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!

[95CelicaST]

5SFE harness showed up this morning... I went to find a box to package the two together, but I'm having a hard time getting the V6 harness into the box I have. I'm going to have to find another one at work.

My t-top seals came in today as well.... well, half of them. The body seals came in, but the two small seals that go on the t-tops didn't come. So I spent a couple hours tearing the seals out.


Look at the difference in paint color...



Buying the clutch and flywheel tomorrow.

[95CelicaST]

Updating without any pictures

I ordered the clutch from South Bend Clutch, Flywheel from THMotorsports, and headers from Brad Bedell on MR2OC.

Headers will be here tomorrow (plenty of pictures will follow!)
Clutch is going to be a few days until it ships (because of the custom spline I need)
Flywheel was ordered on the 26th, and has been "processing" since then... I think ordering from THMotorsports might have been a bad idea...


Anyone have any experience with THMotorsports?


I also got a new fuel gauge for my cluster - I think mine is broken, so I'm going to swap it out to test.


From here, it appears as though all I need to get now is the wiring harness conversion, flywheel bolts, and gaskets.

Build is planned to be done by the end of February...

[95CelicaST]

Pictures! nom nom nom

Oil filter relocation kit will definitely be required. The filter is touching the piping.





Rear bank:

[95CelicaST]

Sitting in my living room watching horrible movies on TV... leaves me with a lot of time.

I can get a Greddy filter relocation kit for ~$150, but I'm not sure I want to do that. I don't want to over complicate this stuff.

So I began with looking up a chart on oil filter dimensions, which led me to a site for Mann-Hummel. I went out to grab the dimensions of my oil filter and came up with:

3" diameter
3.25" high
3/4 16 UNF thread

With that, I looked into Mann-Filters and found one with the same diameter and mating surface sizes, but only 2.3" tall! Best part, its only $9 for a filter. Going to order one up and see if it works.

[DEATH]

Nice project bro! Should be beastly when mated to a s54 like yours!
One question tho? What 3S-GTE does this make more power than? A USDM ST-165 maybe. Other than that - great projects and good luck! May the Gremlins disregard your swap sir

[richee3]

[95CelicaST]

stock for stock this is faster than a mr2 turbo. Probably even faster than a st-185, so it's faster than a 2nd gen-equipped car. Not necessarily based on hp numbers alone, but because of the linear torque curve, which is something the 3sgte doesn't have.

Coupled with the shorter ratio s54, this should fly. I'm pretty pumped to get it done.

[njccmd2002]

nice...

[Johnnyny]

esto es SEXO!

[Bitter]

I would HIGHLY suggest getting those headers coated with a ceramic insulation to keep engine bay heat down, would not wrap those as there are too many welds in the middle of sections of piping. wrapping near welds isn't good.

As for the red paint issue, I'd suggest hitting the paint with some medium rubbing compound and then some fine rubbing compound on a good buffer. that should bring the red back to its natural color without taking too much paint off. finish the compounds with some swirl remover like a good glaze or scratch-x/swirl-x, then several coats of good wax or zaino.

[95CelicaST]

No way to do anything with the paint - the car was painted a year or so before I bought the car, so that is just a picture to show the paint color difference.

The headers will probably be left as-is. The underbody plastics for the engine bay make a scoop that pushes air up through the bay and out the engine lid. The bay doesn't get real hot.

Hey, why not another picture from this morning. I'm on my way to the parts store to try and find another filter that fits, just shorter.



This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Jan 2, 2011 - 4:08 PM

[95CelicaST]

Success. The "generic" Toyota filter "1394" (goes on most every Toyota 4-cyl) fits, and gives about a 1/4 to 1/2" of clearance.

Just a note of observation... I went to Napa and was looking thru their cross reference book and began comparing the Napa brand filter to the amsoil... and found that they're the exact same, just a different sticker on them, and set back an additional $10 for the amsoil one.


Since I was just looking to experiment, I bought the cheap $4.99 filter. Will be returning it and getting a better filter.

[Bitter]

nah, get them coated. trust me. at idle that V6 is going to put ALOT more heat through that thin stainless tubing with no heat shrouds than your 4 banger ever did...and it had heat shielding out the wazoo. The forward bulkhead has alot of shielding, but the butt end of the gas tank and fuel lines are right there also, get them coated.

It's MUCH easier now with the engine out than to decide to do it once the whole thing is installed.

This post has been edited by Bitter: Jan 2, 2011 - 10:00 PM

[95CelicaST]

.... Alright, I'll trust you on this. Haha. There is a place down the road that'll ceramic coat them for $165 in a standard ceramic color (most likely just a natural color, nothing like black or blue), or $195 for ceramichrome finish. I'm getting a bonus this week so that'll be covered... Money easily earned is money easily spent!

