Engine swap questions. Options

[1994Celica]

I've been debating on engine swaps and I have some questions. How reliable would a swapped car be? What swap would be the best for a daily diver?

[presure2]

and saying the v6 swap is cheaper only works if you only are looking for ~200 or so hp.
99% of the owners on this site dont want to rebuild a motor before they swap it in, nevermind put parts of 2 motors together, like smaay did.
so, you swap in a v6, in most cases here either a 1mz or 3mz, end up with anywhere from 160-220whp, depending on the setup.
a stock 3rd gen makes ~240whp at stockish boost with just an intake and exhaust.
yea, it costs more up front, but will make 300whp all day @ 17-18psi, which is still within the factory parameters, super reliably.
to get that in a v6, your either swapping in a 2gr, which is just as or more expensive than a 3s swap, or turboing a 1m or 3vz or whatever, which ends up costing way more than a 3s swap, and you loose all the factory reliability.

trust me, i started with a stock 5s, turboed it to just under 200whp, got bored real quick, and kept upgrading it till i broke it @ over 300whp with my crappy tuning skills.
i've driven enough v6 camrys to know that a v6 (other than maybe the 2gr) in a celica WILL get boring quick, especially to a young kid thats lookin to have some fun with the local hondah guys.
just like the 5s, most of the v6's you guys are gonna be swapping are designed to be fuel effecient, and be reliable, not make big power and racing, lets be honest here.
my point is, by the time you swap in a v6, and make it fun, your way past the cost of a 3s swap, with none of the reliability.
short of the beams, or 4th gen 3sgte, parts are very easily attainable, and if your smart, even parts for those engines are a phone call and a couple weeks of waiting away.

to the OP, any swapped car is only as reliable as the work put into it.

[1994Celica]

and saying the v6 swap is cheaper only works if you only are looking for ~200 or so hp.
99% of the owners on this site dont want to rebuild a motor before they swap it in, nevermind put parts of 2 motors together, like smaay did.
so, you swap in a v6, in most cases here either a 1mz or 3mz, end up with anywhere from 160-220whp, depending on the setup.
a stock 3rd gen makes ~240whp at stockish boost with just an intake and exhaust.
yea, it costs more up front, but will make 300whp all day @ 17-18psi, which is still within the factory parameters, super reliably.
to get that in a v6, your either swapping in a 2gr, which is just as or more expensive than a 3s swap, or turboing a 1m or 3vz or whatever, which ends up costing way more than a 3s swap, and you loose all the factory reliability.

trust me, i started with a stock 5s, turboed it to just under 200whp, got bored real quick, and kept upgrading it till i broke it @ over 300whp with my crappy tuning skills.
i've driven enough v6 camrys to know that a v6 (other than maybe the 2gr) in a celica WILL get boring quick, especially to a young kid thats lookin to have some fun with the local hondah guys.
just like the 5s, most of the v6's you guys are gonna be swapping are designed to be fuel effecient, and be reliable, not make big power and racing, lets be honest here.
my point is, by the time you swap in a v6, and make it fun, your way past the cost of a 3s swap, with none of the reliability.
short of the beams, or 4th gen 3sgte, parts are very easily attainable, and if your smart, even parts for those engines are a phone call and a couple weeks of waiting away.

to the OP, any swapped car is only as reliable as the work put into it.

The 1mz pulls me in with its parts avliableity, but the 3sgte pulls me with the amount of info on it and it seems easier to install.

Also you got 300hp out of a 5s? I'm impressed I didn't think it could get up to that much.

[presure2]

and saying the v6 swap is cheaper only works if you only are looking for ~200 or so hp.
99% of the owners on this site dont want to rebuild a motor before they swap it in, nevermind put parts of 2 motors together, like smaay did.
so, you swap in a v6, in most cases here either a 1mz or 3mz, end up with anywhere from 160-220whp, depending on the setup.
a stock 3rd gen makes ~240whp at stockish boost with just an intake and exhaust.
yea, it costs more up front, but will make 300whp all day @ 17-18psi, which is still within the factory parameters, super reliably.
to get that in a v6, your either swapping in a 2gr, which is just as or more expensive than a 3s swap, or turboing a 1m or 3vz or whatever, which ends up costing way more than a 3s swap, and you loose all the factory reliability.

trust me, i started with a stock 5s, turboed it to just under 200whp, got bored real quick, and kept upgrading it till i broke it @ over 300whp with my crappy tuning skills.
i've driven enough v6 camrys to know that a v6 (other than maybe the 2gr) in a celica WILL get boring quick, especially to a young kid thats lookin to have some fun with the local hondah guys.
just like the 5s, most of the v6's you guys are gonna be swapping are designed to be fuel effecient, and be reliable, not make big power and racing, lets be honest here.
my point is, by the time you swap in a v6, and make it fun, your way past the cost of a 3s swap, with none of the reliability.
short of the beams, or 4th gen 3sgte, parts are very easily attainable, and if your smart, even parts for those engines are a phone call and a couple weeks of waiting away.

to the OP, any swapped car is only as reliable as the work put into it.

The 1mz pulls me in with its parts avliableity, but the 3sgte pulls me with the amount of info on it and it seems easier to install.

Also you got 300hp out of a 5s? I'm impressed I didn't think it could get up to that much.

