Stay 7M or go 1jz or 2jz?

[YoungGunSupra]

Yes i know there have been a million and one of these kinds of threads but i was just looking for opinions

Heres some background on what i have and what im looking for

(I have been and will be doing all work with driftmotion)
I have an 1987 7mGTE 5 speed. has about 200k on chassis and another 7mgte was swapped in from japan so it has aprox 70-80k miles on it (have had it in my family for about 10 years now) when i first got it i took it to aaron and did all maintenance aka all hoses valve cover job, spark plugs, wires, breakes, upgrade to 57 trim ct26, K&N FIPK. nothing big just little things. Next plan of action is possibly exhaust. but before i go any further i was thinking about either rebuilding the 7MGTE or swapping to a 1jz.2jz

first off my power goal is probably around 350. i dont want to go into 400 or 500 and start having to mess with boost and what not. i want to keep it as a daily driver car with moderately stock boost, dotn want to have to deal with cops or smog laws. so i want it to be smog legal as well

Now ive already put in about 2grand in just maintenance. DM said my supra runs very well..so it aint really broke so i kinda wanna just to rebuild the internals with all stock parts nothing like forged pistons and what not.

SO:

Option 1: stay 7MGTE and just rebuild everything machine head put in MHG

option 2: 1JZ or 1.5JZ whats the diff?

option 3: 2jz

i dont want to piss anyone off thinking this is just another 7m 1jz 2jz thread. ive already searched the forums i just want to hear opinions and advice for my situation and power goals. i have the money to do any of the options. also any estimation on how much the actual engine cost and labor cost you guys think it would cost either in personal experience or whatever you know. all is appreciated. THANKS

John

 

[roundfinger]

IF that is all your power you want then just stay with the 7mgte, upgrade your fuel supply, do a full 3" exhaust, up the boost a tad, tune it and youll have 350 at the wheels all day long.

Id say at the least do a good headgasket torqued to the right specs, but i dont see the point to doing a rebuild with stock parts. If you're going to pay someone or take the time to yank it all apart i think its wise to throw in better parts for when 350 isnt enough for you.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

True. well what i meant with stock parts was like with the pistons you can either go forged or the NPR which is what DM calls stock quality. what i was told that yes forged can handle more power but in terms of life its not going to last as long as the NPR pistons and the forged pistons tend to make more noise blah blah blah. i dont plan on skimping out on any of the rebuild i want to get the best of whatever i can get as long as it gets me the most reliability and life out of my motor no matter what cost. And yes im hoping that when i do the full 3 inch exhaust it transforms the power...right now i feel like it is so sluggish in the first two gears that a civic could burn me...i dunno if its just that my exhaust is super clogged or what..i mean its the stock one from 87...but yea i want to take the head out..machine it...get a MHG.. and when you say upgrade fuel supply whatcha mean? like fuel injectors and fuel pump? lexus afm? and just tune it like tune the stock ECU? i mean all these questions ill ask aaron and i 100% trust him because he knows what kinda route i wanna go...now from what i heard pretty much a full rebuild on the 7m ranges between 3500 - 4500 bucks...(including labor) and a 1jz swap would be a little bit moe than that and the 2jz swap a little more than the actual 1jz. is that correct? (Approximation)

 

[EdT.Mk3]

Stick with the 7m and you'll be fine. Aaron's got the stuff you'll need for the fuel, ie. pump/FPR/550s/lex afm.

 

[Moy]

7M can easily attain your power goals for one, and for two, it is also more cost effective to stay with the 7M

 

[Keros]

350? That's it? And you're debating dropping the 7M?

Heck, for 350rwhp, if the engine runs good and there's no sign of BHG, I wouldn't even bother rebuilding it. Just get a hella nice tune on a lexAFM/550's with an appropriate fuel system and fly at it. If it happens to blow up, THEN rebuild for a MHG. An original motor in good condition will take that much power or more... the reason original engines blow up north of 400hp is the tune... the stock hg is completely intolerant of detonation and is the weakest link.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[GrimJack]

I think you aren't comparing similar paths, to be honest.

A rebuilt 7M is a better option than an unknown quality JZ series engine. If you want to go to the JZ route, factor in the cost of getting it rebuilt as well. Among other things, it's going to cost you a LOT less to open up the engine and rebuild it before it's in the car.

