3S-GTE Swap, realistically speaking Options

[Fastbird]

How much would I be looking at realistically to do this swap??? I know I can get a 225hp genII motor for about $1500 with wiring harness, tranny, and ECU included. I could probably pull off the engine swap myself as I did a stock for stock swap in my old 89 celica, but I'd probably just pony up the $1300 to Phoenix Performance and have him do everything and get the FMIC too.

So, realistically, just to get a running stock 3S-GTE into the car and driving, would it be far fetched to say that it's doable for under $3000????

I'm not even going to get into modifications at this point. Just don't want (me) to go there. Least not yet.

[lagos]

average price is 3-5grand if you do your own work

[Supersprynt]

Well with Doc doing it and buying the engine not to mention all the parts that are missing your already at $2800. Probably looking at another $500 in parts.

[Fastbird]

Ok, so what else in parts is usually needed??? I thought it was a pretty direct swap......and I'm still considering doing the actual engine swap myself.

[BBoYRuGGeD]

where ever u get ur motor from, i hope they include afm, ignitor, coil, resistor pack, etc etc. ure also going to need a new fuel pump and a fmic setup since the tmic wont do u any good. and dont forget to put away some cash for misc stuff like plugs, wires, new hoses, crap like that. ur also going to need to take it to an exhaust shop so ur gunna need some cash for that. under $3k i would say is doable only if u do the labor urself...and thats even pushing it. btw i hope u meant u can get the motor for $1.5k shipped...cuz the cost of shipping a motor sucks

bboy

This post has been edited by BBoYRuGGeD: Jan 29, 2006 - 1:28 AM

[lagos]

Ok, so what else in parts is usually needed??? I thought it was a pretty direct swap......and I'm still considering doing the actual engine swap myself.

read all the stickies on here. we cover this topic almost every day.

you need to buy a whole front clip to make sure you dont end up with a lot of missing or damaged parts and then put money aside for shipping, tune up stuff, etc... like bboy said.

[Rjb23]

If you have to ask how much it is going to cost then your not ready to do the swap yet.

[Fastbird]

If you have to ask how much it is going to cost then your not ready to do the swap yet.

What kind of statement is that?? This isn't a case of window shopping where "if you have to ask you can't afford it." This is a case of trying to line things up.

Reason I asked was because I see a lot of what people went through for the swap, but haven't really seen a tally of what it actually costs. Mostly just a bunch of estimates and figures, no real hard numbers.

[lagos]

If you have to ask how much it is going to cost then your not ready to do the swap yet.

What kind of statement is that?? This isn't a case of window shopping where "if you have to ask you can't afford it." This is a case of trying to line things up.

Reason I asked was because I see a lot of what people went through for the swap, but haven't really seen a tally of what it actually costs. Mostly just a bunch of estimates and figures, no real hard numbers.

thats because we loose track of what was spent and there are a lot of hidden costs. if you have to penny pinch it, then you will end up with a ghetto swap that has more issues that youll just have to spend money on later

i felt comfortable to order my clip when i had about 4grand in cash. i know i spent all of that, but beyond that, i cant give u a total cost, because there are hidden costs during the whole poject. i know some people who ended up buying blown motors and didnt find out untill they put them in. then they had to spend even more money rebuilding them.

you should make a list of everything you think that youll need and total it up. then add in an extra grand on top of that for emergency. here is something to get you started

2nd gen clip = 2500-3000$ shipped. if you can get something for this price range, then consder it a good deal.

tune up stuff= 300$ . replace anything rubber that you can think of. belts hoses, rear main seal, water pump, timing belt .etc...

fmic and piping = 500-1000$ . depending on the quality/brand of IC and if you want stainless, aluminum or steal piping.

bov= 100-200$. youll need this when you get a fmic

clutch = 400$. this is one thing you dont want to cheap out on, or youll just end up replacing it again.

fuel pump= 100-200$. walbro is cheap but loud... OEM supra TT pump is expensive but quiet.

wiring harness= 300-400$ . there are a few people on the site that the do the harness for you for around this price.

gauges = 100-200. at the very least, get a boost gauge. oil presure is another good one to have.

tranny = 0-1300$ . if you have a stock gt trans, then its free. if you want mr2lsd trans, then it will cost you

tools = 0-200. if you dont have tools, youll need at least a good tool set to buy.

engine lift = 200$ at you local car parts store.

jack stands = 100-200$. you need at least 4 very good quality stands to put the clip on while you work on it.

floor jack = 100$

fluids = 50$ . coolant, oil, ps fluid, brake fluid...


any im sure im probably forgetting even more stuff....but there is you basic idea, and why some people spend less and some more.

