doin ure own swap, how many of you guys have done ure own? Options

[lx130]

I'm sure a good number of u guys have done your own swaps, but curiosity keeps me thinking... did u guys have any previous knowledge or experience in doing the swap? im assuming you guys already knew about how a car runs an what not, just generally what did you know about teh swap, specially 3sgte swap...

[lagos]

when WE took the "vicotry" pic, of art in the clips empty engine bay, it wasnt to look cool on the board, it was cause we actually felt like we acoomplished this huge feat. lol

Amen to that! That was such a great day. Youll forever be my swap brother, Manny.



Now here is what I think about this topic. I have always tried to preach to people to do their own swaps or turbo kits. You just cant own a custom car like that and not know anything about it. You are going to have to pop the hood from time to time and fix misc things, and if you paid someone to do your swap your just going to be frustrated by all the things they did wrong to it.

However, I have recently come to the conclusion that a 3s swap, or a 5sfTe/7afTe is not for everyone. Way too many people over the years have started these projects only to sell their car within the first year of owning it. The problem is that they did not take the time to do things right from the start, or they did not take the time to really learn about cars. If anyone wants a swap, here is what i would recommend....

1. Make sure you really love your car and plan to keep it for more then 2yrs. A lot of guys on here thought a turbo celica was their dream car, only to turn around and sell their car within the first year or so.
2. Make sure you have at LEAST $4,000 cash on hand before you start. If you dont, then your going to have a huge wake up call when you find out how much everything adds up to.
3. Make sure you do at LEAST 1 full year of research. A lot of people people get into this too early and dont have a clear understanding of what needs to be done.
4. Do your own swap, and take the time to learn about it.
5. Take the time to do things RIGHT the first time. Change out all the seals, do your waterpump and timing belt, etc... if you skip any of these things now, they will just be back to haunt you.


If you can meet all 5 of those requirements, then doing a 3s swap or a turbo kit is one of the most amazing things that you can do to your celica.