Marco2002 1999 Celica GT project, Beams or 3SGTE Options

[marco2002]

Hello all ....new to this forum. I have two Celica's. Just finished my daughters 2004 Celica GT and she loves it. Complete restoration (Stock). I her father just picked up this 1999 Celica Gt from a person I did IT work for and he ended up just giving it to me! Yes the engine is blown. But the Body paint and interior are excellent. Since the engine and trans were removed when I got the celica (Still have both) I am contermplating on dropping in either a Beams red top or 3sgte engine. The donor car is an automatic but since everything is out of the car...it would be a great time to swap over to a 5 speed setup. Asking on advice on what direction I should go. Have a budget of 5-6k. thanks!

[richee3]

Here is the engine I plan to purchase Red Beam

A/T to M/T conversion is not an issue, but it will requite a couple more steps in the wiring harness. You'll need the plug for your reverse lights from a M/T harness to move over to the A/T harness, and there are a couple of wires to bridge from one of the A/T trans plugs. That information is over in the A/T to M/T swap thread. The cut wire by the ECU is slightly concerning- makes me wonder why it was cut and what else may be cut but you can't see in pictures. I've dealt with cut wires in the harness and while it's doable, I'll take an unmolested harness every day.

Does any US dealers sell the water pump for the Red top beams?

If I recall correctly, Prime MR2 has them in stock but no dealerships carry the water pump.

My opinion on the Redtop swap is this- look into the 4th gen 3S-GTE swap. Those engines are cheaper and more powerful than the BEAMS, which is only a small increase in power over the 5S for 99% of driving. Unless you plan on frequently hitting redline, the BEAMS is only slightly quicker than a 5S and most people don't get over 4,500 rpm frequently enough to use the BEAMS powerband. The 4th gen 3S swap can be done for a similar cost with the same reliability as the BEAMS but a nice bump in power, and the only extra bits of the swap that are different from any other swap is a wiring harness from Wiregap and a front mount intercooler. The BEAMS make a fun track engine or spirited weekend car, but for a DD a 5S really is the better choice.