So a buddy of mine has a free 89-90 pickup that he doesn't want. Mainly because it is a six cylinder with a bad headgasket. He did the timing belt and it does run but the head gasket is bad. The body is supposedly in great shape with no rust.

He keeps threatening to put the truck and an 82-84 Landcruiser on a trailer and drop them both off. My other friend shakes his head and says" one guy is giving the other guy his junk and he loves it!" which is sad but true.

So my dilemma is what to do with the truck when/if i get it. My first idea was to swap in a 4 cylinder since I am much more familiar with those engines but when reading about doing that it seems like a big headache. I would need a new computer/wiring/etc. which is not something I would want to spend the time trying to figure out. Next I could just rebuild the current engine. I do not know anything about the six cylinder engines but have heard they are much more difficult than the 22REs. I wouldn't be adverse to giving it to a mechanic I trust and have him rebuild it as long as it didn't cost me an arm and leg. Hopefully under a grand. I could also upgrade to a newer engine which seems to be a popular option but once again this is not something I know much about.

So which of these options if any would you consider? I do not need the truck but also wouldn't mind putting some money into it and then turn around and sell it. Otherwise he will probably bring to the junkyard after I rob some parts off of it.

Jim

Re-do the gaskets, clean it up for sale, use the money on a truck/runner that has the combo you want/prefer. Easier slate to start with...

Don't waste your time on a rebuild. You would be way over a grand anyway.

I've not had the opportunity to work on the V6, but it does seem pretty tight in there. 22RE or 3VZE - familiar or not, eh, what's the difference really? question is whether you'd want it or not. also, might make for some weirdness between you and your friend if you fix it up cheaply and without too much bother, and then sell it for a profit. know what I mean?

if it's otherwise complete and all it needs is the head gaskets, should be a relatively straight forward job. I hate tearing into stuff that's not complete, so I'd give it a good once over beforehand to make sure you're confident it'd go back together nicely.

I'd be more curious about that Land Cruiser, though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

...I'd be more curious about that Land Cruiser, though ....

So would I. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" />

You might start by calling a couple local machine shops to find out what a rebuild/warranty is available before you commit to getting into this.

Even if you were to do a 3.4 swap, you're in for some work and over a grand easily. Personally, I'd part it out and let it go.

If it were me, I would take a totally different approach.
Does the motor run OK as-is? E.g. is it still usable?
If I had a buddy w/ a truck he really just wanted to get rid of, here is what I would do.
I would take that truck, and designate it purely as a "fun toy" to enjoy. For instance, this May in NC there is an offorad "rally"-style race, last year it was in the UNF, this year on private land. Fastest time through the course, and still moving, wins... no holds barred...
I'd take that truck and spend as little $$ on on it as possible... find some cheap muds, cut out fenders (or remove/sell them if still in good shape), block/spacer lift it cheap, weld-locker rear differential, slap in cheap cage, and just plan to make it go as fast and far as possoble as-is.
I'd take my buddy w/ me as co-pilot, and just have a good time w/ it. It will probably die in the process - but who cares? Drop it off at a salvage tard and get a few hundred $$ for scrap. I wouldn't have lost anything, but the two of us had a good time and a fun story.

BTW - anybody wanna give me a truck???
(Last year I did this race in an XJ I won for a $30 raffle ticket, had a blast w/ it).

It is a rather simple answer, take the truck an rebuild the engine. If done correctly, the 3.0 can be just about as reliable as the 22r(e). The 2 main issues w/the 3.0 are HG and burnt exhaust valves, both of which are easily fixed.

You should be able to rebuild the engine for about $1k(parts/head rebuild, you will also need a new knock sensor and KS wire, and should get the injectors cleaned), providing the block and crank are in good condition. If you can't/don't want to do the work yourself, it will cost you about $1500 more to have it rebuilt, about the same as buying a new/rebuilt one. You can get a complete rebuild kit from Eb([url=http://www.engnbldr.com/toyota_30_v6.htm]Enginebuilders[/ur).

So far running a set of downey headers seems to fix the burnt exhaust valve issue w/the 5&6 exhaust valves, and will run you about $700 for the headers/exhaust. So basically your free truck woul run you about $1700-2k to fix. Check around and see what a clean 3rd gen v6 is going for and decide from there.

If you have experience working on vehicle, the 3.0 isn't that difficult, just time consuming to remove and tag and map where it goes for re-installation, granted it isn't as easy as the 22r(e), but it isn't rocket science either, and the V6 rig for rig has more usable power than the 22re does.

The 22re swap isn't all that difficult if you have a donor rig, but if you don't, the swap could run you the same as rebuilding the 3.0 w/headers.

What model is it, and what is the model of the LC