Celica - Prelude, Questions about speed differences. Options

[nObOdy]

Hey guys -

Alright - im not sure if anyone knows but im looking for a celica to buy and once i get it i am going to swap in the 3s-gte engine into it, irregardless.
Ive been getting some pressure from some different people in my family to make sure i look around before i get my heart set on the celica.
the only thing that bothers me about the celica is the headlights.. they are not my favorite at all, but i love the rest of the car and of course, the 3s-gte swap will be FAST. which is what im looking for a cheap fast car. Anyhow
so the topic of a Honda prelude popped up 4th or 5th gen

Basically the honda prelude has a vtec head and it puts out around 200 bhps the car weighs 2900lbs
I like the look of the honda - also it would not be a turboe'd engine and i know that would ease my mothers sufferings a little bit - but its not a big deal
anyhow so i joined a honda forum (sucks ass compared to here) and have been asking the guys the same questions im asking you guys now
the response i get from them is kind of typical but i was hoping you guys could fill me in on what you thought

Which is faster 94-99 celica gt with 225hps second gen 3s-gte swap OR
91-02 honda prelude with honda vtec sporting 200hps
?

Any ideas - or technical differences that could be outlined for me would be great.
Remeber - all that i am looking to do is outrun my friends Mazda MX-3 GS which has 200 hps and is light! 2600lbs (maybe less)

Which car would be more reliable? I am leaning towards the Celica for several reasons - one i love how the car looks from the side - similar to a supra (same swoops over the hatch) I love the idea of the 3s-gte engine's speed - also No One Owns A toyota Celica where i live! No ONE! i have not seen one but then again i live in montana.. so anyhow
and i see preludes all the time..
anyhow - if you have an opinion def voice it, but dont just state it.. back it up with supports. Also it must be in MLA FORMAT 12pt font 1.5 pages double spaced due monday.
bah sorry school crept in there.
thanks in advance
later
nobody

[Coomer]

If all you're looking to do is buy a car that'll outrun your friend's, why not get something faster that's cheaper(Like a turbo DSM for $2,000?)

[nObOdy]

Cause its gotta look good - be reliable enough to drive it every day for the next 5 years

[Coomer]

Oh ok, well in that case, I'd probably go with the Celica, although the Celica with a swap will probably be more unreliable. But the Celica has the Prelude beat in looks and interior IMO, and the Celica is also more rare, lighter, and faster(with a 3S-GTE swap.)

[nObOdy]

Alright hypothetical question - Will it be able to last 4-5 years without any MAJOR engine issues? i know its a guess but id like the guess =)

[Coomer]

Alright hypothetical question - Will it be able to last 4-5 years without any MAJOR engine issues? i know its a guess but id like the guess =)
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If you perform the recommended maintenance when you do the swap(belts, gaskets, etc.) and be sure to get a good engine(test compression and stuff), and get the swap done by someone who really knows what they're doing, and you drive the car right and service it right and maintain it, then yes, it should last 4-5 years. Toyota engines are build very well and will last a long time if you take care of them.

[nObOdy]

Alright cool - thanks for your opinion coomer - that vtec head wont keep up with the 3s-gte?
anyone have any opinions?
thanks
nobody

[tsiah]

couple things
88-91 prelude = 3rd gen
never came with VTEC
looks better than any celica ever IMO (but Im biased...I own one )
but the 3rd gen has very little aftermarket support
with an h22 (4th and 5th gen VTEC engine) the 3rd gen will be as fast, if not faster than the celica with the 3sgte...and you can still turbo it


92-96 = 4th gen...kind of ugly...pretty ghey space ship theme interior (digital gauges all the way across the dash)
the good thing about these is they are lighter than the 5th gen and already have a VTEC engine (well...not all of them did...) but they are about 200 lbs heavier than the 3rd gen

97-01 = 5th gen
all of them came with VTEC
kinda heavy cars...
very sexy interior and exterior (no celica ever built could ever compete..)
lots of aftermarket

its really a toss up...
the 6th gen celica isnt much faster out of the box than a 3rd gen prelude...a 4th or 5th gen VTEC would be a bit faster
I personally think my 3rd gen handles better than my buddies 6th gen...some disagree...*shrug*
I also find the interiors of the hondas more roomy...and thats a HUGE factor for me...
I'm 6'4" and 250 lbs...there better be some damn room

[nightrider]

get a ST202 6th gen and add NOS, no Honda can keep up with you, but you must use a big brake kit as your OEM brakes just wont work!!!

