sequioa or Tundra 2UZ engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_84.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_85.jpg

[Smithers]

Now here's where the only differences come into view. Looking a little closer you can see the slightly wider mouth of the 2UZ edge. If you machine (cut) it off at the end it wouldn't even matter but as it is the plastic front engine covers won't fit as nicely. If you just left it loose and not tight fitting you might get some dirt in there in the long run but it's not a big problem, I recommend cutting the covers to make em fit snug, no big deal.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_86.jpg

I almost went and trimmed them down but I took a look through my spare parts to find the correct idler pulley.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_83.jpg

[Smithers]

Now for the fun part... assembling the whole harness for the spark plug wires. It's a serious job as they fit together in a special configuration that must be done correctly. I'll show a diagram for the spark plug wires below.

Here we go. Some fresh plug wires coming right up.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_82.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok here is the configuration for the 1UZ-FE spark plug wires. It's easy to follow but boy if you don't have a diagram to follow it's IMPOSSIBLE.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_93.jpg

And here I have 3 sets of wires I'm playing with. I had to find the better of the two sets of plastic parts that are used to hold the wires in place on top of the engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_80.jpg

[Smithers]

And prepping the coils for installation. These go on towards the end once you have the plugs installed and plugged into the distributor. But for now I located them and cleaned them up and put them in their powder coated brackets. I clean and coat everything mainly for corrosion resistance. I make sure and paint or spray WD-40 type oil on things as they will last much longer and when I go back to work on the engine everything will come apart much easier.

These brackets and coils were so corroded when I got them it was crazy. They looked like they were rusted together, ok they basically were. Now they are coated and will never look so bad again.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_87.jpg

[Smithers]

And finally I'm pretty excited to be finally assembling things. It actually looks like a finished engine almost. I wanted to take some pictures without the plug wire covers just to show how neatly tucked in they have it engineered. Pretty neat but it's harder on the wires. More heat is retained under the covers than I prefer but it's not that big of a deal to me since my engine will have much more air flowing under the hood than any Lexus car.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_88.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_89.jpg

[Smithers]

And a picture standing back a bit. It's actually feeling much closer to firing it up now.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_90.jpg

[Smithers]

Tomorrow I'll be finishing up the engine covers then loosely fitting the AC and power steering units on the engine.


The power steering lines will be routed and connected
The vacuum lines and evap box
Then pumping up the hydraulic throwout since I will be picking up fluid for it in the morning
Then on to the wiring harness!! :eek:
And finally the radiator will need to be fitted.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_91.jpg

[Smithers]

So where did I leave off? Ahh yes the water lines. You see on this 1UZ-FE engine they routed some simple water lines that go from one side of the rear water bridge all around the engine and then back into the other side of the water bridge. It's that simple. The coolant isn't necessarily pushed through these lines by a pump but the flow of the whole system just circulates it nonetheless.

The rear waterbridge between both banks of cylinders. Two large nipples for the heater core and two small ones that make the lap around the intake manifold for emissions controls.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_94.jpg

I'll just start from left to right with the flow of this water circuit. The water goes from the rear water bridge to the EGR and smog air outlet on the intake manifold. It merely passes through the air outlet as to bring it up to temperature quicker. By design all of the EGR system is brought up to operating temp as fast as possible to be effective as quickly as possible. So the coolant goes through the U.S. spec intake manifold EGR passageway and then on to the Idle Speed Control Valve or ISCV. This is so that the ISCV is warmed up quickly so that the engine runs properly as quickly as possible. If you happen to leave the hood up in a blizzard this would also help thaw out the ISCV upon firing up the engine. :p

Here is the Idle Speed Control Valve - and the 3 obvious water lines:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_95.jpg

Then the coolant goes to the throttle body for much of the same reasons that I just listed for the ISCV. The biggest problem I have with this whole route for the coolant is that the throttle body is heated up to be much warmer than we want. Of course we want the air going into the engine to be as cool as possible to we will not be allowing coolant to complete this circuit. It would normally go through the throttle body and then complete it's journey to the left side of the rear water bridge.

Of the two coolant nipples exiting the water bridge I blocked off the one on the left of the engine. The one of the right I will connect with a coolant line that will go to the ISCV and then to the front water neck. Oh did I mention that there is also a short water coolant line from the front water neck (that contains the thermostat) to the ISCV? So that will work perfect. I don't mind running coolant to the ISCV. I want my idle working perfectly so if the engineers at Lexus decided that it would be good to preheat the ISCV then I'm on their side on this one. Maybe it works better when it's warm. ;) That also makes it easy on me. Blocking off the rear water bridge hose connections is a pain in the butt. I tapped and drilled the left side one but I would rather not do this to both of them. What happens when I put a Turbo on my engine and I need a coolant line? :D So I'll leave the right side one alone and hook it to the ISCV and then have it exit to the water neck. This also makes it easier at the front of the engine since I only have to block one of the coolant lines on the ISCV - instead of 3. I'll put a bolt in the one I want to block off and then weld it in there carefully. Ok that's all done.

[Smithers]

I also had to block off my EGR passageways. I had been putting this off because I wanted to make some nice little plates to do this. But I'm growing impatient and I don't want to spend a whole day making some trick plates. I just grabbed the parts and welded them shut then put RTV Black on the inside and out. The welding really shut them down and the RTV Black takes care of any dumb little pinholes and makes em look nice. Then I painted them but this picture was taken before that. Heck, it will work. The little one goes on the back of the intake manifold of course.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_96.jpg

[Smithers]

Let's move onto some wiring shall we? I have a few wiring harnesses but I broke out the one that was cut from the wrecking yard. I didn't think I would use it but it's not in bad shape at all so I started to take it apart. You can obviously see it was cut at the firewall. I have a wiring loom for the Adaptronic that is plenty long to this won't be a problem wiring the length since the 1UZ harness was cut.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_100.jpg

I started to unwrap it and take out some wires that I wouldn't be needing like the diagnosis terminal and a few others.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_99.jpg

The ISCV connector and some wire can be seen in the bottom center almost completely separate from the main harness. It will be wired into the auxiliary circuit of the wiring loom to the Adaptronic. The Adaptronic is surely capable of utilizing the 1UZ ISCV to operate the engine properly. The only wire that I left connected to this connector was the ground. The remaining 4 wires connect to the Adaptronic.

[Smithers]

I scored a set of ignitors from an SC400. Since the person that sent me my engine didn't bother to include the LS400 ignitors I had to search for a while. People want a lot of $ for them and I eventually found a deal on some SC ignitors. Toyota/Lexus uses these types of ignitors in just about every single one of the 90's era vehicles. I KNEw that the SC ignitors would work for the 1UZ. Hell I even checked the part numbers from the ignitors with the ignitor for my 3RZ engine. Yep, same one.

Of course I double checked the wiring schematics to confirm the PIN arrangements. Yep, same pinout. So I just trimmed off this tab that they molded into the SC ignitor connectors. They do this just to scare people into thinking that they are different. They probably make a lot more money making the parts slightly different so they aren't interchangeable.

PRESTO! SC400 1UZ-FE ignitors now will work in the LS400 wiring harness! Amazing! haha
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_98.jpg

[Smithers]

And moving on with some more wiring. The stock harness is wrapped for electric static shielding/ ESD as well as heat shielding. Why not use it? Plus it's already conformed to wrap around the engine just where I want it. I wasn't about to re-invent the wheel and custom wire the fuel injector harness. I can simple strip down the wires I need and run the tail ends to splice them into the Adaptronic wiring harness. I will the run them into the cab and plug them into the ECU that will be tucked nicely under the dashboard.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_97.jpg

[Smithers]

As you can see time is flying by. I got sidetracked with motorcycles for the past couple days as the weather has been awesome. It feels like summer already.

