Progress thread: 3VZ-F(T)E V6 Swap into my 94 GT, The V6 RUNS! Options

[stephen_lee]

I've been talkin about a 3VZ swap for quite some time now (~3yrs).
I found a fairly decent, non-running, 94 GT last july for $300. Beautiful interior and everything, only a dent in the drivers door, and a broken bumper (which i have a few spares..)
Soo I picked up a manual 92 ES300 a few months ago as a donor car for my swap
I've been driving it and good god the motor is a beast. the torque is there 100% of the time - even at 2000 rpm. The intake sounds like a pissed off Porsche. After feeling a 3s swap(DEATH) and driving the lex, i think it should produce about the same results, if not better, stock for stock. now adding the turbo should up my power even more considerably since i have 50% more displacement over the 3s. This motor redlines at 6600 and fuel cuts at 7200rpm, but falls on its face around 5600-5800RPM - comparable to the 7a. I'm thinking a good turbo will alleviate that problem i washed the engine recently and somehow killed the AFM so when i swap I'm going megasquirt EMS will reduce a lot of clutter in the engine bay and clean up sensors, even making it easier to turbo later. 4BAR map W/ baro correction.

From Wiki:
"The 1992–1993 engine has 185 hp (138 kW) at 5800 rpm and 189 ft·lbf (256 N·m) at 4600 rpm. 1994+ have 200 hp (149 kW) at 5800 rpm and 204 ft·lbf (277 N·m) at 4600 rpm. There is no mechanical difference in the engine. In an embarrassing move, Toyota inadvertently created an engine competing with the more performance oriented 7M-GE (200 hp) and 2JZ-GE (225 hp) installed in sportier, more luxurious cars of the time. Because of this; the stock ignition timing and fueling was noticeably detuned. The power spread of the 3VZ-FE is wide, having 100% torque between 2500–4600 rpm, with power trailing off by 6000 rpm. Stock redline is 6600 rpm, and the ECU's fuel/ignition cut is 7200 rpm."

"The 3VZ-FE has a larger forged steel crankshaft and large cast rods. They can handle double the stock power output, although forged pistons & rods are recommended. A few nitrous and turbocharged examples match or exceed 450 hp (336 kW) on both the stock engine and engine management with a piggyback chip controlling fuel & ignition."


FOR NON-READERS

Engine:
92 ES300 with 3VZFE
E53 (E153) Transmission && LSD
185HP & 189TQ

Receiving car:
94 White GT
Auto Tranny (not for long..) no longer auto!
Megasquirt EMS
Turbo plans in place

Shopping List:

1. Shell for swap
2. 3VZ-FE
3. E53/E153
4. Engine rebuild bits
5. Machine Work
6. Tranny rebuild bits
7. ST205 Shift Cables
8. ST205 Rear Mount
9. ST204 front/side mounts
10. Poly inserts
11. MegaSquirt
12. Turbo Bits
13. 3L2 Paint
14. GT4 front and riser blocks

Bold items need to be bought still






































































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This post has been edited by stephen_lee: Feb 9, 2012 - 9:28 AM

[stephen_lee]

copy & paste...

"The 3vz-fe itself is *highly* resistant to detonation. Many times more than a 3vz-e, 1mz-fe, or 5vz-fe is. The most resistant to detonation of any of the v6's. I have personally run 22* of maximum advance over 6000rpm with my SMT-6 with no pinging. On Chevron 87.
Another ported & polished 3vz-fe went to a drag strip to test ignition timing. A base timing of 20* (stock is 10* universal to all v6's/normal Toyota engines) produced no pinging, but poor performance. On 87 octane.

The 3vz-fe has the strongest stock rods used on any v6. They are massive.
Huge... Iron... Block... We don't need sleeves, we don't need block work to lay down 600whp. It's too similar in construction to a 3000GT's v6 not to say maybe even 900bhp+.
Other than the cast pistons, the 3vz-fe is stronger part for part than any other v6. It has yet to be seen if the biggest stock 3vz-fe can take down the biggest stock 5vz-fe. Why?

Because Neither Sean, nor I have set out to do it yet.

Like oil? 3vz-fe's don't. Yes, even 3psi at a cold idle is in spec... If you're not on the gas, they don't have a ton of oil pressure. This is great for turbo life.
FYI Camry 3vz-fe's have no oil pressure sensor installed while ES 300/Windom's do.
As long as the red light of death is off - you don't have an oil problem, no matter HOW bright the yellow low oil level light is! (That's an inside joke. I killed my OLS when I installed my turbo oil return somehow.)

3vz-fe redlines a 6850rpm, and the fuel cut is at 7100rpm.
Toyota RPM gauges read very, very slow I have logged my engine at 7400rpm on my SMT6... A 5vz-fe would come apart at that rpm without cams, valve springs & other work. Not us. (We have very diminishing power on stock cams after 6000rpm, however it's best to shift at 6500-6900rpm to stay in powerband)

We don't waste money on cams... Our engine has the biggest powerband (except maybe a 5vz-fe) under 3000rpm. We have OVER 100whp at 2000rpm. Yes... That's right... Only a 3vz-fe has the power to spin tires on the Camry platform!

We get HUGE gains from head porting!!!
Seam McElligott got 30-35bhp.
I did my MYSELF and got 25-30.
A Camry owner had his done and got 25, possibly 30.
What do cams do on a 3vz-fe? Turn it into a 1mz-fe! <BLAH!> A cammed 3vz-fe made 220bhp on an MR2 with zero powerband.
We make 220bhp off P&P light N/A tuning, & a y-pipe... And still have the massive low rpm powerband.

The fully built N/A 3vz-e's made 320bhp.
A fully built N/A 3vz-fe should then make 370bhp. Hey... If two extra valves are good for 50bhps tock, they should be worth it built too!

The downside is that the 3vz-fe has stock cast pistons. Not a problem when you run the correct amount of fuel, however 1mz-fe's ahve cast pistons WITH a coating. They are minutely stronger (I say minutely because no 3vz-fe has hurt it's bottom end, stock 1mz-fe's have melted rings & pistons by running slightly lean at lower power levels than have been achieved by 3vz-fe's)

Despite what anyone says, the 5vz-fe has one important edge. Displacement... 11.7% displacement advantage will ALWAYS equal an 11.7% power advantage when comparing the same basic setup.
If you have money, this doesn't matter. A source once had a machinist calculate how far you could possibly stroke a 3vz-fe. 3.7L. The supposed kit that was coming from that was going to cost $4000+, and stroke to 3.5-3.6L.

I've worked on them all. Had a hand in one turbo 3vz-e, then turboed another from scratch. Turboed mine a few different odd ways so far. Rebuilt my 3vz-fe more times than you will ever want to know. Worked with 1mz-fe's & worked on 5vz-fe's.

3vz-fe JDM's have no EGR. US's can be throw away & blocked off. 1mz-fe1's? Nopers!
3vz-fe's have EVAP, but don't care if you throw it away. 1mz-fe's? Nope!
3vz-fe loose their 5-10bhp from carbon over a few years. 1mz-fe1's have HORRIBLY over used EGR systems. What a 3vz-fe builds up over a few years, a 1mz-fe1 builds up in 9 months. Guess what, that new 1mz-fe you bought? if the entire intake track hasn't been cleaned in the last 9-12 months, you can subtract 10bhp.

3vz-fe's are non-interference. 1mz-fe1's are also, 1mz-fe2's are not.
My 2 favorite demonstration pictures of all time.
Don't think that's important? I destroyed my first OEM timing belt doing a top speed run when I got to 143mph, but still made it home."