Brayden Dean Upgrades his Toyota RAV4 with a 2.7 L AR Inline-Four

Brayden Dean from Ari’s Toyota Corner enjoys driving his 1996 Toyota RAV4 daily. However the naturally aspirated 2.0 L 3S-FE inline-four was lacking in power and a constant oil leak meant it was time for a change.

Brayden set out to solve his dilemma with a unique swap. He wanted the displacement and torque of a 2.7 L 1AR-FE inline-four but it is more expensive than a 2.5 L 2AR-FE inline-four. So Brayden created his own using a 2AR-FE from a 2013 Scion tC and stroked it to 2.7 liters using 1AR-FE crankshaft and pistons.

To get the 2AF motor to fit, Brayden had to make a custom front mount and modify a Megan exhaust manifold. He also fabricated a custom exhaust to route around the oil pan and installed a modified Celica (ST205) GT-Four radiator to keep the motor cool.

The factory E250F 4WD five-speed manual transmission thanks to it using the same bolt pattern. Brayden installed a Frankenstein Motorworks clutch and factory flywheel. You can view all the work in the full build series.

Source: Ari’s Toyota Corner