Completed Engine Swaps., who's got em. add your name and info. ;) Options

[Mynzeyes]

just like the topic says, i think this would be a very good little thread, just to give some insight for the newbs and dreamers as to what the swappers have done, what they went through, and how it's workin out to this day. feel free to add any info you wish, mainly the car type before, the new motor type, info about your personal swap (as all swaps are NOT created equal), a time frame, general cost, how is the performance, are you happy w/ it, etc... . let's see how big this list can get. .

-John-

edit: btw, only post if you are DONE and driving the car. that's what i'm lookin for.

[kuya1284]

Let's see, where do I start... How about I give a timeline of what I went through. I'll try to be as thorough as possible. I may miss some events that I forgot to record. Some of these may be irrelavent to the swap, but I just wanted to give a description of what I've gone through during this whole period of endless waiting.

Late April, 2002 : Received GT-FOUR posts from Mike (Qatar) TopShelfRacing.com... which was the beginning of my GT-FOUR Hybrid Project.

Early May, 2002 : Sent Venus Auto payment for ST205 clip (~$3800)

May 21, 2002 : Flew out to Sacramento (~$120), took shuttle to U-haul (~$15), rented 14" Uhaul for one-way trip back down to SoCal ($283), drove truck to Venus and picked up clip, drove back down to SoCal and made a couple stops for gas ($60)

May 22, 2002 : Dropped off clip to EL Prototypes and returned truck to Uhaul


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20001.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20006.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20007.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20008.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20017.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20022.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20026.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20029.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/ST205%20032.jpg


June 18, 2002 : Car got broken into and vandalized, gauge pod with Apex'i boost gauge along with radio face gets stolen.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/vandal%20(3).JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/vandal%20(4).JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/vandal%20(11).JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/vandal%20(13).JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/vandal%20(15).JPG


June 20, 2002 : Took car to Auto Explosion for them to start on body repairs.

July 17, 2002 : Since AE was lagging with repairs and because I didn't want to risk my paint being scratched from performing the motor swap, I decided to perform motor swap first. I took the car to ELP.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00515.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00521.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00523.JPG


July 23, 2002 : Received my new GT-FOUR hood, which arrived from Toyota World

August 6, 2002 : ELP finally gets around to starting on my car. 7A is removed from engine bay. During this time, I was still sourcing a E-153 tranny WITH LSD for a reasonable price. I missed an opportunity to buy one for only $500 by a couple days.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/01_front.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/03_gt-four.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/06_3sgte.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/07_3sgte.jpg
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00648.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00650.JPG


September 23, 2002 : Bought Apex'i Boost gauge and EGT from Wholesale Hyperformance.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00766.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00807.JPG


September 25, 2002 : Received new set of ST205 turn signals, gen 2 timing belt and spark plug wire set from Toyota World


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00760.JPG


October 12, 2002 : Received Walbro Supra 255 lph fuel pump from (can't remember at this moment??)


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00801.JPG


October 15, 2002 : Received Redline MT-90 tranny fluid, new gauge pod, and Turbo XS high-performance mechanical boost controller from Summit Racing


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00805.JPG


October 17, 2002 : Received JDM sidemarkers from ProCarParts.com

November 16, 2002 : Decided to purchase used E-153 WITHOUT LSD from a JDM 1995 SW20 from a guy in San Diego.

November 26, 2002 : Luckily, I found a person on the MR2 board selling SW20 LSD unit. Received about a week later.

December 11, 2002 : Purchased Blitz SBC-iD electronic boost controller and Power-iD meter from friend's shop, Six Autoworks. This was also around the time that I discovered that my motor may be a WRC version.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-012F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-013F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-023F.JPG


December 12, 2002 : Bought used Blitz Supersound blow off valve from friend. I was also informed that my clutch needed to be replaced. Since I was told that I need to order more parts, I decided that while I waited for the axles and clutch to arrive, that I would just take my car back to the body shop. In addition, the main reason was so that I could get my engine bay sprayed and have a cleaner look.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-028F.JPG


December 14, 2002 : Met up with an MR2 board member at LAX, who stopped over from his trip to Japan, to pick up JDM (red-stitched) shift knob.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-031F.JPG


December 18, 2002 : Pulled car from ELP and towed to M1 Autobody

January 25, 2003 : M1 completed painting car and installing body kit. At this time, I was still waiting for the factory rear bumper to arrive.

