Well boys, i think i've finally decided to sell my chevy. as much as i love it, trails just arn't made for suburbans. I've settled on a 1st gen. 4runner. i had one when i was 16 and i was amazed the places i could go with that thing stock! the only drawback is, i'm used to a v8 now... the ol' 22RE's ain't gonna cut for me! I've been researching several engine swap options, and now i'd like some input from u guys with 1st hand experience. the options i'm down to is either a 7MGE from a supra, or a buick 3.8L. i've heard that the 7MGE can have amazing hp output with some mods, but it seems to have some issues with overheating, and general reliability. I maybe wanting too much here, but an engine with 350 hp doesn't do me any good if it breaks down at the top of the trail! on the other hand, it would take less modification than the other two, because i think the bellhousing is the same. the buick motor sounds like it's a lot more reliable, but heavier and a lot less power. the last option is a newer 3.4L toyota v6, but these are kinda hard to come by, and need a supercharger to get good hp ratings  

WELL I KINDA AGREE WHEN U SAID YOUR ASKING FOR TO MUCH OUT OF ONE MOTOR.. IF I WAS IN YOUR POSITION I WOULD KEEP THE 22RE THEY R VERY GOOD AND RELIABLE.. I WOULD AT LEAST KEEP IT UNTIL IT COULDNT GO ANYMORE AND THEN WHEN THAT MOTOR GAVE OUT I WOULD GET A BIGGER AND BETTER ONE BUT IF YOU ARE TAKING IT OFFROADING.. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.. YOUR MOTOR IS GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE WARE N TARE AND ITS NOT GOING TO BE AS RELIABLE AS IT COULD BE.. BEST THING IF YOU HAD THE MONEY WOULD BE JUST TO GET A MUD TRUCK SO YOU HAVE ONE YOU CAN DEPEND ON AND ONE TO BEAT UP.. THATS WHAT I DID  

well i agree with you, if it were running i'd probly leave wel enough alone for now. the problem is, i bought the rig with the motor already taken apart. the guy was going to drop a v8 of some kind into it. so thats where my problem lies... do i invest my time in trying to get the 22re running again, or do i just do a swap since it's half done for me already...  

Btw...does anyone have any tips for wiring? the entire dash and wire harness is sitting in my back seat! i need help! haha. i've got a repair manual on order but i don't even think Mr. Haynes got this deep into it!  

I decided to go with a vortec 3.5L 5 cylinder and the matching 4L60E and transfercase. it is rated at 220 HP and 220 FT LBS  this is out of a hummer H3  

I would have to agree with chevychick. the 22RE is an amazing little motor. And After you throw some lower gears in the axles you've got your self a couple of hard working squirrles  

As for the wiring, the Haynes manual should have everything you could ever want to know about your electrical system.  If not, get a factory service manual.  For some reason, Toyota thought it would be a good idea to mix part of the engine wiring harness with the harness in the cab.  There should be two main harnesses that plug into each other and into the computer.  From here its not too bad if you decide to stick with the 22re.  Once you lay it out its easy to see where most of the plugs go.  The service manual will make sure you connect everything right.  The electrical system is not too complicated for these trucks.