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For the clutch kit, I literally went to Rockauto, clicked Toyota > 1989 > Supra > Turbocharged > and picked some random middle-tier MPACT clutch kit. I don’t have “send it to the moon” horsepower nor do I plan on getting to that point so it works great.
For the flywheel I just searched around on eBay for a “1JZ flywheel” and got something that was about $150. I just did a quick search and there’s one for sale by eBay user “topparts8” for like $148.75.
This is a great thread as I think about my '93 SC400. I wouldn't do this on my '99 as it is my daily driver and don't want to deal with the ODBII issues.
Though you're car is an I6, what are the RPMs at - say - 80MPH? My biggest complaint with my 2000 Jetta with the 1.8L engine was that the RPMs at 80MPH were super high, which made driving on the freeway less enjoyable. That was also a five-speed. I recognize the engine was smaller, and gear ratios may be different.
This is a great thread as I think about my '93 SC400. I wouldn't do this on my '99 as it is my daily driver and don't want to deal with the ODBII issues.
Though you're car is an I6, what are the RPMs at - say - 80MPH? My biggest complaint with my 2000 Jetta with the 1.8L engine was that the RPMs at 80MPH were super high, which made driving on the freeway less enjoyable. That was also a five-speed. I recognize the engine was smaller, and gear ratios may be different.
Car is in the shop right now getting the steering rack + pinion replaced but I can get a video of my driving through all the gears and and post it here when I get it back...I promised that in a previous post but never got around to it. When I'm in 5th doing 80 my RPMs are pretty high...probably like 3500? I'm NA-T running a JDM Supra M/T ECU and I haven't bothered to do the tach fix so my tachometer doesn't work so 3500 is just my best guess.
However, as I said in the original post, if you think the RPMs are too high, put in an SC430 diff. Bolts right up, 3.266 ratio. That will dramatically improve your highway cruising RPMs. If you've followed the thread you can see that I had one but unfortunately lost it and haven't found another one at the local junkyard to replace it yet.
The R series in the toyota trucks started with the 3vz-fe v6 in the late 80's, the extra torque combined with the extra load you can carry on those vehicles was too much for the older W series boxes used on the 22R (which was the continuation of the original G series box on the 20R with upgraded bearings etc..).
The W series is considered a light duty transmission in trucks, and the R series is considered the heavy duty more or less.
That is why the 22rte came with a special R151 box instead of the usuall W55 on the 22RE setups, with the turbo toyota decided it could get the heavy duty transmission.
Most of the turbo diesels or any engine with real torque number overseas got an R series box. they have larger bearings all around and can handle towing etc..
Lots of people have made the w series boxes last up to some hp, but torque and extra weight will crunch them up in no time.
The 2jz makes its power on the upper end so a W series can last some time behind it, but if you have healthy torque numbers and it comes on quickly at all, or an lsd or oversized tires, the w series is just not really designed to last in that situation.
As the years went on both the W series and the R series got upgrades, there are too many versions honestly to briefly describe them all. Marlin crawler has a chart floating around somewhere.
So basically if toyota thought it was possible to break a W series in the vehicle with the original motor, it got an R series instead. was like that on the mk3 supra, all the mini trucks and 4runners, tacomas etc..
like the 4 cyl tacoma still used a w series up until 04 I want to say, then they started using the r155/r156 etc.. cause they used the 6 speed on the 3.5L. the funny thing about that though is the R155 is alot stronger than the 6 speed which is known to have failures.
You do have to make sure you get the early tacoma r150 though from a 96-04 V6, cause all the other years have the short input shaft and will take more work to adapt to a JZ.
You do not want to pick up a 88-95 r150 as it will be from a mini truck and have the shorter input shaft. You can make them work but isn't a straight bolt on with a 1jz bellhousing and clutch like the later r150 is.