[shin]

personally i think the celi is faster. better torque and better looking interior. my friend owns a 3rd gen prelude, the one without the Vtec and has the straight headlights. i've tried his car and i don't feel the power and speed my celi gives me.. so yea, i'll definitely get the celi.

[2003cbgts]

dude.. do yourself a big favor and get the celica.... do it.. now.. celica

[Kwanza26]

Those VTEC ludes are no joke... and not just anyone can drive a 3SGTE powered Celica fast...

[Digndoug]

Keep in mind, if you get a celica you are getting a swap, which will take longer an might cost more. I personaly like the style of the celica, I hate the fact how slow they are. Keep in mind that the prelude has that much power stock, with out a turbo. so if you want more power you can add a turbo. I personally like both the 4th and 5th gen prelude. I dont think i would get one because there nothing rare around here.

I only ended up getting a celica cause i needed something asap to drive. and i stuck with it because I feel in love with this site, prolly the only reason i havnt sold an moved on.

The honda will have a better aftermarket suport then the celica, thats a big factor that you want to keep in your head if your going to be moding it.

Id suggest sence you dont like the head lights, try a 5th gen or get the prelude.

[SlowCelica94]

couple things
88-91 prelude = 3rd gen
never came with VTEC
looks better than any celica ever IMO (but Im biased...I own one )
but the 3rd gen has very little aftermarket support
with an h22 (4th and 5th gen VTEC engine) the 3rd gen will be as fast, if not faster than the celica with the 3sgte...and you can still turbo it


92-96 = 4th gen...kind of ugly...pretty ghey space ship theme interior (digital gauges all the way across the dash)
the good thing about these is they are lighter than the 5th gen and already have a VTEC engine (well...not all of them did...) but they are about 200 lbs heavier than the 3rd gen

97-01 = 5th gen
all of them came with VTEC
kinda heavy cars...
very sexy interior and exterior (no celica ever built could ever compete..)
lots of aftermarket

its really a toss up...
the 6th gen celica isnt much faster out of the box than a 3rd gen prelude...a 4th or 5th gen VTEC would be a bit faster
I personally think my 3rd gen handles better than my buddies 6th gen...some disagree...*shrug*
I also find the interiors of the hondas more roomy...and thats a HUGE factor for me...
I'm 6'4" and 250 lbs...there better be some damn room
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The 4th gens DID NOT all come w/ Vtec. Only the VTEC edition.

The 4th gen vtec ludes will run a low 15 sec 1/4th stock. A 3S celi should be able to hit mid 14s if you can drive. Celis are hotter imo, but ludes are cool too.

[celicaboston1983]

4TH gen ludes are cramped and uncomfortable and i'm 5 6

[orvillescelica]

Is this your first car? or more specifically is this the first car you intend to purchase and modify?

If so, i am sorry to say that i would go with the Prelude simply because it has a lot of aftermarket support and can get you the power to weight that you want without the daunting task of a swap. If this is your first car, get the Prelude and use its great aftermarket to work on the car and learn about tuning gradually. A Full engine swap is a huge thing to take on right at the start. Even if you do get it professionally done, there will be some problems that you will need to work out yourself. If you dont know what your doing, then youll just be throwing money at it. Also with a swap, there will be large periods of time when you will not have the car. Can you afford to live without transportion for unexpected, unknown periods of time?

IMO, the celica is one of the best used cars you can get. It handles better than most new cars and looks better too. And you wont find a better community than this one here at 6gc. But its slow, super slow. Take all this into account when you make your decision.

