Lern me great MR2 swaps, and help me find a donor

I was thinking something crazy for an AW11, like a 3800 SC, or a V8. Then  I realized there seem to be a ton of perfectly viable Toyota V6’s, which should be an easy ticket.

The problem is I don’t speak Toyota, and the donor cars seem to be hard to come by. So, help me out...

I’m looking for around 300 hp, and would like to maintain brand loyalty (Toyota or Lexus). I want to buy a complete running donor car- under $1500. V6 or V8. Simple is huge. The closer I can get to a bolt-in, the happier I will be.  Non turbo, but a supercharger might be fun. I prefer a manual trans, but I realize almost all of the Lexus engines will be mated to an auto, so I am willing to compromise this. I’ll just add paddle shifters. 

Some creative sawzall work is acceptable, but simple is really important for this build.

Which engines top the list?  What cars can they be found in?  Which swaps make the job the simplest?  Extra points for links to cars for sale, or if you’ve got one you’d like to let go. 

All input welcome!

This one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_GR_engine

Has been swapped into all three generations of mr2, about 300hp, came in many different cars.

After completing the 1 mz swap on a gen 2, that is the easy button, but it won't make your hp requirement.

The better setup is the Toyota 2gr, 

This lists where they can be found. Not sure how plug in play they are in aw11 but there are enough out there to follow. Donor car is best way to go as they are dbw so you need gas pedal and electronics

Can't wait to see a build thread on this one.

Fladiver64 said:

Can't wait to see a build thread on this one.

It will be better than you realize. 

What about a 99 Camry with the V6 and manual transmission for $1150?

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1999-toyota-camry/7009544579.html

In reply to RossD :

Nice, but that falls very short of my power goals. 

"What do ya want fer nuthin? Rubber biscuit?"

Find a turbo! 

RossD said:

What about a 99 Camry with the V6 and manual transmission for $1150?

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1999-toyota-camry/7009544579.html

I know a guy that has one of those with the TRD supercharger on it. I think it's a really neat DD. Turns out toyota reliability goes out the window when you add boost and 20 years to the mix, though. 

In reply to SVreX :

I sold my '88 MR2 SC back in 2004 so it's been a long time for me but in those day www.mr2oc.com (MR2 Owners Club) was the be-all place for anything MR2 including swaps.  The founder of the site/forum used to come around here to GRM often too. 

And before there was mr2oc, there was the mailing list.  I wuz there.

My step son is kinda interested in selling his MK2.  92, I think, NA, T tops, 5SFE "rebuilt" or replaced with a "rebuilt" by some previous owner, trashed interior.  But... slotted cross drilled brakes, some high performance pad, Tokiko struts/coilovers, lowered, big wheels and tires, new alternator, timing belt and right CV rebuild (that right axle shaft is borderline unobtainium.)  It does corner very well.  It's been sitting since he bought a V8 audi.  Needs a cleaning and charge the battery up.  I think he'd sell it for two large.

For potential donors I would think the following parameters on Copart should get you a good list:

Featured: Run and Drive

Make: Toyota, Lexus

Year: 2006-current

Drivetrain: Front wheel drive

Cylinders: 6

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Never done Copart. Maybe it’s time to try...

You're not going to hit your power goals (using a Toyota drivetrain) without going with a GR V6.  There is no shared architecture to put it into an AW11 chassis.  Approach putting one into an AW11 the same way you would if you were putting a 3SGTE into an AW11.

Shopping list:

Look for an MR2 Turbo transmission donor first, you'll want the E153, front and rear transmission mounts, and axles.  This transmission will bolt up to the 2GR.  You'll need a MT flywheel, clutch kit, and ARP hardware to mount the flywheel to the crank.   You may need the shift cables from the Turbo donor -- I think I still had to cut/weld/splice to get them perfect.

GR swap donor car, or at least get the engine, gas pedal, engine harness, ECU, key/ transponder.  (I think there are also companies that can flash the ECU to be more swap-friendly these days.)

AW11 SC axles -- will bolt to E153 MR2 Turbo inner axle stubs.  

AW11 SC hubs -- alternatively you can build a hybrid with the outer CVs from a 1990 Camry V6 with a manual transmission that have the same spline pattern as the AW11 NA.

Headers, custom y-pipe -- lots of off-the-shelf swap headers for 2GRs out there.  Stock Y-pipe from the 2GR donor can be hacked up, or go full-fabrication. 

Fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator.  (You'll probably need to convert to returnless.)

