[johnb7]

Hey guys, Its been a while. I have been doing plenty of work on MK2 supra as always, but not much on my own car as of late. I sold my 1UZ-FE auto swap, and my 7MGTE swap needs some work to get back on the road. Instead of fixing it up, I'm going to put all the knowledge I have gained from doing 2JZ swaps for others into updating my own supra. A lot of thought and research has gone into this. I also acquired a couple 2JZ engines back when they were still affordable. A quick overview so we know what is being updated:

2JZGE vvti block and head with 2JZGTE pistons and rods
Stock GE head gasket
Full ECUmaster Black standalone setup
Feramic full face clutch
Split cast turbo manifold
Borg Warner EFR 7163 T4 twin scroll w/ internal wastegate

The power goal is the same as the current 400HP 7MGTE setup, but with a street inspired torque curve. Small frame twin scroll T4 turbo with VVTi and hopefully around 9:1 compression should be fun on the street. I doubt I will need much more than 12 PSI to get there.

Currently, my own car is not in my garage because I am working on some other supras, so we are starting with the engine.

After tearing down all my 2JZ engines, the best one was from a nicely maintained and never opened Lexus.

Torn down for machine shop. Bores have great cross hatch, bearings all still had almost all the coating intact. All I am going to have done is clean, deck, and some mild honing.

I got lucky and all the rod sizes where perfectly matched to the used turbo rods I purchased. I am going to reuse the bearings that are in the engine since they were nearly perfect.

Cleaned up the turbo pistons and removed rings to prepare for reassembly.

While the block is at the machine shop, went ahead and disassembled the low mileage JDM head someone donated to me. It was really clean. I am still taking it to the machine shop to be cleaned and checked, but it looks great.

I will clean up the valves like the pistons, but I am very pleased with the state of the head.

Machine shop was backed up, so patience will be required. Plenty of cleaning to do in the meantime.

 

[Matches]

Awesome, looking forward to updates

 

[RedP85]

Glad to see another old timer coming back!
Keep us posted 😊!

 

[Whitey482]

Looks like a neat build! I have a 7M in my 83 right now. So if you’re looking to sell any 7M bits let me know.

 

[BillyM]

I've been missing seeing JohnB-quality build threads around here!

--billyM

 

[dannoxyz]

Cool build and thanks for photos!
Have you considered any other turbos?

 

[johnb7]

Looks like a neat build! I have a 7M in my 83 right now. So if you’re looking to sell any 7M bits let me know.

There will definitely be a lot of fun 7MGTE stuff for sale soon. This is an end to the era.

Have you considered any other turbos?

I spent quite a bit of time settling on this turbo. I have no idea if its going to work exactly the way I want, but it should support my HP goals and spool up quickly if I don't run into any other issues along the way.

Machine shop finished the engine work.

Cleaned and inspected block. Lightly skimmed surface and light hone on the bores. Cleaned and inspected head and skimmed the surface.

Started assembly to help clear out all the parts laying everywhere. Cleaned up and carefully matched all the main bearings back to their original location. You can see the two "4" marks if you look close at this set. That is the Toyota bearing size.

I decided to keep the stock factory bearings. If you look closely at these you can see there is virtually no wear except on the edge of the seventh one.

Cleaned and installed the top bearings in the block.

Cleaned the crank and added assembly lube. Followed TSRM instructions to install it.

I remember my dad used to have an old oil can similar to this. It was so useful. I finally just bought one and it makes lubricating parts and bolts so much easier while trying to keep everything clean. Highly recommend for the shop if you don't have one.

We are just getting started. Pistons and rods next.

 

[ToyodaSup]

Hey John,

Thanks for sharing the details of your 2JZ build and mentioning lessons from your Dad's shop. I too was a young benefactor of mentors that built motors and I now enjoy employing those skills learned with modern machine choices. I look forward to following your very interesting build here and seeing the running results.


