Tips on Rebuild, 7afe Options

[JFrost9]

well i spoke to a mechanic who rebuilds engines. He said he would rebuild my engine and put it back in my car for 2600 which i think is steep. I think i could buy a GT for 4k, and then make about 1400 off parts, and i would have a GT instead! Anyways, the real reason for this post is that if i do go ahead and get this guy to rebuild/fix my engine, are there any 'extra' things i should ask him to do? (he would probably charge extra) but i think if it would help it out, then im game.

Thanks for any advice,
Josh.

[CheesyLobster]

rebuilding a 7afe is the dumbest thing ive ever heard. you can get a running 7afe for about 300 bucks. im sure you will hear it from other members: if you are spending that kind of money, swap in a 3sgte.

[presure2]

i wouldnt bother spending that kinda money on a rebuild of the 7a.
you can get one VERY cheap outta a junkyard, or from a member here on the board who is doing the swap.
i cant see a normal (non- toyota) shop charging more than ~600 to do a basic swap. and even then, thats too much $$ imo.

[JFrost9]

Well thats the thing, i think 2600 is extremely expensive to do and wont help the value of my car since he will just be fixing my 130k mile engine. I need advice outside of just "do a 3sgte swap".

Unfortunately every shop around here is very expensive. We called over 15 places and all the quotes were 2000+....

This post has been edited by JFrost9: Jul 8, 2006 - 10:03 AM

[DomGT]

Find a lower mileage motor and have that puppy shipped to your mechanic. Don't tell him how much you spent until it's all over. Shouldn't cost more than $600 to swap motors (as presure2 said).

[presure2]

Well thats the thing, i think 2600 is extremely expensive to do and wont help the value of my car since he will just be fixing my 130k mile engine. I need advice outside of just "do a 3sgte swap".

Unfortunately every shop around here is very expensive. We called over 15 places and all the quotes were 2000+....

if you have a decent workspace, and a decent selection of tools, with an engine hoist, swapping the 5s or 7a shouldnt take more than a weekend.
after doing it a couple times, i feel like with a good helper (AKA big D) we could swap a 7a or 5s in a day, no problemo.
do you have a manual or auto?
if manual, that adds a couple hundered to the price (i always recommend doing the clutch and resurfacing the flywheel with an engine swap)

[JFrost9]

Well thats the thing, i think 2600 is extremely expensive to do and wont help the value of my car since he will just be fixing my 130k mile engine. I need advice outside of just "do a 3sgte swap".

Unfortunately every shop around here is very expensive. We called over 15 places and all the quotes were 2000+....

if you have a decent workspace, and a decent selection of tools, with an engine hoist, swapping the 5s or 7a shouldnt take more than a weekend.
after doing it a couple times, i feel like with a good helper (AKA big D) we could swap a 7a or 5s in a day, no problemo.
do you have a manual or auto?
if manual, that adds a couple hundered to the price (i always recommend doing the clutch and resurfacing the flywheel with an engine swap)

yea, its just something i dont feel confident enough to do. I do have a manual, but i just got a new clutch and the flywheel resurfaced not even 1000 miles ago.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

yea, its just something i dont feel confident enough to do. I do have a manual, but i just got a new clutch and the flywheel resurfaced not even 1000 miles ago.

To tell you the trueth, there are so many things that I jumped into not feeling very confident about, and I haven't really ran into anything I couldn't handle. It's not that bad. I have a little business on the side working on peoples cars, and I try to tell them that. It's really not as bad as everyone thinks once you get in there. You have to have a basic knowledge and definately orginizational skills, but past that, you are in the clear. If you buy a motor for 300 from a junk yard, and you can find one. They put those 7afe's in everything. You try to put it in, and you can't, you can still part the motor and your car out, and you won't lose any money on the deal. You'll lose a little time, but that's the worste that could happen. You could learn exactly how to do it, and have a low milage motor for cheap. And that would be awsome.

[tomazws]

What's wrong with your engine anyway?