22R Budget Battle Beater Bench Build Tips

So I've got this little 22R I'm getting ready to wrench on. It's an 85 model, carb'd, bone stock. I'm looking to give it a little cam and do a bit of head work. I have access to a machine shop to keep the head work cheap, but still don't have a lot of cash kicking around to work with. In fact, I'd rather not spend much since this is just something I'm experimenting around with for fun.

I'm going to do a de-smog on this engine, And have been thinking about replacing the stock carb to simplify that process. I also hate the idea of opening the hood and seeing a dozen vacuum caps (How I used to run my old 3TC). Webers are nice but expensive and I've never been a big Holley fan, but I do have an old Motorcraft 2150 sitting on the shelf at the shop. I am a fan of the trusty Motorcrafts that has served me well on old, junky Fords. Google has only shown me one short video of an MC grafted to the 22R, and I haven't seen much on forums around the web. So I've been looking at the numbers...

According to LC Engineering, the stock Aisin is rated for 290ish cfm. According to internets, the 1.08 venturi MC is rated 287 cfm. So with appropriate jetting, I'm imagining the MC would fit the 22R pretty well. What do y'all think?

One concern I have is the fact that the MC is synchronous. A double-pumper-esque bog off the line would be a major bummer.

If you're anywhere near Tacoma Washington I have a spare 22re head with cam and cover that you'd be welcome to for "machining experimentation" (If you have a machine shop I'm sure we can work out a trade ). I pulled it from the junk yard about 5 years ago and it's been gathering dust ever since...

Honestly though, I know next to nothing about modifying the 22r, but if it were me I'd probably just buy whatever LCE cam you liked and bolt up a Webber/holley, free up the exhaust and call it a day

I DO know that when I had my 1987 Toyota 22r pickup it used to take me one full tank of gas to go from San Antonio to Fort Worth. I installed a Jacobs Engineering capacitive ignition box, and a MSD Blaster II coil I had laying around and then I started making the trip in 3/4 tank (for what that's worth).

Also I bought a cheap set of pacesetter headers and a Borla muffler (muffler shop had it laying around) for my truck and it seemed to "breathe" a lot easier getting on the highways etc. but that might have been due to the hack-job that was my cat back exhaust (think lots of exhaust clamps and a cherry bomb).

Going back, I'd probably ignore the headers (I seem to remember the truck had a pretty decent manifold) unless I wanted to increase the exhaust pipe diameter.

Good luck, and good times.

-Bill

A cam and header really wakes up a 22r. I've got a cranecams fireball 262(? I think), and a trd header. It runs a lot better. Mine's a 22re.

These guys are your new friends.

Engine Builder

Hungary Bill wrote: If you're anywhere near Tacoma Washington I have a spare 22re head with cam and cover that you'd be welcome to for "machining experimentation" (If you have a machine shop I'm sure we can work out a trade ). I pulled it from the junk yard about 5 years ago and it's been gathering dust ever since... Honestly though, I know next to nothing about modifying the 22r, but if it were me I'd probably just buy whatever LCE cam you liked and bolt up a Webber/holley, free up the exhaust and call it a day I DO know that when I had my 1987 Toyota 22r pickup it used to take me one full tank of gas to go from San Antonio to Fort Worth. I installed a Jacobs Engineering capacitive ignition box, and a MSD Blaster II coil I had laying around and then I started making the trip in 3/4 tank (for what that's worth). Also I bought a cheap set of pacesetter headers and a Borla muffler (muffler shop had it laying around) for my truck and it seemed to "breathe" a lot easier getting on the highways etc. but that might have been due to the hack-job that was my cat back exhaust (think lots of exhaust clamps and a cherry bomb). Going back, I'd probably ignore the headers (I seem to remember the truck had a pretty decent manifold) unless I wanted to increase the exhaust pipe diameter. Good luck, and good times. -Bill

I'm a little ways from Tacoma down in North Carolina. haha.

I believe that the Holley 2 barrel adapter plates have the same bolt spacing as the MC, so it shouldn't be a big deal to hook up. Looking locally, Holley 2 barrels are like $150 on Craigslist. Besides the fact that I already have the MC, they're dirt cheap to rebuild. If this one ever E36 M3s out, the pic'n'pull is 20 minutes east. haha.