Today I spent half a day working on mostly wiring. But to get started I wanted to attach a couple more parts to the engine that have been bothering me. The smaller idler pulley was found under a pile of spare parts but I couldn't find the bolt for it. I spent at least 20 minutes looking everywhere for it. When I looked closely at the pulley I could tell it wasn't some ordinary bolt... it has a larger shoulder on it than the threads themselves are. Both of the engines that were brought to me didn't have the pulley installed so I didn't know what I was looking for besides pictures I have seen on the internet. I eventually found it and I'm warning everyone... Don't lose this sucker! Put it in a bag with the pulley itself just to make sure. This is one special little bolt here.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_101.jpg

[Smithers]

I was looking around for a good picture of the front of the 1UZ engine for reference but I never found a good one. So here is a shot of the upper front half of my engine so people can see the details. I'm just missing a long bolt that goes just under the water pump inlet as you can see. And right next to it is the hole that the small idler pulley bolts up to.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_102.jpg

[Smithers]

Yesterday I went and picked up my oil dipstick tube and the hard coolant line that extends from the waterneck to the left side of the engine to just near the coil on that side. The waterline over there is to reach over to the coolant reservoir on the LS400 but I capped it off at the end over there. I decided to just use it because it also serves as a mounting location for the cam position sensor wire and also the wiring harness from the coil over there. Who knows, I might even use a coolant reservoir someday if I need to.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_103.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok and back to the wiring! Time to get the book out while I separate wires from the harness that I won't be using. I think I need this one though! Cam position sensor wires and speed sensor but there is also a blue wire... maybe for the ignition noise suppressor? I dunno yet.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_00.jpg

[Smithers]

This is the connector for the optional TRAC - traction control - secondary throttle control in the throttle body. I'll be removing it from the TB and welding the pivot holes closed. So this connector and wires are tossed aside. What stinks is that they used the exact same wire and shielding as the speed sensor and cam position sensors. Why would they do this? The come from opposite sides of the engine but still what a pain in the neck.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_01.jpg

[Smithers]

Things are looking better and better. Here I have looped the fuel injector wires on the right behind the heater hose and to the left of that I looped the wires that come from the front of the right side of the engine (water temp, cold start injector timer solenoid, left side coil, etc). In my hand are some ground wires and grouped positive wires for different functions.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_02.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is a very interesting and important connector. It goes to the starter circuit which also throws out a signal to the cold start injector and it's timing solenoid. This activates the cold start injector while you are cranking the engine. Pretty interesting design. I'm wiring it in the system just incase I will need this to start my engine. I have noted that some stand alone engine computers boost the fuel from the injectors during startup so that the cold start injector isn't needed. Well I'll leave it disconnected and find out how things work later. BUT you need to run the fuel and the wiring harness like normal just incase you need it in the future. It's VERY difficult to change these parts out or even disconnect them as it requires the removal of the intake manifold.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_03.jpg

OH and also 2 of the 3 wires are for the left and right knock sensors. Don't forget those!

[Smithers]

And here is where I'm leaving off for today. I have most of the wires grouped up nicely and the TB and ISC water lines were deleted. I did hook up the ISC water line to the rear waterbridge but was informed that it was purely for emissions. So I deleted it. The only water line that is hooked up is the short one to the ISC from the front water neck. I simply forgot to remove it and cap it off. But both water line inlets on either side of the ISC were capped off so I'm not concerned. I just really didn't want the hot water line running from the front ISC to the rear waterbridge along side the fuel rail and intake manifold.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_04.jpg

[Smithers]

Here we go guys and gals! Most people's worst nightmare some true. I made up some pinout sheets and got busy today. I wouldn't recommend most people try this without the Lexus wiring manual on hand. What looks like secret code is explained thoroughly in the factory manual.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_06.jpg

The black boxes are EGR system type wires.. you know what I'm doing with those of course. And a few of the other wires are ignition circuit and won't be going to the Adaptronic. Here I'm marking off all the wires to make sure I didn't leave anything out. Taking notes is KEY to being able to distinguish exactly what circuit you are splicing. I took pictures and made notes so that there won't be ANY questions when it comes to what I'm doing with any particular wire.

[Smithers]

More fun with wiring...

Here is every single wire tagged and ready for tomorrow. There are a lot of grounds coming together all over the place. Individual sensors use grounds as well as every injector. A couple of them are sealed grounds which isn't any big deal but you have to be on the lookout for every one of them as they look different sometimes.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_05.jpg


http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/phorum/icon_popcorn.gif
You can kinda get the feeling for which bundles of wires come from what part of the engine. You got the ignitor and MAF wires together... the ISC wires.. injector wires... crank angle and speed sensor wires... etc etc. SO that's about it for now. Tomorrow I'll just connect the wires to the Adaptronic loom and that's all I have to do with the engine wiring. Then I'll connect the alternator wiring so the chassis harness and that will take care of that. Then to plug in my laptop and fire up the computer for initialization and such. Then I'll be mounting the ignitors, cleaning up the chassis harness and fuse box mounting. Then the throttle body will be attached and the radiator mounted. Then all that's left is making my intake system and finishing up the exhaust.

[FrostTaco]

where are you at with this crazy thing?

[Smithers]

Hey I'm doing pretty damn good on 'er. I got kidnapped for a weekend of riding with a Kawasaki motorcycle club over the weekend. But today I got back on the engine wiring. It's hard to make progress with curious neighbors getting antsy to see it run. And the occasional friend drives by just to see if I'm working with the garage open so they can stop and talk. :P

But I identified more wires and started splicing in the chassis wiring harness and starting circuit. Part of that process involved cleaning the dirty Tacoma wiring so that's a lot of fun. All of the ground wires coming together are a pain in the butt. They are a tangled and un-equal length mess from the factory so I had to redo some of those to maintain my sanity. Here are a few pictures and things are moving along. Tomorrow will see more progress as well.

Not very many wires left!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_07.jpg

And the headbone's connected to the, neckbone...
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_08.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is just one of the hundreds of electrical mods along the way while hooking up this Adaptronic ECU. These particular pins have to do with cam position sensor wires which have to be arranged according to whether the factory ECU will be used along with the Adaptronic or if the Adaptronic will be handling the business directly. It can be done both ways. In my case I tossed out the factory computer. ;)

Arranging some pins in the 16 pin plug.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_09.jpg

[Smithers]

Obviously I'm no concerned with using the TRAC control on this engine. It was an annoying thing in the first place on the LS cars. I'll be removing this solenoid and plugging the whole today.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_10.jpg

[Smithers]

Alright Saturday was the day to get some more work done on this thing. It was pretty easy to remove the extra throttle plate and TIG weld up the void that was left on each side. Have a look:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_11.jpg

[Smithers]

Then I went ahead and cleaned up some more wiring. I just decided to unwrap the injector and sensor wiring that goes along each fuel rail. I liked the stock wire protection but it's just bulky and it had dirt in it. I figured I might as well unwrap the wires and made sure that they were all going where they were supposed to. There are a couple different brands of wire wrap that look really clean so I'll decide on which one to wrap them back up with but for now zip ties will do juuust fine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_12.jpg

[Smithers]

I've been putting the finishing touched on the wiring. The main thing was adapting the Lexus alternator and sensor wiring to the Tacoma chassis fuse box. This allows the Lexus alternator to power the whole truck and charge the battery as well. I'll be adding more details on this in the near future. Here is a more recent picture for now.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_15.jpg

Since the picture I have installed the AC pump and the power steering pump. Then this afternoon I installed the serpentine belt so it looks like a real live engine now, ready to fire up. In the next picture you can see all the Lexus wires wrapped up in some flexible sheething and routing into the Toyota fuse box. I spent about as much time cleaning up the wires and such as I did figuring which way to wire them up. But it's done and that's all that matters.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_14.jpg

[Smithers]

And to continue I needed to address the connection between the Toyota master clutch cylinder and the new hydraulic throwout bearing I installed for the clutch. I wrote up all the glorious details of this task on a separate thread is it is quite a chore with many steps. You can find out yourself how to make a double flare end on a tube end here: I hate flaring tube ends. (http://www.fourwheelforum.com/showthread.php?t=398) :)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_tube_flaring_17.jpg

[Smithers]

I'm pretty happy with how the alternator wiring came out. The Lexus wiring is easily twice as adequate as the Tacoma wiring. The Lex alternator is a higher output unit that has two larger wires connecting it to the main power junction as compared to the much less powerful Tacoma alternator and wiring. The Lexus has to push many more accessories and gadgets than the Tacoma will ever see. So I'm pretty happy to have much more power to run my GPS, Satellite receiver and all my other electronics. I can't wait to see how well everything runs.

