Enders swap, Update 11/29/19 Options

[enderswift]

did i finally give you some motivation!?

motivation was always there. Money wasn't haha. Though seeing your gt4 front end in real life definitely strengthened my resolve

[enderswift]

Hey everyone,

I finally started tearing the clip down after a couple of days of organizing things in my garage, removing bulky parts, prepping rusty parts for storage, and building a catalog.

Its a slow and methodical process because I'm labeling and documenting every single thing I can. I work by singling out a particular system and removing everything associated with it. So in the case of the intake assembly, I took photos of the whole area before taking anything apart. Then I labeled every single hose/sensor/vac on the intake side and engine side. After that I started to take things out, with the ultimate goal of keeping as many parts together as possible before placing them into a box for storage. I also take videos of stuff that goes together in a strange way, or if there is something that would need some explanation to properly document.

AFTER ALL THAT,

I sit down and upload the photos and videos into my swap folder where I have everything organized by system.

THEN

I draw diagrams detailing some of the quirks and of the dissasembly, such as which relay box controls which radiator fan etc.

This is slow, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Right now my goal is to remove everything that would get in the way of pulling the motor, and so far I've removed the intake assembly, the radiator assembly, and the entire intercooler loop. Today I want to remove the brake master/booster, and a few other things on the left side of the bay. That should leave me with plenty of room to pull the motor.

anyway, here are some progress photos (because updates suck without at least some kind of picture):


The engine is much roomier now that alot of the bulky stuff is out of the way. My turbo has virtually no shaft play btw


These are some of the diagrams I'm preparing. I know they're gonna be a big help when it comes to assembly everything.


here are some of the assemblies I've removed so far. I have yet to find boxes for them, but eventually they're going to be boxed, labeled and stacked on one side of the garage. Space is a really precious commodity around here.

This post has been edited by enderswift: Nov 5, 2012 - 9:05 PM

[enderswift]

whoa finally,

It took a while but I worked my way through the clip and pulled the motor.

WOW superstrut was an absolute pain to take apart. Unlike mcpherson, you cant just disconnect the tie rods and pull the axles through. You actually have to take off the hub. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the upper balljoints. There is no room for a puller because the axle is in the way, so you basically have to wedge a breaker bar against the castle nut and go to town on the strut with a hammer. The combination of the upward pressure from the bar, and strikes from the hammer cause the ball joint to pop out.

In theory.

I went through all kinds of madness before the above method worked. For those doing this in the future, save yourselves some time and go straight for a 4lb hammer or bigger, don't waste time with a dinky little hammer like i did.

anyway, once the axles were out the engine was ready to be pulled. I decided to go avoid risking damage to the engine and simply cut the front of the clip off. This way I could just slide the motor right out. It went well and everything came out unscathed. The only downside to this is that I didn't get the experience of removing the engine from an intact bay, but i guess i wouldn't want to try that without a load level anyway.

Right now the engine is sitting on a pallet in my garage. I'm waiting until next Saturday to separate the trans and mount the motor on its stand. From there its going to be a slow methodical rebuild until spring. I'll try to put together a decent tear down thread for those looking for a step by step but I cant promise anything. I'm taking 19 credit hours of engineering so I'll be really strapped for time. All I know is that its surreal to actually be doing the swap that I've been reading about for four years now, its just a ton of fun. Anyway, here are some pictures:













This post has been edited by enderswift: Nov 17, 2012 - 7:20 PM

[bloodMoney]

Looks like you're making good progress Luke! Keep it up.

[purplegt4]

Removing that transmission is fun.

snack sized ziploc bags and a retractable sharpie are very helpful to collect nuts/bolts/screws.

[richee3]

I was hoping to see this car boosted before the meet. But there's always next year! Sounds like you're doing this swap right. Keep us posted. I expect this thread to scare 56k members away.