January 31, 2003 : Received a coupe rear bumper instead of a HB type. I had to return the bumper the following week.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01456.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01464.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01473.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01474.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01481.JPG


March 28, 2003 : M1 continued to lag, and finally got around to starting work on front GT-FOUR bumper BUT not the rear bumper. This is just another one of the dilemnas I ran into with M1 and ELP lagging.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01611.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01614.JPG


May 3, 2003 : Since M1 recommended that I return my car back to ELP to get the motor swap completed, I decided to pick up my ClutchMasters FX300 (stage 3) clutch. M1 told me that since they weren't completely done with my body work that if ELP somehow managed to (accidentally) scratch my paint job, that they would redo it at no extra charge.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01763.JPG


May 7, 2003 : Towed car back to ELP as scheduled... I was promised that my motor swap should be completed within a month from this date. I was also promised that the LSD would be installed into the tranny by this time, and sure enough it wasn't. This was around the time that I confirmed for certain that I had a WRC motor.

July 12, 2003 : Work was finally started on my car by this point. ELP ended up sourcing a JDM E-153 WITH the LSD already installed. Clutch was installed into tranny and motor was dropped in and out to determine proper fitment with motor mounts.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00104.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00105.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00108.JPG


Late July, 2003 : I was informed that ELP had to order NEW ST204 driver side mounts.

August 4, 2003 : Motor finally gets dropped and mounted (securely) into car. I was also informed that the non-LSD type MR2 axles could no be found.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-004F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-006F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-009Fb.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-011F.JPG


August 8, 2003 : Heat exchanger and intercooler sprayers got installed. I was also informed that my WRC motors comes equiped with water injection... WOW!


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-005F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-009F.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/MVC-014F.JPG


Late August, 2003 : At this point, while ELP was searching for my axles, I realized that the axles I originally brought wouldn't work with my tranny due to the fact that it had LSD. At the time I purchased the MR2 axles, I had decided not to go with LSD. I ordered NEW axles from ToyotaWorld later that week.

September 9, 2003 : MR2 axles and 1990 V6 Camry axles finally arrive.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00841.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00846.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00849.JPG


September 12, 2003 : Gauges and controllers were installed. V6 Camry axles were sent out to be rebuilt. Brought in new hood latch cable.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00859.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00864.JPG


September 18, 2003 : Body wire harness was 80% completed. Rebuilt axles arrived.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00882.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00885.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00888.JPG


September 22, 2003 : Body harness complete and engine harness 50% completed.

2nd week of November : Engine harness was completed. Axles were installed and wheels remounted. ELP called me around this time to inform me that they needed a Power Steering resevoir and high pressure line, A/C lines, and throttle cable all from a GT Celica.


http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00997.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC00998.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01004.JPG


4th week of November : Intercooler, hoses and wiring installed and mounted. 5 hoses needed to be attached and 1 hose (radiator) needed mending. A/C, PS resevoir, and PS high pressure line got installed. I brought in the throttle cable on the 29th.

December 1, 2003 VROOOM VROOOM... The motor lives!

December 2, 2003 ELP placed an order for a new PS resevoir mounting bracket. Apex'i turbo timer, Blitz SBC-iD EBC, and Blitz Power-iD meter got wired and installed. Blitz DD BOV and Apex'i Power intake installed. IC heat exchange mounted as well.

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01098.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01099.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01102.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01103.JPG


December 5, 2003 Power Steering resevoir bracket gets installed. Cruise Control actuator gets relocated and a custom bracket is made. Bracket is made for BOV and is mounted to intake. ELP called me this day to inform me that my Blitz EBC isn't funcationing properly. It apparently powered up, but doesn't show anything on the screen with the exception of a couple lines. Power-iD works. Apex'i turbo timer operational.