Other than that:


I've cleaned & prepped the fuel lines
Covered and secured almost all the wires
Finished up the vacuum hoses
Connected the hydraulic line to the throwout bearing
Removed some of the unneeded wires from the Adaptronic wire harnesses
Securely mounted my ignitors
Installed the AC and Power Steering pumps
Wrapped the pulleys with a new serpentine belt
Hooked up the starter
Started work on grounding the engine, frame and body at different points

[Smithers]

Well things are progressing for sure. I will be using a much more ideal aluminum radiator. It will be plenty efficient, it won't hang so low as the original, it's stronger and doesn't span so wide across the front of the truck. With the intentions of keeping the AC and also mounting an electric fan behind the radiator I'll be taking out some of the original Toyota steel. Some tubing will strengthen up the front end a whole lot. So the next time you see more pictures the front will be supported with tubing across it on the top of the radiator and along the bottom. The lower tubing will be extended out forward a couple inches and the upper will be forward slightly from the factory position as well. The hood latch up front will remain of course but thing will be moving around besides that. The mounts for the body just were never very strong from the get go. The body lift is working great but I'll be redoing those and the ears that hold them up from the frame in the future when I build a bumper. For now the cross supports just need to be replaced for radiator mounting and strength. The stock front end is so flimsy that it seems like the stock radiator itself makes up for some of the rigidity. It's really that bad. Just looking at these pictures you can see how thin the body is up front. Keep in mind there are 4 small bolts (and 2 smaller bolts around the sides) that hold on the front bumper!! Yeah this is going to change.

The trucks frame was lifted on one side for easier access while bleeding the hydraulic throwout bearing.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_radiator_02.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_radiator_01.jpg

[Smithers]

I found some pretty neat wiring accessories over at a friends house. He was kind enough to let me have anything from his big box that I might need.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_16.jpg

[Smithers]

Mystery Question: What goes here?

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_104.jpg

[Smithers]

I had a hard time finding any good pictures of how the power steering pump was mounted on this Lexus 1UZ engine. I'm sure these pictures will help lot of people assembling their engines.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_105.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_106.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_107.jpg

[Smithers]

And here is what it looks like all hooked up and installed on the engine. If you are needing more info on Lexus power steering pumps then check out this link that contains info on rebuilding them: http://planetsoarer.com/Power%20steering%20pump.htm

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_108.jpg

[Smithers]

I DIDN'T have any fun connecting the high pressure power steering line up at all. The one I had was straight and there was no way that it was going to go on the engine nicely. So I had to bend it pretty good in order to get it to want to fit correctly.

Before:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_110.jpg

After:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_109.jpg

[Smithers]

This is the closeup shot so you can get a view at how much if a pain in the butt it was.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_111.jpg

And how did I bend this high pressure line? It wasn't easy but thank goodness I had a tubing tool that I borrowed from a friend for this occasion.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_113.jpg

[Smithers]

The clamping jaws of this small tube bender moves quit a bit in a cantilever movement which allows it to work with multiple tube sizes. This tool worked just fine. I wish it was mine. I borrowed it so I'll have to keep a lookout for one of my own.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_114.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the business getting done in the vice. It wasn't easy and I was sweating it since it could have easily broke. Mine has the standard end that I had welded on to it. That way if the line breaks out cruising around offroad I would be able to replace it with a standard fitting steering line instead of a metric fitting line (which is next to impossible to find, try it). So if that broke while bending I would have had to have a different one made again.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_112.jpg

[Smithers]

And here is some of the details down underneath the power steering pump. The alternator is much larger and is connected with over 2x the wire to the chassis fuse panel. I'm very happy about that upgrade over the 3RZ engine's alternator.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_17.jpg

I'm very thankful for the second engine that I bought from my buddy Kirk down south. That deal included most of all the accessories and the accessory wires that I didn't get with my original engine that I bought (and got a bad deal in the process). Thanks Kirk, you saved me a LOT of time and misery by selling me your engine and everything with it.

If anyone wants to do an engine swap with this kind of detail I highly recommend you take a couple days and outline EVERY SINGLE engine accessory to make sure that you get them all included with your engine that you purchase.

The Engine Accessories include things such as:


AC pump
Alternator
IGNITORS
Power Steering Pump
Power Steering Reservoir on top of pump
Power Steering Lines
Alternator Wiring to Chassis Power Box

[Smithers]

Here is a good shot of the alternator without the power steering pump covering it up. Because the power steering pump goes just above the alternator its been known for the pump to leak on the alternator and cause accelerated wear in that unit. 1UZ builders have been known to actually build small shields above the alternator to deflect any oil dripped from the power steering pump. I might consider making one. But in my build I have already replaced all the seals and the power steering pump is reman unit so it better be tight! It has a super long warrenty too so I'm good I hope.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_18.jpg

[Smithers]

I'll be grounding everything around the engine compartment in many more spots than any other vehicle on the road. Grounds are most important and you can actually see the difference on a dyno sheet. I've seen it myself on different race cars. At one point a ground wire broke that grounded the chassis to the rear of the engine a long time ago. The dealership couldn't figure out the problem and started replacing parts under warranty and kept the truck for a week. It was ridiculous. Well I finally took the truck back and found the problem within an hour. They whole crappy running condition was caused by the broken ground. I doubled the size of the ground and life was much better. But this fact and my electronic background has proved to me that the ground is the most often overlooked thing and a lot of improvements come from additional grounds.

To get this good of a solder it took FULL power from my industrial soldering iron. But damn what a good one. This is a small ground of like 12ga that goes from the wiring harness that comes from the starter and knock sensor loom which comes from the drivers side of the engine. It might be connected to the shielding material that is incorporated in the knock sensor wiring... I'm not sure but at least it's taken care of now.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_19.jpg

[Smithers]

Here we go... On with some more progress. The tubing has been delivered so tomorrow afternoon I should be done with running tube across the top and bottom of the front end. It goes pretty quick once I get started. This stuff has been on the back of my mind for years now. I'm really happy about reworking the front. Here is the basic idea. This is a piece of conduit I just grabbed and whacked into s rough shape real fast. The tubing will extend forward a little bit more forward and it will be welded to a metal plate that will go on top of the crossmember which is the mounting location for the front body mount as you see here. I made that body spacer out of a piece of aluminum of course for my body lift. A small body lift is MANDATORY IMO for all Tacomas and 4 Runners. It's the best bang for the buck ever (since you can easily make it).

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_116.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is the upper plate I cut and drilled. The tubing will weld right on to it and go from side to side. I'll be making a larger plate that will mount underneath the one that you see here and it will sandwhich the crossmember end as that part is body welded and glued to the body pretty good. Then I will box that piece in with steel to enclose the crossmember end. I'll also be welding the upper and lower plate to the body as well for good measure. Then right where you see the chalk line is right where I'm cutting the stock crossmember out and then I'll keep cutting up into the body to remove more and more flimsy stock material. Then the rest is a little hard to explain but that's a good enough start for now. I have it all in my head and it will go really fast once I'm set up in the shop and turn off my phone. =]

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_115.jpg

And as an update here is the assembly welded up and just strong as hell! There will be much more going on underneath this mounting point that I just made. There will be a bottom plate that will mount to the new frame mounts I'm making for the body. And from that lower plate to this upper plate I'll box them in and weld the body to them in a few places eventually.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_123.jpg

[Smithers]

ALright! I got the little front radiator support all done and it's going to the powder coater tomorrow morning first thing.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_118.jpg

Keep in mind that the tubing you see isn't the bumper. It's just a lower radiator support and also stiffens up the front end much more than what was there from the factory. I'll be extending the front bumper out just tad forward but eventually I'll build my own front bumper the way I want.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_119.jpg

[Smithers]

And next I'll be running tubing the whole way across the top of grill line. I'm looking at extending the hood forward 2" and the mounting position for the latch as well. I really want to cut out the whole top piece from side to side and just have the tubing there with the latch mounted to it. A friend of mine keeps telling me I should keep the factory upper cross piece there and extend that forward to keep the look of it. The look? You don't even see it with the hood closed but maybe he just prefers the factory engine bay look when you look in to see the engine? I dunno.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_121.jpg

[Smithers]

I'm kinda doing a lot at the moment. 4 days at Laguna Seca last weekend put a dent into my schedule. Tomorrow I've scheduled a whole day to work on the front end. I have been gathering materials like crazy. My v-bands came in for my exhaust I'm going to build. I'm going to build a louder system and then a system made up of the stock components from a brand new 5.7L Tundra that I acquired. One loud and one quiet for traveling or road trips etc.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_125.jpg

[Smithers]

I also came across a deal that I couldn't resist. Thanks to Bram down in LA for hooking me up with a set of billet control arms for the front suspension. I've always wanted these but they are just too expensive to justify. I'll be building some new lower control arms but for now the new uppers will be awesome.