[enderswift]

Hey 6gc,

its been a while but there has been a lot of progress. I separated the transmission and placed it on its own pallet in the corner till the time comes for it to be converted to fwd. I also mounted the engine on its stand and continued labeling, photographing, and storing. As of right now the engine only has the turbo assembly and power steering pump on it. But unfortunately I'm not going to continue the disassembly for a little while since I have to turn my attention to the rest of the clip. I still need to pull out the superstrut, dash, and shifter cables. As soon as that happens I'm either going to chop up the frame or give it to my buddy so he can turn it into a giant grill ( I didn't ask for specifics haha).

if anyone wants to buy a rhd dash and firewall let me know!

anyway, here are some more current photos:



Here is my super heavy bench weight. It was tough to get this thing off of the block on my own but I managed in the end. Did anyone else forget that one hidden bolt behind the center housing?



My flywheel speaks volumes about how this car was treated in the past (bad). You can't tell in the photo, but there are blue spots all over this thing from what I can only assume to be massive clutch dumps. Things like this only reinforce my decision to rebuild this engine.



I finally got the harness off of the engine. I've been debating on whether or not I should put together a thread with a picture and description of each plug. I think it would be helpful to those who buy an engine set instead of a clip. Let me know if you guys would want something like that.



The flywheel isn't the only part telling stories. This is one filthy manifold.



I cant even imagine whats waiting for me under the valve cover, but if its anything like what I can see through the oil fill, then I have a lot of work ahead of me.



Intake valves look good though



This is a photo of the engine at the moment. I got stuck taking off the manifold and turbo and I have to think of a clever order. This thing is like a puzzle. You guys would not believe how heavily built (and braced) the stock downpipe is. I wouldn't be surprised if I saved 20 lbs by switching to an aftermarket pipe.



and heres a picture of my cramped working conditions. Its even tighter when I have the kawi in the garage O.O



The parts boxes just keep multiplying.

This post has been edited by enderswift: Jan 14, 2013 - 7:03 PM

[purplegt4]

You guys would not believe how heavily built (and braced) the stock downpipe is. I wouldn't be surprised if I saved 20 lbs by switching to an aftermarket pipe.

I think it's a catalytic converter. Not only weight savings, also better flow!

[bloodMoney]

Are you going to be doing anything with that steering wheel Luke? If its in good shape, I could use a replacement....

[enderswift]

I was looking to pull the whole dash and sell it for parts. So its for sale if you want it. Its leather wrapped and in good shape.

[enderswift]

well, got some more work done today. The superstrut is completely out and on the pallet. I was surprised at how easy it was to drop everything, just a few bolts and the subframe lowered without problems. I took the time to measure the lock to lock rack travel and found it to be 4.75 inches. This means all I have to do to swap over to superstrut is find a set of rims with the right offset.

I'm not going to make it that easy on myself though, I have access to a sand blaster at school so I plan to strip all of the factory paint and coat everything with a layer of por 15. should be fun.

Aside from pulling the superstrut, I also took off the valve cover to see how bad sludge is.

here are the photos:


I need to transfer over my st204 steering rack and this guy will be ready to bolt in.




couple hundred pounds of gt4 goodness right there. Gotta love it.


This is a terrible photo if you're talking about sludge, but I thought it looked cool. Anyway it looks like this engine wasn't maintained too regularly. Its not the worst I've seen, but I'm sure they stretched the oil change intervals. Another reason to rebuild this motor


So this was the last thing I had to remove from my clip. I am officially done with that part of this project and can now focus on actually rebuilding the engine I plan to do the rebuild in two steps to keep myself from getting overwhelmed with scattered parts. Step one is going to consist of a complete rebuild of the head where I will do all of the measuring to decide what machining is required. I don't trust shops to tell me what is out of tolerance. Step two will see the bottom end rebuilt with oem bits and some arp goodness.



This post has been edited by enderswift: Sep 10, 2014 - 7:17 AM

[richee3]

It's coming along great, Luke! My only question is why convert the E154F to FWD when you could get a lighter E153 or even recycle your S54? I'm sure you stated your reason why earlier in the thread but I missed it.

[mkernz22]

It's coming along great, Luke! My only question is why convert the E154F to FWD when you could get a lighter E153 or even recycle your S54? I'm sure you stated your reason why earlier in the thread but I missed it.

