7M4EVR;1946552 said:
if i go the turbo route, since ive never owned a turbo car or worked on one exetensivly. is there anything i need to be wise too, or know about so i dont blow it up or damage something because i was ignorant?
new motor..... what to swap in?
- Thread starter Wilcox
- Start date
if i go the turbo route, since ive never owned a turbo car or worked on one exetensivly. is there anything i need to be wise too, or know about so i dont blow it up or damage something because i was ignorant?
also i dont need this car to go a million miles an hour and beat every car on the block. i just want enough power to drift on dry pavment and be able to break traction while in a drift. my worn out 7m doesnt have the power to do that so i have to rely on momentum and go into corners way faster then i safely should. i just want enough power for a drift car, and i want something that i will get decent gas mileage in and daily drive.
Okay.
Assuming that you have an NA 7M now, your best bet is still a turbo 7M within your budget and having it stock for now.
There's only a 30HP difference between the 7M-GE and the 7M-GTE, but there's a much larger difference in torque. Since it's torque that will get what you want, that's where you'll see the difference.
So for now, assume that you keep your own transmission, driveshaft, differential, etc.
You will need
a 7M-GTE longblock. I bought one for $200 including a stock CT26, but it needed work, and it got it. I'm probably into that for $2200 or so, but I got forged pistons. $1700 isn't too far out to lunch at that point.
Intercooler setup. Stock ones go for sale all the time as people upgrade, so you shouldn't need to pay much for that to start. Maybe a hundred.
Various electronic bits. Injector resistor, igniter, AFM. Probably a couple hundred there, depending on what deals you can strike up.
Wiring harness and ECU, compatible with your vehicle year. This will take some patience, but there are people out there who have these things lying around. (I have what I believe is an '88 ECU and wiring harness in my garage that I'm probably not using. Came with my $200 motor, actually, so they CAN be had fairly cheap.
You'll need some sort of exhaust solution at this point. This will probably take more of your budget than might otherwise seem reasonable, but you should have it left, or at least enough budget to get something welded up that will work with the exhaust that you've got. (That's what I did when I swapped in the 7M-GTE, until I could get a nice system.)
Now you've got something that will have enough torque to do the job. Start saving for a clutch, because the stock 7M-GE clutch won't last too long. Maybe start saving for an R154 swap instead (Flywheel, transmission, driveshaft) if you can manage. There will still be things to upgrade, but the point is that there's a nice, well-paved upgrade path there for you to take now. Known mods for known results.
Do some reading on the turbo swap. There's TONS of information out there on it. Start looking for pieces, figure out what it'll cost you.
My initial swap cost me $1000 for a donor/parts car that someone had put sideways into a pole. I probably got $700 back in parting out the car locally. I kept the 7M-GTE, R154 transmission, electronics, front exhaust and everything that I needed for the swap. I bought a complete gasket set, ARP head studs, some tools that I didn't already have and the like to the tune of about $600. I spent $900 on machine work to the head. I SHOULD have spent another $900 on work to the block, and a couple hundred on bearings, but I didn't. Instead I spent that money on a Lexus AFM, 550cc injectors and an intercooler upgrade. I spent the summer swapping the engine into the car. Gave me no trouble for a couple of years, then because I didn't spend the money on bearings... got rod knock. But the point is that a $3k budget was enough to have a solid swap at stock power.
Assuming that you have an NA 7M now, your best bet is still a turbo 7M within your budget and having it stock for now.
There's only a 30HP difference between the 7M-GE and the 7M-GTE, but there's a much larger difference in torque. Since it's torque that will get what you want, that's where you'll see the difference.
So for now, assume that you keep your own transmission, driveshaft, differential, etc.
You will need
a 7M-GTE longblock. I bought one for $200 including a stock CT26, but it needed work, and it got it. I'm probably into that for $2200 or so, but I got forged pistons. $1700 isn't too far out to lunch at that point.
Intercooler setup. Stock ones go for sale all the time as people upgrade, so you shouldn't need to pay much for that to start. Maybe a hundred.
Various electronic bits. Injector resistor, igniter, AFM. Probably a couple hundred there, depending on what deals you can strike up.
