V6 swap Celica Options

[SaulGoodman]

Ive been really debating as of lately what I want to do with my ST. The 1.8 liter supposedly can put out solid horsepower with only forged rods and basic tuner upgrades on boost, but Ive been thinking about more torque with NA horsepower. An LS swap would be cool as sh*t but lets face it, too much work in a car not made for it. So a fwd V6 from Toyota is my next best bet, heres some of my choices.

3mz-fe w/ e153 - Best candidate with highest HP/TQ, but people say the motors are no good for boost unless you dump 3k to building the block. Any truth to this?
1mz - Numbers are too low, doesnt seem worth it in comparison to the others. Why or why not?
5vz-fe w/ e153 - Supposedly better for boost? Need confirm on it
2gr/1gr? - No idea how that would work.

I want to keep it FWD. Something "simple enough" to swap in and work day to day.
Which would be the easiest to source junkyard parts (axles, housings, whatever), providing the most reliable performance without sacrificing daily drivability? Ive heard a few people say 1mz/3mz are the easiest to fit in the bay while the 5vz is the most plug-and-play with the wiring. Or should I stick with a boosted 4 cylinder, maybe do something crazy like a K swap? This is all hypothetical, the build wont be for a while so keep it light. Im inexperienced compared to some of the old heads on here, but dang would a V6 Celica be fun. Im 100% in love with this platform, so in my opinion anything is worth the effort on it.

[Box]

It's all good, and I look forward to seeing another 2GR Celica out there. Also I forgot about that post njccmd made prior to actually committing to the 2GR, so nice rediscovery blood.

You can also get the E153 from the few Camry that had the 1MZ and 5-speed, Camry/Solara is basically the same car in that regard and many others so keep an eye out for them as well.

[SaulGoodman]

So to quote directly from this article: 2GRFE MR2


"donor parts (i got the whole lot from a non smart key 2006 Avalon with about 55k miles for 2500$)
- 2GRFE engine
- ECU
- Immobilizer computer (hides between the A/C and the firewall in the Avalon. requires full dash disassembly to get to)
- Immobilizer antenna. This just snaps onto the key cylinder and has a half dozen wires or so going to it
- OBDII connector. (Located at the driver's knees)
- Engine harness, this includes connector A, B & C to the ECU. no need for any of the fuse boxes.
- wiring harness pigtails for ECU connector D & E, the immobilizer pigtail & the immobilizer antenna pigtail
- THE IMMOBILIZER KEY. (this can be worked around but it takes a very cooperative dealer and it still is quite the pain in the rear)

New Parts
- 1MZ flywheel. I used a Fidanza 9.5lb - 300$
- High HP clutch. I used an Exedy stage 3 because I was not expecting this much HP from the motor. I was disappointed. Get a different one (I?m going for a Spec 3+ next) - 500$
- Tranny rebuild - ??$ (I haven't done the tranny stuff yet)
- 61.5" 7rib v-belt (advance carries it, Napa does not for some reason) - 60$
- fuel pressure regulator. i went with an Aeromotive regulator with gauge. The motor requires 43.5psi - 130$
- Toyota long life coolant - 70$


Optional Donor Parts
- Solara transmission for the stronger input shaft & better rear end ratio - ??$ (I haven't done the tranny stuff yet)
- NA mr2 tachometer face. - 60$ (this needs confirmed yet)
- 1mz tach from late 90's Avalon (6300RPM redline) - 40$ (this needs confirmed yet)
- You may want the volt gauge from the NA cluster also, but i plan on supercharging eventually so I am keeping the boost gauge.

Exhaust Parts
I went full custom here, this isn't 100% required but it frees up quite a bit of horsepower. I?m not going to list prices because stainless steel prices are very volatile and most people won't be able to make this themselves anyways which total changes the price. let's just say my exhaust cost me about 900$ for just the materials and my labour was free.

Other Parts
- Toyota Avalon Electrical Wiring Diagram Book - 25$
- Toyota MR2 Electrical Wiring Diagram Book - 15$
- M12x1.25 helicoil kit


Parts total: 4600$ (the thread said about 4k because I did not realize I needed another new clutch at that point in time)"





Will definitely be coming back to this plenty. Now reading off these 2gr swaps everyone seems to change out the clutch and flywheel kit. Is this really necessary for the E153? I know itd reduce wheel hp loss but I'm not looking to pull insane power from this build. Im trying to keep everything as "stock" as possible. If the engine and tranny runs good, Im dumping it into my car type stock