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STOP! Look here before asking a "getting started" JZ swap question.

59K views 62 replies 30 participants last post by  Funkycheeze 
#1 · (Edited)
This thread is to address the influx of "how long does it take?", "what do I need to do __ swap?", and the now infamous "how much will it cost?" threads. I feel that a Dumb Question exists, its the one that keeps getting asked and answered until we all finally lose it.

First off I would like to mention that I have a complete, running, and reliable 2jzgte/r154 swap and 99% of it was done by me in the driveway. I don't feel that my “do it yourself” approach is going to be the best for everyone, but for someone with access to a basic set of metric tools, welder, and fabrication tools its very possible for the average mechanically inclined person to do. If not a great majority of the swap can be completed at home with a portion of it outsourced to specialty shops.

This site and the people on here are a fantastic wealth of information about everything MkII and JZ swap related but lets face it, no one here is going to hold your hand and wipe your ass for you. Always SEARCH for the answer to a question you have, chances are that if you can not find the answer you didn't look well enough. Also remember that there are more Supra resources than this one that tend to have more of the JZ information than this site has, but with a fraction of the MkII support information. Overall the internet is a great source of information and can answer almost all of your questions without asking the notorious “noob” questions here. In my opinion browsing through some of the completed build threads will give you about all of the information you need to determine if a swap is in your near future or if you should rethink and go another route.

Shit happens, parts break, and things don't work out as planned so it is VERY important for anyone that is going to attempt this swap that if you a fixed project budget make sure its at least 20% more than you plan on spending on the actual swap. For an example I have about $13k into my car and never planned on spending more than $7k and that's not counting what I would have spent on labor costs or fabrication if I was not able to do it myself.

Let me give you a quick breakdown of the frequently asked questions.

  • HKS, Greddy, and Apexi don't care about us! Nothing they make for a Jza80 (etc) Supra will bolt on to our cars. We are lucky enough to have a few Vendors here that fill in some of that gap.
  • Buying a complete front clip is a good choice and will provide you with buckets of nuts and bolts as well as a 100% complete engine and harness and numerous odds and ends but will always cost more than a engine/trans with an ECU.
  • Nothing about the swap is bolt on unless you make the parts. In other words if you were to pull the 5m/w58 out and attempt to lower a complete 1/2jz with r154 into the shell nothing is going to fit.
  • The choice between 1jzgte, 2jzgte, 2jzge, 1uz, and 7m are a matter of preference and price, no one here will make the decision for you.
  • DO NOT expect to get any used engine and not replace a majority of the seals and gaskets. Most of these JDM engines have sat for a long time in a port facility and the wires, plastic, metal, and seals will need attention.
  • Your local Toyota dealer is not likely to have access to JDM 1jz or 2jz (Aristo) parts.
  • No, your stock fuel pump will not work.
  • Yes the w58 will work on a JZ, but for how long....160hp vs 280+hp you be the judge. *For this guide I will not mention the w58 again*
  • Yes, you will need special motor mounts to mount the JZ into your MkII body.
  • This swap is not cheap or easy and like a “Z J” If you have to ask, you cant afford it.
  • The best place to get a JDM engine? These places seem to come and go faster than Lindsay Lohan's jail/rehab time.
Next I would like to address the parts that will need to be made or custom fitted not including vendor offered parts (front to back).

