2JZ swap, Is it possible or am I just dreaming? Options

[PR0PH37]

All the swap details and issues makes me wonder if I should just do a legendary 2JZ swap? You probably already know I'm ignorant to all this and I'm honestly not looking at the fastest 6 Gen but the thought came up... Especially since my boy drives an is300. So is it possible?

[richee3]

Is it possible? Yes, anything is possible with a huge sum of money. But it isn't worth it. You'd have to modify the entire engine bay because the engine simply won't fit, you'd have to cut the firewall, modify the chassis for a transmission tunnel, then the RWD conversion on top of everything else.

Taken straight from the stickies:

Non-Feasible Swaps
1. 2JZ-GTE - This is the engine that resides in the '93-'98 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo. There is absolutely no way that this engine can be swapped into a sixth generation Celica easily or cheaply or legally, plus, the 3S-GTE swap(keep reading...it's down below) is so much better. For more on this, please read Charlie's excellent post below.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Why The 2JZ-GTE Isn't Feasible</span>


At the behest of Coomer, and myself, I'm writing this sticky so hopefully people will stop asking about this swap. Please read all of this, and if it doesn't answer your questions about this issue, PM me, please don't post on the board, you'll just get flamed, most likely by me. If you read it all and still have questions, PM, don't post!

The question asked: Can I swap a 2JZ-GTE engine (from a 93-98 Supra Twin Turbo) into my 6th Generation Celica?

The answer: Yes, but that's not a good question.

The question that SHOULD be asked instead: Can I swap a 2JZ-GTE engine (from a 93-98 Supra Twin Turbo) into my 6th Generation Celica and STILL KEEP it a Celica.

The answer to this better question: No.

The first question addressed to all of you who take the "with enough money, anything is possible" stance, which is a legitimate one. Yes, you could cut through the firewall, yes you could convert the Celica to rear-wheel-drive, yes, you could do the swap. This is a valid point, but I shudder to guess at how much all this would cost.

Practically speaking, you'd have to buy a complete Twin Turbo Supra to source all the parts you might need (engine, drive-train, and suspension), and if you did that, why not just drive it? You're going to tear apart an amazing car to put the engine in your Celica? What?!!?

Ok, now to address the specifics of why you CAN'T reasonably do this swap:

1) 2JZ-GTE engines are not cheap. You think it's a lot to pay $3,000 for a 3S-GTE clip? A Supra clip will set you back anywhere from $6,000-$10,000. And that's just for the engine. You still have all of the massive custom work, and you need all of the Supra suspension and drive-train, so essentially you need the whole car. If you have 10 grand laying around to put into your Celica, call me, and I will build you the baddest one in the country. There are better ways to spend that money on a 6th Gen Celica.

2) The 2JZ-GTE is an Inline 6 Cylinder engine, mounted longitudinally. The 5S-FE and 7A-FE engines are both 4 cylinders, mounted transversely.

The best way to understand this: open your hood; see how the engine is oriented where the long sides are parallel to the bumper, essentially sideways? The Supra engine is mounted so the long sides are parallel to the fenders. Most rear-wheel-drive sports cars, like the Supra, have their engine mounted longitudinally, whereas front-wheel-drive cars, like the Celica, usually are transverse. This immediately poses the problem of mounting the engine. The Celica engine bay was not meant to ever have a longitudinally mounted engine in it.

3) The 2JZ-GTE is an Inline 6 Cylinder engine. The 7A-FE and 5S-FE are 4 cylinders.

The Supra engine is a LOT bigger that the Celica engines, it is a lot longer. Even if you could overcome the mounting issue (#2) you have the size difference. In order to fit the 2JZ in the Celica bay, you would have to do one of 2 things:

A) Extend the bumper and frame forward about a foot with custom body work, but at the same time destroying the head-on collision safeguards, and also destroying the structural integrity of the Celica frame. Did I mention that this makes the car illegal to drive on the street?
B) Cut into the firewall (the wall between you in the interior and the engine bay), to extend the engine bay to the rear, thus destroying any protection you have against a possible fire (it is called a FIREwall) and again, making the car illegal to drive on the street for a lot of reasons.

At this point I feel I should explain what I mean by "illegal" in the above situations. I'm not talking about emissions/smog, or CARB, or parts meant for "off-road use only." We all know you can get around most of that. I'm talking about "illegal" like the authorities take away the car and don't give it back. You cannot get a car with a cut firewall legally titled in ANY state, no matter who you know, the same for a car with the crash-test safeguards removed. They aren't legally considered cars at this point, just scrap.

4) If those weren't enough to deter you, you still have to convert the Celica to rear-wheel-drive. This is possible, but it will cost a lot of money, and isn't really relevant by this point. If you have come this far successfully, you've paid for at least 2 complete Supra TTs, minimum, probably closer to 3. There are other points I could go into, but by this point, if you aren't insane and Bill Gates, you're out. If not, buy me a Supra! Obviously you have more money than God.