[tsiah]

92-96 = 4th gen...kind of ugly...pretty ghey space ship theme interior (digital gauges all the way across the dash)
the good thing about these is they are lighter than the 5th gen and already have a VTEC engine (well...not all of them did...) but they are about 200 lbs heavier than the 3rd gen

[right][snapback]257032[/snapback][/right]

The 4th gens DID NOT all come w/ Vtec. Only the VTEC edition.

The 4th gen vtec ludes will run a low 15 sec 1/4th stock. A 3S celi should be able to hit mid 14s if you can drive. Celis are hotter imo, but ludes are cool too.
[right][snapback]257155[/snapback][/right]

learn to read, clown...

This post has been edited by tsiah: Mar 14, 2005 - 7:06 PM

[boosted_K2]

agree verbatim with orville the bumble-bee

[slipgun]

I looked at the same two cars as you, Lude is nice, I personaly prefer the celica look, celica projectors look nice if you dont like the headlights. The lude is more expensive, though simmilar to a 6gc with a swap. The 3sgte should be able to kill the 195 hp prelude though. I drove it... it was really nice, its its a hard choice I chose the celica because I couldnt find a prelude in good condition, makes the choice easy . From my experence most preludes have been beaten pretty bad... raced and abused, now I know thats not all of em, just get em well checked out.

[pr_caralho]

3s-gte is all about uniqueness, its fast, potentially even faster.
4th gen prelude, probably the best looking honda in my opinion, has the potential to freakin go like hell......

but if you want more feedback from your friends in terms of looks and that crazy 3s gte........id go for broke and buy the 3s

[tomazws]

Why not the MR2? Even though it's a lot more expensive, you get 3SGTE built-in and don't have to worry about troubles during the engine swap. I'd never leave the Toyota world, unless we're talking about the RX-7...

[lagos]

Oh ok, well in that case, I'd probably go with the Celica, although the Celica with a swap will probably be more unreliable. But the Celica has the Prelude beat in looks and interior IMO, and the Celica is also more rare, lighter, and faster(with a 3S-GTE swap.)
[right][snapback]257025[/snapback][/right]

i agree with coomer. if you want a super realiable car, get one that has never been modified in any way shape or from like a stock prelude. if you want a project car, and seomthing that is faster then do the swap.

[nObOdy]

Does anyone know how much torque the 3s-gte engine puts out? is there some kind of information page i can look at ?/ thanks in advance!

[soltrain]

Is this your first car? or more specifically is this the first car you intend to purchase and modify?

If so, i am sorry to say that i would go with the Prelude simply because it has a lot of aftermarket support and can get you the power to weight that you want without the daunting task of a swap. If this is your first car, get the Prelude and use its great aftermarket to work on the car and learn about tuning gradually. A Full engine swap is a huge thing to take on right at the start. Even if you do get it professionally done, there will be some problems that you will need to work out yourself. If you dont know what your doing, then youll just be throwing money at it. Also with a swap, there will be large periods of time when you will not have the car. Can you afford to live without transportion for unexpected, unknown periods of time?

IMO, the celica is one of the best used cars you can get. It handles better than most new cars and looks better too. And you wont find a better community than this one here at 6gc. But its slow, super slow. Take all this into account when you make your decision.
[right][snapback]257184[/snapback][/right]

Very good advise.

[saleeka]

how much power the 3S-GTE puts out depends on the generation of 3S-GTE...

1st gen- 185 PS, 24.5 KG (approx. 182 HP, 177 lb)
2nd gen- 225 PS, 31 KG (221 HP, 224 lb)
3rd gen- 255 PS, 31 KG (251 HP, 224 lb)
4th gen- 260 PS, 33 KG (256 HP, 238 lb)

[nObOdy]

I know how much horsepower they have - how much TORQUE do they have??
does it matter in a race about torque at all???
thanks..
nobody

[ghostdog]

I know how much horsepower they have - how much TORQUE do they have??
does it matter in a race about torque at all???
thanks..
nobody
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how much power the 3S-GTE puts out depends on the generation of 3S-GTE...