Here are some pictures from the day trip down to L.A. and back to pick up everything. (click here)
(http://www.fourwheelforum.com/showthread.php?t=444)
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_124.jpg

These things are some serious eye candy. I also dropped by the builders of these arms and picked up some new spacers and hardware. I'll be playing around with these once my front end is done and the engine swap is finished.

[Smithers]

Here is how I'm mounting the fan on the radiator. It fits PERFECTLY and all I had to do was weld on some thick rails along side the fan on the sides. It worked out so nice. Tomorrow will be the positioning of mounting tabs for the whole thing. My mission is just to make it all as solid as possible. But of course I'll be using some sort of rubber/poly material to calm down the vibration.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_127.jpg

And you can see the aluminum strip that is placed on the ends so that I could mark them, cut'em and weld them on.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_126.jpg

[Smithers]

I got all the parts I need for my newer front end conversion or updating. New grill and lights fit up nearly perfectly. I need some mesh for the big hole up front and I'll be coating it black.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_128.jpg

Yesterday I picked up some more tubing that will be going across the whole front to support the upper radiator. The front end went together like a dream and I'll be able to at least fill the radiator to run the engine. Then when that happens it's going on a trailer to my friends steel shop where I'm going to redo the front body mounts and spend another day adding some more support tubing up from the frame to the stiffen up the whole front end.

Here is a shot from just behind the radiator to show how much space extending the front end has helped out:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_129.jpg

I'm just kidding here with this picture... this is a friends race car and I wish my truck looked like this under the hood!

[Smithers]

I have done a lot of time off roading in the sandbox and for that you really need some cooling action when you are full throttle / low speed wheeling. It was the only time I would ever need to turn on my radiator fan while running my 3RZ with a manual fan switch. My Adaptronic EMS will tell my fan when to kick on now. With my new radiator slanted it easily fits the fan and the slant will allow me to retain the factory hood latch position. I can also install my AC condenser on top of the front side when the time comes. When the thing fires up I'll take it straight to a buddies shop to continue with the tubing and to permanently mount the radiator as well. I'm just glad it all fits and the basic layout is done. When I get the truck to the shop the ears coming out from the front of the frame for the body mounts will be completely redone. I'll be taking out those cylindrical body lift aluminum spacers and the new mounts will come up from the frame with some short poly mounts holding up the body for vibration dampening.

I cut everything out between the headlights as you can see.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_130.jpg

[china-qiu]

I was in China to browse through your posts. I am going to start tomorrow JEEP modified to 1UZ, we often discuss the possible?

[Smithers]

The transmission falls out very quickly as the bolts are easy to get to.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/w59_1uzfe_bellhousing_31.jpg

[Smithers]

Well here we go. I haven't been all that productive at all. D knows why. Motivation to pour into side projects is kinda hard to come by when life altering events pop up. Nevertheless I managed to drop the transmission again to make some adjustments to the hydraulic throwout bearing spacing. It simply wasn't mating with the pressure plate fingers which I kind of expected. But I didn't think I would come up so short. It's not big deal though. On these units you can shim the bearing instead of making a new backplate to move the whole unit towards the engine more. But the shim can't be much bigger in diameter than the shaft the the bearing is mounted on. That way when the actuator from the hydraulic unit pushes out it pushes on the shaft and not the bearing. It's hard to follow my description of course but the pictures will help.

Here is the bearing and shaft out of the hydraulic unit. You can see that I cut a few different length spacers. Usually the shims they have are very slim but the length of the spacer I need had to be more. So I made a few spacers each is about a 16th larger or smaller than the next.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_131.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_132.jpg

[Smithers]

Cutting a few spacers out. Might as well cut a few different sizes. It's nice to be able to change the height of the clutch pedal and where it engages the clutch plate. Although you have to drop the transmission in order to remove the assembly in order to do so.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_133.jpg

[Smithers]

So with that out of the way it's time to finish up the radiator. Here is my friend Tom applying his TIG welding skills to this tricky piece of work. With the heavy vibration expected we had to make sure the welds were applied liberally to make the thing stronger than usual.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_136.jpg

[Smithers]

The radiator all welded up. As you can see the bottom outlet was extended most of the way up the side so that a simple 90 degree hose is all that is needed. It was 1.75" OD in the first place so I reduced it to 1.5" to accommodate the engines inlet tube. With these mods I won't have to go looking for any tricky hoses.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_134.jpg

[Smithers]

I'm not sure if I will offset the radiator to the left or not. I'll probably center it for the safe of aesthetics and so people won't ask why I put it to one side over and over. It was a lot of work to build this radiator the way it is. Once again it was something I didn't plan on doing but I figured I might as well do it the right way while I have everything apart. Tom also suggested I start relocating the inlet and outlet while we were fabbing up the radiator fan mounts.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_135.jpg

[Smithers]

Now what's left? Well time to move on towards assembling everything. I know the throwout bearing will work now plus sourcing the radiator hoses will take 5 minutes with the simplicity of it all now. Last but not least the transmission crossmember will have to be secured. I have a temporary solution that is workable for now but I'll be wanting to make an appropriate one once it starts up and runs. Oh yeah... I need to order up a new hood to go with the new front grill. That's no big deal either. One thing at a time.

[jonzen1977]

Great write-up and build! I've been following it for a couple months. What's going on with it?

[Smithers]

Morning J77. The hydraulic throwout bearing has been the biggest pain in the ass and I have learned a LOT about adjusting it and I had to redo my method of adjusting the point at which the bearing makes contact with the clutch disc fingers. I removed the pipe rings that I made which go between the bearing and the hydraulic actuator that moves forward when the fluid is pumped in the hydraulic unit. They make shims (washers) that at availible in different sizes but they are generally very slim. Each small shim you ad or remove takes out (or adds) a little bit of distance that the drivers clutch pedal will engage.

So when I put my unit in the transmission and bolted it to the engine I had a educated guess at where the hydraulic throwout beating (TB for short) needed to be adjusted in order for it to engage the clutch. Like I mentioned with the shims those can be used for very fine adjustments. I used a cut off piece of pipe, about 1/2 in. to move the bearing forward to contact the clutch. Well it wasn't enough! And it's not a good idea to push the bearing forward. The next thing was to move the whole TB forward by milling up a plate to go behind the whole unit. I've seen people make plates to mount the TB in front of the transmission but that would take forever since the tranmission front area around the input shaft is not so flat of a surface to make a plate to rest against. So I milled up some spacers that are affixed around the transmissions input shaft using the bolts that already exist exactly where the TB needs support. :D I was VERY happy to come up with the idea so quick. I milled up three little spacers and bolted them on the other morning.

The ONLY downside to removing and putting in spacers to adjust the TB: you have to drop the transmission every single time! I made the spacers that go behind the TB by taking measurements from the engine side and the transmission input shaft and it involved half a dozen different measurements that needed to be taken into account for the final spacer thickness. So I had a feeling that even though I was getting really close with the spacer thickness that they would still need to be milled down a little bit more to get it exact. I left about 1-2mm extra on them to make sure I wouldn't come up short right off the bat. Well I installed the transmission again with the new spacers behind the TB and the transmission came up short by about 10mm to mounting against the engine. This would usually indicate that transmission shaft isn't lining up with the pilot bearing - but in my base the TB was too far forward and not letting the transmission go far enough in the first place. So I lowered it down AGAIN, removed the spacers and milled them down a bit. It's now in the truck and it's really tight BUT the TB does push the clutch in fully so it disengages. The only thing I can do now is hope that it loosens up a little when the engine is run for a while. Right now it's so tight that it is at risk of slipping the clutch but I think things will settle in a little bit and it will be super close.

