V6 swap Celica Options

[SaulGoodman]

Ive been really debating as of lately what I want to do with my ST. The 1.8 liter supposedly can put out solid horsepower with only forged rods and basic tuner upgrades on boost, but Ive been thinking about more torque with NA horsepower. An LS swap would be cool as sh*t but lets face it, too much work in a car not made for it. So a fwd V6 from Toyota is my next best bet, heres some of my choices.

3mz-fe w/ e153 - Best candidate with highest HP/TQ, but people say the motors are no good for boost unless you dump 3k to building the block. Any truth to this?
1mz - Numbers are too low, doesnt seem worth it in comparison to the others. Why or why not?
5vz-fe w/ e153 - Supposedly better for boost? Need confirm on it
2gr/1gr? - No idea how that would work.

I want to keep it FWD. Something "simple enough" to swap in and work day to day.
Which would be the easiest to source junkyard parts (axles, housings, whatever), providing the most reliable performance without sacrificing daily drivability? Ive heard a few people say 1mz/3mz are the easiest to fit in the bay while the 5vz is the most plug-and-play with the wiring. Or should I stick with a boosted 4 cylinder, maybe do something crazy like a K swap? This is all hypothetical, the build wont be for a while so keep it light. Im inexperienced compared to some of the old heads on here, but dang would a V6 Celica be fun. Im 100% in love with this platform, so in my opinion anything is worth the effort on it.

[TimeslideZ]

Coming from a 1MZ, you will need a custom passenger mount, GT4 mounts on the rear and driver side, and then a front GT motor mount. Plus custom Y-pipe too. If you go the 3MZ, you'll also be dealing with a lot more electronics (like drive by wire vs 1MZ throttle cable).

Like Casey said, Smaay w/ his hybrid swap is a good one to look into. That way you get the 3.3L but don't need to worry about 3MZ electronics when you're running the 1MZ electronics. It'll be lot more work than getting the S54 and GT mounts to swap a 3SGTE; but you'll have the "ease of junkyard parts" since those motors are much more common.

Here's some more info on the 3SGTE swap (it also includes the other swaps too): http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=28825

If you somehow don't go for the "simple enough" you can look into njccmd2002's build thread, who's car currently houses a 2GR in it: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=93871

There's a guy up here in MN that I know and he's got a K24 in his Celica (he's pushing like 450hp)! He's running the adapter plate from HUX RACING for the K20/K24 to the E153. He's running custom mounts; BUT not on all of them (I think). I can say he's gone through a couple outer axles using the hybrid setup (3/year)

If you go the e153, be prepared for the hybrid axle setup (MR2 inner, ST185 ALLTRAC outer, possible spacer on passenger side). A bit of a headache to read but: http://www.6gc.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t80587.html



This post has been edited by TimeslideZ: Aug 20, 2019 - 11:34 PM

[SaulGoodman]

Coming from a 1MZ, you will need a custom passenger mount, GT4 mounts on the rear and driver side, and then a front GT motor mount. Plus custom Y-pipe too. If you go the 3MZ, you'll also be dealing with a lot more electronics (like drive by wire vs 1MZ throttle cable).

Like Casey said, Smaay w/ his hybrid swap is a good one to look into. That way you get the 3.3L but don't need to worry about 3MZ electronics when you're running the 1MZ electronics. It'll be lot more work than getting the S54 and GT mounts to swap a 3SGTE; but you'll have the "ease of junkyard parts" since those motors are much more common.

Here's some more info on the 3SGTE swap (it also includes the other swaps too): http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=28825

If you somehow don't go for the "simple enough" you can look into njccmd2002's build thread, who's car currently houses a 2GR in it: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=93871

There's a guy up here in MN that I know and he's got a K24 in his Celica (he's pushing like 450hp)! He's running the adapter plate from HUX RACING for the K20/K24 to the E153. He's running custom mounts; BUT not on all of them (I think). I can say he's gone through a couple outer axles using the hybrid setup (3/year)

If you go the e153, be prepared for the hybrid axle setup (MR2 inner, ST185 ALLTRAC outer, possible spacer on passenger side). A bit of a headache to read but: http://www.6gc.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t80587.html

My problem with the 3sgte is the turbo aspect. I live in Florida where the heat is killer. I expect to use this car as a daily once its done so I need reliability (Thinking of buying a mk3 Supra in the meantime ). Plus a 2gr is 6 cylinders yet still lighter than my 7afe while still putting 280 to the wheels. How did you go about doing the custom mount? My biggest worry with this is having to learn to weld. Also what did you do for headers? I know Y pipe back will have to be custom but the cost of custom headers make my tummy hurt