1st gen- 185 PS, 24.5 KG (approx. 182 HP, 177 lb)
2nd gen- 225 PS, 31 KG (221 HP, 224 lb)
3rd gen- 255 PS, 31 KG (251 HP, 224 lb)
4th gen- 260 PS, 33 KG (256 HP, 238 lb)
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[recneps]

if youve got the 10 grand to spend on a celi and a swap why not just buy a 7th gen. really fast, will kill any close to stock 5th gen out there and probabyl most 3s celicas.

i mean think of it this way mina is the only one on these boards to take his celica to the track. he was pushing nearly 250whp and if i remember his time really was not all the impressive like low 14's or high 13's. ive seen a 7th gen do a lot better than that with 2 mods. some where in the 13.7XX.

plus it looks super new. and lift is amazing.

[nObOdy]

Um isnt that stating weight in lbs?? and not torque?? thats what i could have swear that he meant...

[ghostdog]

I'm sorry but what in gods name are you talking about? yes there were some 7th gens running 13s with tuned Power FC's and a bunch of other mods (including drag tires) but are these cars reliable after such extensive modifications, I would think not. the 3sgte is no joke, the 7th gen owners drool at our ability to swap this engine into our cars and some have even spent exorbent amounts of money to shoehorn this very engine in their cramped engine bays.

if youve got the 10 grand to spend on a celi and a swap why not just buy a 7th gen. really fast, will kill any close to stock 5th gen out there and probabyl most 3s celicas.

i mean think of it this way mina is the only one on these boards to take his celica to the track. he was pushing nearly 250whp and if i remember his time really was not all the impressive like low 14's or high 13's. ive seen  a 7th gen do a lot better than that with 2 mods. some where in the 13.7XX.

plus it looks super new. and lift is amazing.
[right][snapback]257858[/snapback][/right]

no thats torque for the JDM spec engines

Um isnt that stating weight in lbs?? and not torque?? thats what i could have swear that he meant...
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[wind]

if youve got the 10 grand to spend on a celi and a swap why not just buy a 7th gen. really fast, will kill any close to stock 5th gen out there and probabyl most 3s celicas.

i mean think of it this way mina is the only one on these boards to take his celica to the track. he was pushing nearly 250whp and if i remember his time really was not all the impressive like low 14's or high 13's. ive seen  a 7th gen do a lot better than that with 2 mods. some where in the 13.7XX.

plus it looks super new. and lift is amazing.
[right][snapback]257858[/snapback][/right]

rofl..... seventh gen beating a 3sgte

250whp with what? 180 lbs of torque...... so the 7th gen weighs in at virtually the same weight but has the same hp and less torque....

sorry, but 7th gen would lose.... plus its ugly and poorer quality

This post has been edited by wind: Mar 16, 2005 - 12:46 AM

[prpnum1]

if youve got the 10 grand to spend on a celi and a swap why not just buy a 7th gen. really fast, will kill any close to stock 5th gen out there and probabyl most 3s celicas.

i mean think of it this way mina is the only one on these boards to take his celica to the track. he was pushing nearly 250whp and if i remember his time really was not all the impressive like low 14's or high 13's. ive seen a 7th gen do a lot better than that with 2 mods. some where in the 13.7XX.

plus it looks super new. and lift is amazing.

WOWZERS!!!!!!!!!!! this guy should be banned from 6gc. lol

[Kwanza26]

His argument makes fine sense to me. Torque doesn't mean much if it's all located in the wrong place or if the driver cannot utilize the torque band. The 2ZZ may only make 130 or so ft lbs of torque, but if it can sustain it longer than a 3SGTE... it can out-accelerate a 3SGTE. That's not saying either engine is bad... but don't be quick to judge a pure horsepower engine if you don't know its potential.

So far on paper... 3SGTE swapped Celicas are very tough to drive fast from a stop. The 7th gen GTS is tough also... but it's not as hard as a 3SGTE swapped celica. Driver's excluded, I'd give it to the 3SGTE... but with only decently skilled drivers... an unexperienced driver with a 3SGTE Celica isn't gonna do too well...

I do agree that the 7th gens are fugly...

This post has been edited by Kwanza26: Mar 16, 2005 - 1:27 AM

[soltrain]

"Um isnt that stating weight in lbs?? and not torque?? thats what i could have swear that he meant..."


<sigh> torque is measured in ft/lbs. 177lb? What weight would he be talking about?

[nObOdy]

lol i thought he was talking the engine weight....

[lagos]

i have never came accross a 7th gen that was even close to keeping up with me.

the problem with fwd cars is that its hard to really race them at a drag strip without proper tires and drivers skill. put the two cars on a dyno and then you can really tell whats faster. a swaped celica with mods running at 15psi can put down about 235hp to the wheels. a GTS does about 160hp at the wheels with mods.

[presure2]

put the two cars on a dyno and then you can really tell whats faster.

come on, art...who REALLY cares about a dyno queen...i dont care if the car can make 10000HP...if you cant use it, its usless. how much HP on the dyno does NOT tell you whos FASTER. just who has bragging rights with more HP;)
heres my advice.
dont swap the celica. if you dont wanna work on the car for 5 yrs, you dont want ANY kind of swap or "turbo kit"
you need a car thats got it all stock.(mr2, alltrac, ect.)

[nObOdy]

alright well first off - i dont have 10k to spend on this
i have somewhere near 5-8 though.
I cannot afford to continually be fixing the car - i mean the random sometime problems are normal and expected but, when i swap this engine in - i will change out almost everything that i can so that i do not have to worry about it in the future - i will also definatly tune the engine up - new gaskets new seals new plugs wires collaborations everything my mechanic and i can think of.

If i were to do that - would i still be looking at a car that would break down a lot?

its a stock turboe'd engine - its MADE to handle the turbo the internals are designed for it. I will keep the turbo right at the normal boost so as to evade any nasty enounters with hurting my engine because i set the boost too high.

Why i dont buy an MR2-
Well the 3s-gte that i put into the car will have somewhere around 40,000 to 60,000 miles - and when i retune it up it will be in VERY good shape. if i bought an MR2 with that it would have at least 140k on the engine and chassis.. NOT what im looking for, and thats even if the damned mr2's didnt cost so much..
can anyone tell me if mr2's are mid engine cars?? my father keeps saying they are and i see no indication whatsoever of this but then again - im a noob at this stuff..
another reason i dont buy an MR2 - because i L O V E the bodystyle of the 6gc celica..
i dont know why but it just looks entirely sexy to me, and i love how rare they are and the 3s-gte swap would be.. F. A. S. T.
plus the toyota brand is reliable - the engine would last me a LONG time definatly better than my acura now (its at 196,049 miles..) and its an 88!
keeps breaking down..

How much does torque help in a race?? any ideas on that??

Also - What if i looked into a Acura Integra - A 94-95 and put an h23 block in it and swapped an h22 head on top of it? would that be quick?

anyhow - thanks for all your advice - please keep giving it!
nobody
ps and if any of that is wrong please tell me.. i cant afford to make a mistake on this.. =)

also - my mechanic and i are very close - i call him all the time with problems and i work on cars with him... needless to say he really knows what he's doing, will do it for cheap, and is just a great guy - so if i have issues with the car.. he'd help in no problem.

This post has been edited by nObOdy: Mar 16, 2005 - 3:34 PM

[946thGenGT]

can anyone tell me if mr2's are mid engine cars?? my father keeps saying they are and i see no indication whatsoever of this but then again - im a noob at this stuff..
[right][snapback]258046[/snapback][/right]

This should be indication enough for you. Yes they're mid-engine...


Also, I've always thought that the "MR" in MR2 stood for Mid-engine, Rear drive. Could be wrong but it makes sense.

This post has been edited by 946thGenGT: Mar 16, 2005 - 7:08 PM

[nObOdy]

alright well first off - i dont have 10k to spend on this
i have somewhere near 5-8 though.
I cannot afford to continually be fixing the car - i mean the random sometime problems are normal and expected but, when i swap this engine in - i will change out almost everything that i can so that i do not have to worry about it in the future - i will also definatly tune the engine up - new gaskets new seals new plugs wires collaborations everything my mechanic and i can think of.

If i were to do that - would i still be looking at a car that would break down a lot?

its a stock turboe'd engine - its MADE to handle the turbo the internals are designed for it. I will keep the turbo right at the normal boost so as to evade any nasty enounters with hurting my engine because i set the boost too high.

Why i dont buy an MR2-
Well the 3s-gte that i put into the car will have somewhere around 40,000 to 60,000 miles - and when i retune it up it will be in VERY good shape. if i bought an MR2 with that it would have at least 140k on the engine and chassis.. NOT what im looking for, and thats even if the damned mr2's didnt cost so much..
can anyone tell me if mr2's are mid engine cars?? my father keeps saying they are and i see no indication whatsoever of this but then again - im a noob at this stuff..
another reason i dont buy an MR2 - because i L O V E  the bodystyle of the 6gc celica..
i dont know why but it just looks entirely sexy to me, and i love how rare they are and the 3s-gte swap would be.. F. A. S. T.
plus the toyota brand is reliable - the engine would last me a LONG time definatly better than my acura now (its at 196,049 miles..) and its an 88!
keeps breaking down..

How much does torque help in a race?? any ideas on that??

Also - What if i looked into a Acura Integra - A 94-95 and put an h23 block in it and swapped an h22 head on top of it? would that be quick?

anyhow - thanks for all your advice - please keep giving it!
nobody
ps and if any of that is wrong please tell me.. i cant afford to make a mistake on this.. =)

also - my mechanic and i are very close - i call him all the time with problems and i work on cars with him...  needless to say he really knows what he's doing, will do it for cheap, and is just a great guy - so if i have issues with the car.. he'd help in no problem.
[right][snapback]258046[/snapback][/right]

any of that sound wrong and infeasible?

[boosted_K2]

MR2 - Midship Runabout 2-seater

not many turbo motors live 196,000+ miles without needing a major overhaul... and ESPECIALLY if they are modded. a turbo is supposed to be rebuilt every ~60,000 miles... turbo rebuilds cost around 500 + labor fees, and can total around 700 bucks on average if you send it out to a source like majestic turbo. only one car i know of has pushed severe HP numbers on an original motor, and as most people who do alot of 3sgte research know, im talking about hyde... and that motor is 1 in a million, ive never heard of any other 3sgte motor making it 200,000 miles under the conditions he puts that car though, his maintanence routine is borderline obsessive, and he knows how to keep that thing running (though i do think he deliborately killed it at the end of last season)

my point is "reliable" depends on who you are buying it from, and what they did to it... my 1997 Celica i purchased in 2001 had 54,000 miles on it when i purchased it from a dealership... within a year and a half i had to have the transmission rebuilt AND the motor rebuilt due to unrelated problems.

as for my "almightly 3sgte" in my MR2, i had to replace the turbo on my MR2 within 6 months of owning it when the previous owner showed me receipts of the turbo being rebuilt no more than 15k miles ago... the wastegate went bad on it and also i think the bearing was binding up. i also had to replace a cracked valve cover gasket, the speedgear broke in the transmission and i had to replace that, the oil drain plug gasket was leaking, and one of the bracket clasps for the shift linkage fell off as i was leaving a gas station to go up to school. i ended up driving 4 hours that day with only 1st, 3rd, and 5th gears, no reverse. and im just mentioning all the motor/trans related problem maintanence ive had to do, that doesnt include all the preventitive maintanence and improvements ive made on this car within the last year and a half ive owned it... and all this on a motor that was supposedly completely rebuilt 15k miles prior to me purchasing it (and i know for a fact all the dates and milage because i have all the receipts)... all im saying is the name "toyota" is only half the equasion to a reliable car


if you are just looking for something "quick" to beat your buddies cars and dont really have a specific purpose in mind besides driving it from A to B and dicking around on weekends... you are lining yourself up for way too much trouble trying to perform a swap... i will tell you and those who have done these swaps will also tell you, 75% of the fun is the build up process and getting dirty and doing it yourself, only 25% is driving it afterwards thats why so many people who have such radical cars usually dont keep them for very long... they will build them, drive them for a little while, and sell it or tear it down and start over.

[nObOdy]

Hrm... did you drive your car very hard?

so if i were to do the swap - fix all the mechanical parts that i could think of -
replace them with new (preventative maintanence if you will)
you dont think i could go 4 years without some kind of a major fix.
i would have to expect at least 500+ of some kind of work needing to be done on the car?
I drive my cars fast - but i keep them well.. if that makes sense
like ill redline it and race it around all day but every 3k sometimes before i change my oil - routinely run cleaners through the engine - replace sparks.plugs. tranny fluid. radiator fluid. whole bunches of stuff.. air filters......

Im not worried about a 1oo bucks every month or so for a fix - and i realize it is all a gamble ...but if i were to perform the 3s-gte your assuming that i would not be able to get away with such cheap repairs?

what i want to do is get my hands dirty this summer, and come fall time when i go back to school - i want it to be fine, normaly every weekend every other weekend i drive 400 miles to go back home (round trip..)

I wouldnt want to be continuously fixing things.. But my thought if i replace things with quality parts, dont overboost it. keep it well maintained that i may be able to have a reliable fast car that i love the looks of...

any ideas on that??

[boosted_K2]

i autocross and once and a while drag race my car, however i ended up having to fix all these problems before i started racing, so no, these problems were not brought on by hard driving.

the problem is you cannot be 100% positive that you will be that reliable unless you tear it down and rebuild it all yourself by the book, the only way to guarantee that everything is done properly is to do it yourself with the proper manuals and parts, next best option being to get a warranty on anything anyone else does for you. the key here is 100%, myself included, people doing these projects hang themselves out to dry by taking shortcuts and not properly starting from scratch... buy something used, and assume its good because the person you purchased it from said it was "in great condition" and it looks all nice and shiny... i did this with my current CT20b turbo, and most people do it when they buy used clips and motors, they assume its good and throw it in and turn it on, most clip importers will only warranty an engine to start the first time, but once it starts the first time you are no longer under any coverage from that supplier, if a crank is bent or if valves are not seated correctly or something snaps off after some heavier driving conditions, your SOL... and at that point its no longer 100 dollars a month maintanence, you gotta get this thing fixed, and NOW if it is your only vehicle. most people come out okay, but you hear plenty of horror stories of things like this as well, it turns out to be a real crap shoot. so far ive gotten lucky on my CT20b, it seems to be working great, but im also planning on it possably failing, so im going to get my other turbo rebuilt and possably upgraded... all i can say is thank god this isnt my only car.

dont take this as me trying to persuade you against it, plenty of people have come out successful, and many people do have them running quite reliably, i just want to warn you and anyone else thinking about doing it that there is a real danger of getting yourself in over your head, just because everything adds up on paper to being something you can afford... theres alot of things you dont see originally that really add up and destroy your budget, just ask manny, who's stainless steel oil lines just cost him his arm, and i think they are calling back about his leg as well

[tsiah]

well...as far as swapping an h22/h23 into a teg...its a pretty heavy engine for such a light car
you'll go fast in a straight line, but the car wont handle well

[ArizonaRed]

do you like the honda crx? You could do a swap on that and put a body kit on it. it can be fast and light and for 5-8k you could do a lot to it.

[easternpiro1]

damn... now im worried about getting that loan to do a swap....I was almost convinced....thanx man glad i saw this...imma be more cautious see if there other options...

[hs2g]

The 4th Gen Prelude Vtec is running in the mid-low 15's stock. With some nice I/H/E and drag radials maybe even high 14's. Or you could always turbo the prelude and tune it right, it would be faster than any 3s-gte Celica. 3sgte celicas i think run in the mid 14's, but not sure. Correct me if i'm wrong on this.

You can find a 4th gen Prelude Vtec anywhere from 6000-8000 depending on miles and condition.

I personnelly like the 5th gen Ludes, they are very nice looking and pretty quick. Running low 15's stock. And there is always a option for turbo.

This post has been edited by hs2g: Mar 18, 2005 - 9:50 PM

[saleeka]

you dont think i could go 4 years without some kind of a major fix.
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Thats a tall order for any used car thats 5+ years old, period... If you want to not worry about stuff going wrong- a swap is the LAST thing you want to do... get a lude or a teg thats been well taken care of, and leave it at that...

[nObOdy]

It seems as if i will not be performing the 3s-gte swap into a celica..
im really sad to say it though - I will do this swap down the road when i can have another car to actually drive and then my celica =)
Im going to try to stay away from a turbo for my first engine swap - and my mechanic and i are going to work with a 94-95 integra GSR drop a nice powerful engine in it - this way the issues i will have with it will be so minimal i wont have to worry about drving it hard or what not. im going to put the h23 vtec into it =) some serious power (200hps) plus that vtec!
well yea thats where im at right now but im not buying a car till summer so i should stop thinking about it..! lol my girlfriend complains that it is all i am talking about. cars. cars.!
well peace out guys.
nobody

ps
thank you all so much for your informative posts. they were very clarifying for me when i am about to embark on such a large endeavor for me, so again
thank you!

oh
and the honda crx?
a b s o l u t l y HIDEOUS!
but if anyone has any other ideas for cars.. feel free to share them =)


This post has been edited by nObOdy: Mar 19, 2005 - 3:57 PM

[Digndoug]

I think eaither way. Dont buy a car planning on swaping the engine. not a good idea, unless its a second car or you have delt with it before. Id suggest buying a 95 gsr and riding that for awhile doing littl mods and learning as you go.

[hs2g]

The B18C1 itself is a very powerful engine. Just rebuild it and mod that sucker. You can get 200+WHP all motor. Now thats a powerful motor. The H23 is nice but I think the GSR has more potenial in the long run.

[tsiah]

The B18C1 itself is a very powerful engine.  Just rebuild it and mod that sucker.  You can get 200+WHP all motor.  Now thats a powerful motor.  The H23 is nice but I think the GSR has more potenial in the long run.
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the h23 is non VTEC

the H22A and the B18C are both very awesome engines...its hard to say which has more potential
I've seen an H22A that was bored and stroked to 2.6L...ran 14:1 compression and made over 280 hp at the wheels and like 220 tqu IIRC

EDIT
the H22A is 2.6L, 16:1 (estimated) compression, 260 hp and 200 tqu

I would also like to add that from what I hear...the h23 with h22 head isnt the greatest engine. the h23 bottom end isnt built the same as the h22 bottom end...its relatively time consuming and expensive to find JUST the h23 short block and h22 head by themselves...the little power gain from that extra 100 cc's isnt worth it IMO

bore and or stroke the h22 they make kits that you can take out to 2.4L if you want it that high

This post has been edited by tsiah: Mar 23, 2005 - 5:25 AM

[tsiah]

4TH gen ludes are cramped and uncomfortable and i'm 5 6
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did you perhaps try to slide the seat back?? it was no more cramped than a 6th gen celica...I've driven both...neither were that great
there's no comparison that i can give tho as far as the power of either...the 4th gen lude I drove had the F22 (SOHC non VTEC 2.2...) it was a base model.
it still had some balls tho...I sorta romped on it while I was pulling it in to change a wheel stud when I popped the hood I was very suprised that it was only the F22 and not the H23 (DOHC non VTEC 2.3)

This post has been edited by tsiah: Mar 23, 2005 - 5:51 AM