It's a royal pain to install a hydraulic throwout bearing on an engine and transmission that it was never sold with. I'll be using those TB backing spacers and I still might have to put a shim or two in to make the clutch pedal engage exactly where I want it to. But there is no way to check for that until I get the thing running and the clutch broken in a bit. At least I can move on now. :P

So that's what I've been messing with when I have had the time to work on it. It's a horrible feeling knowing you have to take the transmission in and out everytime you go back to working on your project. At least now I can go back to working on the engine soon. But alas, in the morning tomorrow I'll be machining down those spacers yet again. I talked to a race car builder friend of mine today and he set me straight on what kind of tolerances I need to have when it's all adjusted correctly. Fun fun.

[Smithers]

Updates anyone? Well ok! Here is the source of my procrastination. I'm just having too much fun at the end of this summer and being on my back under the truck in the heat bench pressing my transmission isn't very appealing. I've been making and milling down spacers which back the hydraulic throwout bearing (remember the TB). So ok good lets get some pictures coming. I came up with an ingenious way to do this. Of course I hope you have a milling machine in your garage to help out.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_137.jpg

Make 1, then another and another... I love aluminum.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_138.jpg

[Smithers]

So here is what the TB needs to rest up against. BUT it can't rest up against it too much at all. It absolutely MUST be back off from those clutch fingers by just a bit once the transmission is bolted up to the engine. And of course just a bit is like a couple hundredths or something and not any more. So guess how many times this takes to get correct when you are making spacers without any hints or measurements to start from? Well I did take measurements and I got really close but it just isn't perfect until I mill down the spacers a couple of times to get it right.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_139.jpg

V-bands in effect, transmission spacer is nice and tight. Everything is looking super clean from about half way forwards underneath.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_140.jpg

[Smithers]

Then it gets a little dirty from there on back. I'll be welding all sorts of cage supports sometime later on this year so I'll be making the rest pretty after I'm done grinding and welding. It's clean enough for my taste right now. I'm more interested in driving it at this point of course.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_143.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is how the TB looks with the spacers behind it. You can see that it really needs to come forward from that transmission. The spacers are contoured on the transmission side as well to index them and hold them flush. They do a really really good job of holding the TB there and I was glad not to have to cad up a mounting plate. Since the tranny isn't flat and smooth in this area it would have been a real challenge to design. The V8 Tacoma is coming along now that the tranny is nearly done.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_142.jpg

This is one of the first pics I took with the spacers on. You can just barely see how I had to cut a bit in front of the clutch fork hole so that I could have access to the hydraulic line and the bleeder screw. It works as long as you have small fingers. I'll be lowering the transmission once more in the morning in order to make one more measurement change to the spacers. After that it will be bolted up to the engine and ready to run.

[Smithers]

So another wonderful morning under the Tacoma dropping the transmission yet again. In order to make life a little easier on myself I shaved a little more stock from around the access hole for the hydraulic lines for the throwout beating (TB). Always remember to grab some cutting fluid/ lubricant when you cut aluminum. It makes like much easier, even when you are cutting with a simple hacksaw blade.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_145.jpg

And with a little filing from the big flat file it looks nice and clean.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_146.jpg

[Smithers]

Of course I needed to machine even more material from the spacers I made. The TB was still too far forward so the transmission wouldn't quite make it to the engine before the TB would stop it. And if I did clamp it down with the bolts I would still need a little bit of slack so it would operate correctly. What a painful process. Yes, even more painful than looking at all of these boring transmission pictures so no complaining.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_144.jpg

BUT I did get it perfect. I'm pretty sure I got it machined just right for the proper slack and the best clutch pedal engagement I would imagine. I hope everything feels this good with the engine running after a little break in. I think this is the last time I will be having to adjust the TB.

[Smithers]

This seems to be the best way to raise and lower the transmission out of this Taco. What a PIA. You pretty much have to take out the crossmember that goes under the whole thing so that you can get the jack in the center balance point. This is done easily with a couple boards to support the tail shaft once you jack up the tranny so you can remove the jack, remove the crossmember, and then put the jack back in the middle like you see here. If I didn't use at least a couple boards the jack wouldn't raise high enough to hold it. Remove bolts and roll the assembly back as you drop the jack slowly. Now get ready to repeat 10 times if you are fitting a hydraulic throwout bearing.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_147.jpg

[Smithers]

Here I am bleeding the air out of the TB. It's super easy because you can put your right hand inside on the clutch to pump it and you can still reach it with your left at the same time. So pump clutch, hold it, release pressure with an 8mm to crack open the bleeder, press clutch down and repeat. It goes pretty quick. And make sure that the bleeding tubing is going up directly from the bleeder valve so the air goes upward away from the bleeder and not back into it before you tighten it again. Simple stuff everyone should know. :)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_148.jpg

[Smithers]

I hope I don't have to do this again for a long time. I've had to trial and error this whole process and it was painful. Ok no more complaining it's done and the line will be secured above the exhaust and drive line of course. The next time I'm under this thing will be to attache the rest of the exhaust system that I'll fab up once I am done firing up the engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_149.jpg

[Smithers]

Finally - something more interesting than transmission work

I'm happy to report about something a little more fun this time. Moving on to the electrical system and computer Engine Management System (EMS) or as a lot of people like to refer to it: the Engine Control Unit (ECU). I'll use EMS instead of typing out Adaptronic every single time.

Well either way the battery terminals are looking good. My ground are also appropriately placed although I'll be adding a couple around the engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_20.jpg

And the ignition and power seems to be turning on just like it used to. I'm nearly finished wiring up the power leads to the Adaptronic EMS. I'm just double checking things and leaving them mounted loosely until the engine fires up and runs ok. I also put those PIAA lights in my dash to change things up a little. The old factory green lights were getting burnt. I can't believe they lasted all this time. It will be nice to have white lights in front of me like my Acura. This will be temporary, of course, until I install the Auto-Meter gauges I want to use to give me better accuracy for the engine temps and RPM.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/toyota_tacoma_1stgen_piaa_bulbs_02.jpg

[Smithers]

Update! I just got my new intake in the mail that I have been keeping a secret. As a wise man once said, "I have a fever. And the only cure for that fever is MORE COWBELL!!".

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/afe_offroad_intake_on1uzfe.jpg

I have to say thank you to a forum member named Phunkeydude over at the forum www.jeepcommander.com (http://www.jeepcommander.com) . Check out his super nice Jeep Commander project 4x4 on his forum thread by clicking here. (http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4930) He hooked me up with this sweet air filter kit from AFE. The system is called Cold Air Intake System Stage 1 Off Road Canister. The part number for this thing is XL 51-11061. I was really disappointed with AFE for not providing any dimensions for this product in both their dealer catalog and their website. This is an extremely large item and there no doubt that any truck will have to be modified to fit this monster intake in it. Even a race truck will have to have some design changes made to mount this system. I guess I could have called them but I just knew I would make it fit anyways. I'll be starting a thread sometime showing the exact dimensions of the intake for people that are contemplating buying such a system. It's pretty awesome and I will never have to clean another air filter again!

Of course to see this filter on Advanced Flow Engineering's (AFE's) website click here. (http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.php?partno=51-11061) Thanks to AFE for even making such a product. I don't know of anything else like this. Now if they REALLY want to make some $$ they should make the same system but half the size. There are tons of people who would love to have such an air intake system in their trucks. This intake system is seriously like the big rig intakes they have mounted on the sides. I'm going to have a fun time making room for it. :P

[Smithers]

Time to do some fender choppin! The wheel comes within .5" of hitting the top of the fender when fully compressed so I'm not sure where I'm going to find the room. It's just a challenge. I can easily relocate the ignitors of course. I'm going to build super strong mounts for the body anyways. This was one of the mods on the list that would allow me to get rid of the body lift. The body lift spacers that I made (or any spacers) aren't exactly the best way to hoist an offroad truck body off the frame. So when I made some substantial body mounts I'll bring the body up yet another 1.5" I think. The body is only about 2.25" above stock so it's not hardly noticeable. I can't go with bigger tires unless I lift the body up anyhow so a little higher on the body lift will benefit both the tires, the suspension I have planned for the front and the new intake.

