6G Celicas Forums

I just took delivery on a partially swapped 93 Celica today. The 3SGTE is already mounted with an 4 Cyl Camry tranny and new clutch, but nothing is connected to it. I have an ECU with all wires labeled, intercooler, manual boost controller, turbo timer, blow off valve, a bunch of pipes, and a laundry list of other parts. It looks like it will still need quite a bit of labor but very few parts to finish the swap. I had initially purchased this as a parts car to use to do a swap on my 97 Convertible which is having some overheating problems, which I am told will require the engine to be pulled if I want to have fixed the right way.

My wife has agreed to let me do whatever I want, as long as she has something to drive sometime in January. My goal is to drive a Swapped 97 Convertible with around 300HP, but maybe go as high as 500HP... I have a few ideas:

Option #1...Pay my mechanic to pull the 5SFE from my Convertible and install in 93 Celica while fixing the overheating problem (Likely new head)... Use 3SGTE that came with 93 Celica as the base for the Convertible and go for 300HP... This would save me some money so I can afford to keep both cars. Maybe in the future I could decide to upgrade the convertible further.

Option #2... Have my mechanic finish the swap on 93 Celica with the 3SGTE. Wife can drive the swapped 93 Celica while I source another swap kit for the convertible and build it to support 400-500HP. Pay my mechanic to swap my Convertible. Sell the swapped 93 plus extra 5SFE and tranny to recover some of the costs.

Option #3...Find someone who wants a swapped 93 Celica. Pay that person to complete my swap on the 93 Celica so wife has somthing to drive while I source another swap kit for the convertible and build it to support 350-400HP. Trade the swapped 93 Celica plus extra 5SFE and tranny for labor on swapping my Convertible.

Option #4...Use the parts from the 93 Celica to perform the swap on my Convertible, leaving the car at 250-300HP. Have my mechanic do the work so he will be familiar with it when it needs repairs later. Sell my 5SFE and tranny. Sell or part out the 93 Celica since the cost involved to put my 5SFE into it would not be worthwile.

Any suggestions?

Finish the 93, fix the convertible. You take the 93 with the badass 3SGTE and your wife can haz the vert.

option #5
finish the swap in the 93 celica yourself. its SUPER easy to do and you get to learn more about your car. all the hard laybor is already done for you.

If you really plan on having a 300hp celica, then your going to need to learn how to do the work yourself. its impossible to own a swapped car without knowing anything about it.

x10. listen to the man. he knows what he is talking about. especially since your doing a 2nd gen swap into a 5th gen, the wiring is easy as well.

I admire everyone here for your dedication to your cars. Just last month I was taking a test drive in a 2009 Porsche Carerra S Cabrio. While it was really cool to drive for the afternoon, I don't see what it could do that a modified Celica couldn't do for a whole lot less with the exception of top speeds that I would not use anyway. I truly enjoy the Celica, having now just aquired my fifth one, but working on cars for me is limited to chaning tires or oil. I really don't have the patience required to do this kind of work on vehicles, and more importantly I certainly don't have the time. I work full time plus I run a business. Any free time I have I would rather spend enjoying my toys than working on them. On the other hand, I am blessed with the income that the work I do provides therefore I can pay others to do the work on my toys.

Case in point, my neighbor told me over and over how simple it was to work on the Jet Ski's that I owned. Over a two year period, I spent more than $4000 in labor in having someone else take care of them, but I used them almost every single weekend. If they needed work, it was done while I was at work during the week. I sold them to him about two years ago. He has done all the work on them since. He has ridden them 6 times. The last time they needed repairs, it took him 9 months to find time to do the work. He sees it as saving $600. I saw it as not being able to enjoy the toys for most of the year. I guess it is two diffrent ways of looking at it. While I am sure I could figure out how to do the work on the Celicas, it would take me over 6 months to find the time, yet it would save me less what I could afford to spend in 1 month. Time is money.

understandable.

very good point

Mike, you make some good points...but it's all in perspective. Since you're more willing to enjoy things than work at them, I'd say let someone else do it, obviously, and go the route that'll satisfy you the quickest.

If you have deep pockets, then I guess it wont matter much, right?
However keep in mind that the advice of doing your own work comes from people who have owned swapped cars for a while. Your going to have to pop the hood and fix a few small things from time to time after the swap is complete. At the very least, try to reconnect all the wiring, plumbing and intecooler stuff yourself on the 93. It would benefit you greatly to familiarize yourself with the engine, so that you dont have to call aa tow truck or run to a mechanic if develop a boost leak or something is just not running right. There is always a period of bug fixing after the swap is done. We have seen a few people get frustrated over small issues and end up selling their swap just because they dont understand how to deal with small problems and cant afford to keep running to a clueless mechanic every single day.

The best part about doing a swap is what you learn about your car. The boost is just a bonus.

quote of the year nominiee