PICS of the 3SGTE Swap!, here they are... Options

[jgreening]

I am here to report that my convertible is back in the garage with and purring like a kitten with its new 3sgte! So far, I have only taken her up to 10psi, and the difference from the 5sfe is dramatic. Interestingly, the torque from 0-3500 rpm, is almost identical to the 5sfe. I actually thought it would pull harder than the original engine there too but the 5sfe is pretty torquey in the lower RPM range. That said, the car pulls much stronger than the 5sfe after that. I noticed in pulling all the way to the red line despite what others have said about the CT-26 giving out after 5500-6000 rpm.

I do have a few bugs to work out. The Supra TT fuel pump I supplied to my mechanic was defective so the 5s fuel pump is still in there. That will obviously need to be replaced before I boost her more. Also, the weight of the 3s made the grinding on my front ST sway bar much worse. That needs to be fixed immediately because the noise is so annoying. I am going to try to wrap it in some type of rubber and see if the sound goes away. If that doesn't work, I am inclined to put my OEM one back on and sell the Suspension Techniques front sway bar. Unless anyone else has other ideas? Finally, my electronic oil pressure guage is a joke. The dam thing sits on 50 p.s.i. and doesn't move while the car is running. It should show fluctuations during driving. I am replacing it with a mechanical unit ASAP.

I have no torque steer with the LSD transmission. The 7000 rpm redline is a very nice improvement. I also have no traction problems or bounciness. The lack of a traction problem makes me wonder if there is not alot more I can get out of her with greater boosting or other tuning. I have not done a performance start because my clutch has a 500 mile break-in period. By the way, the Stage 3 clutchmasters feels exactly like stock and grips hard.

I felt no noticable difference in chassis flex in the convertible and I have yet to install my strut tower bars or my side tower connectors. I will try to get those on very soon.

The engine compartment gets hot quick and I am very seriously considering a vented hood of some sort. Also, for people considering the swap, I ended up replacing my radiator with a double core unit because she was getting hot. I suspect that might have something to do with the fact that my intercooler is very large and probably absorbs much of the cool air. However, people may want to keep this in mind if the water temp gets hot. The 5th gen alltrac has a double core radiator stock.

I love the new exhaust. It looks great and also sounds very very nice (but not loud) Combined with my BOV (which I didn't plan on getting but was talked into it), I must say its a real auditory experience driving it fast!

I am going to enjoy her for a few months before I begin the exterior.

I would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and help throughout this process. In particular, I would like to give props to Supersprynt, Lagos, Kuya and others who patiently answered my sometimes dumb questions.

I also want to give major props to my mechanics, JAMASCO in Hollywood, Florida. Thier work is amazing as you will see from the pictures and they were an absolute dream to deal with. While the bill was more than I originally expected, I feel that they treated me fairly. While doing the swap yourself (if you are able) has some real advantages, I must say that I am fairly confident that it was done right. The piece of mind is nice. Also, driving it back to Illinois this weekend, I never had one problem or even an inkling of a problem. After 1500 miles, she didn't burn a drop of oil.

- Jay

Here are some images that I took tonight as the lighting was getting bad. I will try to take more soon:







This post has been edited by jgreening: Sep 23, 2004 - 11:59 AM