Rhode Island Project Celica Options

[LimitedGT4]

hey, not sure if this is the right place to post this and sorry if its not, but here goes.

I live in RI and am trying to do an engine swap and cant decide between the Beams, GT4 or a 4age silver or black top.
i know theres a couple of people in this forum that live in RI and have awesome cars but i havent been able to get their attention or help so lets see if you guys can.
i have a 97 ST limited and so far ive gather that i need new mounts, tranny, possibly exhaust, trans axles, and complete engine for a beams or GT4 swap
and ill need an engine if i plan to go with the 4age or am i missing something else also.

as far as the wiring goes for the beams engine is it a plug n play if i get a celica st202 front clip? or am i better off getting parts seperately

as my project progresses i will continue to post updates, hopefully batman and hurley will help me out.

ill also post pics later

thanks for help in advance




This post has been edited by LimitedGT4: May 3, 2011 - 5:14 PM

[Batman722]

sorry I haven't responded yet, been a little busy.

as for a swap, it depends on goals and $.
There's a ton of info here about a Beams or 3sgte swap, so far you have the basics.
where in RI are you ?

[LimitedGT4]

well goals are different, im trying to decide which would be better to invest in, as for $ i have a good amount to consider buying an entire GT4 clip and still have some to do the labor and all. i would love to do a GT4 swap or a full GT4 conversion if i find anyone crazy enough to not talk me out of it. and seeing how you done them all if you could give me some insight as to which one has the best results.

i live in Pawtucket but go down to NK every sunday and actually tomorrow sat as well, not sure if you could do a conversion for me or help me do it either thing would be GREAT

p.s meetin up with you guys and seeing your rides would definitely help out ALOT lol

[LimitedGT4]

pics are up, aslo got a front clip from a GT4 which included front and rear suspension and front and rear GT4 breaks and discs, tail lights and spoiler with raiser blocks

ill post pics when i get it

wooo am excited!!!!!!!!!


Batman Harley HEELLLLLP lol

how much for your crew to do the swap? if you guys have the time and all onviously


This post has been edited by LimitedGT4: May 14, 2011 - 9:12 PM

[smkr3w]

cant wait to see upcoming progress, good luck

btw, what kind of rim are those? size? theyre sick!

[LimitedGT4]

cant wait to see upcoming progress, good luck

btw, what kind of rim are those? size? theyre sick!

thanks i dont know the brand name of the rims because i bought them second hand and the name was painted over, but they are 18x7 front and 18x19 rear i believe

[S8S8]

That's awesome that the package came with so much stuff. The GT4 front end looks to be in good shape, and you even scored the JDM tails. Nice.

You should swap over the auto climate control if your car doesn't have it already. I did this on mine and the job wasn't too difficult, but you have to strip the interior pretty much bare and swap over the harnesses.

Good luck with the project.

[LimitedGT4]

That's awesome that the package came with so much stuff. The GT4 front end looks to be in good shape, and you even scored the JDM tails. Nice.

You should swap over the auto climate control if your car doesn't have it already. I did this on mine and the job wasn't too difficult, but you have to strip the interior pretty much bare and swap over the harnesses.

Good luck with the project.

O i plan to use the climate control u better believe that lol now i know who i can ask for help
Ill even use the stock radio because mine came with after market but that one seems better

[opie_7afe]

nice clip your getting there man comming with alot of goodies...but in all seriousness in a usdm celica compared to the gt4 the whole rear floor pan (from about front of back seats to bumper) is way different to accomodate for the rear differential and subframe connectors as well as beefed up strut towers, i would install the 3sgte as fwd (will need new transmission of course) and i bet you will forget about the awd for a while.....the rhd conversion would be easier then the awd conversion for sure and theres some people who have done this which is done by swapping out firewall and all other stuff from your clip..if you say did the rhd swap before the engine swap well you wouldnt need to get wire harness work done (if that is correct from my research), but if you dont do rhd swap (i wouldnt more hassle imo) you need to send your harness into tweak or some one else who does wire harness's for 'yota engine swaps, unless of course you feel confident enough to do the wireharness work...hell im good with 12v electronics and i wont even mess with a harness due to i dont feel confident i could do it correct without a ton of issues(id rather my swap be as much " plug 'n play" as possible for a swap that is!)...good luck man and i 100% support what you RI guys are doing for the scene...as i was born n raised there

[mkernz22]

The AWD isn't that hard if you can weld
This build thread will really help you out! http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=68701