  • Intercooler, this will need to be fit into the car, and oem components may need to be relocated or removed depending on the intercooler/tubing. I am using a 12x24x3” cooler with 2.5” tubes and chose to remove the AC condenser and components to allow it to fit properly.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/IMG_0333.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/IMG_0367.jpg
  • Intercooler tubing, this is up to you, but 2.5” fits well.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PA110616.jpg
  • AC, your call, but here's a link on how to make it work. Remember that you need the AC compressor in place for your PS pump to mount correctly, if not you need to make a bracket and use a different belt..http://www.celicasupra.com/forums/showthread.php?18169-how-do-you-make-2JZ-A-C-work-in-MA61
  • Drive belt. Stock USDM belts will work for the 2jzgte, but the 1jzgte will need a different belt.
  • Radiator, the stock 2jzgte will not fit in our cars but a clean stock MkII radiator seems to work well when combined with a USDM Jza80 Supra clutch fan, but I think that ideally you will want to upgrade your tired old radiator. In my case my car had 44k miles on it and the radiator was in great condition, that combined with the removal of the liquid to engine oil cooler, stock water cooled twin turbos, and large air cooled oil cooler helps keep my temps down.
  • Water pump. In my opinion get rid of the hydro pump that your JDM engine is likely to come with and get a USDM pump and housing, yes you need the pump AND housing.
  • Battery. You can either leave it in the stock location or remote mount it. I chose to use a smaller batter in the stock location.
  • Alternator. Depending on your swap the plug configuration will vary. But will work correctly with the stock charging components.
  • Power steering pump. You will need to make a custom high pressure line, return line, cooler, and reservoir. I used a Celica reservoir on my car.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PB010616.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/IMG_0060-1.jpg
  • Fuse box. Amazingly enough nothing needs to be done here, the new engine harness can be tied into the box from under the dash.
  • Intake. This will very depending on your application and is going to be addressed best after the the swap is completed.
  • Oil pressure sensor. It is important to note that you can use the stock sensor if you use the oil filter housing bolt from an IS300. It has a threaded hole in it that works perfectly with the stock sensor, and if you tap into the MkII body harness near the radiator support/battery the stock sensor wire can be used.
  • Engine mounts. Make them or buy some. them.http://www.celicasupra.com/forums/showthread.php?46817-wilbo666-s-xJZ-mounts-for-ma6x-drawings
  • Oil pan. You need to use a front sump pan, Aristo, GS300, Etc.
  • Starter. Should all be easy to connect to stock harness.
  • Engine. RESEAL WHATEVER YOU GET AND REPLACE THE TIMING BELT.
  • Windshield washer tank/stock coolant reservoir. 86 those things.
  • Ignitor. Plugs into JDM harness, get creative with mounting.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PA110613.jpg
  • Heater lines. The top heater hose that goes to the head will fit rite on the bottom one will need a little help with fitting and thats going to depend on your application.
  • Bellhousing. If you use a r154/w58 your going to need to use a 1jz manual bellhousing. These are available new from numerous vendors.
  • Engine Harness/Wiring. Your going to need to extend all of your wires going to the ECU if you plan to put it behind the glove box (LHD cars only). I extended it out 18”.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/DSC02569.jpg
  • ECU. You can use the Auto ECU for a manual car even if you remove the trans wires from the harness. There is no issue with this and the car does not seem to care. This is one of the most complex parts of the swap and will obviously vary from engine type and MkII year. There is a ton of information out there on ECU pinouts and MkII electrical diagrams. This guide will get you fired up on a 2jz (gte or ge). http://www.celicasupra.com/forums/showthread.php?41954-2JZ-GE-PnP-wiring-guide. Another thing that helped clean up my dash and keep me from hacking up my body harness was to use the female plugs from the OEM ECU to make a jumper harness from the new engine harness to the old body harness
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/IMG_0058.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/DSC02561.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/DSC02562.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/DSC02563.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/DSC02564.jpg
  • Tachometer. You will need a adapter to convert the signal from the new JZ engine to the old MkII tach. MSD makes an adapter that works, its #8920. Put the adapter in the engine bay, its loud.
  • Transmission. Your going to need to open up the transmission tunnel in the body if you chose to go with a r154 or if you have the cash the Getrag 6spd. This is not fun or easy, I suggest a air power cutting tool and a large hammer. Possibly bet a large friend that he cant open up the tunnel enough to make the transmission fit thus saving you some effort. This is a slow process and can only be achieved through test fitting. If your using an r154 you need to use a MkII Auto transmission mount.
  • Shifter. You can use the stock MkII w58 shifter, but your going to need to cut the floor out towards the center console to make room for the longer transmission. I also used a torch to bend mine to the correct angle.
  • Clutch. Up to your build, but your going to need a 1jz flywheel for a 2jz or 1jz and a MkIII/Ma71 Supra clutch/pressure plate. Your stock w58 slave cyl will not work, you will need to buy a new MkII/Ma71 slave cyl and either custom build a clutch line or make an adapter for the current lower half. I chose to go with one from driftmotion.
    http://store.driftmotion.com/static/i-fulllengthclutchhose.php
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/DSC01887.jpg
  • Exhaust. No matter what route you go there is really no option for a bolt on downpipe from anyone in the MkII world, but there are a few choices for “cat back” exhausts. So in other words its up to you to get your exhaust from the manifold/turbo to the cat back portion of the exhaust.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PB070609.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PB070610.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PB010619.jpg
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/PB0706102.jpg
  • Driveshaft. This is a big one in my opinion. There are a few different ways to do it, one is to use the stock shaft and weld the correct r154 yoke on it, another is to go with a larger diameter one piece shaft and correct yokes. Deciding on this took me a long time, I finally decided to go with the spicer MkIII Turbo slip yoke (common part), 3” aluminum shaft, and for the rear flange I used a OEM Toyota part #41204-35050. If you measure it out correctly and have a shop build it for you its bolt on. Or you can order one from one of the vendors here and let them sort it our for you.
    http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/IceMacchiato/Supra/IMG_0431.jpg
  • Differential. I feel the the stock MkII differential is inadequate and needs around 3:73 to be geared correctly for a JZ engine. I don't have an answer for this at this time, just don't drive the car to harshly, or that differential is going to pop like a prom night pimple.
  • Fuel Pump. Use at the very least a Walbro 255 high pressure+volume pump. Plenty of room to upgrade from there.









