1UZ Swap, no build page

I apologize in advance for not completing a build page for my 99 prerunner, i will try to get one done, i see two posts on here and then i have pm,d a couple of guys as well. I will try to put out some basic information and quell some myths.
My truck runs well and swap was completed late summer of 2022 and has about 15,000 miles on it, the truck has roughly 250,000 miles on it total. The current setup is 3in lift, KM2 255/85R16 tires, 4:56 w/trutrac locker,Tundra brakes, Walker Cats x2,Lexus A340e trans, 1uzfe v8 from 1993 donor SC400, before anyone asks i get 19/20 mpg hwy doing 75-80 mph A/C blowing cold and yes my speedo is dead nuts accurate.
1. Set goals, what do you want from the truck? what are you going to do with it? strictly off road weekender, slam it and boil the hyde’s off light to light, daily driver and commuter? do you want automatic or row gears? the answers will have a big impact on your build and how to approach it.
2. The rear differential will handle quit a bit of power, 1st gen Tundras with a 2uz have same diff up to 400hp should be fine, don’t abuse it.
3. What Engine, 1uz, 2uz, or 3uz well really it boils down to to what you can get at a reasonable price and what’s available, try to get the whole vehicle if you can, the 2uz is the biggest at 4.7 liter but its a Iron block…heavy but gobbs of torque came in Tundras, Sequoia and maybe some 4runners. 1uz has many generations including vvti i think after 95 with more horsepower, things to keep in mind 93 and earlier are OBD1 but have the best internals for boosting, have heard of 700-800 hp with out changing anything below the pistons, came in LS400 and SC400. The 3uz is good for power and weight over 300hp and all aluminum if i could have got one at reasonable price thats where i would go but a lot of them are still on the road, LS430 SC430 and the suv line.
4. Wiring two basic ways, all inclusive with factory wiring and factory ecu, the other is stand alone with aftermarket ecu or factory ecu . Stand alone is basically what it says, they cost about $500 to $600 depending on options, they only need 3 wires hooked up from your truck to run the engine, it has fuel pump and start relays to start and run the engine and thats it, the rest is up to you, want to see temp gage work? figure it out and wire it, want A/C? figure it out wire it.
The stand alone is great for guys who want latitude to make changes later on (boost) or aftermarket ecu or manual transmission and dont want to spend the money and like to do their own wiring.
All inclusive with factory ecu, this is expensive two years ago it was around $2000. only two companies i can say do it and only can recommend one because thats who i used Tweaked Performance in S.C., Off Road Solutions is also doing them from what i have read but its by email request, didnt use their services so can’t vouch for them. So what do you get for $2000.? a complete engine harness, all new wiring all new connectors with braided loom with your firewall boot pre installed it uses all the relays and fuses that are already in your truck, all gages, dash lights, A/C, cruise control work, yeah yeah i know its a lot of money….whats it cost to put Kings on all 4 corners?……ever work on a 25 yr old engine harness? touch the connectors and they fall apart?…something to think about.
5. Engine mounts, northwest toys was where i got mine $250., if your a welder make your own, I got lucky and the Lexus auto trans fell right in to my stock mount.
6. Exhaust, 1st gen tundra 2001-2004 rockauto cut the flanges off weld on v-bands, two walker cats, make the turn to pass side under cardon joint.
7. Cooling, stock radiator, 16 inch puller, thermal switch lower hose, two 7inch pushers on condenser to help with summer time A/C, put cheapo vents in hood to help with air flow out of engine compartment……enough for now….to much as it is.

 

My big question is about cooling, did you keep the stock fan, didn't the 1uz have a clutch operated fan, was wondering about room to keep it or if you have to go with electric fans

 

The early generation 1uz used in the Lexus SC400 had a hydraulic fan, the early generation 1uz used in the Lexus LS400 had electric fans. To answer your question no there is no room for a mechanical type fan unless you butcher the core support and move the radiator forward, i wanted a stock appearance so thats out, i installed a 16in electric puller fan on the stock radiator controlled by a thermo switch in the lower radiator hose. To complicate things further since i started with an engine from an SC400 i had to buy a new fan bracket for an LS400 due to pulley bearing lube issues, dont want to get in the weeds here but Lexus/Toyota mechs will know what im talking about. Also mounted two 7in pusher fans on fwd side of condenser to help the A/C in summer time traffic, not needed on open road.This set up works well for me, in summer time here in FL. the puller fan is on alot, this time of year it never comes on.I will upload some pics.

