1MZ-FE into my MR2, Building a 3SGTE these days. Options

[95CelicaST]

I don't own a 6GC anymore, but I am attached to this place, so you guys are stuck with me.



The V6 is a swap that MR2 gurus are doing these days. I suppose when you get a bunch of guys in their 30's and 40's with handfuls of disposable income, this is the result. I know there have been a few V6 swaps into the 6GC, and since the MR2 shares a bit with the Celica, I am making this thread in the hopes that someone on here will find it and get some of the information that they need.

Why I chose the 1mz over a 3sgte

Simple, really. I see the MR2 as a cheap exotic, why not make it sound like one? Power is the same if not a bit higher than the 3s, but it has torque the moment you put your foot down. Good fuel economy, reliable, yada yada yada. It actually gives you more room in the engine bay than the 3S, too.

Why the 1MZ over other V6 options?

Weight, cost, and availability. The 1MZ has an aluminum block. It actually weighs less than the 3sgte. The 3VZ has a cast iron block, and people opt for those if going with a turbo, but I'm not. I have my WRX for turbo shenanigans - this car is meant for reliable enjoyment. The 2GRFE would be incredible - 275whp stock... Only problem is finding one, and cheap. Most places that have them are selling them at more than what my swap will cost me... plus I would need to upgrade to the E153 transmission, turbo axles, hubs, brakes, etc. Just pile on the parts. Seems like a more suiting swap for someone who is starting out with a turbo MR2.

I picked my 1MZ up from another NASIOC and MR2OC board member who decided to go for a Honda V6 swap instead. He pulled this motor out of a 94 Lexus ES300 with 90k miles on it. It ran great, just got t-boned. No sludge, either. Owned by an old couple, this car was just in to the dealership for it's 90K service. If it weren't for the fact that timing belts are cheap, I might just leave this one on there. The guy I bought it from had already gone through the trouble of sourcing a new passenger side motor mount from 4v6 on the MR2 boards to make the swap drop straight in. The ES300 never came in manual transmission, and because of the lack of an automatic transmission in my car, this will throw a CEL. I am still trying to think of ways around this, but it'll probably end up with some sort of EMS.


So I started my list of what I still need to source... after compiling the list I thought to myself, I probably should have thought about this more.

- Custom headers Brad Bedell makes a set for $300, but requires a bit of modification to the runners to not hit the oil filter.
- Flywheel Need to get a V6 flywheel for a Solara. Decided on a Fidanza unit. Why not, right? $310
- Clutch The V6 flywheel is the same diameter as a mr2 turbo flywheel, but my clutch isn't. To maximize the surface area and avoid slipping I need to get a turbo clutch kit with a custom 20 spline disk to mount my S54 to the 1MZ. South Bend Clutch can do a kevlar clutch kit with 20 spline disk for $300.
- Tachometer The v6 sends a different signal than the 5s, so you need to source a v6 tach board from a camry for this. Drops right in to the MR2 cluster, but I am having my stock tach modified and recalibrated. $50
- Wiring I know this is going to be a nightmare to wire, so that is a headache I'm passing to someone else. Dr_tweak wants $630 to do it.... WTF happened to the $300-$400 conversions? Luckily there is a mr2 board member who does the work for $430.
- Exhaust work I have headers outlined above, and already have a Greddy SP muffler, so my exhaust shop needs to build a y-pipe to connect the two. Speculated cost with my discount (I refer A LOT of business to them) is around $200.
- Misc. crap Timing belt, gaskets, fluids, etc. I am also bundling kirkosaurus poly mount inserts under this category. $300

I've got about $1700 left to spend on this trip. Already spent $750 on the engine and everything I'll need from the donor car. I've set a deadline of February 28th to have it completely finished. If it wasn't for this Christmas BS (Now I know why adults hate this time of year) I would be well on my way. No problem.

I'm writing all of this out from my cell phone, so its all a bit jumbled and unformatted, but I've been meaning to post this stuff for a while. When I get to my computer I'll organize it and get some real info going. Until then, gaze upon awesomeness.




Okay, I'm home from work... and now I can reformat.....



Alright, now that is over with... I pulled the harness off of the motor last night.... And it's substantially larger than my 5S harness. This thing almost spans the length of my car! I'm not going to work on it tonight, but tomorrow I am going to go through and label the harness, and try and source some injector clips - the plastic was pretty brittle on mine and I snapped all but one of them.

The guy I bought it from partially unwrapped the harness, so it looks nastier than it really is, but this harness has to weigh at least 30lbs. I'd like to see how much it'll weigh after I get it back.



This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Oct 2, 2017 - 3:46 PM

[mak5603]

This is AWESOME! I can't wait to see this beast Matt.

[95CelicaST]

Reformatted and added/elaborated on a few things.

[SupraKid]

Nice! Should be pretty beastly when its done!

[Johnnyny]

Badass!

[Ted95]

sweet stuff man cant wait to see more!

[epocsirhc]

Good stuff! I can't wait to hear what it sounds like. What horsepower does your V-6 put out? I don't recall reading that.

