DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Thanks toyotech, we were thinking the same thing.
3rd Gen Toyota Pickup - Budget Expo Build
- Thread starter DeskToGlory
- Start date
Thanks toyotech, we were thinking the same thing.
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Thanks mtbxj87! :smiley_drive:
Lonnie-S
Explorer in Training
PHeller,
The 22RE is painfully stock other than a slightly more aggressive cam (sorry, don't know the specs) and 2.25" exhaust. It's slow, but I guess I got used to it after awhile. I'd love to have just a little bit more power out of it and I'd love to throw some 4.88 gears in the truck instead of the stock 4.10s. I think those two changes would make a world of difference, but those will have to wait until we get back to North America.
I think it's easier to get used to the lack of power when you're far away from the highways/freeways in North America. It's not necessarily fun in Canada or the US when you're constantly getting passed by, well... everybody, who can actually maintain the posted speed limit when climbing steep grades. Throughout Central and South America the majority of the roads were slow and winding, and on most of the highways I was most comfortable driving 90 km/h. Plus, when you're driving alongside beat up Ladas and Citroens you start feeling better about the 22RE power.
Saying that, we recently met an English guy in a Unimog who was also very jealous of our 90km/h cruise speed.
I too have an engine/performance question. I hope it won't seem too silly give all the other aspects of your fantastic trip that I could ask about.
I love what you've done with the truck. It's pretty well outfitted and loaded up. Although I haven't read your entire thread, I did see that you had previous Toyota with a 302/C4 conversion. I recently acquired an '84 Hilux 4x4 and want to turn it into an expedition rig, mostly to use on the West Coast of North America. I've been thinking I'd need a much bigger engine before I could outfit it much, as its 22R is strong, but not very powerful. Yet, I see you've taken your current, rebuilt 4-cylinder to practically the tip of South America. Am I wasting time and money on a engine conversion when I should probably just rebuilt what I have and get out there and get going? Have you encountered any true, unavoidable obstacles on you expedition that your current engine couldn't handle? I have 4.11 gears too along with a 5-speed.
Thanking you in advance, I am;
Lonnie Smith
Carlsbad, California
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Hi Lonnie,
It all depends on what you want to use your truck for, and how. The most difficult "obstacles" for us were the extremely steep streets in small towns in Mexico. There were a few times when I had to put the truck in low range to make it up a hill. We drove as high as 16,500ft without issues.
Is your 22R running as is? If it works fine already I would just stick with it and see how you like it. Spend time and money out exploring instead of on the truck. That way you know what you want and what you need.
For our truck I'm happy with the 22RE (I really liked the simplicity of the little motor just in case in needs to be be fixed in the middle of nowhere Latin America) and will just make a few changes to improve performance in North America. I am planning on swapping in 4.88 gears. They're a little steep, but I'm less worried about high RPMs at highway speed and more worried about about low speed acceleration and holding speed while on a hill. We usually cruise at 55-60mph on the highway. I also plan on adding a header and exhaust while I'm at it. The engine already has an upgraded cam in it, so the exhaust should help it breathe a little better at high rpm. Even a few horsepower is a big improvement when you only have 100 to start with
We ran into a couple in a VW Beetle towing a trailer that had seen almost everything in South America that we saw. Talk about being underpowered!
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Maintenance Day!
You know what I love about being in North America? The abundance of auto parts! During the first time in the store after returning from South America I must have spent an hour in AutoZone just walking down the aisles one by one. In my distant past as a teenager I never really liked spending money on maintenance parts, but after spending a year where it was difficult to find parts in the first place, let alone spend plenty of money, I'll never take the easy access for granted again.
I also couldn't believe how inexpensive everything is! Chile stands out as the most expensive country for parts. For example, anything you buy there that you can buy here seems to cost 2 to 3 times as much. Importation fees and 19% tax adds up quickly!