Best of luck,
David

 

[johnb7]

A couple minor slip ups while finishing the rotating assembly. This is my first time fully assembling an engine, so following the TSRM is invaluable. It also does not hurt that @Atl_Racer loaned me a couple nice tools to make this easier than buying or barrowing lesser tools. I also picked his brain a little bit when I was not sure about some things.

Putting on rings is tedious. Two rings have to be put on with a particular side up according to Hastings instructions. Then four of the five need to be clocked with the gaps at particular angles per TSRM. This took a while and required a lot of double checking because I like to be sure.

Mistake #1 - missed the laser mark on ring #2 and had to pull the first piston to check and flip it once I realized it.

With all the rings in place, apply the ring compressor and flip. Oil up the piston pin, install the bearing from the matching crank journal and add assembly lube.

Mistake #2 - I replaced one of the rods from the turbo pistons because it had a spun bearing. I offset the orientation of the rod and piston. When I installed it, the piston was correct but the rod was backwards. Had to pull it, drive out the pin, and flip the rod and reinstall.

Line up the crank, make sure the piston is oriented with the dot forward, and drive the piston into the bore. I found out keeping the compressor tool lined up, flat, and compressing it just the right amount makes this go smoothly... eventually.

Once in, push the piston down carefully until it is in place on the crank.

Clean and install the matching bearing from that crank journal into the cap and apply assembly lube. Install and torque down according to the TSRM.

Double check all your work. The cap has uniquely oriented stamps ("R" in this case) to ensure you keep the matching cap with the rod.

Mistake #3 - Somehow, a couple of my rod caps got mixed up. I had to identify the correct rods and swap out the bearing and torque everything again.

DONE. Rotated around a couple times to make sure it moves smoothly. I can tell those rings are ready to start breaking in.

I talked about my mishaps because everyone is not perfect. As someone who has not done this a lot, it was crucial to constantly doublecheck myself. Mistakes are generally OK, as long as you catch and correct them. I really enjoyed this and find it really rewarding to get it all right... eventually.

Reassemble the head next.

 

[johnb7]

Put the head back together today.

Installed the new valve seals and valves. Springs ready to be popped in.

All the valves and keepers installed. This has to be the first time I managed not to lose a keeper.

Cleaned all the caps and shims and installed. I can't check the clearance until I install the cams, which also can't happen until I torque down the head.

Block and head carefully cleaned and ready for the head gasket.

I put on the metal head gasket and grabbed the new Mahle head bolts I purchased to torque the head down. The bolts quality looked suspect despite the brand name, and they did not have new washers. I went ahead and followed the TSRM procedure to torque down the head with the old washers, but I did not like the feel of the bolts stretching while torqueing it down. Its felt too uneven and made me nervous. This probably would have been OK, but I could not take it. I un-torqued the head and ordered ARP studs. Expensive, but can't go wrong. Plus Amazon will have them here tomorrow.

 

[BillyM]

Good call on those bolts and great progress - great to see it coming together.

Cheers,
--billyM

 

[johnb7]

Following up on the head bolts. Left is used OEM bolt, Then a new ARP stud, then 3 used Mahle head bolts. I think the picture mostly speaks for itself, but notice the 3 bolts don't even have uniform tips.

I installed the ARP bolts, but I did not have a deep 16 point 1/2 socket to torque them down. So in the meantime...

I rebuilt the VVTi pulley. The o-ring frequently leaks when it gets older. This one broke into pieces when I separated it, which took a hammer. Lot of documentation for doing this online.

Ready for when the cams go back in.

 

[Atl_Racer]

Headbolt socket should be a 13mm 12 point. LMK if you need it. I bought it to use on Mikes engine and havent used it since.

 

[johnb7]

I am behind on my updates, so here is some of it. Many thanks to Tommy again for loaning me the tool to get this done. Made quick work of the ARP head studs and feel much better about the head being torqued down.

I also wanted to talk quickly about what this all amounts to. Turbo pistons and rods + 2JZGE head gasket + 2JZGE head will give me a stout bottom end with slightly higher than 9:1 compression ratio. The original GE compression ratio is much higher, but the turbo pistons bring the ratio down and keeps the squish reasonable. This compression puts me between GTE and GE, and will work well since I do not plan to push much boost.