[95CelicaST]

This version of the 1MZ is rated at 190 hp and 193 tq, however the exhaust is the most restrictive part on this motor, so by completely redoing the entire exhaust system I'm hoping to put down the crank rating to the wheels. Later on, I can get a TRD supercharger and bump it up to 242 hp and 242 torque. All on the stock ECU.

On a side note, my friend who is sponsored by TMS just ordered new t-top seals. Instead of $340 to fix my leaks, I only had to pay $170. Got to love discounts.

[SwissFerdi]

Best of luck, Spongebob.

[95CelicaST]

Went through and labeled the wiring harness last night. Buying another 91 n/a harness on Monday so I can send them off to be spliced together in advance. No real pictures to show of this process, but here's one anyway.

[blu94gt]

I've wanted to do a v-6 MR2 for a looong time. Thought about doing it with the Celica, but front-wheel-drive pisses me off too much. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

BTW every MR2 should look as good as yours, that thing is gorgeous.

[njccmd2002]

off topic should be separated into categories, this is a nice thread to be sorted out from all the crap..

[95CelicaST]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try to make it as packed full of information as I can. Again, once christmas is over this will pick up a lot. I can't wait to get this motor in and get it going. I think the next couple things I have to buy are the flywheel and clutch, but I might throw the harness in there as well, depending on funds.

[Random_Stranger]

^^ Really looking forward to this man. Just curious, what were the prices you noticed for the 2GR? I know they can go for a lot and best bet is getting a used one as the price from Toyota is insane for new.

[95CelicaST]

From what I saw, prices were around $2,000 for the motor, ECU, wiring, etc. You would then need to spend an additional $900 for Gouky's DBW pedal adaptor, motor mount, headers, etc.

[Random_Stranger]

From what I saw, prices were around $2,000 for the motor, ECU, wiring, etc. You would then need to spend an additional $900 for Gouky's DBW pedal adaptor, motor mount, headers, etc.

That's actually not too bad (but I can see why you are going with this motor saving yourself extra to get more in it). Through our warranty person seeing before and after prices on some Toyota motors, just the bottom end alone can cost up to $5k for new.

[95CelicaST]

No it's not bad, it's just the wiring and electronics I don't want to deal with. Most people say it takes about 7500 for the 2gr swap... And I can't afford that right now.

Looked around for oil filter relocation kits yesterday. Think I'm going to go with the Greddy kit, as it uses Toyota filters (85 - 87 corolla). I'm thinking I'll run the relocated plate to the firewall so it's easily accessible.

Attempted to mount the alternator last night to check belt length, because I don't have power steering, and will be deleting a/c. I'm going to need to do a bit of research on how it mounts, because I've got it installed, but I have two extra brackets that I don't have any idea on where they go...

No pictures, as it was late and I was going to bed.

[Random_Stranger]

No it's not bad, it's just the wiring and electronics I don't want to deal with. Most people say it takes about 7500 for the 2gr swap... And I can't afford that right now.

Looked around for oil filter relocation kits yesterday. Think I'm going to go with the Greddy kit, as it uses Toyota filters (85 - 87 corolla). I'm thinking I'll run the relocated plate to the firewall so it's easily accessible.

Attempted to mount the alternator last night to check belt length, because I don't have power steering, and will be deleting a/c. I'm going to need to do a bit of research on how it mounts, because I've got it installed, but I have two extra brackets that I don't have any idea on where they go...

No pictures, as it was late and I was going to bed.

Dude I think that is so awesome! You don't F*** around, do you? How long did it take you to research this swap to go with it? So you are going to run with N/A? Would you happen to know what your RPM redline will be? I am just curious. I don't know much about this stuff.

[95CelicaST]

I have time and money right now, and I'm going to get it done. I spent maybe a few months researching, not actually SERIOUS about doing it, and when the 1MZ went up for sale I just jumped on it. I'm kind of getting the expected stuff out of the way now, and whatever little crap I run into I will take care of it as I go. I've got access to a 2-post lift and air, along with a friend who is a Toyota technician. I'm going to be running N/A because I don't have a need for a turbo on this. I have my WRX for turbo fun. Redline, as I understand it, is the same as the N/A MR2... which I don't recall off the top of my head. That is why when the Turbo guys swap in a V6 they generally get a N/A tach, because it reads redline correctly.

Got paid today, so the headers will be ordered, and probably the flywheel. Once the headers get here I'll check oil filter clearance and go from there - wether I need a oil filter relocation or not.

I also remembered another thing I need to do - the coolant lines are criss-crossed from the engine to the MR2, which means the upper radiator hose on the 1MZ needs to cross to the driver's side of the car, which means I need a long flexible coolant line. Going to start looking for one of those... I'm not sure what line I need for the other coolant line - I suppose once I get the car in I'll take measurements and head to the store to see what I can find.

Purchased the spare N/A harness and a new fuel gauge today (I suspect my fuel gauge is broken), once the harness gets in I'll be boxing it up and sending it away with the 1MZ harness to be spliced by a MR2 board member (MR220V) and returned as a complete plug and play harness.

[HectortheRican]

I can't wait to start following this build!