Gogo's Tent, Got a motor. Lots of work to do. Options

[H8TRAIN]

Latest Update: Engine bay ready. Looking for an engine.

Update: Got engine out. Must be beginners luck.

Gogo has a tent.





It's not much but I'm lucky Gogo even has a tent. By this stage in my life I probably could have a garage with an S2000 or a restored 300ZX in it. But I don't. Life's not a fairytale and we don't always get what we want. I've never had a garage of my own. One day I will. But I'm tired of waiting for that day to stop talking cars and start doing cars.

As luck would have it, I currently have access to a sideyard! It's not too level but it's paved. And there's a small toolshed. I can put a damn tent up, scatter some tools about and it'll be like a garage. Close enough, anyway.

So all I needed was a car to start on. I chose a Toyota Celica because it was in Sega Rally Championship back in 1995 when things were good. I found one only 100 miles away with a freshly blown motor. I rented a car dolly and towed it home. This the first time I have ever dragged a car behind a truck. I was nervous about every step of it because I had never done it. After learning that is quite impossible to back up a tow dolly, my friends helped me push the Celica up and into the sideyard.







It's a 95 5spd GT. I named it Gogo. And put up a harbor freight portable garage - I like to call it a tent - over Gogo.







I have never changed an axle. I have never changed a clutch. I have never inspected a distributor. Never used a timing lite, or a bearing puller. I am a complete novice mechanic. I hate that. The point of this project is to change that. It's working already. For example: I didn't know what a wiring harness was or what one looked like. That changed quickly on Friday when I ripped the ugly mother****er out with my own two hands. Now I know.




6GC, I'm very impressed with your knowledge and your community. I joined the site because I want help. Me and Gogo both want your help.




This post has been edited by H8TRAIN: Jan 20, 2014 - 10:50 PM

[H8TRAIN]

Engine bay is clean enough for me. I tried a pressure washer on the bay under covers out on the lawn and decided I did not want to do that to my car in the tent. Flings crap everywhere. So I just got down and elbow greased it for here and there for the seven days that went by after pulling the motor. On sunday I considered it good enough.




So it's wednesday now. I would like to purchase an engine, and I consider the 3sge and 5sfe to both be viable options so that I can be ready for a deal. I feel like I'm lacking some knowledge tho. And I'd like to ask the forum a question about the price of the 5sfe motors.

How cheap are they really? I've seen countless posts about getting them for really cheap. "You can get a 5sfe for $250 easily if you look around", is the sort of thing I'm reading here and there. I don't know how accurate this kind of statement is or what quality of used engine this price reflects.

The 5sfe's I look at are 600-700 dollars for a longblock from jdm importers. These look very clean and in general so signs of having much life ahead of them. This is the condition I want for any engine to go in the car. Is it easy to get a "nice" 5sfe for 250 dollars or just beat out high mileage ones? If it's so easy where do I ask? Swap shops? WTB in the fs forums?