Wiring harness and ECU, compatible with your vehicle year. This will take some patience, but there are people out there who have these things lying around. (I have what I believe is an '88 ECU and wiring harness in my garage that I'm probably not using. Came with my $200 motor, actually, so they CAN be had fairly cheap.
You'll need some sort of exhaust solution at this point. This will probably take more of your budget than might otherwise seem reasonable, but you should have it left, or at least enough budget to get something welded up that will work with the exhaust that you've got. (That's what I did when I swapped in the 7M-GTE, until I could get a nice system.)
Now you've got something that will have enough torque to do the job. Start saving for a clutch, because the stock 7M-GE clutch won't last too long. Maybe start saving for an R154 swap instead (Flywheel, transmission, driveshaft) if you can manage. There will still be things to upgrade, but the point is that there's a nice, well-paved upgrade path there for you to take now. Known mods for known results.
Do some reading on the turbo swap. There's TONS of information out there on it. Start looking for pieces, figure out what it'll cost you.
My initial swap cost me $1000 for a donor/parts car that someone had put sideways into a pole. I probably got $700 back in parting out the car locally. I kept the 7M-GTE, R154 transmission, electronics, front exhaust and everything that I needed for the swap. I bought a complete gasket set, ARP head studs, some tools that I didn't already have and the like to the tune of about $600. I spent $900 on machine work to the head. I SHOULD have spent another $900 on work to the block, and a couple hundred on bearings, but I didn't. Instead I spent that money on a Lexus AFM, 550cc injectors and an intercooler upgrade. I spent the summer swapping the engine into the car. Gave me no trouble for a couple of years, then because I didn't spend the money on bearings... got rod knock. But the point is that a $3k budget was enough to have a solid swap at stock power.
^ he's right. A mildly modded 7m should fit your budget nicely and the power that you'll get with it will be beyond the GE motor. It will worth the time and you'll crave for more power if you decided to go with the GE. Plus with a GTE you have so much more room to upgrade down the road. There's only so much you can do with a GE.
ya true you guys make great points but i dont have a whole lot of time to do this. if the parts and the oportunities present themselves yeah of course i will go 7mgte. i have about a month, and my 3k is from the equity for my loan and as of right now i dont have much income to save for future stuff. in about a years time i will hopefully have the money to do anything i want with the car, but for now i just need her running and going sideways.
A loan? And you've got no time? And you want sideways?
You've got the wrong car. You've REALLY got the wrong car. Sell the Supra for what you can get for it, go find something RWD, cheap and lightweight, and most importantly, running.
For a hard limited $3k, and no time to hunt for parts, even a GTE swap is going to be hard to swing, unless you also happen to have a fully furnished garage with all the tools that you'd ever need at your disposal. Add in no income, so no way to save for things like clutches, TIRES, or even the kind of MAINTENANCE that a Supra needs (Can't skimp on oil changes or coolant flushes) and you'll do something bad to it. Swapping in ANYTHING else for that budget, and you'd better have everything lined up, and either have all the needed parts ready, or the skills to fabricate what you need. (By the way, that -- now sold, I seem to recall -- deal with the 7M-GTE and "everything that you need" deal is probably the only way that you can do this with any kind of time crunch, and engines like that don't come around very often.)
If you're going to swap an engine in that's not a direct replacement for what's in there, you need either money or time. Period.
So... How much time can you afford the car to be off the road, in total?
How much time can you devote to working on it? I took 3 1/2 months, but that was working on it occasional evenings, and most weekends. If you have no income because you have no job, you can probably devote a lot more time to it. If you have little expendable income because you're working to keep your head above water, go back to my statement above. You've got the wrong car.
So let's start over. You'll need to fill in some missing information.
I have: A 19XX Supra, with a 7M-GE engine, {W58/R154/A340E} transmission, XXX,XXX miles, body condition is XXX% that eats head gaskets. Block and head as yet unchecked, assumed to be scrap metal.
I have a $3,000 budget, HARD LIMIT. Can't go over. This has to include all parts, tools, shipping, and payment for services in order to get this project done. (By the way, I still think that using borrowed money for this is NOT smart.)
My car can be down for XX weeks.
My mechanical skills are XXXX. You have {High/Medium/Low} confidence in being able to complete this project without professional assistance.
I have XX hours per week to devote to the project
I have {a few/some/many/most/all} of the tools required to pull a motor, rebuild a motor, and install a motor at my disposal.