Just from seeing the pictures and whatnot, I believe he's using the E154F because he can use the GT4 axles since he will be swapping the whole subframe out. The S54 is probably too short, gearing wise, for what he wants to do, and with the E153, he has to mix and match the axles with the mr2 and st185. It also seems like he would save some money in the end, but that's how I see it

[enderswift]

You're both close.

By removing the center section of the e154f I'm effectively turning it into an e153, only with gt4 specific gear ratios and triple cone synchros on 2nd and 3rd. The weight difference between an actual e153 would be minimal. I don't want to stick with the s54 because it has shorter ratios and an open diff. Furthermore it would be just as much work trying to upgrade the s54 as it would be to convert the e154f. I know I could buy a used transmission that has a factory LSD, but I really do not like viscous differentials. Helical all the way

Besides converting the e154 isn't some impossible feat. It's alot of work, requiring a press and some specialty tools, but not difficult. Like everything organization is key. A basic rundown of the process involves removing the center section and covering the opening with the plate from an e153 (get the mount too). Then pull the transmission apart to replace the differential with either an mr2 viscous or an aftermarket like the quaife I want (might as well replace any worn synchros and bearings too).The reason for replacing the diff comes from the fact that the current diff is splined to accept the shaft from the center housing, not an axle.

Axles are going to be a pain no matter what route I take. GT4 axles are equal length so removing the center housing from the e154f means the passanger side axle needs to be longer.And I still need to find out whether or not gt4 axles are splined properly to fit into the quaife lsd. If not, I'm going to have to get creative.

I think I can make a working axle by using the transmission side housings from an mr2 turbo and keep the wheelside housings from the gt4 (since those fit the superstrut hubs). Then the challenge would be to find a halfshaft that is the correct length and of the correct spline to accept the corresponding inner race's. Worst case scenerio I'll have to get custom halfshafts made. I'm confident I'll find a solution

This post has been edited by enderswift: Sep 10, 2014 - 7:18 AM

[enderswift]

Hey 6gc,

long time no update. I've been busy with school and that means no time to work on the 3s, or make money for that matter. I expect things to pick up during winter break though. Till then I'm gonna have to be happy with slowly taking the motor apart and taking care of the tedious parts of this project.

anyway, current plans for the head involve a complete disassembly and tolerancing. I plan to check all of the specs and determine exactly what kind machining is required, and what parts have to be replaced. I plan to get the following done regardless of the condition of the head:

-ultrasonic cleaning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWs_8RyBLyo (hopefully someplace local offers it)
-3 angle valve job
-head deck

Then, depending on the condition of the head I may also pay for this stuff:

-Valve guide replacement
-Misc parts replacement

If theres one place to be OCD in a rebuild its in the head. Here are some photos


I spent a lot of time thinking about how I'm going to keep everything safe and organized while I gather the funds for the master rebuild set and machine shop. I eventually came up with what you see here, its not complete haha. I promise its more elaborate than this




I had a hard time with the belt tensioner since the fsm wasn't too clear on how to position the #1 idler pulley. They tell you to torque the pulley bolt to 61ft/lbs and to position the pulley in order to slip a 3 mm allen into the head. Thereby removing slack from the belt... not too detailed imo. I would appreciate it if someone could explain the proper procedure. I eventually ended up bracing the pulley with rubber before cutting the timing belt. It prevented the tensioner from extending violently at least.


I also had some trouble removing the camshafts. The caps near the timing belt pulleys wouldn't separate from the head as I was loosening their fasteners. This resulted in the camshafts going crooked during removal. A few strikes with a rubber mallet freed them up, but I wish I caught that sooner. I don't think I damaged the head but its just annoying when you're taking care to do everything the right way.


I was planning on taking the valves out right away, but my valve spring compressor doesn't go deep enough into the head. I'm going to have to borrow one from one of my buddies in the sae.



I was surprised to see that the cylinders and pistons are all in great shape. You can still see the factory crosshatch on the walls

Well thats it for this week. Hopefully next week will see me removing and measuring the valvetrain. After that I'll be checking out some of the shops people have been recommending to me. Stay tuned.