[LimitedGT4]

nice clip your getting there man comming with alot of goodies...but in all seriousness in a usdm celica compared to the gt4 the whole rear floor pan (from about front of back seats to bumper) is way different to accomodate for the rear differential and subframe connectors as well as beefed up strut towers, i would install the 3sgte as fwd (will need new transmission of course) and i bet you will forget about the awd for a while.....the rhd conversion would be easier then the awd conversion for sure and theres some people who have done this which is done by swapping out firewall and all other stuff from your clip..if you say did the rhd swap before the engine swap well you wouldnt need to get wire harness work done (if that is correct from my research), but if you dont do rhd swap (i wouldnt more hassle imo) you need to send your harness into tweak or some one else who does wire harness's for 'yota engine swaps, unless of course you feel confident enough to do the wireharness work...hell im good with 12v electronics and i wont even mess with a harness due to i dont feel confident i could do it correct without a ton of issues(id rather my swap be as much " plug 'n play" as possible for a swap that is!)...good luck man and i 100% support what you RI guys are doing for the scene...as i was born n raised there

well i dont plan on doing the AWD conversion because i havent found someone crazy enough to convince me to do it lol, and if i was planing on doing it i was planing on gettin the rear undercarrige of the GT4 and CUT & PASTE it lol but i would also need to find a REALLY GOOD WELDER who would be crazy enough to convince me his work will be flawless. in any event thanks for the support, i think my thread might just be one of the quickest conversions ever. my target conversion end date is late may early june

[qtfsniper]

Hey Dude, get a truck and grab that clip already!

[LimitedGT4]

ok guys so i got my front clip, am all excited, now i need someone to help me put the engine in an i got $1000 for the right person if anyone knows anyone that has done a 3sgte swap into a AT200 celica aka 7AFE looking to get this done as soon as possible guys comon who wants to help me out

[Batman722]

got a tranny ?

[LimitedGT4]

got a tranny ?

i need one, cant decide if the GT tranny, the e153 or converting the AWD to FWD i heard its doable, is the 3sge tranny any good also? if it is ill probably go with that

[LimitedGT4]

so i just finished the GT4 front end conversion, now i just need the engine in my car who knows some one or whos done this before? i would like to have the car ready before june 11 :-D lol





This post has been edited by LimitedGT4: May 14, 2011 - 9:08 PM

[LimitedGT4]

Still looking for a celica mechanic in the RI/MA area to do my swap at least
someone to help me figure out if i have everything i need
So far i got a gt4 full clip with all the parts so i knw ill need a tranny
still not sure whats best if the gt tge 3sge or the mr2 turbo
Besides that do i still need mounts? Or are the ones in the clip sufficient
can i use the same axles if i use the 3sge tranny? what else will i need if i use that tranny
i have all of the jdm components including lights, etc so rewiring the harness will be VERY minimal i think
as i plan to keep all the JDM components i got like the temp control ac, ecu, fuse relay boxes etc,
even the steering column if necessary and doable
if no one can do the swap for me comon guys at least help me finish the list so i can take it to a proshop

This post has been edited by LimitedGT4: May 16, 2011 - 4:45 PM

[LimitedGT4]

Bump

Comon guys dont make me vo to a proshop
If no one wants to help me might aswell just let me know

[Batman722]

ok, some info.
converting the awd tranny to just fwd is not simple.
I would suggest you get a GT (s54) tranny and you need all the GT mounts. The mounts in your clip are for a different series tranny, just put them aside for now. You'll also need the GT axles.
You could use a different tranny (e153) from an MR2 turbo or late 90s Camry/Solara V6, but then you would need a custom axle set up, which would be st185 outers and MR2 turbo inners. Depending on the tranny, the inners may need to be machined to fit correctly. Also, you might want to custom fab a spacer on at least one of the axles, some people have problems without, some don't.

You need a clutch, each tranny uses a different set up.

Do you plan on doing any sort of maintenance on the motor ? like valve cover gasket, thermostat, plugs, wires, cap/rotor, timing belt, water pump, tensioners, seals ? If so, some of the parts are available in the US, some aren't. Decide what you want to do and start sourcing parts.

Doing a rhd conversion would be a little more time consuming. A few have done it, pipes and jmeyer for example, most don't bother.
You could just cut out the firewall of the clip and your car, weld the clip fw into your car and start swapping everything over like the column, rack, all the brake lines, ect. Then doing the interior you would swap over the wiring, dash, heater core, just everything everything from the clip to your car. Swapping just the climate control without everything else is a pain, some have tried and not many have succeded.

What do you plan on for an exhaust ? what size ? where are you gonna get it or have it done ?

IMO the first thing you need is research.
The best way to do a swap is to know (or al least have a very good idea of) what you need, what you need to do, then buying the motor.

[LimitedGT4]

ok, some info.
converting the awd tranny to just fwd is not simple.
I would suggest you get a GT (s54) tranny and you need all the GT mounts. The mounts in your clip are for a different series tranny, just put them aside for now. You'll also need the GT axles.
You could use a different tranny (e153) from an MR2 turbo or late 90s Camry/Solara V6, but then you would need a custom axle set up, which would be st185 outers and MR2 turbo inners. Depending on the tranny, the inners may need to be machined to fit correctly. Also, you might want to custom fab a spacer on at least one of the axles, some people have problems without, some don't.

You need a clutch, each tranny uses a different set up.

Do you plan on doing any sort of maintenance on the motor ? like valve cover gasket, thermostat, plugs, wires, cap/rotor, timing belt, water pump, tensioners, seals ? If so, some of the parts are available in the US, some aren't. Decide what you want to do and start sourcing parts.