Templates are out there for making the passenger and driver mounts to put a 3S into the AW11 -- 3 of 4 mounts are attached to the transmission, so that only leaves the driver side engine mount to figure out.  

Edit:

And as much as I loved the several AW11s I had, I would strongly recommend starting with a MR2 Turbo chassis.  The transmissions are damn near bulletproof and you need one anyway.  Much more solid platform, much less rust.   Nearly every MR2 Turbo out there has something wrong with the engine by now, so you should be able to find one in 'please get it out of my yard' condition.

Aren't the AW11 SC axles getting hard/impossible to find (at least new)?  As much as I love my AW11, might be another reason to start with the SW20 chassis.

If this is a challenge build, an auto trans might not be a bad thing.  I'm not sure the swap has been done while retaining the donor trans, but that might be another route to consider.

A friend of my sisters husband has a 2nd gen MR2 with a Prius swap.  Seems like it was a lot of electronical work.  Not 300hp, but it should have some good torque.

Matt B said:

Aren't the AW11 SC axles getting hard/impossible to find (at least new)?  As much as I love my AW11, might be another reason to start with the SW20 chassis.

I sold my SC in 2004 and axles were hard to find then. Everyone who ever turbo charged a MR2 wanted the stronger axles. But, they only made 1,000 SCs per year for 2 years.  That's it.  I suspect supply has not improved. Certainly, not cheap option versions like finding a good set off a jy SC. 

If you want to remain AW11 period correct then Google up HKS Twin Charger which was both turbo ans SCed.

John Welsh said:

Matt B said:

Aren't the AW11 SC axles getting hard/impossible to find (at least new)?  As much as I love my AW11, might be another reason to start with the SW20 chassis.

I sold my SC in 2004 and axles were hard to find then. Everyone who ever turbo charged a MR2 wanted the stronger axles. But, they only made 1,000 SCs per year for 2 years.  That's it.  I suspect supply has not improved. Certainly, not cheap option versions like finding a good set off a jy SC. 

 

If you want to remain AW11 period correct then Google up HKS Twin Charger which was both turbo ans SCed.

 

Yeah -- I paid $200 for used axles, 10 years ago.

Matt B said:

Aren't the AW11 SC axles getting hard/impossible to find (at least new)?  As much as I love my AW11, might be another reason to start with the SW20 chassis.

They are now being custom built, either by Prime Performance or RAT52. They're still expensive tho.

SVreX said:

I was thinking something crazy for an AW11, like a 3800 SC, or a V8. Then  I realized there seem to be a ton of perfectly viable Toyota V6’s, which should be an easy ticket.

The problem is I don’t speak Toyota, and the donor cars seem to be hard to come by. So, help me out...

I’m looking for around 300 hp, and would like to maintain brand loyalty (Toyota or Lexus). I want to buy a complete running donor car- under $1500. V6 or V8. Simple is huge. The closer I can get to a bolt-in, the happier I will be.  Non turbo, but a supercharger might be fun. I prefer a manual trans, but I realize almost all of the Lexus engines will be mated to an auto, so I am willing to compromise this. I’ll just add paddle shifters. 

Some creative sawzall work is acceptable, but simple is really important for this build.

Which engines top the list?  What cars can they be found in?  Which swaps make the job the simplest?  Extra points for links to cars for sale, or if you’ve got one you’d like to let go. 

All input welcome!

First off, this was already posted by RossD. Stop what you're doing and buy it now.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1999-toyota-camry/7009544579.html

The reason? That car has the turbo MR2 SW20 transmission, the E153. It's a bulletproof box that are hoarded by Toyota fans, and for good reason- it can and WILL withstand up to ~700wHP. Last I heard, Toyota fans don't really *know* how muc hthey can take. You need the trans, the CVs, the hubs and the brakes. They can essentially be bolted into the AW11 completely though the brakes will be off without messing with the brake valve.

You've really only got two choices here- either botch together a 3S-GTE using the existing wiring harness, or 2GR-FE which will require a massive amount of custom work. The latter you might find a wrecked car off Craiglist for $1500 to give you the ECU, engine, accelerator pedal, gauges and other ancillaries- but you will need to hammer the firewall and do some custom drilling and tapping to the block. Not too bad, but the AW11's engine bay is tiny compared to the mighty 2GR. From there, you'll need to contact Frankenstein motor sports to get your ECU cracked and the immobilizer removed- this will also raise your redline and boost horsepower slightly. You can also find and contact Paul Woodsport in the UK- he's done 2 so far and he's active in the scene.

