I've been going back and forth on which swap I want to attempt. I'd really like opinions from people that have done both swaps and which one they prefer. Also some whp/tq #'s comparisons would be nice. I've read and read and read alot about each swap and I just want to hear some non bias opinions from actual owners. Thanks
ok, lets start here.....
Money - how much do you want to spend? (or to be more precise, how much can you commit to the project?
Power - how much do you want? A mk1 1 standard is about 130hhp, a mk2 175bhp, a 2.0 turbo c. 200-300bhp, a 3vz v6 180-200bhp, a 1mz v6 is 180-200bhp (lighter) and a 2gr is about 300+bhp. V6 = no turbo (no lag) and lots of torque.
Complexity - on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a knuckle dragging chimp and 10 being a automotive wizard, where do you pitch yourself?
Chris.
Okay,
Mechanical skill: i would rate myself probably somewhere in the middle on that scale a 5-6. BUT I haven't been involved with many swaps, a few honda swaps, my buddies rb26 240, and did a celica 5sfe transplant when i was 16 with help from my dad but never really got into any advanced fabrication. I have no welding experience but have plenty of access to genius wiring gurus, fab work, dyno tuning and welding through my Friends shop at Lost Coast Motorsports here in town. I have no doubt they can help me put together whatever swap i decided to go with, but would like to do most of it myself and only pay money for the labor that is beyond my expertise.
Cost: Well, with the baby on the way and almost here the more cost effective the better of course. I plan to piece together the swap slowly but surely until i have everything ready to be done in a caffeine themed weekend. out of all the v6's the 1mzfe is the most easily located for a decent price, right now i have a few of them lined up through a pick n pull 2 hours out of town for $250 if i pull the motor and an extra $100 for the harness and ecu. So when i found this out the v6 came to the top of my list. But theres alot of other parts such as e153, turbo sw20 inner axles(which i would need for the mk1,5 as well) ill have to track down as well. A 3sgte in the same condition would probaly cost me closer to $1,000 and they are not easy to find locally, but i feel the swap would go smoother easier and offer a wider range of aftermarket support.
WHY!? : I want a brutal, Bad ass mk1 toyota mr2 that the people of eureka never seen coming. there is none in my town to be seen. not mention everyone around here has 240's, 350z's, supras, evos and sti's. I want a mean underdog mid engine 80's toyota that will make them reconsider the $30k dollars they spent. It will be pure fun car and to compete in Hill climb, Auto x, and occasional seasonal drags.
I think i would be very satisfied with 200 to the wheels.
Either route I go, I would probably be looking into turbo. Mostly due to the higher elevation of the mountain roads around here it really seems to dog down the naturally aspirated guys. Am I wrong to think that a well tuned turbo 3.0 1mzfe would compete with a stock 2jzgte?
Okay, then hand on heart, 1mz. Use an S54 (n/a) gearbox. If you can find a Lexus RX300 they have the vvti 1mz, and you're north of 200, up to about 230bhp maybe with the right intake and exhaust.
That should give the big kids a run for their money.
C.
both flavours should be sampled. the turbo is easier, there is also a lage aftermarket following for parts so , easily tuneable. n/a is gnarly, powerful, takes more work since its not as common, less tweakable, limited aftermarket, the torque and noise more than makes up for the lack of market.
......in the bluecorner , fighting out of japan....
1mzfe it is then. I was looking for the vvti but no luck finding one affordable enough to consider. They're closer to the price of a 3sgte.
So the question now is, how successful have people been with conservative turbo setups on the 1mz in an mk1 engine bay? That is if I decide go with f/I
There are a few SC kits around for the 3vz and 1mz, but once you get into that you really need to start looking at other stuff.
Engine will need a rebuild whatever if you're going FI, and you need to look at bigger injectors, standalone ECU etc.
Bhp often comes down to money.
C.
By 1mz fit na gearbox nice and lite power to weight is better, put into mk1 uprate brakes and suspension job done.
A 3sgte swop is going to run up a big bill once you get it in and start tuning it for more bhp and your more likely to brake the car apart as the price of the bits is worth more than the car as a whole.
I've got both a 1.5 and a 2gr v6 mk1 and they are different as chalk and cheese, v6 for torque and second/third gear hill climbs just ride the stupid amount of torque it produces, turbo for neck snapping boost and ohhhh shit turbos kicked in.
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