I'm looking at RV cams. More low-mid range torque would be nice, seems to be what the 22R is made for. I hate a high-rev engine for the street anyway.

The ignition system on this truck is a mess. A lot of quick splices and wire nuts. To start the car, you touch a lead to the battery. No bueno. Since I'm lazy and don't want to deal with the hacked up mess, I'm going to go with a GM HEI box. Simple and cheap to replace. Might run an MSD coil, I've got to look into the benefits/cost.

The real trick to waking up a 22r is swapping on a 20r head to the 22r block. The 20r head is way better flowing. Then since you have access to machine shop equipment, to REALLY make the most of the swap, you need install the larger 22r valve seats, valves, and the aluminum rockers into the 20r head. Add a small cam and you have a wonderful little torque monster of a street engine. There's a bunch of info on the "hybrid 20/22r" out there.
Good luck
Paul

paulmpetrun wrote: The real trick to waking up a 22r is swapping on a 20r head to the 22r block. The 20r head is way better flowing. Then since you have access to machine shop equipment, to REALLY make the most of the swap, you need install the larger 22r valve seats, valves, and the aluminum rockers into the 20r head. Add a small cam and you have a wonderful little torque monster of a street engine. There's a bunch of info on the "hybrid 20/22r" out there. Good luck Paul

I've heard this only works on the early style blocks. I'm trying to figure out if the change happened in 84 or mid-way through 85. Sources vary. Also trying to figure out visual clues that will tell me what I have.

There's a 20R at my pic'n'pull....

I've got an engnbldr head, metal guide rails and "torquer" cam and a Doug Thorley header in my '86 RN. I also megasquirted it with a 22RE intake. The head was cheaper to buy new and put together than to rebuild the old one.

"I've heard" that to do the 20R head swap, you need the whole front of the 20R motor to go with it.

RoughandReady wrote:

paulmpetrun wrote: The real trick to waking up a 22r is swapping on a 20r head to the 22r block. The 20r head is way better flowing. Then since you have access to machine shop equipment, to REALLY make the most of the swap, you need install the larger 22r valve seats, valves, and the aluminum rockers into the 20r head. Add a small cam and you have a wonderful little torque monster of a street engine. There's a bunch of info on the "hybrid 20/22r" out there. Good luck Paul

I've heard this only works on the early style blocks. I'm trying to figure out if the change happened in 84 or mid-way through 85. Sources vary. Also trying to figure out visual clues that will tell me what I have. There's a 20R at my pic'n'pull....

Try these for more info

http://www.toysport.com/Technical%20Information/22r_tech_notes.htm

http://www.lceperformance.com/

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/toyota-4-cyl-engine-information-18589.html

I have some more but need to find the folder there in. I would grab that 20R if its cheap. From what I have read the differences are the mounting bosses for the fuel pump, and power steering pumps. Not sure what you have/need. But I think it would be worth it to have the engines sitting side by side and compare things. Heck if you decide you don't want it or need it, you could sell off the head and intake and probably make some money to put back into your project. The 20/22r I am putting together is a bare bones engine for another locost 7 project. So I don't need all those bosses anyway, and will trim them off to shave weight and clean things up a bit.
Paul

RoughandReady wrote:

paulmpetrun wrote: The real trick to waking up a 22r is swapping on a 20r head to the 22r block. The 20r head is way better flowing. Then since you have access to machine shop equipment, to REALLY make the most of the swap, you need install the larger 22r valve seats, valves, and the aluminum rockers into the 20r head. Add a small cam and you have a wonderful little torque monster of a street engine. There's a bunch of info on the "hybrid 20/22r" out there. Good luck Paul

I've heard this only works on the early style blocks. I'm trying to figure out if the change happened in 84 or mid-way through 85. Sources vary. Also trying to figure out visual clues that will tell me what I have. There's a 20R at my pic'n'pull....

Found it

http://www.fallonz.com/archive/truck/20R.html

I've never paid anywhere near $150 for a used Weber downdraft carb, and I would be surprised if there wasn't one on something at your local pick and pull. They put them on everything. Almost anything Italian will have one stock. There was also a Ford variant with the primary and secondary swapped that no one ever thinks to grab.

Old International trucks had Holley 2-barrel carbs too. No one thinks to look so they are usually still there.