Called THMotorsports this morning to figure out what their major malfunction is. I've been waiting for over a week for them to ship my flywheel. They said it shipped on the 30th, and it'll be here on the 10th.... I asked if they were having someone walk it from NJ to WA, because 12 day shipping wasn't going to cut it.

A word to the wise: NEVER do business with THMotorsports.

[DEATH]

stock for stock this is faster than a mr2 turbo. Probably even faster than a st-185, so it's faster than a 2nd gen-equipped car. Not necessarily based on hp numbers alone, but because of the linear torque curve, which is something the 3sgte doesn't have.

If we lived closer I'd LOVE to test that theory with you
Awesome project dude - that v6 will be a HUGE improvement over the 5S!

[Keiri]

This build is really awe-inspiring. Definitely keeping an eye on it.
PS: That engine is luscious.

[epocsirhc]

I asked if they were having someone walk it from NJ to WA, because 12 day shipping wasn't going to cut it.

A word to the wise: NEVER do business with THMotorsports.

What I think happened is the truck broke down, and a snail began towing the trailer! Seriously though my friend bought something from them, and it took forever and a day to get it.

[95CelicaST]

At this rate I'll have everything else and be waiting on the flywheel!


No, I gave myself a deadline for groups of parts, and the clutch and flywheel have until the 15th until I'm behind schedule... so I'm still making decent time.

I fixed a coworker's computer on the side the other day, and got $75 for that (nominal, I know), but today I got a check in the mail from Uncle Sam. Apparently I didn't add something into my tax return and they owed me an additional $90. So there's $165 thats going straight into ceramic coating (thanks Bitter) the headers, however I need to take the headers down to my exhaust shop and have o2 bungs welded into the collectors. They came without o2 sensor ports, and I need one for each bank, and a third to go into the secondary piping. Probably won't cost much, but I'll get that done before I get them coated. Unless I can put those o2 sensors into the piping right after the headers...




Getting paid on Wednesday - and I believe a quarterly profit-sharing bonus is going to be attached. My purchases for that check are going to be:

Ceramic coating the headers - $165
Gasket set - $? Not sure what the cost is going to be.
Timing belt (I believe the water pump, pulleys, and tensioner are new, so I'm going to inspect them and replace as needed) $? Not much.
Flywheel bolts $15

Probably some other misc. crap. Little nickel and dime stuff. It's getting down to the point where there isn't much left to do but drop it in. I'll send off the harness after my paycheck on the 20th, and once I have the harness back I hope to have gaskets replaced and the motor buttoned up. I'll plug the harness in on the motor, and then it'll be swap time.

[njccmd2002]

oK Call me an idiot, why is that header pointing to the front?

[95CelicaST]

Idiot

that's the rear bank - it's pointing straight back.

[HectortheRican]

Idiot

that's the rear bank - it's pointing straight back.

Man, I'm so excited to see this progress. My best friend has a '91 MR2 that said he might want to do a 1MZ... but he doesn't get on forums much. I'm forcing him to check yours out.

[Bitter]

.... Alright, I'll trust you on this. Haha. There is a place down the road that'll ceramic coat them for $165 in a standard ceramic color (most likely just a natural color, nothing like black or blue), or $195 for ceramichrome finish. I'm getting a bonus this week so that'll be covered... Money easily earned is money easily spent!

Called THMotorsports this morning to figure out what their major malfunction is. I've been waiting for over a week for them to ship my flywheel. They said it shipped on the 30th, and it'll be here on the 10th.... I asked if they were having someone walk it from NJ to WA, because 12 day shipping wasn't going to cut it.

A word to the wise: NEVER do business with THMotorsports.

well having not ran them uncoated you won't know how much to thank me

I recently had a package from china take nearly 5 weeks to come in....12 days is nothing. Atleast you get updates, I had to threaten a charge back on a sway bar to get it shipped from this one site...

[95CelicaST]

Well my flywheel has been sitting in a Fedex building in Keasbey, NJ since the 30th. I called Fedex today to see wtf is going on. They put in an inquiry and someone from the Keasbey building will be calling me tomorrow - otherwise I'll call them directly. This is ridiculous. I'll be telling them to put it on a flight to Seattle.

The funny/irritating part is that my order with THMotorsports says that it's shipping UPS... Which I am going to be calling them back about this as well. I ordered a flywheel and selected UPS as my shipping provider, and they ship it out using Fedex.