So, being back in the good ol' US of A I thought it prudent to replace our radiator. The last replacement started leaking (run ins with some brush and thousands of kilometers of washboard roads seem to have taken a toll) and had been "repaired" by a Latin American "radiator shop". It recently started to slight leak again so I just wanted to replace it. I think a copper rad or full aluminum radiator would be a smarter choice for longevity, but at least this replacement only cost $110 and comes with a warranty. While I was at it I put on new upper and lower hoses, coolant, and belts and then kept the old ones as spares. Cheap insurance.
Another thing I had to replace was our idler arm. Fancy that, the aftermarket replacement from Peru didn't hold up in the long run. I think it's worth looking at the Total Chaos idler arm next time, but for now I went with the Duralast part from AutoZone. How could it not last with a name like that I brought my torque wrench all of the way from BC to Argentina, but the first time I had to use it was in a driveway in Virginia. A little penetrating fluid and pickle fork made quick work of the swap.
You know what I love about being in North America? The abundance of auto parts! During the first time in the store after returning from South America I must have spent an hour in AutoZone just walking down the aisles one by one. In my distant past as a teenager I never really liked spending money on maintenance parts, but after spending a year where it was difficult to find parts in the first place, let alone spend plenty of money, I'll never take the easy access for granted again.
I also couldn't believe how inexpensive everything is! Chile stands out as the most expensive country for parts. For example, anything you buy there that you can buy here seems to cost 2 to 3 times as much. Importation fees and 19% tax adds up quickly!
So, being back in the good ol' US of A I thought it prudent to replace our radiator. The last replacement started leaking (run ins with some brush and thousands of kilometers of washboard roads seem to have taken a toll) and had been "repaired" by a Latin American "radiator shop". It recently started to slight leak again so I just wanted to replace it. I think a copper rad or full aluminum radiator would be a smarter choice for longevity, but at least this replacement only cost $110 and comes with a warranty. While I was at it I put on new upper and lower hoses, coolant, and belts and then kept the old ones as spares. Cheap insurance.
Another thing I had to replace was our idler arm. Fancy that, the aftermarket replacement from Peru didn't hold up in the long run. I think it's worth looking at the Total Chaos idler arm next time, but for now I went with the Duralast part from AutoZone. How could it not last with a name like that
I brought my torque wrench all of the way from BC to Argentina, but the first time I had to use it was in a driveway in Virginia. A little penetrating fluid and pickle fork made quick work of the swap.
I have an 86 22RE, 285/75R16s, a 5speed manual transmission and 4.88s. You'll find that this ratio will bring your speedometer closer to normal and you can cruise at 70mph @ 3,000RPM. I also have FlameThrower fuel injectors and I average around 21mpg. I would suggest doing a SUPRA/CRESSIDA AFM swap + Battery/Intake Swap, but I think that isn't smart for your application given your intent to be as reliable and off the shelf conscious.
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Thanks for the advice. I have the gearsets and install kits now. Just need to find somebody to install them for us. Really looking forward to the 4.88s. I'm running 265s now, but if the gearing ends up being too steep that just means I can move up to 285s next time
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Timbren Off Road Active Bumpstops
“The Active Off-Road Bumpstops enhance bottom-out resistance while delivering smooth engagement and disengagement of your vehicles axle. Designed with a progressive spring rate to absorb additional energy and return the axle in a more controlled style than your OEM bumpstops.”
Well, that sounds like a great improvement over stock bumpstops. So I expect they’ll be an even better improvement over… well, no bumpstops. As you can see, the OEM bumpstops on our truck are long gone due to a combination of father time, PNW rust, and thousands of kilometers of washboard roads.
Instead of using a factory-style bumpstop I wanted to try out these new Timbren units.
Look at how complete this kit is!
The Timbren kit includes all of the parts to replace your U bolts and spring plates. This is a great kit if you want to flip your U bolts and install some bumpstops at the same time.
