Ramzy0

Hey guys, I’ve bought a Lexus couple years back and mainly just been working on the looks, since the engine only has 100k miles on it and saving up money to make some bigger changes, I wanted help and guidance on how I can do a engine swap. Also advice on engines to swap with as well as how to make the swap so that it is California legal, I was really interested in swapping it with a 2jz gte but I read a lot on it and it seems to be almost impossible for the refs to pass it, so any advice or guidance on what engine is good and capable of passing everything? I love the car and been hoping of keeping it forever and making it my prized car, any help would be great. That’s a older photo but I’m still working on it and will be making a lot more changes towards the look so whatever you guys got to suggest on looks too feel free to give me ideas, I’ll hopefully add more photos in the future 😁, I’m in San Diego California and i don’t mind the pricing, like I said it’s my prize car so sooner or later I’ll have the money saved up

sbagdon

As a rule of thumb, to be "legal", you'd have to swap in a CA-legal engine of the same year (or newer). So if you want to legally install a swapped engine that can pass a smog check, just see what engines were sold in CA for that year or newer.

And it can be any engine... there's a GS400 out there with an LS1 engine.

TrueGS300

I don't think you can do a GTE unless it was a USA spec Supra engine, and because of the "same year or newer" rule, your 2000 wouldn't be able to. What you have to do is get an engine that wont produce any more emissions than your current one. And you must purchase and install every piece of emissions controls with that engine, including its cats. There will strict inspection of the install and the systems and their functionality. You have to call the refs, get in touch with someone with authority, present your idea, be it LS or GTE or whatever, and they either say yes or no.

TrueGS300

As far as looks..you asked so.. loose that wing . Is it so fast it needs that downforce? That's a Honda thing to do lol. Not crazy about the C6 Vette wheels (guessing thats what they are)? Nor the played out murdered out look.. Should have bought a black car if you like black so much. But if you like it it's all that counts, I do say to each their own. I feel like the GS should be clean and sleek (as a classy car). Yours is the ratty tuner car look which is just kinda out of place considering it is a huge slow car that will get spanked by most anything on the road. What sets the GS apart is the ability to pull off that baller executive look that no modded out 350z, any Honda, and no modern muscle car could ever pull off. Yours is saying, "I think I'm fast" "come and race me!" But that's just my opinion on it.

badblackgs

iTrader: (1)

I feel its pretty simple. you want twin turbo power like from a gte right?
purchase a gte block and swap it in place of the stock ge block. its been proven the ge head flows better actually and has better port spacing. so therefore youll still have all functionality of the evap systems and such. than get rid of the stock exhaust manifold and install a single turbo manifold with good single. upgrade injectors and replace the stock cats with some higher flowing metal substrate cats. done. a piggyback computer would help with adding fuel in boost and still pass cali. emissions.

TrueGS300

There is more to passing California smog than just a gas test. The stock twins would be all that would pass if a GTE swap was allowed, and the GTE twins wont fit the GE head. So you could't run a GTE engine and just put on a GE catted manifold for test time either. 2000 and newer must have readiness monitors run and the computer would only run the monitors for oem parameter emissions equipment. Tuning it out wouldn't work. There is a visual inspection as well. If the cats do not have a C.A.R.B number on them, they wont pass. So no "just throw in some high flow cats" either. Guys from out of state always have some input on this like its simple. I assure you, none of the things you mentioned are remotely legal. Did you know there people paid to go around to shops and get tests done on vehicles with none compliant parts and things unhooked, etc. and they take away tech's licenses if the vehicle passes? Its getting rarer and rarer to be able to pay for a dirty smog. Unless you know the person first hand, its not worth them loosing their livelihood. Thats to answer the next post in which someone always has the old "just pay someone to have it pass" comment. I've been modding cars in Cali for years. It's like a sport to me now to mod cars that pass legitimately. I say you just pick a car and make the best of what you've got.

badblackgs

iTrader: (1)

So, your saying that you can't install a single turbo? on the issue of carb cats, why cant you just install some usdm supra cats than slightly modified to fit. I'm a tech. myself so I have somewhat of an idea of what im talking about. most of the cali emission cars we see have an extra set of cats attached that aren't monitored by the down stream oxygen sensor. just the primary cats are monitored. but if you ran the supra downpipe than youd have carb legal exhaust.
Now, i would like to inform you that the jdm 2jz gte like i have with vvti does have a evap purge valve built in. and it does function. i have it hooked up to my stock purge line to clear fuel vapors from the tank. the problem is you obviously cant use the jdm ecu for so many reasons. how could you make this work? im really interested. what about the 2jz gte block with usdm head? would that now work because its not the same year engine setup?

Ramzy0

Again thank you guys for helping out, I’m reading up and trying to talk with a Cali ref too in order to get a better idea, a gte would be great but any engine to restore my car and also give it more power I’d be fine with, but I rather not be on the look out every time I go out for a drive so making Cali legal is my biggest and annoying difficulty

Ramzy0

Yea most of what you see now was just a cheap fix, the wing will be lost in future when the carbon fiber hood and trunk come in and the whole car will be one color as well

j3rf

Only legal way to do it would probably be a 1UZ/3UZ because it would fit the requirements of being newer engine and emissions legal. But at that point why not just go buy a GS400/430.

sbagdon

Just moved the face-palm from one side of the face to the other...

sbagdon

I'm going to start posting that we need someone to engine-swap a 2UR-GSE, from the F model variants... not because someone needs to... because they can. In some variants, almost 475hp and 400lbs torque... 5.0l, normally-aspirated, G-head(!!!), quad-cam, dual-VVTi, intake VVTiE, and 7300rpm redline.

Almost 500 normally-aspirated hp, in a 2G. Just once, someone... please...!

This is already been talked about, yet that was 10yrs ago... time to do this...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...acement-2.html

firelizard

iTrader: (1)

It would have to be a passion project for sure, because an e-rod LS motor from GM is objectively the best swap for pretty much anything that needs a V8.