Potential Engine Swap For 1992 Toyota Pickup, V6 3.0

[Elshaunero]

Hi Folks,

I'm trying to help my father-in-law get his 1992 Toyota running good again. It's nothing special - just a little faded black, under-powered pickup with a worn out motor, but it's all he's got. I happen to have some mechanical abilities, so I'm looking into replacing his engine for him. I see three options, and i would like to know what you think is the most feasible:

1) Rebuild What he has (I'm guessing the motor rebuild will cost about $2,200.00 in Boise Land). I would be doing the R & R

2) Buy some sort of crate motor - used or rebuilt. I haven't checked this out yet, so any suggestions would be most appreciated

3) Do something radical and maybe drop a Chevy 4.8 or 5.3 LS small block into his truck. The engines are cheep and readily available, but this sounds like a damn nightmare to hook up to his transfer case and drive line. Are there popular Toyota engines that would work well with his truck?

BTW: he's got a 1992 Toyota Pickup, V6 3.0 EFI with a four speed automatic transmission, 4wd. As far as I can tell, it is all stock - no teenagers have had their way with funky aftermarket kits.

Thanks!

 

[tbplus10]

Here's my .02 worth of advice, bear in mind Ive had a few 3.0 motivated trucks and had problems with the engine on every one of them, some were sold for scrap rather than swap engines and others were repaired and put back in service with different model engines, I rebuilt one 3.0 a learned my lesson with that episode.
Viable engine choices for this truck are the following:
Toyota 3.4, easy swap that uses existing trans and only requires moderate wire harness modifications. Gains almost 50 hp over factory engine, but also much more reliability and better gas mileage.
Toyota 22r, another easy swap that can use factory trans and requires moderate wire harness mods. You give up some horsepower, but the 22r is one of the most reliable engines ever made and with correct gearing can make the truck get around better than the 3.0 ever did.
The third choice is a little radical and more work but the returns are much better performance. A GM 4.3 engine with an aftermarket adaptor kit and aftermatket wire harness can be bolted in, horsepower gains are a little more than the 3.4, but the availability of performance parts allows you to build a high horsepower engine using many tricks from the GM V8 small block builders handbook.