[Ted95]

wow looking good dude, good work

[95CelicaST]

FedEx says it'll be here tomorrow, but it's still in Keasbey, NJ. We'll see if they can work some sort of magic.

[presure2]

looks good so far man! keep it up!

[95CelicaST]

Thanks Manny.


Performance Coatings isn't open on the weekends... So I'm dropping my headers off on monday to have o2 bungs welded in and ceramic coated. My only dilemma is what color to have them coated... Satin silver, or satin titanium?

I can't find any good examples on their site of either color.

And my Toyota technician friend is going to run the VIN from the motor thru their system to see what maintenance has been performed at it's last dealer visit.

[95CelicaST]

Well I'm eating my words today. I dropped my headers off to be ceramic coated and when I got back I had a fedex box. I also went and bought a new impact gun to take a crack at the crank pulley... Which is pretty well stuck.


Pictures to follow!

[Johnnyny]

sometimes when u ship via ups it might end up in fedex's hands and they finish shipping it and vice versa

[Bitter]

Oh, what kind of gun did you get?

[95CelicaST]

I actually bought two. I initially bought a cheap craftsman gun for $100, but was underwhelmed by it's performance with my small air compressor, so I bought a dewalt power impact gun as a backup for $170, because the air one is pretty weak by comparison. After this project is over I'll return one. Part of me thinks a power impact gun is a sin, but it works much better for my limited setup. Perhaps if I had the money to upgrade my compressor the air would be favorable, but at the moment neither make me happy, as the crank pulley bolt hasn't budged despite several baths in penetrating lubricant, heating it with a propane torch, impact gun, etc. I'm going to try to jam something in the flex plate to lock the crank, then break the bolt.

[Bitter]

Yes, for you...get a pipe and breaker bar and some longer bolts to thread into the flywheel end of the crank. use a board or pipe between the bolts to hold the crank and break the bolt on the other end with pipe and breaker bar.

I use a IR 2135Ti at work at 110psi on a double tank (120 gallon) compressor and even I have to ride the crank bolts on some cars to break them. That electric impact is good for lug nuts, maybe some axle nuts

[95CelicaST]

Yeah that's my plan for this afternoon is to rig something to break that bolt. I'll be using both guns, but i'll probably hang on to the air gun.

[Bitter]

what size/airflow is your compressor? the one at work is large, the one at the barn I work on cars in (my own cars) is BIG. its a 2 stage with like 100 gallon tank regulated at 110 but going upto 150.

[95CelicaST]

It's just an inexpensive Husky 6 gallon compressor 135psi max. I need to upgrade it eventually, but for little things here and there it does an okay job.


I returned the dewalt this afternoon. Sinful piece of machinery.


This afternoon I bought a large pry bar and used it to lock the flex plate while I hung on my 24" breaker bar... and got nowhere. So I slid on a 6 foot pipe and gave that a whirl... and it finally broke loose. Huzzah! Once that was off a smaller pry bar and mallet took care of the pulley, and now everything is exposed. Finally! Progress!


My friend who works at Toyota told me he isn't able to pull up Lexus info in their system, so I'm going to call a local Lexus dealership tomorrow and give the VIN to them to find out what exactly was replaced and when - provided it was done at the dealership.

I couldn't take pictures of the motor tonight due to horrible lighting in my garage, but here is one of the Fidanza flywheel and the newly acquired impact gun and impact ratchet.

[95CelicaST]

Huzzah!

[95CelicaST]

Double post ftmfl

This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Jan 10, 2011 - 3:20 PM

[HectortheRican]

Crank pulley: terminated! High five!

[95CelicaST]

Crank pulley: 0

6ft breaker bar: 1

yessssssss

[Bitter]

Congrats! one thing I've noticed on more than a few 1MZ's in Lexus...a coolant leak under the intake manifold between the heads somewhere. one of those long slow leaks...Haven't fixed one yet to tell you what it is, but something to maybe think about. I don't know if there is a hose, gasket, or O-ring in there that leaks with age, but it looks like its in a tight spot.

[808celica]

Interdynamics gun???

[95CelicaST]

Ingersoll-Rand.

[95CelicaST]

Got my headers back. Nom nom nom. Flywheel bolts were purchased today as well.

[njccmd2002]

call me an idiot but why your header only has 3 pipes?















































































got you, i aint that stupid. Its just the picture angle right?














































nah just messing, its a V6.. Like this build. Nice.!!

[95CelicaST]

My spreadsheet of crap left to buy is getting smaller and smaller. Only about $700 left to spend - Wiring, exhaust work, tach calibration, gaskets.