I have {no/a} garage available to do the project in.
I want a car that's fun to drive, has more under the pedal than I need for commuter driving, enough to get her sideways, maybe some wheelspin off the line, and {occasional/frequent} drifting.
You've got the wrong car. You've REALLY got the wrong car. Sell the Supra for what you can get for it, go find something RWD, cheap and lightweight, and most importantly, running.
For a hard limited $3k, and no time to hunt for parts, even a GTE swap is going to be hard to swing, unless you also happen to have a fully furnished garage with all the tools that you'd ever need at your disposal. Add in no income, so no way to save for things like clutches, TIRES, or even the kind of MAINTENANCE that a Supra needs (Can't skimp on oil changes or coolant flushes) and you'll do something bad to it. Swapping in ANYTHING else for that budget, and you'd better have everything lined up, and either have all the needed parts ready, or the skills to fabricate what you need. (By the way, that -- now sold, I seem to recall -- deal with the 7M-GTE and "everything that you need" deal is probably the only way that you can do this with any kind of time crunch, and engines like that don't come around very often.)
If you're going to swap an engine in that's not a direct replacement for what's in there, you need either money or time. Period.
So... How much time can you afford the car to be off the road, in total?
How much time can you devote to working on it? I took 3 1/2 months, but that was working on it occasional evenings, and most weekends. If you have no income because you have no job, you can probably devote a lot more time to it. If you have little expendable income because you're working to keep your head above water, go back to my statement above. You've got the wrong car.
So let's start over. You'll need to fill in some missing information.
I have: A 19XX Supra, with a 7M-GE engine, {W58/R154/A340E} transmission, XXX,XXX miles, body condition is XXX% that eats head gaskets. Block and head as yet unchecked, assumed to be scrap metal.
I have a $3,000 budget, HARD LIMIT. Can't go over. This has to include all parts, tools, shipping, and payment for services in order to get this project done. (By the way, I still think that using borrowed money for this is NOT smart.)
My car can be down for XX weeks.
My mechanical skills are XXXX. You have {High/Medium/Low} confidence in being able to complete this project without professional assistance.
I have XX hours per week to devote to the project
I have {a few/some/many/most/all} of the tools required to pull a motor, rebuild a motor, and install a motor at my disposal.
I have {no/a} garage available to do the project in.
I want a car that's fun to drive, has more under the pedal than I need for commuter driving, enough to get her sideways, maybe some wheelspin off the line, and {occasional/frequent} drifting.
Just save the money, do not borrow it. You will almost definitely end up paying the loan back and have a car that's not running. Buy a little four banger and call it a day. Then save money to fix up the supra. I'm curious as to how old you are?
time and tools are not a problem. i work at an auto body shop, and have been working on cars for a very long time, ive taken multiple auto shop classes and have the ability to be ase certified. before the hg blew the second time it went plenty of sideways. i rebuilt the lsd and and KNOW HOW TO DRIVE, drifting isnt just throttle. my point being is that i love this car and i REFUSE to sell it. it is in great shape and has a full leather interrior. eventually i want a 1j or 1u so i dont want to mess with anything. im just going to throw in a NA 7m with some cams and maybe a nice exhaust. before you can competitivly drive a car that has a more powerful motor in it suspension mods need to be done. before i go 1j or 1u i want to do coilovers, sway bars, brakes, and make sure everything is nice and tight on the road. i drive the shit out of my cars and i maintenance them even better. i change my oil every 3k miles and never let anything go with out being checked. im tired of putting a bottle of mendtite in my radiator every week to get around town. if you guys are curious im 18. i really wouldnt trade this car for everything. ive driven drift built 240's and fc's i just preferr the feal of my supra
Wilcox;1947041 said:
My advise if you want the 1J or 1U save the money and just get the engine if you spend the money on another 7MGE or GTE you'll regret it down the line for not getting the engine that you wanted. If the car is rush then get a 7M if its not a rush take your time and get the engine that you really want in the long run it i'll be worth it....
ya i can just throw a 7mge with cams or so in it for now and then when i want to up grade im going to use the 7mge in a sand rail that i built in school its complete with out a motor. this way nothing that i do will be a complete wast. and that 7mge will be plenty of power for a 800lb sand rail