Putting Gt4 Engine Into Celica Vvti 2001 140Bhp

[Jonny0069]

Hi all I am new to this site and have a project on the go or looking to start in the next couple of weeks.

I am looking to put a celica gt4 or mr2 turbo charged engine into my celica 2001 7th gen (3sgte engine).

I have seen somewhere on the net a couple of months ago a good resource showing a list of all parts needed and priceing however I can`t find that anywhere and have been looking everywhere.

Also I would like to know people`s opinion on this I was also thinking of going the 4wd route as Fensport have done however only have a 3k to 5k budget however that`s for parts and the work can be done by myself and my mechanic so no labour costs will be needed or not much.

Also I have heard if im leaving it front wheel drive for now that a mr2 gearbox would be be better due to it being a 2wheel drive box.

Also does anyone know where to get the engine and parts at a good price. Thank you

Thank you and i apologise in advance as I am sure this will have probably been asked a million times before.

[Jonny0069]

Anyone help please as I am very exited by this project :D

[dawesy]

it can be done although the 4WD conversion would be expensive and require a lot of custom fabrication.

you could do it just as a FWD conversion and getting hold of an engine, gearbox, ecu and drive shafts would be reasonably easy.

the engine you need from a celica GT4 along with the ecu and wiring (st-205 model would be best as it will easily and reliably make 300bhp with very minimal mods) and the transmission side is MR2 turbo (some easy mods needed to the gearbox for FWD and the outer CV joints need swapping for GT4 items)

the only real headache you will have is the wiring. while its easy to get the engine running your cars stock ecu controls a lot more, like alternator, power steering, dashboard etc and as such need to stay but be fed with the right signals from the 3S-GTE ecu.

adrian at fensport may be able to help you more with the details as he has done this conversion

best place for parts is the good old internet, look for people breaking cars etc but as to see the car running before you buy.

trevor at TCB (toyota celica breakers) is another good lead.

[Jonny0069]

Thank you very much. I have someone to do most of the hard wiring work so im lucky and I am going to do it in stages to fwd to begin with then hopefully 4wd but I might be in luck as i have found a few gt4`s breaking even a whole 185gt4 to buy for 500.

I was wondering and sorry if I should make a new post am unsure is there a difference between the 4wd systems in the gt4 models as it will be easyer to get a 185 4wd system complete as the 205 versions still cost a few k.

Thank you

[Fawbs]

Not sure on the transfer box but i am pretty sure they are compatible, i know the gt4 gearbox's can be interchanged. The CS gearbox has a bigger 5th gear for higher top end speed.

Are you going to cut the mid section out of the 185 for the prop shaft channel as this is what alan did on the OC on his 4wd corolla.

Are you definitely going to make it 4wd in the end as you can get some good power out your standard engine with supercharger kits depending on which stage you go for.

[Jonny0069]

The engine in mine has blown due to the common 140bhp problem with the pistons and would cos as much to get a new engine as a gt4 engine and i know just how reliable that engine is and I want the option of being able to tune it to 300+ without haveing to spend a fortune.

But if I get it up to 4wd then ill be happy to pay to get it up to 400+ cos i know it can handle it then. I don`t want to go to 600+ figures as i need to use it daily so need to balance power and economy.

I was hopeing to get the 4wd system from a 185 if it`s as good as a 205 model and was thinking of changing the front and rear axels to get the full gt4 drivetrain but use the newer engine and gearbox.

I am going to go fwd route first but if i can get the parts before I start might work on makeing it 4wd then drop the engine in as the drivetrain will probs be cheaper than the engine. cheers

[Fawbs]

Oh yeh its just as good as far as i know.

If you go for 400 horses then you may need to put some forged pistons in the engine and maybe some forged rods as a nice buffer zone. You can get good power on standard internals but some good coolings mods would be needed and there is always the possibilities of the ringlands going so you would have to rip the block apart to change the pistons.

How heavy is the gen 7?

[Jonny0069]

Acording to everything i have seen the engine of the gt4 is about 2x heavyer than the standard engine in mine but the my car is a lot lighter than the gt4 but that`s based on it now I have no idea what weight it will be at after fitting everything might even be a bit heavyer due to haveing the 4wd system engine and also the gen 7 comes with things like airbags etc

[Fawbs]

I think all in all the gen 7 even with the 4wd system would still be slightly lighter than the 205.

I guess what i'm trying to say is if you are going for the 400bhp mark it might be worth sorting the engine first. I guess it all depends on what you will need to pay for, what you can make/fabricate yourself etc. Then stick it in the car for fwd then accumulate everything you will need to make it 4wd. Just try work out what will be the cheapest option, usually we would say just buy a gt4 but i'm liking these conversions now and if you are committed enough then i say go for it.

[Jonny0069]

Celica GT 4

Minimum Kerb Weight = 1440 kg

Length = 4470.4 mm

Width = 1727.20 mm

Celica 7th gen

Minimum Kerb Weight = 1145 kg

Length = 4350 mm

Width = 1735 mm with Mirrors

[Jonny0069]

Thank you I have found the dimensions online. I would but a gt4 but I like the idea of heveing something different and something a bit more modern. I have had mine with the full premium package so full leather etc so the idea of haveing a possible 400bhp car with full comfy leather which looks modern and a bit difference ticks all the boxes for me.

I understand what you say with the engine first and I`ll probs do that I was thinking of running it standard than updatind the engine to make it faster once I have the 4wd system in place. But it depends on which parts I get and when cos if i get a bargain on the drivetrain I could start work getting the rear axel on but id need the engine and gearbox before fitting the propshaft etc to make sure i get it to fit right.

I know it`s an ambitious project but sounds like a lot of fun to me as well so hopefully we`ll see how it goes over the next few months.

Cheers for your help

[Fawbs]

Anything is possible with an angle grinder and a welder bud. Just keep us updated and some pictures boyo

[Jonny0069]

No worries cheers