I'm in the middle of a very basic bhg repair and I'm about 1500 or so into it. That's not doing a bottom end rebuild or mhg. You could do it much cheaper but I'm upgrading weak points, replacing all the hoses with silicone and using OEM gaskets where aftermarket bits won't cut it. I should still be able to reliably make 350hp when done. If you're after more than that than add another couple grand on at least to build the bottom end. Keep in mind that's just engine, not any necessary bolt ons, ems, etc. 2J you can take that and add the price of the motor and necessary hardware to make it work. 1J isn't really a viable option imo because of the lack of parts availability.
7MGTE headgasket blew...what should i do next?
- Thread starter i hate my honda
- Start date
I replaced my head gasket without machining the head or anything, which I know was risky but I used a metal ruler and feeler gauge to get an idea of how warped the head was and it was within spec using that. I used ARP head studs torqued to 90ft lbs as instructions said and after I was done I flushed the motor out with oil twice just to be on the safe side with coolant and such and have not had any issues with my 7M since. The only problems I have now are due to me, thermostat housing has a broken bolt in it so I need a new one since I can't get it out. Other than that my 7M runs smoothly and strongly and my turbo still spools quickly but my 7M was well taken care of, regularly maintained and when it started to overheat on me because of the BHG I never let it get near H.
7Ms from what I have heard and read are good reliable motors stock you only need to be anal with it when you increase the HP it seems. I plan on keeping my 7M stock until I do a JZ swap to reach my goal of 500HP but internals capable of handling 700+HP that way I know no matter how hard I beat on it at the track it will laugh at me lol. As mentioned before 1JZs are a little more difficult to come by with parts, so I may go 2jz for easier access to parts. I think a JZ motor in an MK3 is a beautiful marriage.
7Ms from what I have heard and read are good reliable motors stock you only need to be anal with it when you increase the HP it seems. I plan on keeping my 7M stock until I do a JZ swap to reach my goal of 500HP but internals capable of handling 700+HP that way I know no matter how hard I beat on it at the track it will laugh at me lol. As mentioned before 1JZs are a little more difficult to come by with parts, so I may go 2jz for easier access to parts. I think a JZ motor in an MK3 is a beautiful marriage.
In a nutshell, any performance engines longevity and performance is directly linked to how much time and money you're willing to spend on it. Everything from planning your build properly to sourcing quality parts to the build itself. The 7M is just as reliable as the 2J with proper planning, execution and care of your build.
radiod;1879531 said:
You know, maybe I just got lucky? I bought my motor in February 2009, it was running in October 2009. Total spent on getting it running and driving? About $4000. $2200 for the motor/trans shipped to the shop, $800 for porting/polishing, $600 for cams, and about $400-500 for the full gasket kit, spark plugs, etc. Realistically, I could have had mine running and driving for less than 3k, but I knew what I wanted right from the get go, and THAT... is key.Another MkIII;1879853 said:
Three years later, the car still runs great, and the only problems I've had have been extremely minor ones that I fixed on my breaks at work. Again, I must have been lucky.
This sums it up nicely.IanC;1880000 said:
te72;1880099 said:You know, maybe I just got lucky? I bought my motor in February 2009, it was running in October 2009. Total spent on getting it running and driving? About $4000. $2200 for the motor/trans shipped to the shop, $800 for porting/polishing, $600 for cams, and about $400-500 for the full gasket kit, spark plugs, etc. Realistically, I could have had mine running and driving for less than 3k, but I knew what I wanted right from the get go, and THAT... is key.
Three years later, the car still runs great, and the only problems I've had have been extremely minor ones that I fixed on my breaks at work. Again, I must have been lucky.
This sums it up nicely.
I dont see any other costs including wiring, mounting, conversion costs (pan, etc)
You cant say that it would have only cost 3k or 4k to do it if you dont add ALL the costs in the swap. If you made everything then what was the cost of the shop time, fuel, metal and how long did it take you to do it and why didn't you post the build.
There are always hidden costs on doing a motor swap and the only one that is really basic and cheap to do is really a 1uz-fe swap and you just buy a lexus 400 series car and start moving stuff over. You still have to spend money on exhaust and intake mods even when you have it ALL.
When the engine comes from a 92 Supra, and it was going into the 89 I have... merely needed to wire it into the body harness. If you know what you're doing, and happen to have stuff laying around the shop that you can make work, then it really isn't as hard or expensive as you make it seem.ttsupra2503;1881098 said:
Shop time - Friend who likes doing interesting things and happens to be very good at what he does: $Free-fitty.
Fuel - Err... huh?
Metal - Err... huh, again? What metal do you need in the swap?
Time taken - Approximately 3 days once we really got cracking on it.
Build thread - Didn't do one on here (there might be one on azsupracentral.com, same user name, if you're interested)
Cost and creativity are closely linked friend.
You can replace skill with $. The less skill you have, the more $$ you need. Trust me.. in regards to the 7M.. I dont have enough skill to trust myself.. lol. Always high $$ for me.
For me.. proper full rebuild of a 7M (bottom and top) would cost about 10,000.00
A swap to a 2J (with a single turbo) vvti would cost me anywhere from 8000.00 - 14,000.00 (I have priced this out) depending on what route I take.
I am skilled at other things so I make decent $. The only thing I touch on my car is interior (which I am a trained upholsterer... even got the sewing machine) and brakes. Everything else I leave for my trusted shop guys. They only charge 120.00 per hour...
My car is a money pit... I hear about these low cost engine rebuilds/head gasket repairs everything I go to buy a Supra MK3 for under 2000.00. Dont know why that is... : P
For me.. proper full rebuild of a 7M (bottom and top) would cost about 10,000.00
A swap to a 2J (with a single turbo) vvti would cost me anywhere from 8000.00 - 14,000.00 (I have priced this out) depending on what route I take.
I am skilled at other things so I make decent $. The only thing I touch on my car is interior (which I am a trained upholsterer... even got the sewing machine) and brakes. Everything else I leave for my trusted shop guys. They only charge 120.00 per hour...
My car is a money pit... I hear about these low cost engine rebuilds/head gasket repairs everything I go to buy a Supra MK3 for under 2000.00. Dont know why that is... : P
I agree with the thought that skill replaces money. But most people dont count the cost of using equipment like acetylene cutter/torches, mig/tig welders or even the metal they needed to fab up mounts or air boxes. These things add up and that is why a lot of shops charge over 100 bucks an hour now.
If you have this stuff laying around the shop. It still cost you money at one time.
If you have this stuff laying around the shop. It still cost you money at one time.
On the one hand, I can see your point. On the other, at least with my situation, sometimes you are just fortunate. Like I said, my motor came ready (exception being wiring to the body harness) to drop right in the car, for $2222 plus the cost of a broken TPS ($80), it was good to go.ttsupra2503;1883176 said:
I'm leaning toward being lucky, a lot of this stuff lying around the shop came from other customers. Sometimes things don't work out or aren't needed anymore on other cars, and can be made to work in other applications. Ask some of the people over in Europe, you learn to get creative in a hurry when things are expensive as they are.
Plus, I think the biggest thing, between myself and a handful of other friends, it's a give and take thing. If something isn't going to work for your car, put it up for use by someone else. My brother is fixing the body on my old Chevy just because he likes doing bodywork, and it is free practice for him. All I gotta pay him for is the materials used.