[x_itchy_b_x]

clip------------------------$1400
shipping------------------$400
clutch---------------------$400
wiring harness rewire----$350
walbro fuel pump----------$100
whopping total of----------$2650
all labor done by me.

im doing and intercooler and piping also so add
another 300 (optional) and cheap since i have the piping already
$2950 crap and sum jb weld. $2956.40

*this is what ive spent so far*


This post has been edited by x_itchy_b_x: Jan 29, 2006 - 4:04 PM

[BBoYRuGGeD]

aright well if u want real $$$ numbers...

i see ure already a GT...so ill just give u what it cost me minus my auto-manual/GT tranny stuff

shipped motor set - 2200
FMIC shipped - 213
FMIC Piping shipped - 250
downpipe - 180 (the stock is huge and is a tight fit)
silicone couplings of diff. sizes - 80
walbro fuel pump shipped - 100
hks ssqv shipped - 250

thats over 3 grand...i paid i think 900 more for parts and labor on the exhaust for the basic tune-up, timing belt, exhaust shop labor, some broken sensors, hoses, and other material stuff.

thats assuming u do the labor urself...if u have the doc do ur swap (which he will do right btw) add his labor in the equation

all in all for me i paid 7000...but i had an auto ST

oh and like lagos said...have a grand or so as a "bug removal" fund AFTER the swap

bboy

This post has been edited by BBoYRuGGeD: Jan 29, 2006 - 4:23 PM

[Rjb23]

If you have to ask how much it is going to cost then your not ready to do the swap yet.

What kind of statement is that?? This isn't a case of window shopping where "if you have to ask you can't afford it." This is a case of trying to line things up.

Reason I asked was because I see a lot of what people went through for the swap, but haven't really seen a tally of what it actually costs. Mostly just a bunch of estimates and figures, no real hard numbers.

thats because we loose track of what was spent and there are a lot of hidden costs. if you have to penny pinch it, then you will end up with a ghetto swap that has more issues that youll just have to spend money on later

i felt comfortable to order my clip when i had about 4grand in cash. i know i spent all of that, but beyond that, i cant give u a total cost, because there are hidden costs during the whole poject. i know some people who ended up buying blown motors and didnt find out untill they put them in. then they had to spend even more money rebuilding them.

you should make a list of everything you think that youll need and total it up. then add in an extra grand on top of that for emergency. here is something to get you started

2nd gen clip = 2500-3000$ shipped. if you can get something for this price range, then consder it a good deal.

tune up stuff= 300$ . replace anything rubber that you can think of. belts hoses, rear main seal, water pump, timing belt .etc...

fmic and piping = 500-1000$ . depending on the quality/brand of IC and if you want stainless, aluminum or steal piping.

bov= 100-200$. youll need this when you get a fmic

clutch = 400$. this is one thing you dont want to cheap out on, or youll just end up replacing it again.

fuel pump= 100-200$. walbro is cheap but loud... OEM supra TT pump is expensive but quiet.

wiring harness= 300-400$ . there are a few people on the site that the do the harness for you for around this price.

gauges = 100-200. at the very least, get a boost gauge. oil presure is another good one to have.

tranny = 0-1300$ . if you have a stock gt trans, then its free. if you want mr2lsd trans, then it will cost you

tools = 0-200. if you dont have tools, youll need at least a good tool set to buy.

engine lift = 200$ at you local car parts store.

jack stands = 100-200$. you need at least 4 very good quality stands to put the clip on while you work on it.

floor jack = 100$

fluids = 50$ . coolant, oil, ps fluid, brake fluid...


any im sure im probably forgetting even more stuff....but there is you basic idea, and why some people spend less and some more.

Exactly. It means that if you are worried about cost and if you are on a budget unless its about 5 or 6 grand a 3s swap is not for you. And if you don't know how much it will cost you haven't done enough research.

[rzanology]

where do you guys order your clips from??? im looking to get one.

This post has been edited by rzanology: Jan 30, 2006 - 3:30 PM

[BBoYRuGGeD]

clip------------------------$1400
shipping------------------$400

i just noticed this...where the heck did u get ur clip?!? lol thats a REAL good price!

bboy

[lagos]

this thread is a great example of how some people can spend less while some people will spend more.

itchy has a lot of little crap like gauges, fuel pump, ic and piping that he can reuse from his 5sfTe to save money ... while bboy had to spend the most because he started out with an auto ST and paid for laybor. so it just goes to show that not everyones swap is the same.

