95 celica ST 7afe engine swap to Beams 3sge Options

[foshojerry]

Hello, i am planning to do a small project engine swap on my 95 Celica ST from the US. I see lots of Forums that indicated on a 3SGTE swap into the 6 gen ST, yet i have many doubts on the technicality of the swap due to several problems: replacing transmission, engine mounts replacement, shift cable, smog emission regulation, maintenance!, etc. I then look at other engine option swap like Silvertop 4age 20 valve engine but it is only 160hp. What i want relatively out of this engine swap project is to have "minimal" problems and yet "reliable/powerful". I was looking at the 200hp Beams 3SGE economical natural aspirated engine and sure looks tempting. Several questions: i see many forums on swapping the Beams into their "GT" model which has all the right mounting and assembly in compatibility for the swap. I know on the ST, the engine mounts are totally different. Has anyone done this kind of swap in their ST? Will a fully healthy Beams engine ship from Japan pass US smog regulations? If so, what are the crucial points i need to watch out for and what parts do i need to replace? I am also turning the automatic into a manual as well. (If i am going to go into this project, "i will be getting a full front clip with manual transmission imported here"). If i get the full front clip i have all the parts and mounts for the picking! Well any body out there that can help me out on this topic i am greatly appreciative! I LOVE MY CELICA and kept it in awesome conditon, i will post some pictures up when i get a chance.

[Smaay]

well first off, if your celica is an auto then it will be a little more difficult no matter what engine you go with. but if you have a 5 speed then you are good to go. you have several options.

option 1: use the stock celica GT tranny (S54) it will bolt right up to the 1MZ. 3 of the engine mounts are on the trans so all you need is a passenger mount, i know this guy that makes them look at my thread. this is the cheapest route and you can use your stock axles, you just need to figure out a way for the bearing carrier, luckily i know this guy again

option 2: use the stock 5 speed that comes in the camry/solara. that is an e153 and if you do a little research you will discover that it happens to be the strongest 5 speed trans that toyota ever built. (same that im using) yes the solaras came with 5 speeds. if you do use that trans then you need to get the ST205 (GT4) rear and drivers side engine mount, the front mount is the same for the S54. here you will need to figure out what axle to use, ill let you know when i figure it out myself.

wiring you can have done by http://216.199.72.202/index.html for 400 bucks he will convert your celica and solara harness into the perfect combination.

im going to try my hardest to get this done by the MOTY meet http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=82163 but since you are somewhat local, you are welcome to come up and see the work in progress