5SFE to 3SGTE

[91CELICAGTS]

Hey Dr Tweak,
 
I just recently bought a 91 celica GTS with the 5sfe and 5speed manual. In a year or so, after i have put together enough money i wanna convert this FF into a AWD. basically i wanna make a GT4. i found some half cuts on ebay and other places that sell everything from engine, tranny, ecu, awd system, engine harnesses and everything else i need to make the swap. the engines are at about 50k miles so they are not too in too bad a shape.
 
i was wondering if it would be an easy swap to do what i had in mind? the only thing im thinking would cause a problem would be the fuel tank at the back. If the AWD system was put in the fuel tank would have to be either custom built to fit or have to be relocated if im not mistaken. A friend of mine who owns a GT4 said thts how u can tell between a real GT4 and a convert.
 
Ok lemme sum it up here. I wanna do the swap from a 91 celica GTS FWD to a 3sgte AWD. could you tell me what are the costs i would have to worry about (labour mainly) and also if there would be anything that i should look out for such as mechanic trying to cheat me out. i would bring the car to you but im all the way up on the west cost. i would really appreciate your help

[GrandLordKhorne]

lol....  Your going to pay threw the nose to have some one do that for you, and it's not exactly a walk in the park to do...  It would be easyer to fined a real GT4 and fix it to be honest.  But the convert has been done...
 
Try asking around on a celica forum if you want really specific ansers.

[91CELICAGTS]

yeah i figured as much... ive already set aside 5grand for it so if it goes more than that im ready to spend. and a gt4 where i am costs 11grand... i bought my gts for only 2200... canadian... so i think it will still cost less if i convert it to a GT4.. but i dunno im no expert hehe
 
and im just worried abt the labor cuz i found the engine wit all the other parts for pretty cheap from a friend... labor is my only issue right now

[GrandLordKhorne]

We have GT4's around here that just need a little TLC for about $3500....
 
Said and done, you can probibly exspect to spend closer to $7K

[91CELICAGTS]

3500??? wow thts really good... the ones over here are all properly kept so thts why they are expensive... nothing less than 8k... that is why i thought buying a gts n converting it would be cheaper... i dunno... hope things work out well. n thanx for the insight

[davagogo]

Dr. Tweak did an engine swap for my wife's celica in august. He charged $2000 labor.  The clip cost 4k (it's a beams from Japan). But that's NA with no drivetrain work. Oh, and it cost about $1200 to ship the car to Georgia & back.

[91CELICAGTS]

wow... thts an expensive clip... i got mine for 1.5k... inclusive everything... tranny ecu drivetrain n wat not... so im guessing i should expect a lil bit more labor for all the other extras... hmm thnx for the figures... i will probably drive to dr tweak... stay for a week or however long it takes... then drive back wit some good horse power... should be fun

[GrandLordKhorne]

^ lol...  It took over 6 months to put arrons 20 valve in....  I would imagine it will take at least 1 month for yours, assuming he is not that busy at the moment...

I have no intent of being mean, but your deluding your self…  You should take some series time to sit down and think about this…  I mean ****, I’m very good at this sort of thing and it took me 2 solid 24hr (that’s 48hrs none stop) days to install my 3ed gen direct swap in an MR2, + 1 week of working out kinks to get it really street able.  Also, I would get that engine checked out before trusting a 1.5K all inclusive clip…  Not to say it is bad, but a lot of the time, when there that cheap, there fishy…

You should plan on driving it down there, flying home and being without it for a while, than having to fly back to pick it up. You should also plan at least $1K in unexpected expenses over what ever your quoted (you never know when your going to get a call with a “you didn’t tell me your motor had a bad X, it will haft to be replaced” or “you forgot to get a Y, I will need one to finish this”)…  Also, consider how you plan to get your clip down there and will the boarder give you a problem with shipping it or towing it or whatever you may do.  Is your turbo good? Dose the clip have any damaged parts? There is a lot to think about.  Have you started the clip motor, if not do you know if it will spray oil or coolant at you when you do?

I’m not trying to be a party pooper, I’m just telling you that you need to relies, this is no small or simple undertaking your talking about.  It’s just like climbing a mountain, you don’t wake up one morning and say I’m going to drive to Yellowstone and clime a El-Cap than grab your climbing shoes and winter jacket and go.  You have a lot of plans, a lot of what if’s.  the more you plan, the more likely you are to succeed…

[91CELICAGTS]

yeah i realize all that. actually the reason why i was asking abt the labor cost was becuz i am currently at the planning stage. im not gonna go thru wit the transplant until next year. by next year i mean like end of 2007 ish. so i am starting to consider everything.

The clip tht i ordered comes wit a guarantee or money back. i told them that i want them to run compression tests on the engine block n i will go n check out the engine block for leaks n seals in a few weeks. if there is anything wrong wit it i will not buy it.

i realize tht there could be a lot of last minute **** ups thts why im saving up for an entire year to do this transplant. I wanna have all the bases covered n make sure tht i dont run out of money half way thru the build.

last year i helped out a friend wit an altezza. we put in a 2jzgte engine in it and all we had to do was get a custom built frnt axel and get a thinner radiotor. im not too familiar wit the 3sgte that is why im asking ppl who know it inside out for help.

i appreciate all of your responces. even tho it may seem like i dont know wat im doing but i have a lot of time to learn. im not gonna jump the gun on this project. it is my 1st performance upgradable car n i wanna make sure it will turn out perfect.