Keep in mind that these first pictures of the intake are just for fun and I'll be doing some heavy body mods and fender cutting really soon. So don't freak out.

The inlet is actually the hole on the side that I have sitting on the manifold inlet.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/afe_offroad_intake_inlet.jpg

[Smithers]

The AFE Offroad Filter kit even came with a handy snorkle!! Woohoo!
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/afe_offroad_intake_snorkle.jpg

[Smithers]

I had to do some thinking about what should happen at this point. I was dead set at leaving the body up at 2" until I needed more room under the hood. I wanted to base the height for the body off of some tubing that would run from front to back but that will take too long. It's probably a good idea to make some strong corners to anchor the front end down. So check it out, here we are cutting it up again. Grab some cardboard and get to work.

The stock ears on the frame were just barely holding things together. If any kind of impact would have come along there is no way the front bumper or bodywork would provide any resistance. My buddy that owned the truck before I did even tested them out for me. Yeap, they don't hold up at all. They were bent up and the body shop probably just hit them back with a hammer to bolt things together and send it back out on the street.

I played with some angles and made sure to have a radius with some material to work with at the very bottom where the plate comes to a point. The arrows are just markers to remind me that there needs to be some additional plating along side of it to mount the bumper. The bumper brackets simply bolt up to the outside of the ear that holds up the body. I'll be using the stock bumper for now but I need to keep in mind that it's going to get replaced by something custom of course.

I took this picture just after I raised up the rear body mounts. The front just hangs in the air after you lift the rear of the cab which has 2 body mounts where the kick panels are located and 2 more in the rear corners.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_150.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is what was in place all this time. I just made these 2" spacers out of aluminum back a few years ago and they worked great. But of course these round type of spacers aren't very stable and allow for some flexing. There a thousands of Tacomas out there with round plastic spacers that people buy from those body lift manufactures. As long as you aren't wheeling hard they are ok but they take their toll on the body. I'm SO glad I went ahead and got rid of them. You can see the angle iron I welded on top of the stock bumper mounts. When you lift the body you need to bring up the bumper as well to match.

The 2" you see written on the spacer was for the spacing between the verticle lines drawn and the actual mounting hole that the bumper bracket mounts to. But the space just happens to be just over 2" as well. :P Like I said the body was already lifted up in the back so the front is just hanging up in the air. The part that rests on the spacer is pop welded to the body and glued from the factory. But that part off the body and the body is paper thin and you won't be able to weld anything to it. So don't cut those off ever. Use them to integrate into the mounting points. I'll be enclosing that completely in steel that will be welded to it.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_151.jpg

[Smithers]

One raw plate cut out and just put up to check for measuring. I have roughly cut the ears off of the old mounts and more will be cut when I'm ready to start welding. I will probably angle the new piece back a few degrees to follow the profile of the body's mounting surface that will rest on top of it. I haven't made up my mind on that part. But I can't wait to have this part all welded and done tomorrow.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_154.jpg

[Smithers]

With the body up in the air another inch the truck looks killer. It looks a lot better and I'll have plenty of clearance in the fenders now. This will solve more than a couple of my tire and wheel travel issues. I'm very happy with the result. It's about the height of a full size truck now for sure. And the radiator fits A LOT better in the position that I have planned for it. Very happy indeed.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_152.jpg

[Smithers]

The plates that are on the ends of the bar I made follow the body very well. I'll be making identical plates to put on the bottoms of the body's mounting area and this will be boxed in and very strong. Then that assembly will rest on polyurathane which will sit on top of the new frame mounts. Kinda hard to explain but of course I'll have the pictures soon.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_153.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok today I went crazy and nearly finished up the front. I will stop at this point and weld the rest at a shop where my friends have a big giant tig welder waiting to finish it up all pretty like.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_156.jpg

[Smithers]

Got the body mounts all boxed in and reinforced the best I could do.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_157.jpg

I'll cap the ends off as I decide where the bumper will mounts exactly. This needs to be done just after I mount the radiator.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_158.jpg

[Smithers]

And now to tackle the next obstacle as I have raised the body a little more with all this recent work. The steering shaft needs to be extended AGAIN!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_159.jpg

[Smithers]

The whole column needed to be removed because now that the engine is in there the area is extremely crowded. So you just take off the steering wheel, remove a couple interior panels, a few 10mm bolts holding the firewall cover plate, two 14mm bolts and two 14mm nuts and presto! The whole steering column just pulls right out.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_160.jpg

[Smithers]

Then whack off an extension of steel rod, make sure that sucker is straight and weld in place like so:

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_161.jpg

[Smithers]

And since the steering column was the only thing I didn't get a complete coat of paint on when I stripped and painted the cab, I went ahead and gave it a nice paint job. This is how to extend your steering shaft correctly and there is no question about the structural integrity of this mod. This Tacoma steering shaft is super strong and now the correct length as my body lift is now just over 3 inches. I didn't stop their either. I wanted to stop a few times today but I went ahead and reinstalled the whole steering column back in like a good boy. That was a good days work.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_162.jpg

[Smithers]

So yeah, tonight when I got home I had to do SOMETHING to the truck. I've been too damn busy lately to get some good time on it. I make a white line with a chalk pencil and just started choppin. Had to cover up the engine and my face to keep the sparks out.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_163.jpg

[Smithers]

Now you can see how I had planned it all out. The intake will work great from the inside front fender. I'll have a pre-filter to keep out the big rocks or small animals from going into the canister. It will all work out pretty damn good.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_165.jpg

[Smithers]

And I don't think I'm going to stop here. I really am going to just cut all the Toyota fender out actually. Then I can strengthen things up as well. I want to just have nice flat and smooth surfaces under there and there will be more room inside the engine compartment to boot. I've always wanted to roll out some fenders so I'm looking forward to this. Plus the wheel wells from the factory are the proper diameter for much smaller tires. The proper diameter will be so much better. It's great to be doing all of this stuff I've always wanted to do in the back of my head.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_164.jpg

Yeah the tube will have to have a pretty good bend in it. Not sure how much I'll like that. I got a couple ideas for flex joints. I'm so tired of aftermarket intake systems that come apart because the pieces pull apart from not having flexible joints. That happened a lot with my old setup offroad. It was the most annoying thing. Jeez I can't even predict what my tube will have to look like. I'm contemplating cutting a lot more out of the inner side fender and pushing the canister even further to the side to make the tube radius less dramatic. We'll see tomorrow.

[Smithers]

No more messing around now. :-)

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_167.jpg

[Smithers]

I'll have the passenger tubing done tomorrow and off to the powdercoaters. I'll be making it detachable with tabs to bolt to the frame and body. If I was running the rollcage tubing then I would mount it permanently but it's not at this point.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_168.jpg

The only reason I'm keeping the headlight surround is to save time. When the permanent rollcage goes in then all that will be coming out for sure. It serves as a great reference point for now.

[Smithers]

I also put some plating just behind the flimsy stock body work in the front corners. The stock stuff is seriously flimsy even when all the bodywork is original. If you see a stock Tacoma with the grill removed from the front you can grab onto it and pull it back and forth! Now it doesn't move a bit. And don't worry. The final welds over the whole front end will looks like artwork. Right now things are just being mocked up. I love this stuff. Yeah some fabricators would kinda laugh at it but all the steel is free and it will be functional for sure. Anything is better than stock.

The frame mounts and the body attachment points just have a bolt resting inbetween them. Thing's aren't squared up at they look in this picture. It's together but there will be more material added that will hold things where they are meant to be. Then the chromoly tubing will definitely square everything up.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_170.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is a neat trick. I made a vertical cut and then a long horizontal one underneath the fender rail. Then I pounded it in to collapse the support. It's still adds much more strength than simply cutting it out completely. I tack welded it for now and I'll be finishing it up with some tubing to support it soon. If you do shorter sections it conforms to the fender line much better.