This post has been edited by enderswift: Dec 22, 2012 - 9:52 AM

[BonzaiCelica]

what do you mean I need to transfer over my st204 steering rack and this guy will be ready to bolt in. Rack and Pinion from all 94-99 celica's regardless of the model are the same.... only difference is the tie rods from superstrut models.

[enderswift]

what do you mean I need to transfer over my st204 steering rack and this guy will be ready to bolt in. Rack and Pinion from all 94-99 celica's regardless of the model are the same.... only difference is the tie rods from superstrut models.

You're forgetting that this clip was rhd while my celi is lhd, so I have to swap over the steering rack. There was a thread debating on whether or not the st204 steering rack can be used with the superstrut suspension. Some were saying that st204 steering racks had a larger lateral travel than the st205 steering rack, and that this would over extend several of the parts on superstrut at full lock.

I went and measured the travel of both racks and it came out to be ~4.75 inches. Therefore I can just bolt the st204 steering rack from my gt onto the st205 subframe without worrying about hurting the superstrut during full lock turns. The only thing I'll have to worry about is replacing the tie rods with the bowed out st205 parts. Also, the reason I'm using the st205 subframe is because it has no rust compared to my gt subframe.

This post has been edited by enderswift: Dec 22, 2012 - 9:55 AM

[enderswift]

Hey 6gc,

I've made some good progress today Nothing major, but every little bit gets me THAT much closer to slamming into a median at 17 psi. The majority of the work was in head disassembly, which I'm thankful to have finally finished. I had a tough time sourcing a proper valve spring compressor, and actually spent the last two weeks researching all the different styles. I tried buying one at specialty stores, modifying one from work, and borrowing some kits from friends. Unfortunately every time I found a compressor or adapter it was always just short of what I needed. I considered buying online but the shipping would have taken too long and this saturday would have been wasted. So, I made my own. Its a very crude, very primitive chunk of steel. I'm almost embarrassed to show it since my welding skills are still pretty inadequate, But hey it did the job beautifully and allowed me to move forward. Its basically a 17 mm socket with a portion of the wall cut out, and some handles welded on one end. I would compress the retainers while my brother removed the keepers with one of those awesome extendable magnets. Although my custom tools worked, I will be using this in the future http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFTaeu4GIPo.


Dont judge me haha

With the head apart I was able to move towards cleaning everything in preparation for tolerancing. As with the valve spring compressor, I also spent a lot of time looking for the perfect degreaser to use. Its important to make a good selection because aluminum is a finicky material. You can easily lose a few thousandths of an inch if you let a machined surface oxidize. Therefore I avoided all of the common degreasers and asked around for recommendations. One of my sae buddies pointed me in the direction of simplegreen extreme motorsports. http://www.simplegreen.com/products_extreme_motor.php This stuff is safe on aluminum and is amazing at dissolving engine crud. Observe:

BEFORE:



AFTER:


Still have a ways to go but quite an improvement if you ask me. Basically I sprayed the head with the simple green and went to town with a tooth brush to work the stuff into the dirt. Thankfully my brother was a willing assistant otherwise I'd still be brushing haha. Anyway, after the toothbrush session I hit the aluminum with a pressure washer. This process was repeated a number of times and the head just kept turning out better and better. Unfortunately I cant reach all of tight spaces so I plan to buy a few gallons of the simple green and simply soak it until next Saturday haha. The pressure washer should be able to take care of the rest by then

During this whole process I made sure to keep things organized and put my cardboard template to use


The cardboard has a fixed orientation printed on it so its easy to keep track of the seemingly endless amount of tiny parts that compose the valvetrain. All I have to do is match a zip lock bag to the cardboard and I know exactly where those parts belong.

Anyway, thats it for this week. Next week I'm going to continue cleaning and plan to start measuring stuff. Stay tuned

This post has been edited by enderswift: Sep 10, 2014 - 7:22 AM

[Keiri]

Very detailed and well thought-out process to dealing with the head Luke. Even though you find it crude the tool you made works and works well so that's something to be quite proud of.

Also, I couldn't help but laugh at this:

Nothing major, but every little bit gets me THAT much closer to slamming into a median at 17 psi.

I know you're joking but I truly hope this never happens.

[lagos]

Good luck on the project. Seems like you know what you're doing!