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01106.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01107.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01122.JPG


December 6, 2003 Car gets buttoned up. Blitz EBC gets removed and boxed up for exchange. I spent the whole day watching Claude and Robert do their thing. Claude finished up putting my interior together while Robert made a bracket for my IC water resvoir and new hangers for my battery (because the originals were misplaced). They also bled the clutch, which I must tell you feels like my factory clutch and began putting the exhaust on. By the end of the day, everything was complete. Only thing left for them to do is to finish the piping for the exhaust, extend the hook on my hood latch, and bleed the Power Steering. Monday, December 8th, I will be driving my car to M1 for body work completion.

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01114.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01115.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01116.JPG


December 8, 2003 PSSSSH! PSSSSH! PSSSSH! After over 1.5 years of waiting, I finally got to drive my car today! And boy... it sure felt good! Damn good! Although ELP took WAY TOO FRICKEN LONG, I must say they did an EXCELLENT JOB. But I'm gonna have to give MOST of the credit to Claude. He put in endless hours of time and effort. I must tell you that this guy is the MOST METICULOUS person!!

BOOST WAS CRAZY. Well, sorta. In first gear, I was maxin out at only 5 PSI. 2nd was about 7 to 8. 3rd was a WHOMPIN 13 to 14 PSI. Mind you, this is without my EBC. That's right folks... the stock boost was hitting that high. The only reasons that I can think of why my boost was low in the first 2 gears may be due to

1. Lack of traction, which I didn't really notice since I didn't push the car.
2. The exhaust not being connected, thus lack of back pressure.

As for the kickass boost in third, I would have to guess that it might be due to a more agressively tuned ECU. I guess the WRC model has more tricks up it's sleeves in addition to the anti-lag and water injection addons.

Well, the exhaust didn't get finished, but I'm going to worry about that after M1 completes the body work. EL did a decent job with my hood latch. I'm going to get rid of my dual exhaust setup and go with a single until I save up enough for a titanium JIC exhaust. M1 expects my car to be completed within 2 weeks. I'm going to try and push them to finish sooner, regardless of how busy they are. Since I've paid them 90% of the total and since my team has given them LOTS of business and exposure, I SHOULD be given top priority. Anyway, here are more pictures for you peeps...

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01124.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01128.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01129.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01131.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01133.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01138.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01139.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01142.JPG


December 12, 2003 So M1 called me today to inform me that they were going to start on my car. They also asked that I come down to confirm certain tasks that I requested before. When I showed up, I was pretty surprised at home much they got done (in 5 to 6 hours). David, one of the owners, told me that if things go well and that they don't run into any complications, they should be able to finish my car between the 19th to the 23rd. Things are going to take a bit longer because I requested that they clean up things that weren't done correctly. Pictures below...

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01145.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01147.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01148.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01150.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01153.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01158.JPG

December 17, 2003 So I received a call from my friend yesterday about a photoshoot opportunity. I contacted the person and found out that the shoot was going to bed help in LA on the 21st and 22nd for the upcoming 2004 Celica brochure. So I contacted M1 to see if they could finish my car by Friday or Saturday, and they said yes!

So as stoked I was, I expected my car to be done and ready by Saturday. I rarely get excited, but I certainly was excited, UP UNTIL I received a call about 5 minutes ago. M1 called me to inform me that they were having trouble fitting my front bumper on my car due to frame damage. I was already aware of the (minor) damage and brought this to their attention a long time ago. They told me that there would be no way that my car would be finished in time for the shoot and that they would need to charge me an additional $500 just to fix the damage. So now I'm really bummed and pissed because the last body shop that worked on my car was aware of this problem and didn't fix it. I wasn't aware that the problem still existed until the motor swap.

So yeah... I really pissed about this whole situation and depressed!!!

