It's been a while. I would first like to say I hope the people at photobucket catch a venereal disease.
While driving to work about three years ago, my car started running like crap. I looked in my rear view mirror and witnessed a massive cloud of smoke coming from my car. The engine started knocking and my throat seemed to get so big I couldn't manage to swallow. I was on the highway in desperate need of a safe place to pull over. I was successful in getting the engine shutdown almost immediately then I was able to coast off the highway in only about 1/4 mile. Once I came to a stop I popped hood only to find the entire engine bay completely covered in engine oil, but there wasn't any visible sign of a leak. I figured either I completely lost all six quarts of oil in a matter of seconds, or its dependent on the engine running, so I went back and fired it up. The rod knocking was the unmistakable, I immediately knew the engine was going to be nothing more then another paper weight. To my dismay I see oil grotesquely hemorrhaging from behind the timing cover. In only a matter of about three seconds there was no less than an entire quart of oil on the ground. There was no doubt in my mind now the 7MGTE number three was toast.
If you look close you can see the huge puddle of oil in front of the car after I pushed it back to get a photo.
I called the tow truck to come get me, and my work to notify them I was not going to make it in to work that day.
After I got my car home I, went straight to work and discovered the oil pump driveshaft retainer had failed. When retainer failed the driveshaft and pulley were forced into the rear timing cover, gouging out the webbing, eliminating the oil seal, and effectively pumping motor oil straight to the ground at the flow rate of a garden hose.
I was devastated to say the least. I enjoyed the hell out of this car I took impeccable care of it, and no matter what I did it seemed to continuously let me down. I know these cars can be unreliable but the is ridiculous. I parked the car in my garage debating my next move. Was I going to part it out, LS, 1jz or 2jz swap. I had no idea what to do. Then about a year later I pulled the trigger on a new engine. I found a JZA70 1jz for a smoking deal that I couldn't pass up.
It worked out that Steven and Albert were coming through Yuma after I received my engine so they stopped by my house and took my engine back to Phoenix. At the advice of Brad TE72 here on the forums he advised me to have the engine torn down and do a complete gasket overhaul. So Steven gave it the full treatment.
Once I got my fresh engine home I began to order more parts, and do a ton of homework on how to actually get this thing to run in my car. I have never done anything of this magnitude, but with the help of the forum, it wasn't really that bad. It took me forever because I was as meticulous as possible double and triple checking every move before I executed it. The hardest part of this swap was mustering up the testicular fortitude to dive in.
Now that I have the engine in it's new home I had to get started on some light fabrication.
I had to make a downpipe
The first time I bumped the ignition the car fired up without hesitation.
https://youtu.be/WpO1KufcPa4
Next I had to get the cooling system together, the intercooler and all charge piping, and what seemed like an endless gauntlet of odds and ends which brings us to current. This is a quick walk around video I made the other day.
https://youtu.be/z5lLxSw9Vsc
All I can say is wow!!!This 1jz is bad ass. It still isn't running perfect(as you can see in the video), but man is it sweet. I now understand why people say I wish I would have done this swap sooner.