Bitter - There is a coolant hose that runs underneath the lower intake manifold which I will be replacing. Leaks generally in that area come from there, or from the heads.

[HectortheRican]

Ahh, those headers are sexy.

[95CelicaST]

Update for this weekend:

The summary of this weekend is: Brake cleaner. I smell like it. My garage smells of it. The motor is happy to have a bath in it. This stuff and a toothbrush is all I need

I live in the boonies and don't have internet, so I pack up the Mac and head to Starbucks (oh how stereotypical of you, you Seattle hipster ) to mooch a bit of Wifi to download a couple FSM's for a Camry, as I am prepping to tear into the motor now. I painted the front bank's valve cover last night a nice Metallic Black, but I REALLY don't like it. My valve covers were ugly to begin with, so I'm going to strip it and put a wrinkle black finish on it, so it covers up some of the ugliness. I also picked up about 10ft of vacuum line to re-route/tuck some of the clutter on the motor.

My clutch should be here in a couple of days, which leaves wiring, and gaskets left before the swap can commence. The time is ticking down!

[SwissFerdi]

THIS build IS SPAAARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jan 16, 2011 - 6:08 PM

[Bitter]

My spreadsheet of crap left to buy is getting smaller and smaller. Only about $700 left to spend - Wiring, exhaust work, tach calibration, gaskets.

Bitter - There is a coolant hose that runs underneath the lower intake manifold which I will be replacing. Leaks generally in that area come from there, or from the heads.

Yea, thats the one. Thanks.

Speaking of cooling system, have fun purging that 100 miles of coolant tubing and hoses

[95CelicaST]

Thank god it won't be my first time doing it. I think the mr2 holds somewhere around 3 gallons of coolant....

Repainted the valve covers and started the top end teardown this evening. Expect pictures to surface at some point tomorrow.

[stephen_lee]

woot wooot! with my tax return comes.... megasquirt3!

*like*


i want a 1mz for my daily... mmm... and a little frame reinforcement in the rear = big trailer capacity and some baffled rednecks

[95CelicaST]

Drawing closer now...

My clutch showed up at my house today. Stage 2 Kevlar kit from South Bend Clutch. MR2 Turbo pressure plate and disk with a custom 20 spline to mate with my S54.



I also yanked the valve covers and painted them with VHT Wrinkle paint. I REALLY like how it came out. Now, my question for you guys is should I paint the intake manifold to match the valve covers? Or just leave it how it is?





Sending out the harnesses tomorrow afternoon and hope to get back the completed harness in a week or so. Once I get it back the swap will be starting! Excite!

[HectortheRican]

I say that you should paint the intake manifold a nice, soft silver. Nothing shiny and flashy, since your valve covers aren't like that. Which I'll add, came out AWESOME I just think that a soft silver manifold would provide a necessary color contrast in the bay. I think that a black manifold would be too much.

Edit: I saw Daniel's post, and a flat red would look pretty good too. I just don't like the idea of the mostly black.

Edit #2: Either one of those colors would look great, but experiment with doing a similar effect as the valve covers. That'd be pretty damn neato

Okay, all done

This post has been edited by HectortheRican: Jan 20, 2011 - 10:20 PM

[richee3]

I vote paint it. Are you leaving the engine bay red or are you painting it black when the motor is out? Nothing against painting your engine bay black, but I'd personally leave mine the color of the car. As long as you're leaving the engine bay red, I'd paint the intake manifold. Then you won't have too much black and it won't be overwhelming.

[95CelicaST]

No the bay isn't being painted... why would I do that?

I think I'm going to leave the intake silver... Keep in mind there will be a cover on top of it all...

[JuMPiiN]

Looks nice ! keep it like it is if your cover is silver, damn your bay is gunna be super super tight with that in there lol.

[95CelicaST]

It'll be the motor that should have gone in the mr2 in the beginning.

Space-wise there will be more room gained left to right in the bay, and front to back should be the same as the 5s.

[richee3]

Seems like half the motor swaps I see have engine bays painted black, despite the actual color of the car. I didn't know if you would be following that trend. And since you are going to have a silver cover over the motor, I say leave the intake manifold silver.

So you'll have slightly more room in the engine bay; what about weight? How will that affect the handling of the car? I know the 5S weighs the same as a small moon, and I assume that the 1MZ isn't any lighter.

[HectortheRican]

I know the 5S weighs the same as a small moon

That's no moon, that's a space station. Lol, but yeah, I'm curious as to how the 1MZ weighs up next the other popular swaps as well.

[95CelicaST]

1mzfe is 346lbs

5sfe is 385lbs

3sgte is 463lbs

the s54 transmission weighs less than the e153 as well, so it'll be pretty light.

