I just bought a 1990 Toyota 4Runner with the 3.0 v6 engine. It has the auto-transmission, on-demand 4-wheel drive, IFS & spring rear.
The previous owner traded out the exhaust manifold & installed an overhead-cam kit. The engine has been pretty much completely rebuilt.
It’s got just buckets of torque. No complaints there.
I got it out on the highway this weekend and it pretty much tops out at 65 mpg. It even downshifts in the face of rises or strong headwinds.
This truck was bought as a daily commuter first, a vacation/camping vehicle next, and lastly as an occasional off-road vehicle (maybe an occasional trip over the mountains on old forestry roads).
As a commuter and vacation car, that 65 mph limit is a bit low. A friend with a similar vintage toyota pickup says that’s about it for his, too.
I’m looking for ways to add a little more top-end to the machine without losing too much off the bottom. This isn’t a rock-crawler, though, and I still have the 4L setting if needed. I know that nothing comes for free and if I add speed, I lose torque.
Is trading out the diff gears for slighly “faster” ones a good idea? If so, do any of you know a kit for this?