The other option is to try and build up a 3S-GTE to around ~300 HP which you might be able to do with a 5S block, 3S head, CT20 turbo from a supra and the stock ECU- but 1) That's not what you want and 2) 3S-GTEs get expensive fast for small gains, and even gen1/gen2 junkyard motors are drying up.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

If this is a challenge build, an auto trans might not be a bad thing.  I'm not sure the swap has been done while retaining the donor trans, but that might be another route to consider.

It’s a Challenge build. That’s why I’m willing to use an auto. 

John Welsh said:

Matt B said:

Aren't the AW11 SC axles getting hard/impossible to find (at least new)?  As much as I love my AW11, might be another reason to start with the SW20 chassis.

I sold my SC in 2004 and axles were hard to find then. Everyone who ever turbo charged a MR2 wanted the stronger axles. But, they only made 1,000 SCs per year for 2 years.  That's it.  I suspect supply has not improved. Certainly, not cheap option versions like finding a good set off a jy SC. 

 

If you want to remain AW11 period correct then Google up HKS Twin Charger which was both turbo ans SCed.

 

There is definitely absolutely nothing about this build that will remain AW11 period correct. 

In reply to SVreX :

I would probably try and use as much of the donor as possible then- the common MR2 knowledge all revolves around using an E153, keeping things stock looking, and not cutting the car up, all of which are things I'm pretty sure you give no berkeleys about.  

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Exactly. 

Exactly zero berkeleys. 

GIRTHQUAKE said:

SVreX said:

I was thinking something crazy for an AW11, like a 3800 SC, or a V8. Then  I realized there seem to be a ton of perfectly viable Toyota V6’s, which should be an easy ticket.

The problem is I don’t speak Toyota, and the donor cars seem to be hard to come by. So, help me out...

I’m looking for around 300 hp, and would like to maintain brand loyalty (Toyota or Lexus). I want to buy a complete running donor car- under $1500. V6 or V8. Simple is huge. The closer I can get to a bolt-in, the happier I will be.  Non turbo, but a supercharger might be fun. I prefer a manual trans, but I realize almost all of the Lexus engines will be mated to an auto, so I am willing to compromise this. I’ll just add paddle shifters. 

Some creative sawzall work is acceptable, but simple is really important for this build.

Which engines top the list?  What cars can they be found in?  Which swaps make the job the simplest?  Extra points for links to cars for sale, or if you’ve got one you’d like to let go. 

All input welcome!

First off, this was already posted by RossD. Stop what you're doing and buy it now.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1999-toyota-camry/7009544579.html

The reason? That car has the turbo MR2 SW20 transmission, the E153. It's a bulletproof box that are hoarded by Toyota fans, and for good reason- it can and WILL withstand up to ~700wHP. Last I heard, Toyota fans don't really *know* how muc hthey can take. You need the trans, the CVs, the hubs and the brakes. They can essentially be bolted into the AW11 completely though the brakes will be off without messing with the brake valve.

You've really only got two choices here- either botch together a 3S-GTE using the existing wiring harness, or 2GR-FE which will require a massive amount of custom work. The latter you might find a wrecked car off Craiglist for $1500 to give you the ECU, engine, accelerator pedal, gauges and other ancillaries- but you will need to hammer the firewall and do some custom drilling and tapping to the block. Not too bad, but the AW11's engine bay is tiny compared to the mighty 2GR. From there, you'll need to contact Frankenstein motor sports to get your ECU cracked and the immobilizer removed- this will also raise your redline and boost horsepower slightly. You can also find and contact Paul Woodsport in the UK- he's done 2 so far and he's active in the scene.

The other option is to try and build up a 3S-GTE to around ~300 HP which you might be able to do with a 5S block, 3S head, CT20 turbo from a supra and the stock ECU- but 1) That's not what you want and 2) 3S-GTEs get expensive fast for small gains, and even gen1/gen2 junkyard motors are drying up.

Ok, you’ve got my attention. I’m listening. 

I appreciate your knowledge and input. As I previously noted, I am a Toyota virgin. 

Help me understand. It sounds like you are saying the transmission alone is so integral to this project that I should buy that car just for that.  That’s possible.

But at a glance, all I’m seeing is a car with way less than half my power goals, 1000 miles from where I live, with no indication of a turbo, etc  I’m not doubting you at all, I’d just like a little education  

Thanks!