[HectortheRican]

Gaw, that's insane how much incredibly lighter it is than the 3SGTE.

[richee3]

So you're actually going to lose some weight? Good deal

[Stambo]

super charge it

[95CelicaST]

Send me 3k for the TRD unit.


Better yet, find one for sale that doesn't need a rebuild.

Yanked the timing belt tonight. Belt looks good. Hydraulic tensioner is good. Pulleys spin well. Water pump spins well with resistance from the fins. No sound of bearing failure.

Consensus: replace all but the hydraulic tensioner... Because I don't want to have to do this twice... Just because it sounds and looks good now doesn't mean it will in 15k miles.


I mailed out the harnesses to mr220v today. Figure i'll see it back in a couple weeks.

[Bitter]

Awesome. Leave it NA and build a nice ITB setup...rev it to the moon (with appropriate cams, high comp pistons, and rods of course). 8,000 RPM or nothign . You know how awesome that would sound.

[spolski07]

you should drop a LS1 into it instead...


cause thats what everybody puts into their cars...

















































anywho! i am loving this build. i always wanted a 2 seater rwd v6 that is fun to drive.... guess ill have to settle for my FR set up!

[95CelicaST]

Today was a bit productive.

I reinstalled the upper intake manifold and started rerouting vacuum lines to clean up the egr crap. After that was done I removed the upper and lower intake manifolds to expose the intake valves and the coolant line that runs underneath the lower intake manifold. Replaced that coolant line and cleaned out the intake path in the lower manifold, which was a bit dirty.

To my surprise the intake valves look literally brand new! I haven't looked in on the exhaust valves yet, but I assume they'll look good as well.

Pictures tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

This post has been edited by 95CelicaST: Jan 24, 2011 - 12:18 AM

[95CelicaST]

Pictures!

Lower intake manifold with the fuel rails bolted back on. The runners were caked, and this is how it looks after a short bath in brake cleaner and a wire brush.


This is a horrible shot, but it gives a clear shot of the valve, which looks brand new. All of them look like this. I was pretty happy to see that.


And with everything cleaned up a bit.


Water pump and timing belt kit will be here tomorrow. Gaskets on Thursday. Nom nom nom.

[njccmd2002]

nom, nom, nom.....

In a celica nom nom nom

[njccmd2002]

sorry, what tranny are u using, will it bolt to the s54

[SupraKid]

sorry, what tranny are u using, will it bolt to the s54

- 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.

Please read you double posting n00000b

This post has been edited by SupraKid: Jan 25, 2011 - 4:57 AM

[njccmd2002]

sorry, what tranny are u using, will it bolt to the s54

- 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.

Please read you double posting n00000b

Oh LOL. I tought i posted on the 4A swap.

[Ted95]

dude this is such a sick build, love it!

[95CelicaST]

Beginning of re-routing vacuum lines on the intake manifold


I got my hands on the PDF for a 97 Camry. I printed it off... 600 pages later... Macbook for size comparison:


Water pump / timing belt kit:

[Bitter]

yank those heads and port them! ok ok maybe not.

[95CelicaST]

I would, but porting costs a nice chunk of change, and I'm not looking to spend hundreds of dollars for a small hp gain.

Probably won't have any updates for tonight or tomorrow, but this weekend I'm hoping to get the motor buttoned up and ready to install. Mr220v should be getting my harness tomorrow or Friday, so I'm hoping to have it back by next weekend.

I know I have been slacking on pictures thus far, but wait until the real work gets going...

[tjblacrosse]

drooool.... looks good man! I got a chubby from this

[95CelicaST]

Just a quick update:

Replaced the oil pan gaskets this weekend (no1 and no2 oil pan). Wasted a whole bunch of RTV because I forgot to reinstall the oil pickup.... And I wish I could say that was the first time I've done that... Fml. I them addressed the can gears, which I cannot get off! Pb blaster, propane torch, cheater bar, nothing. I'm working on a method to remove them now so I can do head gaskets and such.

Mr220v pm'ed me yesterday saying my harness is just about complete. instead of needing to drill a second hole in the trunk to bring the harness through, it will be utilizing the factory location. I hope to get that back this weekend or next week and get this swap going!

[njccmd2002]

hey, do you have a pic of the passengers side mount, is it similar to the celica? or completely different..

I need a pic bad

This post has been edited by njccmd2002: Feb 1, 2011 - 7:55 PM

[spolski07]

I got my hands on the PDF for a 97 Camry. I printed it off... 600 pages later... Macbook for size comparison:

what kind of MacBook is that?