Dont worry about the install, thats not what should dictate your swap, the v6 isnt really a big deal vs a 3s.
unlike most of these guys, im not a fanboy, im a realist.
if your looking for the cheapest way to put a swap in your car that is faster than stock, and are not looking for a turbo, or looking to build big down the road, the v6 may be a good option for you.
the 1mz is cheap, available everywhere, and is reliable. same for the 3vz or whatever.

if you want a turbo setup, are looking to make alot more power than stock, and want a true performance engine that is designed and built for performance, than the 3sgte is the best option for you, with the 3rd gen being the easiest of all to swap. everything just fits, works together seamlessly, and drives just like stock, till you really get into it.
a/c, ps, everything is plug and play as far as accessories, and its super reliable, up to and over 300whp.

if you want n/a performance, want an engine that revs "honduh" style, and arnt looking for huge power, than check out the beams. its prolly the easiest of all swaps, and is a fun little motor.

any of those motors, provided you do your mantinence and take resonable care of them, will be very reliable.

i had alot of fun with my 5sfte. my last dynoruns with it were @ ~21psi, with a ct-27 (upgraded version of the stock 2nd gen 3sgte turbo, the ct-26) and made 307whp and 320ftlbs. the build and dynos, ect are fully documented here on the site in the FI section.
even a 5sfte can be quite reliable, and a hell of a lot of fun provided you do things right and use moderation with boost and turbo size..lol my setup was very reliable untill i really started to push things to theyre limit, and knew i was going to end up with somthing going wrong, and accepted it to learn from it..lol
good luck.

[1994Celica]

and saying the v6 swap is cheaper only works if you only are looking for ~200 or so hp.
99% of the owners on this site dont want to rebuild a motor before they swap it in, nevermind put parts of 2 motors together, like smaay did.
so, you swap in a v6, in most cases here either a 1mz or 3mz, end up with anywhere from 160-220whp, depending on the setup.
a stock 3rd gen makes ~240whp at stockish boost with just an intake and exhaust.
yea, it costs more up front, but will make 300whp all day @ 17-18psi, which is still within the factory parameters, super reliably.
to get that in a v6, your either swapping in a 2gr, which is just as or more expensive than a 3s swap, or turboing a 1m or 3vz or whatever, which ends up costing way more than a 3s swap, and you loose all the factory reliability.

trust me, i started with a stock 5s, turboed it to just under 200whp, got bored real quick, and kept upgrading it till i broke it @ over 300whp with my crappy tuning skills.
i've driven enough v6 camrys to know that a v6 (other than maybe the 2gr) in a celica WILL get boring quick, especially to a young kid thats lookin to have some fun with the local hondah guys.
just like the 5s, most of the v6's you guys are gonna be swapping are designed to be fuel effecient, and be reliable, not make big power and racing, lets be honest here.
my point is, by the time you swap in a v6, and make it fun, your way past the cost of a 3s swap, with none of the reliability.
short of the beams, or 4th gen 3sgte, parts are very easily attainable, and if your smart, even parts for those engines are a phone call and a couple weeks of waiting away.

to the OP, any swapped car is only as reliable as the work put into it.

The 1mz pulls me in with its parts avliableity, but the 3sgte pulls me with the amount of info on it and it seems easier to install.

Also you got 300hp out of a 5s? I'm impressed I didn't think it could get up to that much.

Dont worry about the install, thats not what should dictate your swap, the v6 isnt really a big deal vs a 3s.
unlike most of these guys, im not a fanboy, im a realist.
if your looking for the cheapest way to put a swap in your car that is faster than stock, and are not looking for a turbo, or looking to build big down the road, the v6 may be a good option for you.
the 1mz is cheap, available everywhere, and is reliable. same for the 3vz or whatever.

if you want a turbo setup, are looking to make alot more power than stock, and want a true performance engine that is designed and built for performance, than the 3sgte is the best option for you, with the 3rd gen being the easiest of all to swap. everything just fits, works together seamlessly, and drives just like stock, till you really get into it.
a/c, ps, everything is plug and play as far as accessories, and its super reliable, up to and over 300whp.

if you want n/a performance, want an engine that revs "honduh" style, and arnt looking for huge power, than check out the beams. its prolly the easiest of all swaps, and is a fun little motor.

any of those motors, provided you do your mantinence and take resonable care of them, will be very reliable.

i

I really like the beams engine but like the 3sgte it scares me with parts availability.

[rave2n]

I really like the beams engine but like the 3sgte it scares me with parts availability.

Parts are not hard to acquire.

The common failure parts are available locally or quick order from a local store.

For example, spark wires, cap and rotor. Can all be acquired at Autozone, or advance. They'll order it, and have it to you in 3 days. Just have to find the compatible Gen2 parts that were used in the MR2.

The odd items for full maint. such as oil pump, water pump, gaskets, and other odd tidbits can be acquired by a few dealers in the US, or by a bunch of parts dealers in the UK.

This post has been edited by rave2n: May 1, 2013 - 2:33 PM

[1994Celica]

I really like the beams engine but like the 3sgte it scares me with parts availability.

Parts are not hard to acquire.

The common failure parts are available locally or quick order from a local store.

For example, spark wires, cap and rotor. Can all be acquired at Autozone, or advance. They'll order it, and have it to you in 3 days. Just have to find the compatible Gen2 parts that were used in the MR2.

The odd items for full maint. such as oil pump, water pump, gaskets, and other odd tidbits can be acquired by a few dealers in the US, or by a bunch of parts dealers in the UK.

Hmm if that's the case then I might want to go with the beams.