December 18, 2003 I'm still in shock that the shop is going to charge me $500!!! From what I can tell, the only REAL damage that would affect the bumper from being mounted properly is highlighted in the picture below. I just don't understand! These ****ers are trying to leech off me! I know I don't have problems with tire wear or anything of that nature... so the damage IS NOT that serious and I don't know what would justify a $500 charge!! They told me that the bumper lines up except there's a noticable gap between the bumper and the hood along the passenger side. I'm telling you, it should not cost $500 to pull out the area highlighted below:




December 19, 2003 Well, I just got back from the body shop, M1, and I must say that I'm really satisfied with the work. I'm just disappointed that I'm gonna have to blow an extra $500 for the frame repairs. But overall, I'm very happy. The front lip was molded PERFECTLY to the GT-FOUR bumper and the fit is excellent. The antenna that they sold me is going to look better, IMO, than my last antenna. It supposed to be 10 times stronger than a Fuba antenna. The owner of the shop told me that his single is still clear when driving through tunnels.

Well, the car is either going to get painted tomorrow night or early Monday morning. If the car gets painted tomorrow, I'll be picking it up Monday evening. If the car gets painted Monday, I'll be picking it up Tuesday. If I had gotten to the shop 3 hours earlier, my car would have been painted. They didn't start shooting my car because they were waiting for my approval on the body work.

Anyway, here are the pictures:

http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01258.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01259.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01262.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01264.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01266.JPG
http://www.technoscribble.net/pics/new/DSC01270.JPG

December 23, 2003 Well, I got to M1 around 12 PM hoping that I would be able to pick up my car, but unfortunately, they were still spraying my car. I had a bad feeling that I wouldn't be able to pick up the car to get the muffler installed and smogged... and sure enough... that's exactly what they told me. They told me that since it was raining... my paint would get damaged. I stuck around till about 2 PM, and took off. They told me to come back around 11 AM the next day. They were going to put 6 guys on my car to make sure that I could pick it up right away to get my stuff done... and have enough time to catch my 3 PM flight.

December 24, 2003 I got to the shop at 11 AM exactly and found my car HALF-WAY pieced together. I was really worried because I still needed to get the muffler installed and my car smogged. And the way my car looked, it wasn't gonna get done till 12 to 12:30. Well, guess what? They didn't finish till 1PM. Because of this, I didn't get to do what I planned on doing AND I had to drive back home IN TRAFFIC. So I missed my 3 PM flight back to the Bay Area... but fortunately caught the 4:20 flight. To top it all off... I lost my driver's license at the airport. I also scraped (once) coming home on the freeway... yes... my car is THAT low... grrrrr. So yeah... no pictures yet because not only didn't I have time, but my girlfriend took my camera home with her...

Oh yeah, they also didn't get to install everything COMPLETELY, such as my wing and the weathering strip for the rear windshield. There apparently was a missing rivet-thingy on one of the GT-FOUR posts, which would keep me from using one bolt. I told them to just fix it and have it ready when I bring the car back on the 10th to get color sanded. They promised to get it done, and detail my car...


December 25, 2003 HELL YEAH! I just poured in some Cool Blue (110 octane gas) and took my roommate for a test drive... and this time (unlike the last couple times I drove my car), I gunned it on every gear. 1st gear is so torquey... it took my breath away... I could feel the car WANTING to go faster, but the tires were just TRYING to jump forward to keep up...

So my itinerary for tomorrow (the 26th) when I get up is as follows:

1. I MIGHT install my stock front springs to prevent anymore scrapage... I'm hoping that the springs that I left at my parents house are my stock FRONT springs and not the REAR. This will only be temporary until I get my new wheels and coilovers.

2. Go to DMV to get a temporary license, since I lost mine license at the airport, and a one-day pass to drive the car, since the car is not registered.

3. Get my muffler installed.

4. Get my car smogged.

5. Go back to DMV to register my car.

6. Go to SD to visit my gf and her family... and get my camera back.

7. Take pictures....

8. Come back home and post pictures.

So yeah... it's gonna be a pretty busy day for me.

Merry Xmas again and happy new years people...

December 26, 2003

- Muffler got installed.
- Messed up front lip by hitting a steel metal plate @ 2 MPH. They were doing construction on the road and my car was TOO LOW.
- Lifted car back to stock height.

December 27, 2003

- Passed smog


January 10, 2004

Passenger side hub bearing decided to go out on me. This is setting me back $350, forcing me to put a hold on my wheels...

This post has been edited by kuya1284: Apr 30, 2004 - 3:49 PM