Tag: engine swap

Truck Engine Swap

Truck Engine Swap – Top Considerations Before Before Doug It

Your truck is an extension of your personality, so you will not mind making some critical changes to it including having an engine swap. An engine swap is the most extreme change you can do to your truck. Doing this is a faster but not the easiest way to get more horsepower. Before looking at what you have to consider before making an engine swap for your truck, it is necessary to know what an engine swap is.

What is Engine Swap?

Engine swap refers to changing the original engine of your truck to another which might be of the same brand or completely different.

Before changing the engine for your truck, there are several considerations that you should put into place. After reading this guide, you will know what is necessary before performing an engine swap for your truck.

Considerations Before Making an Engine Swap for Your Truck

If you are thinking about changing your truck’s engine, you have to know the following.

Choose a Compatible Engine

Before performing an engine swap, consider choosing the right engine. Do some research to help you determine whether the engine you are about to fix will fit in or not. You can achieve this by measuring your truck’s overall dimension and transmission before settling for the right option.

Mounting it Up

The most challenging task is to mount an Engine. If you have the right engine, this process will be straightforward. Performing an engine swap with the like-to-like engine is simpler than a non-factory option. 

If you decide to swap the non-factory option, you have to perform a lot of fabrications so that the engine can fit your truck components. Before performing an engine swap, check the condition of your engine mount.

The Cooling System

When swapping your engine, a lot of work goes to the cooling system. The mechanical fans work perfectly well with the old engines, but the modern engine becomes very hot and thus requires more cooling. Many people performing engine swaps fail to think of the specific functionality of modern engines and end up installing a mechanical fan or even using cheap electric fans with the inadequate flow.

The Steering

It becomes challenging to figure out how the steering navigates past the headers and around everything. For this reason, many prefer upgrading the entire suspension and the steering system as they swap their engines. You can buy various after-market parts that require an odd steering linkage combination.

The Air Conditioning

Modern engines have mounting brackets or bosses for air conditioning compressors, which makes them convenient, but the compressors are usually mounted at the lower part of the engine. Such mounting makes it challenging when getting the engine between the frame rails. You will have to mount the compressor in a completely different location. 

Conclusion

Performing an engine swap is a complex process. You can never manage it alone. You have to involve your mechanic from planning to buying the engine with accessories and finally mounting it. This will ensure that the entire process is smooth.

Choosing The Right Japanese Mini Truck Engine To Swap

Choosing The Right Japanese Mini Truck Engine To Swap

Japanese mini trucks have always demonstrated good performance and reliability. Their engineering and good craftsmanship dates back to the 1950s and has since been improving with every new model. They are no longer only loved in Japan, but across the globe. These vehicles live up to its promise. And despite being small and compact as compared to other vehicles like pick up trucks, these vehicles are very cost effective. But like any other vehicle, there comes a time that they start wearing out. Some parts could use some upgrades and among these parts is the engine. Making an engine swap is common with vehicles and this gives them new life. So, if you intend to get more power and torque, you should consider an engine swap. In this guide, we will delve into ways of choosing Japanese mini truck engine.

Choosing The Right Japanese Mini Truck Engine To Swap

Below are some of the things that one should be looking out for when they are choosing the right Japanese mini truck engine for their swap.

Size of Engine

What is the size of the engine that you are getting? Will it fit well under the hood? If the engine fails to fit under the hood properly, then you could face issues with some parts not fitting well in the right place. Take for instance the crankshaft not fitting well. It could be a total disaster. As such, you need to make sure that it is well sized before you buy the engine. Do your research before investing in a new engine. Sometimes it is also worth knowing whether there are other successful swaps using that particular engine.

Weight Of The Engine

Weight of the engine that a person decides to use in their engine swap is crucial. Many people ignore this fact only to be faced with problems when they have already finished. Why is weight a crucial factor? It is a factor because it affects the stability and balance of the vehicle. If for instance you use an engine that is of different weight as the one that came with the vehicle, you could have issues balancing the vehicle uphill. So, it is crucial that you make sure that you have the right weight that is as close as possible to the one that was there.

Have a Realistic Budget

One of the most important things that one shouldn’t forget is to make sure that they have a good budget in mind. Without a good budget in place, then you could easily fail because you could stumble upon things you didn’t expect. You need to not only factor in the costs of the engine but also the labor costs as well as the cost of customizing parts.

Conclusion

Kei trucks have always stood the test of time. Their performance and reliability are on another level. Shared above are ways to make an engine swap without much hassles.

You may want to check out some of the Japanese mini trucks on sale in our sales page.