1995 PreviaSC Alltrac Engine Replacement vs Head Removal without engine removal

[morevert]

Head Gasket/ or cylinder head crack has recently caused Coolant seeping into combustion chamber & existing exhaust. I read all the posts I can find to get info on the challenges of engine replacement & replacing Cylinder Head in van. If I do a JDM engine replacement cost isn't significantly different then having Head rebuilt or replaced if not repairable. Van has 240K miles, but always keep maintenance up.
From those with experience in doing either method, would you say replacing cylinder Head in Van can be more challenging do to access to remove the Intake? Would you say engine replacement is easier if you have a good method of lowering & raising engine? The two main methods shown on this forum- lowering from top or lowering from below seem to both have advantages/disadvantages,
I've done quit a few engine rebuilds with Twin Cam engines, so a conventional engine or cylinder head replacement isn't a problem. I also have the Toyota workshop manual for more reference.
Any recommendations?

[COman]

I am midway replacing the head on my Previa. I enlarged the access hole on the passenger side and will weld it back when finished. This would have been the way to go except that I found a God forsaken broken timing chain guide when I got to the head.
Getting the timing chain cover off with the engine still in the vehicle is horrible. I retrospect I proby would have considered pulling the engine had I known that the timing chain guide was bad.

[morevert]

I decided to go ahead & do a JDM engine swap last week. I'd say its actually easier then any of the conventional front engine/ trany swaps & have done over the years. Main challenge was ensuring I had all the lines & wires labeled well. Swap almost complete, but have a Knock Sensor fault that need to resolve. After ready all the posts that I could find, I used my engine Hoist to lower & raise engine. This gave better access thru the top openings, instead of using a Lift Table by others. I had a jack positioned below for extra insurance.
Toyota Previa Engine Swap 014.jpg

[Kurtanius21]

Cool! The crane-through-the-door method is how I did it also! I hope my post on here actually helped you! I like this method because it does not require any additional equipment on top of a crane, which is kinda necessary anyways. Any pictures of the JdM? Who did you order it from? What is your experience with jdm engines?!