As for your car feeling sluggish... replace the exhaust from the downpipe back, turn up the boost a couple notches, and then get back to us.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

haha yes this was the answer i was hoping to get. yea im gonna buy myself the tanabe touring medallion and aaron said he would set it up for me. hopefull that opens her up. ill ask him about the fuel pump and what not..like i said i dont want BIG number..im only 19 just using it to drive around..just wanna smoke the occasional STI or evo on the street

 

[GrimJack]

Make sure you get the entire exhaust... just the catback isn't going to have much effect. Pair that up with a BIC DDP, and now you're talking. Add in $20 worth of manual boost controller and some time getting it just under fuel cut... perfect.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

ha yes thats what i was gonna do. i was thinking about that 200 dollar 3 in downpipe + 2 inch turbo elbow full stainless steel for like 199 with aaron. as opposed to the bid DPP thats like...469 or something...is there a big difference between using the BIC DDP and aarons full 3 inch elbow + DP?? i mean its more than twice as expensive..whats the difference?

 

[empera]

better yet....Money...do you have it? heh

a built 7m will give u enuff but a 2jz or 1.5 will give u more.

 

[csnow]

If you want to go to the JZ route, factor in the cost of getting it rebuilt as well

Why? Very few 1J and 2J junkyard imports have problems. New gaskets...sure, but a rebuild is overkill. You could still see the cross-hatch on my cylinder walls when I pulled it apart to replace all the gaskets. Not saying a rebuild is not better, but if one is staying under 600hp on a JZ motor, I wouldnt consider it unless there was a known problem.

To the OP, if there is nothing wrong with your engine, why rebuild it?

 

[GrimJack]

Why? Very few 1J and 2J junkyard imports have problems. New gaskets...sure, but a rebuild is overkill. You could still see the cross-hatch on my cylinder walls when I pulled it apart to replace all the gaskets. Not saying a rebuild is not better, but if one is staying under 600hp on a JZ motor, I wouldnt consider it unless there was a known problem.

To the OP, if there is nothing wrong with your engine, why rebuild it?

IMO, if you already have it out of the car, AND you are already pulling it open to replace gaskets, AND you don't know what the condition is, AND you have the budget to put in a 2J, why would you NOT do a rebuild? The cost is minimal, it's far more convenient than after you've dropped it into the car, and you can nip any possible problems in the bud. That would be like ordering a cheeseburger without bacon.

 

[IBoughtASupra]

I agree with Grim. JZ does not mean it is immortal. You should atleast throw a set of bearings, rings, head and bottom end ARP studs,a metal headgasket, oil pump, and waterpump. Allt hose things just make sense because what is the use in getting a 2JZ, throwing a T66 on their and then your oil pump would go? Do that on a 7M and everyone blames the engine.

The Weakest Point In Every Engine Is Its Owner....

 

[YoungGunSupra]

to the above couple posters. i talked to aaron..he said most of the labor comes from pulling the engine...so if im pulling it and having it machined and putting on a MHG...might as well just do everything else while we have it out...im not RICH..im 19 but i do have enough money working part time for 4 years to do a full quality 2jz swap with DM but i dont wanna blow the piggy bank on that..so im willing to put in a good 4grand or 5..if thats how much its gonna cost to do a full rebuild just for peace of mind...plus getting it all done at Driftmotion can give me some solid return money in case i plan on selling the car later so the buyer can know it was all done by one of the most reputable supra shops in SOCAL. i just want it built to a good 350 HP MAYBE 400....but i dont want to go into any kind of piggy back or standalone computer systems...just basic fuel pump tuning lexus afk and full exhaust kinda upgrades. btw can our stock ECU can be tuned when i get the new fuel pump injectors and lexus afm? or do i need to buy something for that/ Thanks

 

[YoungGunSupra]

Bump

 

[hvyman]

so you have 4 or 5k.. best option would be to rebuild a 7m 1j or 2j is easily going to cost you 4-7k+ depending on what you do. you can do a complete quality rebuild on a 7m for under 3k + more.

 

[mecevans]

Any leaks or consumption? previous history of BHG? you have a 57 trim, turn up the boost + 3in all the way back then go from there. i have the same DP i will be testing it out in a couple of weeks. quality is great.

BTW 1jz, DP,FPR, and exhaust are illegal in CA. the more flashy and loud you make the car higher the risk for tickets or worse, the ref. i keep mine on saws and crappy paint lol.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

haha..^ what kind of DP? the driftmotion one or the BIC DDP? but nah we swapped a 7mgte like 9 years ago...has about 70k miles on it...i never abuse the car or run it past 3500 RPM so nah its never had a head gasket...overheated this weekend but aaron thinks its a hose back near the egr valve thats notorious for blowing..cuz i saw coolant drippin down...but yea other than that nah..so i guess ill just rebuild the 7m if i ever get a BHG...as for now ill go the route of just upgrading my exhaust

 

[mecevans]

get ARP's or re-torque the stock bolts. no oil or coolant consumption?

i have the DM DP. Get a quiet exhaust and keep the cats.