Everything front under that upper fender rail will be removed as soon as the tubing it mocked up. It provides a good point of reference for the time being.

Here is a small section that shows the detail of what I did. I went and did the rest of it too.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_172.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is what the front looks like at this point. It looks stock still under the headlight but there is that plate of steel backing the formed Toyota steel body. And you can see more of the fender rail looking concave and almost tack welded all the way back. I can't wait to see what the Icon upper suspension arms will look like with everything done.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_171.jpg

[Smithers]

Going ahead and cutting out the fenders was a good move. I'll be able to see the engine a lot more now, even when I put on some panels there will be more space for the engine so be seen. I can't wait to start putting the radiator in. Then with that and the intake canister in things will really start looking nice.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_174.jpg

[Smithers]

You think this might give it away that I have a couple mods done to my Tacoma? I might have to cover this up a little bit...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_173.jpg

[Smithers]

To get a solid foundation to mount the fender tubing I had to modify the cab. Since all the fender is cut out and the tubing needs to attach to the cabin I need a solid plate of steel welded somewhere. The footwell area is approximately where it needs to be so I cut that part out real quick.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_175.jpg

[Smithers]

Of course I cut it out from outside the cab leaving just enough excess material around the edge to crimp to the new plate of steel once it is time to weld it in. I got this steel from a friends shop today and spend a good half hour plasma cutting it off of a large sheet. This area has been subject to abuse from large rocks and stuff so I wanted some really thick steel and I found some. Once welded in it will provide much more protection and a perfect mounting base for the fender tubing. I couldn't be more happy with the pieces of steel I found.

The iron might look crappy right now but it will be awesome once it's brushed off and painted after the install.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_176.jpg

[Smithers]

Here is a view of the missing footwell from outside the cab. I've had a few big impact in this area in the past and the blows from the rocks actually have come through the fenders in a couple places. Now that I have plenty of clearance I'll be able to put the straight steel plating in place compared to the curved stock Toyota piece.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_177.jpg

You can't see it so much but the middle body mount is just underneath the void. I'll be cutting and welding a small piece of steel to the front of that to strengthen that up as well. It will only take a few minutes and will help the body mount stay straight. This thing needs to be strong as reasonably possible. Stock stamped steel just can't hold up for too long.

[Smithers]

Ok I'm sorry for stalling on starting the engine with all of this fender work! It just needs to be done. I have been working on it everyday though. I welded in some super thick steel for the cab fender material because that is where all the big rocks spin off the tire and I remember hearing huge impacts in that area while offroading. I actually had a couple holes in the upper fenders. So I didn't mind putting some super heavy plating and it also will make a tiny bit more foot room inside as the plating is more straight then the curved portion I cut out.

I reinforced the bottom of the cab corner as well while I was at it. The stock stuff was just all warped and glued together. It didn't look strong at all so now I won't have to think about it. The fender support tubing will be quick... but this cab reinforcing stuff takes forever. It's such a pain to weld the flimsy cab steel together with the heavy steel plate.

I really want to box in the body mounts that extend off the frame but that will take too much time. It's not totally necessary at this point so I'll do that later on when I'm doing roll cage stuff.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_178.jpg

Little 110 welder makes a mess but it gets the job done. Have to lay cold welds on the cab sheet metal then go back again and put some hotter welds from that to the steel plate. I need a small TIG in my garage one of these days.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_183.jpg

[Smithers]

With the cab corners so strong I can move ahead and clean up some welds and paint things in the morning. It feels good having the cab supported so much better and I'll be picking up some poly cab mounts/spacers in the morning that I'll integrate under the cab and I'll use some for the transmission crossmember also. Advanced Adapters has some that they sell exclusively that they have showed me and invited me to use. They should help out immensely with any vibration and road noise but they are still tight and won't deform like rubber.

Fun stuff. Just getting things out of the way that I've always dreamed of doing.

[Smithers]

Me and a friend bought a sheet of stainless mesh for making grills for a 350Z and also my Tacoma grill. It's really strong stuff and was kind of expensive but it's the only way to make a nice quality grill - and the grills that you buy made from this stainless are a grand.

He used 3/16 stainless bar to trim the edges of his grill but I think for my grill it looks better without.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_181.jpg

[Smithers]

I will be edging and smoothing the plastic to look better tomorrow but for now I got the grill cut to the exact shape and adapted to the stock grill surround just perfect. I probably would have left the grill stock but I happened to get this beat up grill for free. It's way better looking than the original and I'm really happy to have the H4 headlight enclosures which are better too.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_180.jpg

[Smithers]

I visited Advanced Adapters this afternoon and picked up a box full of trick polyurathane mounts/ spacers. I saw these in a friends garage and had to go get some! I'll mount the cabs 4 main attachment points on these and the front will just have rubber matt for isolation. I also got enough for the bed too. I'll probably split them in half and use the little ones for the bed mounting. This should make a big difference but last a long long time still.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_182.jpg

[Smithers]

Well I did get to spend some time on the truck today and I realized I just had to spend more time thinking about how to make an adequate mounting system for the AFE air intake. It's not really too heavy but it just has to be mounted properly and the fender supports will serve as the mounts. The more I looked at things the more I realized I had to weld in some more support for the body.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_186.jpg

[Smithers]

I went ahead and welded in some plating near the top of the inside fender. This will let me mount anything I want across it. I'll be welding another bracket to this for the filter support and then the tubing will go down from there. The numbers on the very top of the fender are measurement in inches of how far down the stock inner fender line went. I just wrote these down for reference before I cut the inner fender out.

The circles are where the AFE air filter canister will bolt to.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_185.jpg

I'm very happy with how strong things are turning out. I cut 2 of each of these plates so I'll be ready to install these on the other side to match. Now that I have things designed out the other side will go really quickly. I'll easily have the air filter canister mounted up tomorrow and then I'll make some fender baffling to deflect any debris from the inlet on the air canister. This will be the air system of my dreams. :)

[Smithers]

Ok I just dropped off the parts I fabbed at the powdercoating shop this afternoon. Things went well just as planned for the intake mounting. I got some extra heavy material for making the mounting tabs and it's just perfect.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_187.jpg

Not too shabby for being in a hurry with the little 110V Hobart 125 welder. :D
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_188.jpg

[Smithers]

Getting the tubing just where I wanted it was a challenge. I had to hold the AFE intake canister up with one arm while trying to position, mark and then tack weld the supports. It was a miserable time but I got it done.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_189.jpg

[Smithers]

And where do you think this came from? Oh yes! Time to get chopping on the drivers side fender. I sliced it out of there very quickly. Now that I know the dimensions for building the other side of the front end this shouldn't take too long. The only thing that I'm really not looking forward too is designing the battery tray and supports. I have some ideas already but it will slow me down a little. At least all of the charcoal canister, fuse panel and battery will be tucked further outward when I reinforce the fender like the other side. I'll get a couple more inches of room to work with so it will be really nicely laid out compared to stock. And I'll be able to run the wires a little cleaner.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_190.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_191.jpg

[Smithers]

So I started another thread putting all of this boring front end work in another section. Here is the link to the thread showing my work rebuilding the whole Tacoma front end (http://www.fourwheelforum.com/showthread.php?t=667).

To update this main thread showing the 1uz-fe engine swap progress here is a picture of the main front end supports nearly done. From here I just need to weld a little tubing to tie the fender supports in and then lay down some paint on it. I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out considering that going ahead and building the boxed support sections was a last minute decision.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_04.jpg

[Smithers]

The front end has undergone quite the transformation! Tomorrow I'll post some more interesting pictures. I just put only a few hours into it over the weekend but the fender supports are just about done and I put some paint on it for a good base. Tomorrow I'll be shooting some black undercoating on the firewall areas and finishing up a little welding underneath. I got my powdercoated front supports back and they fit perfectly and really came out good looking.

