DriftChris

Hello Club members,

This is my first post so go a little easy on me LOL. Ok so this is my situation I just bought my SC with about 186K Miles on it its a AT and i'm considering doing a 2JZ-GTE USDM manual engine swap. Now the obvious question to ask would be Which is the best engine for an SC... 1JZ-GTE, 2JZ USDM or 2JZ JDM. I understand the 1JZ is very torque happy and is a lighter engine, the USDM 2JZ is apparently the best cause it has steel turbos and lots of durable internal engine parts that could help when tuning or boosting higher than stock. and the 2JZ JDM which has the ceramic turbos which I understand are faster spooling and smaller than the USDM which makes for quicker response but the durability could be a problem if I decide to tune. Which do yall pefer?

Ok my next question is out of the 3 engines I listed which would be better suited for daily driving because at this point I might do the swap and have a nice clean DD for a while and eventually just buy a supra. Im looking for reliability as far as which one requires minimal maintenence with Daily Driving and easily accessable part base.

Ok and last question is difficulty of performing the swaps... Which swap would be the most difficult to perform with a mechanic and myself. I have access to a full garage and have all the tools I need to perform the swap. Does anyone have any tips or sites or even guides I can buy that could assist with any of the swaps? Because I had a few questions regarding:

1JZ-
* General cost and availibility concerns with the parts for the engine incase I need to replace the parts.
* Should I replace the ceramic turbos or keep the stock ones.
* Could this engine pass SMOG texting equipment with minimal modification seeing as its a JDM engine?

2JZ USDM-
* Could I keep the bottom end of the Stock 2JZ-GE and just get a TT Short block and install it?
* What are my transmission options and which do you pefer... 6 Speed Getrag or 5 Speed?
* Is turboing the stock GE as reliable as everyone says it is and could it be possible to just switch and swap the TT from a GTE to a GE considering the engine is so similar.

2JZ JDM-
* Is it really worth it to perform this swap and is it difficult to do this swap considering one engine is LHD and the other is RHD?
* Could this engine pass SMOG texting equipment with minimal modification seeing as its a JDM engine?
* Is there anyway to keep this engine street legal?
* Would the ceramic TTs be a problem in a dry and hot atmosphere such as a desert?

Thank you for all of your help in advance! and I hope after all this I can be of some help also...

Blizzy

iTrader: (-1)

Welcome to the Club. I am sure you will find these forums very informative. Get to know the Search function. A number of the questions you have asked are answered in great detail within threads designated to a given topic. Neverthless, he is a basic run through.

Best engine? This depends on your goals.

The 1JZ can make 400+whp all day every day without much coersion: slap on a 61-63mm single turbo with a decent fuel system and you are there. The 2JZ obviously has the displacement advantage, so it can make more power. The other advantage to the 2JZ is the plentiful support in the aftermarket since the Supra had the same motor.

In general, if you want more than 400whp, go with the 2JZ. Otherwise, you could have had the same power for less money with the 1JZ. This excludes the case where you turbo the stock motor, which is almost always the least expensive option to make decent power.

The 1JZ is less torque happy than the 2JZ as a result of engine design. The 1JZ has less stroke than the 2JZ with the same bore. Stroke generates torque, and the 2JZ's longer stroke will make more torque. The 1JZ has a fast spooling reputation on the stock twins since they are so small that they spool very quickly.

The ceramic turbos on the JDM 2JZ are only faster spooling because they are smaller than the USDM variety. Ultimately, this difference is negligible. The steel/ceramic issue is the most notable when it comes to the turbos on the different motors. The ceramic turbos take a crap anywhere north of 14psi, whereas the steel turbos can take 18psi all day every day.

Internally, all of the JZ motor are extremely similar and very stout. Even the GE motor in your stock SC has internal components fully capable of standing up to enormous horsepower numbers in excess of 700whp: it has been done numerous times.

If you are looking for a reliable motor to swap in while you save up for a supra, just stick to the stock GE motor and don't mess with it. Don't swap a GTE motor into a car you are hoping to use in the interim while saving money. Once you swap the motor and feel the power, you will want more...especially since a few hundred dollars on a part or two can make a significant difference in the power your car will make, once swapped.

If you are going to swap a GTE motor into your SC, do it because you want your SC to be a beast. The SC is so similar to the Supra that you are silly to build up an SC to save money to buy a Supra. The SC can do everything the Supra can performance wise, but with more refinement and class.

As for which motor is more reliable, they are all freaks in this department. They are well engineered Toyota motors than can take a pounding for many tens of thousands of miles.

The easiest swap is a Soarer 1JZ into the SC because the body plugs are all identical. Next easiest would be a USDM 2JZ. The JDM 2JZ from an Aristo would be the hardest of all, but even that can be done (and has been many times).

Champion Toyota in Texas takes pride in being able to offer a number of 1JZ engine parts are reasonable prices. Although, you will always have more trouble finding your 1JZ parts than the 2JZ parts for obvious reasons.


If you are going to go through the trouble of removing your stock turbos on a 1JZ, you are best off swapping for a single turbo. The sing turbo will work more efficiently, make more power, make less heat, and be able to spin well in excess of 12-14 psi (where the stock ceramic turbos start getting into the danger zone). Performing a steel conversion on the stock 1JZ turbos would be effective, but the money is more well spent on a single turbo to amek more power more easily.

Your GE bottom end is extremely stout. DaveH has run 9s in the quarter mile on a stock GE block with over 200k miles. If you were willing to rebuild the motor, some new piston rings, bearings, and seals along with a good cleaning of the internals would give you a motor more than healthy enough to make big power for a long time.

Anyone would prefer the 6spd for its internal stability and usefulness, but cost is the primary issue here. Most people don't have the $5-8k it takes to swap one of those bad boys into the car. You will need a custom driveshaft, a 6spd rear end, and new rear axles.

The 5spd options are the stock W58 (good for ~375wtq) and the R154 (good for ~600wtq). The R154 is the best option if you want big power, but adapting a MK3 Supra R154 to the SC is difficult, and finding a Soarer R154 is nearly impossible. If you want to stay under 400whp, the W58 will do you good all day every day with a sticky clutch and no drag launching.

Both are extremely well built motors that can take a pounding. So long as you replace the head gasket on the GE motor, you will be able to boost just as safely as with a stock GTE motor. Tuning will be more touchy on a GE motor since the base map is for a normally aspired motor; but, the GE motor can do nearly everything that the GTE motor can do in terms of power holding capabilities. The GTE motor has the advantage of more aftermarket support (cam selection, manifold selection, etc).

Absolutely. Getting a GTE motor in your car is always a good thing. Once you have the car tore apart, extending a few wires is a small task on the task list.

The ceramic turbos would be bad if you wanted more than ~350hp. Above 14psi, you are playing with fire on the ceramic turbos. Swapping for USDM turbos would allow you to boost closer to 20psi safely day in and day out. Swapping for a single turbo would allow endless possibilities on power and boost levels.

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If I were you, I would decide whether you want to use the SC in the interim to save up for a Supra or not. If you only want the SC in the interim, then keep it stock and save up your money. If you want to build up the SC (smart since it does all the Supra can with less invested from the start), then consider a swap. It will be the easiest way to turn back the clock on your stock motor.

DriftChris

Amazing... Thank you so much... I have pretty much made my decision... Im going to do the 1JZ Swap and replace the turbos with the USDM TTs... I basically want to get my bang for the buck with the SC and have a clean/slick ride meanwhile having Supra power... Thank you so much and Ill be sure to search the forums throughly before my next post.... If anyone else has an opinion it would greatly be appriciated...