I disregarded the instructions and most of the included parts. As usual, I was in a bit of a rush to get these installed (we were mooching a driveway from our friend’s parents) so I chose my own mounting method and decided to ignore the Timbren engineers who wrote the manual. Don’t fret, I’m keeping the U bolts and spring plates along with the rest of the hardware for a future install.
My quick and dirty installation turned into quick and clean when I decided to clean off the Patagonian mud, knock off the rust with a wire brush, and then paint what I could with some leftover black VHT chassis paint. I used a little bit of 3M undercoat in the wheel wells as well.
“The Active Off-Road Bumpstops enhance bottom-out resistance while delivering smooth engagement and disengagement of your vehicles axle. Designed with a progressive spring rate to absorb additional energy and return the axle in a more controlled style than your OEM bumpstops.”
Well, that sounds like a great improvement over stock bumpstops. So I expect they’ll be an even better improvement over… well, no bumpstops. As you can see, the OEM bumpstops on our truck are long gone due to a combination of father time, PNW rust, and thousands of kilometers of washboard roads.
Instead of using a factory-style bumpstop I wanted to try out these new Timbren units.
Look at how complete this kit is!
The Timbren kit includes all of the parts to replace your U bolts and spring plates. This is a great kit if you want to flip your U bolts and install some bumpstops at the same time.
I disregarded the instructions and most of the included parts. As usual, I was in a bit of a rush to get these installed (we were mooching a driveway from our friend’s parents) so I chose my own mounting method and decided to ignore the Timbren engineers who wrote the manual. Don’t fret, I’m keeping the U bolts and spring plates along with the rest of the hardware for a future install.
My quick and dirty installation turned into quick and clean when I decided to clean off the Patagonian mud, knock off the rust with a wire brush, and then paint what I could with some leftover black VHT chassis paint. I used a little bit of 3M undercoat in the wheel wells as well.
toastyjosh
Adventurer
I also concur with the intake batt swap. it is pretty east and makes a diffrence and if you want a snorkel it will make that easy as well. Also another easy upgrade is a ported throttle body. You can buy on from aftermarket place or get your stock one ported 5mm. or use a one from a 7M.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-truck-4runner/530878-60mm-tb-22re-cheap.html
Also NGK plugs and Wires are what you want on the 22re.
Glad to see you guys are still at it. I lost track after your stop in Belize, was actually just looking up how you guys were doing, when I get a text message from my friend and it is a picture of your truck in Fredericton NB. Hope you enjoyed the snooty fox and the donairs!!
Steve
Steve
DeskToGlory
Adventurer
Hey humboldt,
This will work, but only if you have don't plan on using the stock lower shock mounts, which I'm assuming you're not. Give Timbren a call to confirm part numbers though.
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yurtdweller
Observer
Hey there, I was wondering, did you have to do anything special to your suspension for the ARB front bumper? Some people have said they've had to adjust their suspension to deal with the weight.
Also, did you grow up tinkering with cars? Your knowledge of Little Red at this point is impressive! I've only got the home mechanic skills of installing basic parts like brakes/filters/suspension and changing fluids, not much on understanding gear ratios, what the consequences of bigger tires are, etc. I'd love to hear more about how you've learned about your truck and what resources you've used. I have a red 1991 Toyota pickup, 2WD, that I'm sad to leave behind, but am going to sell to upgrade to 4wd. If I knew enough, maybe I could turn her into a 4wd and Little Red could have a sister
Also, did you grow up tinkering with cars? Your knowledge of Little Red at this point is impressive! I've only got the home mechanic skills of installing basic parts like brakes/filters/suspension and changing fluids, not much on understanding gear ratios, what the consequences of bigger tires are, etc. I'd love to hear more about how you've learned about your truck and what resources you've used. I have a red 1991 Toyota pickup, 2WD, that I'm sad to leave behind, but am going to sell to upgrade to 4wd. If I knew enough, maybe I could turn her into a 4wd and Little Red could have a sister