Jeff Foster wrote:
> The '58 TR3 I have has been off the road for over 25 years and the motor
> was incomplete when I bought it. My brother has offered me his old Toyota
> pickup as a free 4-cyl/5-spd donor if it will work (the truck runs great
> but looks really bad and he's going to chop it in half to build a small
> utility trailer).
>
> Not having tried anything like this before I'm hoping that somebody out
> there who has could give some advice/pointers on how to go about it. My
> intent is to get the TR back on the road quickly and later rebuild the
> original 4-cyl/4-spd to put back into the car as original.
>
> If you can help get me going please e-mail me off the list (I doubt most on
> the list will care to hear about it).
>
> Thanks!
> -Jeff
Jeff,
Not be cynical or anything, but no engine swap is as easy as it sounds. While
it may
be possible to insert just about any 4 cyl into a '3 tub, there will always be
some
fabrication involved and unless you've done the exact swap before, chances are
that
the fabrication will require several iterations before it will be safe and
reliable.
There is certainly a place for engine swaps, and such a conversion may be a
teriffic
car once finished, but if you goal is to get the car on the road quickly, a
swap is
the exact opposite of what you should be considering.
There are so many TR people across the country that have motors tucked away in
their
basements, that you should shouldn't have a problem finding whatever parts you
are
missing or even better a complete motor for a lot less $$$ than your "free"
engine
swap.
Just 2 cents worth from a guy who has done the swap routine a couple times.
Regards,
Brian Schlorff '61 TR-4 '64 TR-4 '72 TR-6 '79 Spit
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