Doing a rhd conversion would be a little more time consuming. A few have done it, pipes and jmeyer for example, most don't bother.
You could just cut out the firewall of the clip and your car, weld the clip fw into your car and start swapping everything over like the column, rack, all the brake lines, ect. Then doing the interior you would swap over the wiring, dash, heater core, just everything everything from the clip to your car. Swapping just the climate control without everything else is a pain, some have tried and not many have succeded.

What do you plan on for an exhaust ? what size ? where are you gonna get it or have it done ?

IMO the first thing you need is research.
The best way to do a swap is to know (or al least have a very good idea of) what you need, what you need to do, then buying the motor.

Thanks for the advice ive done my reaserch but somethings were still unclear as no one single writeup addresses everythin
As far as the exhaust goes u got a pretty sweet setup but i think ill go for a 3" setup noy sure if the ones being sold for the st205
Are actually any good, anyways the tranny is the thing i cant decide on can someone shed some light on the 3sge tranny ive heard of people doing it
Anyone know how good is it compared to the s54 will i have to get a billion parts to make it work or is it more bolt on
And the reason am interested on using the awd is because i read a writeup that made it seem possible the question would be
Which one would be more cost effective if someone can let me know id appreciate it heres the writeup





from CTech by Torn.


"Im currently converting my AWD tranny that came with the 2nd gen 3sgte I used for my swap.


Converting the AWD to a FWD tranny is not as hard people would think, and when finished, it will be exactly as an MR2 tranny, except with the shifter cables already going in the right direction. Also, with this method, your center differential won't burn since it will be completly removed.


Goodies needed :


-Alltrac tranny.

-GT4 shift cables.

-MR2 turbo differential (open, OEM Toyota VLSD, aftermarket LSD)

-MR2 differential cover.

-Speedometer drive for the differential if it does not come with the diff.

-2 axles seals (optional, but recommended and cheap).

-1 set of alltrac outer axles.

-1 set of inner MR2 axle with passenger axle carrier (get LSD inner axles if going with the OEM Toyota MR2 turbo VLSD unit).

-A puller and access to a press to replace 5th gears on transmission.

-An Alltrac crossmember with the transmission rear mount (or modify your existing one).


I'll try to do a step by step guide (I will really need to post pictures later):


1 - Remove the transfer case by unbolting it from the bellhousing case. Inside this transfer case there is the gear that drives the propeller shaft (that goes to the rear differential). Also there is the center viscous coupling unit. Remove the transfer cases (3 parts) and everything inside. You won't need these anymore.


2 - Open transmission by removing 5th gear case. Remove 5th gears. Remove bellhousing case. Remove shifting forks. Finally you can remove the center/front differential from the bellhousing.


3 - Change drive axle oil seal from the bellhousing if your tranny has high milage (cheap at dealer).


4 - Buy an MR2 differential. I suggest getting an LSD unit, since opening that tranny is a pain and getting LSD with a 3sgte is a must IMHO You either can buy an open MR2 turbo diff, a OEM toyota VLSD diff, or better yet, aftermarket torsen diff. The MR2 differential will work perfectly in the AWD tranny. The bearings will sits nice and thigh.


5 - Remove ring gear from the AWD front/center differential by removing the 16 bolts, and tapping it with a brass hammer (or place a piece of wood and hit it).


6 - Place the ring gear on the MR2 diff, place the 16 bolts.


7 - Order a speedometer drive from Toyota dealer (cost me 80$ can, but I bet you can get a better price than that). Place the speedometer drive on mr2 diff.


8 - Install diff. If your AWD tranny grinds, and you'd like to replace the synchros for not too much, now is a good time to do it.


9 - Re-assemble the tranny: Place the input/output shafts, selecting gear forks, oil cooler lines, bellhousing case, 5th gear, 5th gear cover.


10 - At this point, you'll need the differential cover from the MR2 that will bolt on where you removed the transfer case. You can get this from a toasted MR2 tranny. This cover has the passenger axle seal. Replace it also if worn or old.


11 - Get MR2 turbo inner driveshafts. You need axle with turbo and LSD if using the OEM Toyota VLSD diff. Otherwise, if using open differential or aftermarket LSD (TRD, cusco, etc) use the normal turbo axle. The normal Mr2 turbo non-LSD axle can be modified also to fit the OEM Toyota LSD diff.


12 - You need to make hybrid axles. Use the celica alltrac OUTER axles, and the INNER MR2 axles. The outer axles is those that enters the hub with bearing at the wheels. The inners enters the transmission to plug into the diff. You can separate the outers and inners axles by removing 6 8mm Allenkey bolts.


13 - Install the new alltrac/mr2 hybrid tranny. Use the celica alltrac shifting cables, use either electronic or cable driven speedo by swapping the correct one on tranny. Use 3sgte clutch/flywheel/pressure plate. Place the alltrac/mr2 hybrid axles.


14 - The rear transmission mount will be different. This also happens if you swap the MR2 transmission. You need to get an alltrac crossmember, or modify your existing one (the mount is not at the same place).


15 - Drive

As far as maintenance for the engine not sure i wanna mess with what already works :-/ lol

Any advice is apreciated guys

Ps if some one has a parts list that theyve used and doesnt mind sharing it id appreciate it