Before the coating process:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_27.jpg

[Smithers]

Yeap the front is pretty much done now. The hood should be painted by tomorrow and the front end frame mounts will be welded up solid by that time. It's getting hard to sleep at night being this close to finished. Time for this whole thing to come together!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_36.jpg

[Smithers]

I scored some new tail lights for really cheap! I've always wanted some new ones and the newer 01-04 tail lights just plug right in to update my 96. Score.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_22.jpg

[Smithers]

And of course I got some new side corner marker lights to mate up with the headlights properly. My truck is going to looks much nicer with all new lights now. Early Christmas present to me. Christmas! I better get this truck done soon...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_wiring_23.jpg

[Smithers]

A LOT has changed in the last couple of days. Once I'm done with the welder and measurements and fab details things start to move along a little faster now.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_55.jpg

[Smithers]

Air filter housing mounted: check.
Battery mounted and secured down: check.
Hood receiver mounted to crossbar: check.
Wiring re-wrapped and mounted to frame: check.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_54.jpg

[grammy]

Any updates?? How is the install going??

[Smithers]

Yes sir there are lots of updates I need to get caught up on. Time is hard to come by this holiday! I got the new hood on and it looks 100% better. It already feels like a whole new truck to me. I also "rebuilt" the shifter mechanism with new bushings, washers, gaskets and grease so it will shift like new. If anyones manual Toyota transmission feels worn out by shifting it - it's purely from the shifting mechanism being worn out - not because the transmission is worn!

Santa also bought me a new Clarion double-din size stereo for x-mas. Ok I bought it for myself because Newegg.com was playing around with people offering them for $199 shipped for free if you kept checking back at the website. You would have to "add to cart" in order to see the price of the item and a couple times they updated the price from $399 to $199 (for a few hours I found out on a forum!) then to $299 THEN $399 (I lost hope and was totally bummed at this point) AND THEN one morning when I was drinking coffee at 5:30am someone announced that it was back down to $199 !! So I jumped on it! I've had some sweet Eclipse and Clarion head units in the past for my truck that cost $400 and stuff but this Clarion will be the best yet. I can't wait. Anyhow I'll update later on with some good pictures.

Here is my new head unit as it arrived in the mail - feels good to get a big heavy box - talk about bang for the buck:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/tech/stereo_clarion_vx409_02.jpg

And here is a picture of it in a forum members truck after he installed it:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/tech/stereo_clarion_vx409_01.jpg

And mine as it sits now waiting to be installed (after the engine is running of course!):
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/tech/stereo_clarion_vx409_03.jpg

[Smithers]

And back to getting my hands dirty... a little Tacoma manual transmission maintenance had to be done before I thought about firing it up. Upon taking the W59 trans apart I knew something had been wrong with it. It just felt sloppy and worn out but it's because of the shifter bushings so I ordered new ones and replaced em. This thing feels nice and tight now. It's a fairly easy set of parts to replace but you have to make sure to get the gaskets for the oil baffle plate and the 4wd selector. Every transmission shop in the world will just use gasket sealer but I know they designed the transmission with gaskets in mind so I made sure to order some.

New shifter boots are a MUST too. If your Taco is 5+ years old then it's a no-brainer that you need new shifter boots to help keep the sand and dirt OUT:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_transmission_01.jpg

[Smithers]

Putting the newer hood on is easier said than done. :) The hood latch tongues are longer on the 2001-2004 hoods than the 1996 style ones. I think this is because the hump in the middle of the newer one makes it higher. I just know that it looks a MUCH better than the older hoods. ANyhow I had to cut off the thing and shorten it to go into the latch where the older Taco has it placed. I didn't really fabricate the latch when I built the front end support but I got it close. So at this point I'm just making things connect as best as I can.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_57.jpg

Here is the old 1996 Tacoma tongue which is very short compared to the 2001-2004:
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_58.jpg

[Smithers]

And over to the side here is how far off it was with the latch located where I welded the mounts. This was ok because I had to move the mounting point forward 1/4" as well as lower it just about 3/4" too. Thus, I simply had a couple of tabs ready to weld in place as you will see below.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_59.jpg

Here are the new tabs I welded on that put the latch EXACTLY where it needs to be. This worked out perfect in order to let the hood sit just where it needs to be in order to line up with the fenders. Mission complete.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_60.jpg

[Smithers]

All lined up and the hood bolted in finally. I drilled out the latch tabs and I'll be threading them real quick so I won't have to hold nuts behind them to secure the latch on the front end support. It's strange seeing the engine compartment with a hood back on. :D It looks kinda stripped but only like 8 bolts are needed to put on the front grill, headlights and fenders. The rest of the front end goes together really fast at this point. Now for those pesky computer wires...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_61.jpg

[Smithers]

Today I was able to sneak in a few minutes of work on the Lexus Tacoma. I just had to finish assembling the shifters and put the new rubber boots over em. All done with this part.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_transmission_03.jpg

And with all the transmission moving around and engine mounts fab I got the shifters right where I want them. The cab needs to be up off of the transmission for good form and airflow etc. When you start jumping your stock Tacoma ext. cab the cab will start sagging and eventually end up resting on top of the transmission. I'm glad to have the cab reinforced in ok shape and at a really nice height just off of the transmission. When you put a body lift on a Tacoma there will be a much larger gap than this. But with the Lexus V8 the optimal engine position is at a height in which the transmission gets raised just enough to bring is up a couple inches which cancels out the gap from the lifted body. I'm pretty happy with this. not that the top of the engine is that much higher than the 3RZ 4cyl engine that came out... it just came down to the mounting in the engine compartment, the fit for the oil pan and the oil filter. It all worked out better than I thought when it comes to these factors. I'm not saying it's easy! It's just very convenient to have a body lift on a Taco that is getting a 1UZ. I actually consider it absolutely mandatory.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_transmission_04.jpg

[Smithers]

And last week I finished welding up the gaps and corners for the steel plating in the floorboards of the truck. You will definitely pick up some new skills while learning to concentrate most of the heat from your welding tip into the plate and then welding it together with the flimsy factory steel that you want to join. You can't just put the arc to the flimsy body steel and weld it to the thick plate. You will blow out the thin stuff before you ever get enough heat into it. It's a lot of fun messing around with it but you'll get the hang of it.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_interior_36.jpg

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_interior_37.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok just finishing up the details that hold the whole front end together.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_62.jpg

Cleaning up the wiring for the electric fan for this Tacoma. I always run some larger gauge wires to the motor and this time I opted to wrap them in some heavy plastic and wrap that with some 3M tape. I've had some issues with these wires being in danger in the past so this time I wanted to get it wrapped up tight and it will be secured in place with zip ties.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_1uzswap_radiator_04.jpg

[Smithers]

And I got to spend some quality time adjusting the intake system bracket to hold the assembly 3/4" lower so that the hood could shut all the way. I need to get some rubber mounts for the corners but at least now the hood shuts completely, the latch works perfectly and the hood edges are all lined up just right.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_63.jpg

Now that radiator is secured with new hardware, I just bought a slightly curved hose for one side of it and the fan wires are on a new 40A relay which is activated, when needed, by the Adaptronic ECU.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_64.jpg

[Smithers]

Ok I know this picture is boring but it's of importance. I had to cut, shorten and re-weld the tongue to the hood. It's doesn't have to be super strong but I offset it to the right a little bit which allows for more material to be laid into the joint when it is welded. Its definitely strong enough! And it sits in the latch nice and straight.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_66.jpg

[Smithers]

My camera had a hard time getting the color right in this picture because there is a LOT going on in it! I had to adjust the air canister down to follow the hood line and now it clears with even a little gap between it and the hood when it shuts. It's mounted very solid which was a concern of mine (when designing the supports) since it has a little weight to it. But with the mounts I made it's not a problem.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_65.jpg

Also you can see my radiator hoses for the Lexus V8 for the first time. All the extra effort it took to get the intake for the radiator up top was worth it. I love having super short hoses. Clean, no clutter and they are out of the way.

[Smithers]

The front of the passenger/left side.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/1uz_tacoma/tacoma_frontend_fab_70.jpg

This is how it looks just before putting the grill and bumper on. It looks so clean compared to stock and it's many times stronger. It took a lot of hours to get it all symmetrical and everything lined up. There is no way I would spend the time to make another one. :D