which 3sgte did you swappers use?, which one? Options

[Andason]

What kind of 3S-GTE did you use? I am thinking about getting one from a ST185 but I remember the problems my cousins All-Trac went through(USDM related??). However it was one mad quick car and I'm close to positive it was abused by previous owners.

[scothaniel]

Yeah, looks wise they are very similar. In fact can you tell them apart (yes these are all 5th gens):








The first question thing I'd have to ask is what type of IC are you going to use - stock top mount or front mount? If you use a top mount, you'll have to get the 205 hood, otherwise you wont get any air to the IC and it will be pretty inefficient. The 185 IC can cook hot dogs after an hour of driving (not joking, we've actually done it once!). The 185RC / 205 IC is far better and more efficient, but it will still heat up with no air flow.

The other option is a front mount, which is really easy to do on the 6th gen's. I bought an IC and all the piping for under $400 (still need to get it welded though). Finding a 205 clip with the full IC system intact is more difficult, and more costly.

I've seen partial clips without the IC, without body panels, and sometimes without the turbo for around $2200. As long as you have the manifold, you can put on any Toyota CT based turbo, or get an adapter for $75 and install a T3 based turbo. With IC, turbo, and body panels expect $4000.