[playr158]

clip for 1800$

http://www.superiortradinginternational.com/

[lagos]

i got mine for 1800 plus shipping, but with the gas prices the way they were, and using Roadway, shipping came out to about 900$

[x_itchy_b_x]

clip for 1800$

http://www.superiortradinginternational.com/

same

[Fastbird]

Wow, thanks for the links. I think I'm going to try to hold out for a GenIII motor, but when it comes down to D-Day I'll settle for a GenII as it should provide a modifiable platform anyway.

[Speedy2k]

- 2nd gen 3SGTE clip $2000 shipped (local place)

- Ko Racing downpipe ~ $300

- Mated donwpipe with exhaust plus midpipe $200

- Wiring $0! Just cut an opening in my firewall and brought the wiring to the ecu.

- Kept stock TMIC and have had it working fine for the last 50,000km ~ 31k miles

- No Bov

- Boost gauge $40

- Centerforce Dual Friction clutch (had it with my 5sfe so the clutch was $0)

- Stock 5sfe fuel pump! No problems yet... so I dunno

- Rent hoist for a couple of days

- Install was done by me and friends




So there you go if you dont upgrade anything right away then you can save a lot. If you just want to swap the engine you can easily do it for $3000.

[lagos]

- Wiring $0! Just cut an opening in my firewall and brought the wiring to the ecu.

- Kept stock TMIC and have had it working fine for the last 50,000km ~ 31k miles

you probably have a 5th gen right? in a 6th gen we need to fully rewire the fuse box and ecu plug. so paying for wiring is almost a must, unless you know car wiring.

the stock topmount would only really work on a 5th gen with an alltrac hood. its NOT recomended for a 6th gen.

[Speedy2k]

Oh thats right! My bad. I have a 91 GTS (5th gen). Yeah I used the Alltrac hood which is why my TMIC works fine.

[Fastbird]

Well, this is still a few months off as I'm in the midst of a motor build for one of my Trans Am's, but I'm just getting a line on in prep.

It's not going to be a skimpy swap. I think if I skimp on ANYTHING it's going to be going for a GenII instead of a GenIII motor.

I really appreciate all the numbers you guys threw out. I've been in contact with Phoenix Performance and will probably just contract all the work out to him due to his knowledge and reputation. My main goal is to get the motor in the car, running and driving first and foremost. Then, upgrade the tranny later, work on performance enhancements, ect.

THanks again everyone.

[eggman40]

How much would I be looking at realistically to do this swap??? I know I can get a 225hp genII motor for about $1500 with wiring harness, tranny, and ECU included. I could probably pull off the engine swap myself as I did a stock for stock swap in my old 89 celica, but I'd probably just pony up the $1300 to Phoenix Performance and have him do everything and get the FMIC too.

So, realistically, just to get a running stock 3S-GTE into the car and driving, would it be far fetched to say that it's doable for under $3000????

I'm not even going to get into modifications at this point. Just don't want (me) to go there. Least not yet.

You may have a shot at that price if you get a really good price on the clip, and keep the stock tranny. If you use the mr2 e-153 it will get really expensive cause of mounts.

[easternpiro1]

[quote name='lagos' date='Jan 31, 2006 - 3:39 PM' post='387056']
[quote]- Wiring $0! Just cut an opening in my firewall and brought the wiring to the ecu.

-
the stock topmount would only really work on a 5th gen with an alltrac hood. its NOT recomended for a 6th gen.
[/quote]

Its not? why is that lagos?

[x_itchy_b_x]

The top mount isnt effcient at all. its just a box that sits on the motor and heats up.
if you have a hood scoop Directly blowing air on it then its OK but still not as good as a nice FMIC.
you might say well ill get a c-one hood or gt4 hood.
well those hoods only have vents for heat to escape, so your still just letting the top mount get heat soaked.

This post has been edited by x_itchy_b_x: Feb 1, 2006 - 2:28 PM

[easternpiro1]

O i see...but why did toyota make it that way if they knew that it is not the most efficient thing to do for the 6gc?

[Fastbird]

O i see...but why did toyota make it that way if they knew that it is not the most efficient thing to do for the 6gc?

Probably because it was the quickest, easiest, and most cost effective way to get an intercooler on the motor.

[x_itchy_b_x]

the 6gc st205 doesnt use a air to air.
it uses a water to air which is tottally badass.
a 5th gen hood is more of a scoop than a vent so it will cool the top mount to a certain degree.

[brianforster]

i think we should stop flaming people who want to do the swap on a small budget, its a good question really, what if you have 4000 saved up and people said the MINIMUM you can do your swap for is like 4.4k, youd be that much more motivated to save 400 more bucks, but if its 6k, you know you got some time.