Poorman's 3S swap, 1st Gen 3S into a Undeserving 95 ST Options

[ZGear]

Hello, my name is Ger aka ZGear from the Mid-West. Haven't really responded to this forum in all the years I've joined. Though I have supported this site in Minnesota with my 6gc passion.

My initial plans were to save up and buy a blacktop 4a, but in doing so I managed to come across a good deal on a 1st gen 3sgte locally. Whole motor without tranny and a few extra parts for a shiny nickel.

My car, stock as ever for about 5 years.



Then an exterior renovation in 2007



Also an engine face lift



This is how she sat for half a year with a case of bad crank bearing.



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Now for the good stuff:

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BCCentaur and associates: "Blizzard Tuning"



Sorry, wasn't able to do the signature Dr. Tweak pose..... , but it is shiny!
Not shown: deleted AC, power steering, and egr.



7afe Part-out time!



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What will be going in........ Da Da Dum Dum



1st Gen 3sgte with a TRD low comp head gasket. Comes with a 6GC converted harness for a GT, now all I need is motor mounts, tranny, intercooler, bov, downpipe, seals, etc......

This will be my first turbo motor and a good learning experience before I play with the big boys. I'll try to update along with the progression.

[ZGear]

So while I sit back in my chair and realized that I'm almost at the end of the road with collecting parts for my 3sgte swap with some exterior goodies as well. I just realized that I still have to search and place order for gauges, gauge pillars, bov, radiator, axles, caliper sliding bracket, piping, oil hard lines, etc...... I guess the list just keeps growing and I keep falling back on how far I still need to go. To make it worst, I'll have to wait for my next paycheck for more money.

No pics yet, but I have made some progress.

F1 Racing Stage 2: heard mixed reviews about it, cheap and I thought I'd give it a try.
AutoGrimming 2.5in Downpipe: Heard that Ebay brand ain't so bad after a long hour of polishing the passage tube.
An Unknown brand compact intercooler with a thick core: Donated from my friend since he owed me money.
Ebay Lower Gasket Kit: Maybe should of went OEM?
Ebay Timing Belt and Water Pump Kit: Maybe should of went OEM? Price is very steep just for the tensioner and idler from Toyota hence why I thought I'd give the Ebay brand a try.
Autozone Rotors and Pads: Just a cheap set-up to warm the engine up before any major brake overhual.
Tweak'd 255 Walbro Fuel Pump
Also some exterior MODs I'm not disclosing information for now.

That's that so far as much as I can remember.


I do have some questions about this build though:

Should I cough up the money and buy a Koyo or look for other alternatives like; Megan, Mishimoto? (I couldn't find one for 94 99 celica), Godspeed, or those made from China (lol, very cheap ebay brand)?

Also the same question for a BOV. Cough up the money or go EBay cheap.

Then there's the intercooler piping question. Where should I look to buy pipings? Ebay? Also if anyone has any opinion on intercooler piping set-ups, measurements, etc.

This post has been edited by ZGear: Sep 16, 2010 - 1:08 PM