 

Beautiful!

 

“Quell some myths?” Who thinks their truck has myths? It’s like that sticker “locally hated” when absolutely no one knows the driver.

 

So what kind of headers did you use? How is fitment around the steering column?

 

Great job man! A swap I would love to do one day. I've owned and currently own several vehicles with the 2uz and 3uz. They are amazing engines.

 

My attempt to be brief has made the narrative unclear, i was referring to 1uz swaps in general, ie diff wont take the power, cant keep a 1uz cool in 1st gen and so on.

 

1st gen Tundra, yes its tight, 1/16 clearance, header may need percussion adjustment depending on engine mounts used.

 

Thanks
yes they are amazing engines, when i removed the oil pan couldn’t believe what i was looking at, six bolt main bearing caps, forged crank, thick H beam rods…..bulletproof

 

Finally!

Good stuff @OLDHMECH61 !! Finished the exhaust on mine just in time to make a 500mi trip over the Rockies and back. Just a few clean up items left to do on my swap and some documentation to finish.

The lower radiator hose was right on the money for me but used a combination of different hoses for the upper. There is an intake tube I had to contend with on the VVT.

 

Wow You got that done quick! good job, glad the lower hose worked out, would be interested to see how you dealt with front driveshaft and exhaust, the 2uz oil pan should have been a good fit to clear front diff, its fun to drive huh.
R/

 

Blast to drive! I snagged some pictures earlier but they're not the best. I ended up cutting the original header flange off and welding on a ~5in extension pipe and then cut the flange off the cat and slipped it over the extension. Holding the two together is a U bolt. It is not the final product but it holds for now and somehow, is the only connection that doesn't leak. Front driveshaft runs right alongside it no issues at all.





The flexpipe on the cat pipe comes closer to the diff more than anything else. And unintentionally, you can see a side of the transmission mount welded to the crossmember.

 

Also, I've been meaning to ask about your AC lines to the compressor. I know you went to an LS400 AC compressor but from your pictures it looks like you left the hard lines alone at the condenser. It's damn cold in CO now so I wasn't too concerned but come spring, it's high on my list to accomplish.

 

Thanks for the pics, for the amount of time you got this done your doing way better than i did, i know its a tight fit around that steering shaft, you will make it right. A/C lines, first of all for some reason the LS400 a/c compressors were $100 cheaper than the SC400 compressors. I had the whole car (sort of) so i saved the ac hoses and fittings, i whiz wheeled the crimp connector’s off and saved the fittings also did the same for the original ac hoses on my truck then went to a hose and tube shop and bought ac hose two different sizes. Then i mocked up the hoses how to route them with the fittings just temporarily stuffed in them, i also used my wife's white fingernail polish for an orientation mark to prevent negative or positive twist in hoses this is important for the ac line coming through the core support to condenser. Then once everything was mocked up and had good routing took it all back off went to hose and tube shop and had everything crimped then took home and installed.
Yeah pia but in florida ac is a must.
R/

 

Thats incredible, I'm very envious. What kind of mileage do you get? Better or worse than the original?

 

Hummm, its about the same…..work is work…. the bigger engine does make some things easier. I don’t think any of us who increase unsprung weight (tires&rims) increase aerodynamic profile (lift kit) then put fuel milage up for discussion? For me it was more important that the speedo and odo are accurate.Lets put it like this, my fuel mileage stayed the same but the performance increased significantly, ie old profile 3” lift, 255/85R16 km3, 4:56 gear, auto trans and 3RZ…your motoring along cruise set at 76mph here comes an overpass, the auto is down shifting the tach is screaming the noise has muted the stereo…not nice. Now same profile remove 3RZ install 1UZ same driving scenario here comes the overpass……nothing…..nothing ….nothing… speed is maintained, no shifting its quiet and smooth, i could cite other examples but this is a long winded answer as is. MPG hwy 19/20 city 15/16 same as when 3RZ was installed, note i have to try or make an effort to get 20mpg hwy but steady average is 19mpg.
R/

 

PSA I want to give a shout out to @5Lugfury he sent me two good ecu,s to help with my build also gave some good advice, he installed a 1UZ in a 2nd gen and some other unique mods, check him out.

 

@Malek and @OLDHMECH61 awesome trucks.

I read through this and this has really got me thinking that this is the way (versus prior plans to turbocharge my 5vz).

@Malek I see you have a front driveshaft. How was the oil pan fitment above the front diff? Any issues you had to engineer around?