After purchasing my SC300 back in February, I immediately began exploring viable options for a manual swap other than the standard ones (W58, R154, CD009). I knew there were other R-series Toyota transmissions, but I couldn’t seem to find any information or evidence of a successful swap. After confirming that the R150 from the 1996+ 2WD Tacoma has the same dimensions and internals as the R154, I decided to pursue this option despite the lack of documentation anywhere on the forums. Six months of research and collecting parts later, I finally got to put my plans into action: I successfully swapped out the stock A340E on my 1995 SC300 for an R150 this past weekend. By sharing the specifics of my build, I’m hoping to provide the community with an inexpensive, easy-to-find alternative to the R154. Since plenty of documentation already exists elsewhere on the forums + YouTube for a standard R154 swap, I’m not going to list out every single step in the process as most of it is the same for the R150. Instead, I will focus on the different parts required and any notable differences in the swap process. If you need help or have extra-detailed or specific questions, feel free to ask. A YouTube account by the name of 2jway recently posted a video documenting the entire R154 swap process from start to finish, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with that video if this is your first time attempting a manual swap.
R150 vs R154: What’s the difference?
As mentioned above, the R150 gearbox itself has a lot in common with the R154. The main difference is the gearing; the R150 has deeper gears as it was built to move a heavy truck. The difference is really only noticeable in the low gears—particularly first. You have to shift out of first quicker than you would with the R154. If it bothers you, this can be mitigated by swapping out your rear differential for one with a lower ratio.
Getting the right parts
Incomplete lists are extremely frustrating, especially for people who are less experienced. I’ve made a point to record the price and part number (where applicable) of every part I used in this swap, as well as where to buy them.
Before actually completing the swap, you will need to make several changes to the R150 transmission itself. First, you need to remove the stock 5VZ bellhousing (save the bolts), clutch fork, and throwout bearing assembly. Next, you will need to remove the tailshaft of the transmission so you can remove the stock shift lever and replace it with the Verossa one (part #3325222030):
Once that has been swapped out, you can reassemble the transmission and bolt the new 1JZ bellhousing to the gearbox:
While the transmission is out and is easy to work with, it is also a good idea to install the VSS adapter.
Part II - R150 Installation
The build starts to deviate when it comes to the crossmember and the hole for the shifter. In addition to expanding the existing automatic shift hole to fit the manual shifter, a small hole must be drilled so the breather valve can fit through:
The Xcessive manufacturing crossmember must also be altered in order to fit the stock R150 transmission mount. The 4 bolt holes in the center of the crossmember do not line up with the 4 bolt holes on the underside of the mount (they are a little too wide). I opted to widen the holes in the mount with a drill, then use stainless steel fender washers to ensure there was no compromise in strength:
In order to bolt the ends of the crossmember to the underside of the car, I used the 4 ⅜” pipe nipples as bushings. I made sure to include a stainless steel ⅜” washer on both sides of the crossmember. The final result was pretty clean:
*Note that Driftmotion sells a kit that does basically the same thing, but they charge $130 for hardware that can be picked up at home depot for under $15.
Part III - Reassembly
Once the holes have been cut in the center console and the transmission has been secured with the crossmember, the final steps and reassembly process essentially mirror that of the R154. It’s worth mentioning that getting the Verossa shifter to seat in the retainer housing properly can be a bit tricky, you have to come in at the correct angle. If it isn’t seating, don’t force it. Pull it out, re-adjust the nylon bushing, and try again.
Conclusion
After putting about 100 miles on the R150, I can say with confidence that this swap is absolutely worth doing. For under $2,600, start to finish, you can go from a stock automatic to a strong, smooth 5-speed manual. Nowadays it’s hard to find an R154 for under $2,600! There are hundreds if not thousands of R150s sitting around in junk yards that no one cares about because no one knows their potential. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, the tall gears of the R150 are noticeable when you’re shifting through first and second. You can always do what I did and pick up a diff from an SC400 or SC430 for like $50 if you’re unsatisfied with the gearing.
I used whatever pilot bearing came with the MK3 clutch kit I got on RockAuto. With an R150/R154, for any clutch related parts you can look at turbo MK3 stuff since those came with R154s from the factory.
For those that have completed this swap and are wondering what the measurement length is for a one piece driveshaft, here it is:
50 3/16" measured from the end out the output shaft to the differential flange without the guibo (flex disc) attached. Hope this helps someone
I have been searching for someone to write the measurement down so I can get the driveshaft built before the swap. Thank god someones finally posted it.
07-20-21, 03:50 AM