I think that the facts covered here should provide someone thinking about the transition from 5m to JZ with enough information to make an educated decision. Please feel free to copy any reference material that you have into this post or PM it to me and I will add it in ASAP.

Again this is a rough guide for the swap and is not intended to a step by step how to guide to the swap process. As much as I would love to be the one to provide that much information I feel that I lack the mental capacity and patience for that.




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#31 ·
I'm shopping around for intercoolers.... id measure it myself but my project is 8 hours away. your 24x12x3.... is that overall width or just core? cause Im seeing alot of universal fits that are either 31 or 27ish wide overall.... thinking they might work seeing as how your pic shows some gap on each side.

maybe?
 
#32 ·
24x12x3 is probably the core. The longer measurements are probably from endtank to endtank. My intercooler core measures 24x12x4 and the overall from endtank to endtank is 31".
 
#34 ·
I can say i got a 24x12x4 cored intercooler (~36" long with end tanks) in with no problems. well I guess it depends on what you mean by fitment issues. You'll have to lose the tow hooks and mod the latch support for any inter-cooler really.
 
#36 ·
i already removed my latch assembly entirely.... going hood pins (becauseracecar). i can live without the tow hooks, no biggy.

thanks guys!
 
#37 ·
If you're in the market for an IC, I'm selling mine and getting a thicker core. PM me if you're interested. I'll even sell you the mounts I made with it so it will bolt right up as long as you cut out a section of the tow hooks.
 
#38 ·
guys im trying to install an aftermarket electric oil pressure gauge, but the sending unit i got wont fit behind the a/c bracket (where the oem sensor is) there is any other location i can install it? thanks.
 
#42 ·
Thanx for posting this thread. ive put in about 8 hours searching these threads looking for advice on my 84 swap. i want to put a twin turbo in it. clearly, after reading your post i do not have the cash flow for it. i have all the tools in the world and a shop. not the funds right now though
 
#46 ·
why would you build a custom manifold to use a ct26 when there are SOOOOOOOOO many turbos out there that spool just as fast and make ALOT more power? look on supraforums at the dyno section. lots of turbos will do what you want, but id look at a borg warner s300 series turbo. full race has alot of the different ones on their site. hell, the gt45 ebay turbo will make the power your looking for and is ~$250 shipped. less if you find the right seller with a sale going.

http://www.full-race.com/store/turbos/
 
#47 ·
damn i jumped the gun on getting a ct26 in a trade thinking i could use it. i guess ill have one FS in the near future. thanks for pointing me in the right direction. i'm new to building turbo motors
 
#50 ·
#52 ·
#54 ·
Older thread with older tech that was good for the times. The newer 320lph in tank pumps flow 1000hp worth of fuel*
 
#56 ·
Depends on the design. The RPS style manifold design like the SPF1 likes to creep at high RPM.

Especially at higher boost.

I'm running two 44s, myself.
 
#57 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
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