Has anyone ever put a Ford big block in a Toyota truck?

[f100cleveland]

Hello, I'm new to this site but not new to trail riding and 4x4 trucks. What I have is a 1986 Toyota x-tra cab with a 22RE that has a bad timing chain or something along the lines of cam timing. But, I don't really care to mess with that engine since I'm putting heavier axles under it. The rear is getting a Dana 70 and the front will be a Dana 44hd or a Dana 60, both with 4.88 gears. I have the swap motor mounts to put a small block Ford in it, but I dont have any fresh sbf's. But, I do have a 1970 460 out of Lincoln that was just gone through and has ported heads, different cam, 780 Holley, etc etc. They were rated at 365hp and 500 ft lbs, so it should be fun to drop in a Yota. I am dealing on a 79 Bronco right now that has a good C6 trans and most likely a NP205 transfer case. I want to make the yota have the same 108" wheelbase as the Bronco so driveshafts dont have to be custom built if I plink one off. Oh yeah, rear suspension will be Ford Bronco leafs and the front I'll convert to Ford coils. I know to get some clearance in there, I'm going to have to put in at least a 3" body lift. The box is rusted out, so I'm not worried about where the tires end up. The front will be moved forward to give a lot better approach angle and the rear will be moved forward to match the desired wheelbase.

So, has anyone seen an engine swap like this? Also, is there anything that is noticably wrong or doesn't have a chance of working? Thanks for any and all input.

[toyotamudder90]

i only see one problem and thats the ford part ford= found on road dead
toyota= eatin chevys and shittin fords :lol:

[f100cleveland]

i only see one problem and thats the ford part ford= found on road dead
toyota= eatin chevys and shittin fords :lol:

I always thought Ford was First On Race Day :phatyo:

[bbagwell]

No Ford is - F*cked On Race Day

Seriously though the only problem I see with a big block in a Toyota is how it would fit? A friend of mine has a 302 in his Toyota, it fits pretty well, he finally had to run a rear mounted radiator to keep it cool though.

[f100cleveland]

I planned on running a rear mounted radiator just for clearance and to try to keep the underhood temps down. I know this isn't going to be a bolt in, but I'm really hoping it works. If they can get 460's in Rangers and 454's in S-10's, I dont see why this wouldn't work. I don't plan on having the inner fenders, just the outer skins. Thanks for your advice.

[fenderbmxer86]

i dig fords but that would just be ridiculous. that would be some major fabbin to get that sucker to fit

[RockCrushinToy]

i think you should put those big axles under your truck and gear um at like 6.16 or whatever and keep rebuild the 22re then you will never break anything and will be much more reliable

my .02

[SASvanguy]

I know that mazda an d Toyota are related like oh I dunno, young virgins to Labradors, But the correlation here is mini jap p/u.

I have a friend who did that to a Courier, extended the frame with another courier to make an x-cab courier then put in a 460 or 429, to be different.

You see lotsa smallblock intoi jap conversions, but NEVER a big block into, and he wanted to be different.

His was 2x, and built for 1/4 times.

I will reply to this with his email addy, if I can find it.

Best of Luck.

I wheel a van, so I laud perversity, but htis is even beyond me................ :spanka:

[muddy_yota_guy]

The main thing with wheeling a big block off road is the weight, that's a lot of front weight with hardly any in the rear.

[f100cleveland]

Thanks for the replies guys. We've discussed the weight issue and by moving the front axle forward at least 6 inches and pulling the rear forward by 8 inches or so, it will make the engine seem a little more centralized. With the fuel cell, radiator, and heavy ol' Dana 70 out back, it should help some to balance it. Most (90%) of the trails around here are woods, mud, dirt, and did I mention mud? There are very few trails that are rocky. I will also have some pretty beefy crossmembers at very back of the frame to help support the hitch. The biggest problem I see is interference with the steering shaft and also, getting a set of headers or exhaust manifolds to work. We're guessing that a set of 70's vintage Ford fenderwell headers might yield the best results. I won't be able to start the 460 mock-up until the weather warms up a little bit, but I'll make sure I start up a build page on it. I know I have some wild ideas, but my daily driver in the summer is a 500 hp small block in a 1982 F100 pickup, so I'm up to the challange.

[HurleyPJ]

Your my kind of man. It may be ridiculous as some say but sometimes ridiculous is cool.

I say do it and if it don't fit, FORCE IT.

With your plans of no inner fenders, rear mounted rad. and all that, it'll fit. I am looking forward to your progress pics!!! Now, get to fabin' will ya? (or are you like me and don't have a digi cam? :frown: )

[bbagwell]

Should be wicked fast!

[vigilantejustic]

in my old 87 4 runner, the shocks were kinda shot, and I could kinda get a "rock" going when I would gas it hard in first then let off and gas it right when the truck's front end bowed.... I could get the whole front of hte truck off the ground like 3 or 4 inches of I did it right..


with this you could just do wheelies everwhere :redspotda

[bbagwell]

My buddies 94 4-runner with a four inch lift and the torsion bars cranked would do wheelies if you bounced it just right. It has 4:56 gears and 35's. The front shocks were blown and the torsion bars cranked made it really bouncy. You could drive about 50 feet before the tires would hit the ground and bounce back up. We made some high school kids in little Honda's point and stare one night. The bounciness is what eventually made it bounce onto it's top and skid for a couple hundred feet on it's roof though. He would have just cut the top off and wheeled the piss out of it, but the 3.0 was totally siezed.

[SASvanguy]

He would have just cut the top off and wheeled the piss out of it, but the 3.0 was totally siezed.

My kinda guy.

[toyotamudder90]

i know you guys dont want to hear it but my buddys got an old willys jeep with a blown 572 in it and a locked rear end that will do wheellies for a block at a time all day long if he could keep gas in it and tires on it and a seatbelt would help too last time he wheellied it he came back down and headbutted both his fists with his eyes and they stuck for awhile :lol: but he loves doin it too much just to stop and not do it and for the v8 in a yota go with a 350 0r 327 thats plenty for em

[toyotamudder90]

My buddies 94 4-runner with a four inch lift and the torsion bars cranked would do wheelies if you bounced it just right. It has 4:56 gears and 35's. The front shocks were blown and the torsion bars cranked made it really bouncy. You could drive about 50 feet before the tires would hit the ground and bounce back up. We made some high school kids in little Honda's point and stare one night. The bounciness is what eventually made it bounce onto it's top and skid for a couple hundred feet on it's roof though. He would have just cut the top off and wheeled the piss out of it, but the 3.0 was totally siezed.

:lol: :redspotda when we goin wheellin ?

[f100cleveland]

Your my kind of man. It may be ridiculous as some say but sometimes ridiculous is cool.

I say do it and if it don't fit, FORCE IT.

With your plans of no inner fenders, rear mounted rad. and all that, it'll fit. I am looking forward to your progress pics!!! Now, get to fabin' will ya? (or are you like me and don't have a digi cam? :frown: )

Next weekend I plan on pullin the engine/tranny/transfercase out and if the weather is somewhat bearable outside, the whole front clip will come off. I have multiple 460 blocks, so I can use just a bare block to fab up the mounts and what not. Yes, I do have a digital camera, so I will be able to take a lot of pics. I don't really need a full body lift kit, so I'll just get some plastic pucks that are roughly 3" or so and drill a hole in the middle and use them. Should be fun. Oh yeah, here is a link to truck that the engine is in right now. I need it to be in two more burnout contests before I pull it out. Lets hope it doesn't blow up in one of those two competitions.
http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/detail.php?id=6727

[meathead1307]

that yota is gonna be vicious props to you man :grin: