Engine Swap- Texas Options

[jesse09]

I currently have about 3000 dollars, I can cough up on an engine swap. Not really trying to get super fast or anything, just my 7a has got about 250,000 miles on it and probably not much more to go. I know next to nothing on engine swaps. so i need advice.

I read some stuff on the 3sge and that sounds to be the best for what i want. But could my budget come anywhere close to that? Does anyone know a good shop that can do this in East Texas? Any advice is welcome.

sorry if this is repeat but i browsed through quite a bit of forums and didn't find them entirely useful.

Thanks

[PolliS_5S-FE]

Alot of reading and research to be done on this site, theres tons of information on swaps just need to type in 3sgte and see what comes up on search. Heck i just typed in 3sgte on search titles only and 40 pages came up lol

[jesse09]

Alot of reading and research to be done on this site, theres tons of information on swaps just need to type in 3sgte and see what comes up on search. Heck i just typed in 3sgte on search titles only and 40 pages came up lol

Ya most of them are over 3sgte engine swaps and from guys who have the 5sfe. I have a 7a and want a 3sge and could not find any good info on that. And second almost half that stuff makes no sense to me lol. I have almost zero knowledge on mechanics. Was just hoping maybe some one near the Texas area would be willing to meet up and give me a place to start.

[cheela]

$3000 might cover the engine but if you're not mechanically inclined then you're looking to spend another $3000 in shop costs so either read up on here or start saving again.

[jesse09]

$3000 might cover the engine but if you're not mechanically inclined then you're looking to spend another $3000 in shop costs so either read up on here or start saving again.

Aw man 6 grand is way more then I can do..
Guess i'll have to just swap another 7a in

[cheela]

just saying. if you're not gonna do the work, you gotta pay someone right? hahaha.
That's why I'm still stuck with my 7a.

if not, i'm sure some members down south will always be glad to help you swap it in.

[Smaay]

contact Dave or Jason here http://www.ddperformanceresearch.com/ they are both personal friends of mine and can do the swap for you.

I highly suggest you do NOT do a 3S-GE, i suggest a 1MZ-FE

[Malhar95]

contact Dave or Jason here http://www.ddperformanceresearch.com/ they are both personal friends of mine and can do the swap for you.

I highly suggest you do NOT do a 3S-GE, i suggest a 1MZ-FE

How much do they ussualy charge? Like a simple engine replacement?

[ricochet1490]

Richee3 had done 2 3sge BEAMS swaps for $3000....
Just saying.

Granted there was some luck involved.

But we have to agree that that particular swap is as easy if not easier than any other swap on here. Batman put one in a rav4 for crying out loud.



Edit:
This guy's problem is that he has a 7afe.... so he'll need an engine set that comes with tranny or else he's going to be hurting. Richee's last one though came with lsd tranny and subframe.... he could prolly point him to the right direction to the right seller

This post has been edited by ricochet1490: Mar 8, 2012 - 10:00 PM

[SupraKid]

silverstop 4age...Will be faster than a GT celica, and you'll save as you can use your drivetrain from the 7afe.

This post has been edited by SupraKid: Mar 8, 2012 - 10:10 PM

[richee3]

Trace and Andrew both raise very good points- I have done two BEAMS swaps, each under $3,000. However, since I had a GT I was able to avoid certain expenses such as axles and a new motor mount. I also did not do maintenance to either motor before dropping them in, which isn't wise. But for $3k, a BEAMS swap is very feasible. Andrew brings up a good point about a Silvertop, though I've read that they don't have enough torque for a heavy Celica. Still, it's more power than a 7A.

[jesse09]

That silvertop 4age sounds to be a pretty good deal, i could only find info on the 1mz-fe as a V6 though? i will further read on how it does on an ST celica. I will have to contact the guys Smaay pointed me out to and see if they have anything to suggest. Ideally I would only like to swap the engine and tranny hopefully not any axles or drivetrains. This post has already been incredibly helpful

[richee3]

The 1MZ is a V6, becoming more common to swap into Celicas. With the 1MZ or 3S-GE, you'll need a new transmission which means new axles. The 3S uses an S54 transmission, same as USDM GT's so you can use GT axles. The 1MZ can use either the GT's transmission or more ideally, an E153 transmission which will require custom axles. It sounds like a Silvertop might be the closest to what you're looking for.

[jesse09]

so can the silvertop engine use the tranny from the 7a?

[jesse09]

so after doing more research i answered my last question.

but i still have my doubts, seems like more then half of the forums I researched say the 4age is not strong enough to pull the celica.
others say it is a good upgrade

so my question are there any active members that did the 4age swap that can confirm this for me?

[ricochet1490]

If I were you I'd hop on this one ..... like yesterday.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-3S-GE-TOYOTA-C...d8d&vxp=mtr


I've never seen that price with free shipping with ecu, tranny, shifter cables, and the motor looks good. not scratched. not dented on the intake manifold etc. I think knowing exactly what you're getting there with the free shipping and all of those parts... it's everything you'd need except the motor mounts and axles which you can get from Autozone.

I would do this asap. But that's just me.

Good luck

This post has been edited by ricochet1490: Mar 11, 2012 - 7:06 PM

[Smaay]

^^^ why spend that much money for an engine that makes about 140HP to the wheels. once i finish my 1MZ swap, ill have so much documentation, you would be a fool to put anything else in there.

[ricochet1490]

i only suggested it because it's the most plug and play..... He was looking for a shop to do the work for crying out loud and this would have had the fewest custom parts.... most of the stuff, belts, axles, motor mounts are all usdm gt parts.
For a shop it would have been the "easiest" to do

This is not saying that the 1mz is any less easy, just more custom

[richee3]

If the BEAMS only makes 140 whp, the the 1MZ isn't even doing that much. And for the the added work of the 1MZ swap over the ease of the BEAMS for 140 hp to the wheels, you'd be a fool for ever pulling the 5S out to begin with. Realistically, both will be about 175 whp.

[ricochet1490]

If the BEAMS only makes 140 whp, the the 1MZ isn't even doing that much. And for the the added work of the 1MZ swap over the ease of the BEAMS for 140 hp to the wheels, you'd be a fool for ever pulling the 5S out to begin with. Realistically, both will be about 175 whp.

+1 on the beams at 170hp.

Reading Beams Owners Group that seems to be the "common" number thrown around for hp to the wheels.... a 70% increase to the 7afe. it may not be a tourqey v6 that could put up more hp than that, but it's made for the car...

[jesse09]

surfing a bit and came across this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-Toyota-Celica-...f15&vxp=mtr

can anyone tell from the link how many more parts I would have to gather (or if it looks like a legit deal) to make this possible?

Ya, I know it has an automatic tranny which is what my car has now, but for a multitude of reasons I have to keep it that way.
yes i know many hate the idea of an auto beams but oh well.

thanks everyone whose been helping with my questions.

[richee3]

That one is very complete. You will only need a GT passenger side motor mount and possibly GT shift cables. Not sure if the auto shift cables are different between the GT and ST. After that, you might run into small issues (ripped axle boot, broken rear motor mount, etc) but you could easily buy that BEAMS and get it in your car for $3k. At some point down the road, you'll definitely want to get the timing belt, oil/water pumps etc. changed but with only 58k on the motor you should be fine for a little bit.

[ricochet1490]

I'd try to get the auto gauge cluster too.... you can find it on ebay as well, but I have NO idea what that means as far as getting the PRND21 lights on the cluster to actually light up. That is uncharted territory for sure.

[jesse09]

Ya the prnd lighting not working is no biggy, I'm really hoping it will not be sold buy the end of the week because I plan to buy that beams swap and kick this project off. I hope this isnt way over my head.
Feel free to post any suggestions/support/cristicism until then

[ricochet1490]

Ya the prnd lighting not working is no biggy, I'm really hoping it will not be sold buy the end of the week because I plan to buy that beams swap and kick this project off. I hope this isnt way over my head.
Feel free to post any suggestions/support/cristicism until then

research up on what needs to be done for the car. EA1 plug stuff, etc etc. Richee would know more about that than me, but there is info all over the site on it. Wiring on any of these swaps is going to be the biggest pain.
Good Luck

[richee3]

Wiring isn't difficult at all

Just a few things to keep in mind, a BEAMS will not pass emissions, nor is it OBDII compliant so if you have inspections in your area, a BEAMS is out of the question. I managed to keep my swap cost down by cutting a few corners like the timing belt and few other things. I also kept my factory GT exhaust, so that's a few hundred saved. I left room in my budget for extra expenses such as axles if mine broke somehow or various other things that could have gone wrong. When doing a swap, something will almost invariably go wrong. With enough preparation, you can be ready for anything though.

It might take just a little over $3k to get the BEAMS in your car, but it shouldn't take much more. The engine itself is the big expense and with that out of the way, any other expenses should be easy to cover. Just make sure to have an "oops" fund and you'll be fine