Swapping S51 (Camry) 5th gear AND final drive into S54, + LSD Options

[slavie]

Hey y'all,

Quick intro: I've been lurking around the forum for some time, even got myself a project 3S-GTE 6gc off a member here. Big plans there (Haltech EMS, SS susp & brakes, GT4 nose, bilstein c/o), but I'm determined to first finish my project 5spd swapped Camry (Colt cams, eManage, poly susp bushings, OBX exhaust, V6 BBK, tein springs, trd rsb, TWM short shifter, ACT clutch, tranny mods) and take it to the track one last time.

So...

5th gear is definitely getting transferred to the 6gc S54 with ~105k mi on it from the S51 in my Camry (210k mi, 3rd synchro is gone, 1st gear's crusty).
Oh yea, there's also the Kaaz LSD sitting on the shelf.
This is all going into the Camry, as the 6gc already has an E153 w/ LSD.

After doing a bunch of research, I'm leaning towards swapping the Camry 3.994 final drive in lieu of the 4.176 of the S54. The gearing is already quite a bit shorter on the S54, so retaining the lower final drive will yield a smaller bump in the 1-4 gears, and will give me the best possible fuel economy in the 5th gear for the highway.

Yes, going with the higher final drive will give me better acceleration, yada yada yada, BUT, this is going into the Camry that I would ultimately like to be a little quieter on the highway and, let's face it, it's not a dedicated track car and isn't competing in LeMans.

QUESTION 1:
Does anybody have good info on swapping the smaller final drive gear? I'm not sure how much disassembly is required on the output shaft. Basically, any info/help will be appreciated here.

QUESTION 2:
Let me know if anybody has specific request on pictures and whatnot. General suggestion/discussion on the topic is welcome.

The transmission is already out of the Camry, so it's time to crack open the gearboxes!
Thanks!

[Bitter]

There's a how-to here on that exact gear swap.
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=92975

[slavie]

Well, I hit the first hurdle - the gear selector won't come apart. Also, it seems like it's screwed into the case and requires a 36mm socket - I only have up to 32mm.
Does anyone have experience removing the gear selector from S-series box?

I'm not too worried about the 5th gear - easy enough, and plenty of info out there, including the thread you pointed out.

After some more research, it is pretty clear to me that the output shaft final drive gear does NOT come off the output shaft - it is cast with it. Hence, to change it I need to completely disassemble the output shaft, as in remove all the gears off of it and put the gears back onto the "new" output shaft.

Much bigger undertaking than I was hoping, but should be doable. Found some threads for C60 box that are helpful:
http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=339055

[slavie]

Also, some more info on transmission disassembly... This one is for a C-series (7gc, mr2 spider), but the transmission is almost the same in the way it comes apart:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAmpT0ynOaA
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MUH-6V4jOg

I'm taking a video of the disassembly myself. If I have enough patience to edit it, there may be an S-series specific guide soon!

[slavie]

Alright, I figured out the shifting assembly - it is quite different from C and E series boxes. You have to remove the lock bolt (which was stuck in my case) and the outside shift arm will come out. Off comes the protective rubber boot, and you're greeted with a 36mm nut to unbolt the cap that holds the shift mechanism in place. Had to run to HF to pick up the 36mm socket...

The middle case is not off, gears exposed. All I have to do now is remove all the S51 gears, swap out the gears with the S54 ones, and press everything back together. Then swap the final drive, speed sender ring, and the bearing over to the Kaaz LSD and bolt everything back up checking the clearances. Fun.

[mgnt232]

Alright, I figured out the shifting assembly - it is quite different from C and E series boxes. You have to remove the lock bolt (which was stuck in my case) and the outside shift arm will come out. Off comes the protective rubber boot, and you're greeted with a 36mm nut to unbolt the cap that holds the shift mechanism in place. Had to run to HF to pick up the 36mm socket...

The middle case is not off, gears exposed. All I have to do now is remove all the S51 gears, swap out the gears with the S54 ones, and press everything back together. Then swap the final drive, speed sender ring, and the bearing over to the Kaaz LSD and bolt everything back up checking the clearances. Fun.

Hope you were able to take lots of pics, and videos! I don't know what im doing internally to an trans, would be nice to have pics specifically for ours.

[slavie]

Did ya'll think I was just kidding?

Output shaft of the S51 disassembled, final drive safely extracted (middle of the picture). Turns out diff bearings are damn near impossible to remove without destroying (no clearance to put in bearing separator, gear puller jaws don't fit either), so ordered new bearings from Toyota of Cool Springs, along with seals. Now just gotta start tearing into the S54 box to do the same...

[slavie]

Alright, everything is back together and the car moves. I had also replaced the steering rack bushings, CV axle carrier bearing, front control arm bushings, so putting everything back together was a pain in the arse.

I'm also installing OBX full exhaust, heat-wrapped headers, magnaflow cat. So far, only the headers are in.

Tried to take her for a spin, break in the LSD a bit. After 5 minutes, a park ranger paid me a visit and told me to get my obnoxiously loud junk out of there and into the Home Depot parking lot. Fortunately, the lady was cool and understanding to my "I have to drive in figure 8s for 30 minutes to break my LSD in" excuse. Smoke coming out from under the hood from the exhaust wrap off gassing like crazy did not help my cause.

Will continue work on putting the rest of the exhaust on tomorrow, and hopefully finish the tranny break in.
Fixing the leak in the trunk, wiring heated mirrors, and replacing my burnt out dash cam, wheel alignment and state inspection are also on the list, and it all has to happen before I'm off on a 1000 mile road trip to Canada on Friday.

Wish me luck.

[doory100]

What part of Canada?

[slavie]

Ok, so the car is put back together. And it drives.
Shifts much better with the synchros that only have 110k on them instead of twice as much.

The only concern I have is a new noise - it some kind of whoosh noise that modulates with engine RPM. Drop into neutral and the sound is gone, so it's definitely engine noise. I'm hoping it's just the OBX header noise. I mean, I like the noise - it's sort of like a whiny race car gearbox noise. I just hope it's not a "something is about to fall off" type noise.

Anyway, I'm off onto my road trip. Will get this 5SFE dynoed with the new exhaust in the next few weeks.

What part of Canada?

Grafton, ON, about 1.5 hr east of Toronto.
You need to get your swap running, too

I'm getting started with my 3SGTE celi in a month or two now that the Camry is running.