Once the head was on, I could install the cams. The TSRM has an extremely long process for this that took a whole evening of effort. This makes sure the cams do not get stressed and are all tightened down evenly. Some people not paying attention have managed to damage cams when not being careful.

A shot of the cams fully installed.

Next I went through and checked all the valve clearances. I must have kept the caps all straight and be a lucky guy, because they were all within spec. I'll take the win.

Installed the cam seals. In the next post, I'll put lots of parts back on the front of the engine.

 

[johnb7]

OK, lots of FIPG ahead. And so much gasket surface cleaning...

New rear main seal and installed the retainer plate.

Brand new oil pump with a new front main seal.

Upper oil pan. This took a while to clean and apply all the FIPG.

Baffle plate and oil pickup.

Brand new lower oil pan. It was so cheap I could not resist replacing the banged up one that would need a LOT of cleaning before being used.

New water pump with all the o-rings and pipes that connect to it. I'm glad I was paying attention to the TSRM because I wanted to put the timing belt on and this has to come first.

Added cam gears and roller. Lined everything up and put the timing belt on. Rotated it a bunch of times and everything lines up.

Last thing I want to do to seal up the engine is install the valve covers. These will come off again to add oil later, but they will keep out dirt for now. This is what they looked like when I took them off the engine. I tried to clean them several ways and they still looked ugly.

And here is what they look like after I sent them to the guys at JP3 Motorsports and had them vapor honed vaporhone.com I was really impressed with their work.

One more shot of the complete engine. There may be a quick break from updates while I wait to get my car back. The 7MGTE will come out and I can test fit the 2JZ and start rebuilding the R154.

 

[discoelk]

Great build. Are you doing the 5th gear mod with the r154?

 

[johnb7]

Great build. Are you doing the 5th gear mod with the r154?

Yep. That reminds me I need to order those gears.

 

[johnb7]

OK, I did take a break, but recent events allowed me to get a lot done. One farewell pic to the 7MGTE. It was a great motor and it has a new home now.

At this point, it is time to do some test fitting and preparation work. This is not going to be your typical 2JZ build, so I have a lot of clearance and routing issues that need to be sorted. With that in mind, I removed the power steering lines, intercooler piping, and installed the front Whiteline sway bar George @RaptorRacing helped me get my hands on.

Next, install a bunch of peripherals on the engine. A few things are properly cleaned and installed...

And then it just turned into installing a bunch of stuff without cleaning it because it is all coming back off or being replaced anyway. This is just a test fit.

Now, drop it into the car and position it as close as I can guess to where it goes without a transmission on it. The mounts are pretty adjustable, but it looks like they fit about in the center of the adjustment range.

I checked the turbo clearances, which was my primary concern. I also confirmed my Jim King AC kit should work without any modifications to the hoses or the EPR near the turbo. My original LJM strut bar will not fit over the intake, but I had another design that thankfully does.

The Whiteline sway bar allows me to keep the stock flywheel. The Addco I had before would have completely interfered.

Now that I have everything mocked up and looking promising, I'm going to buy a truck load of parts and start working toward a working product. There is still a lot to do, and I'll get into more detail as I actually install things permanently.

In the meantime, I'll put up some more details on ther154 rebuild soon.

 

[johnb7]

While I'm ordering parts and fitting up lots of other things, I went ahead and tore down my R154. I plan to do just like @discoelk did here. Rebuild with marlin crawler parts and replace 5th gear for better overdrive. Many thanks to Discoelk for answering all my questions about rebuilding the R154.

Here we are with a reasonably clean transmission and a M series bellhousing. Much like rebuilding the engine block, this is all about taking your time and getting things right the first time. If you don't believe me, go read the R154 tear down instruction in the TSRM. Its no joke.

Here is a shot of the side with all the shifter bars. I never understood exactly how this worked until I took this apart. Its fascinating what can be achieved with purely mechanical precision. While this is not for the faint of heart, or someone without access to a lot of specialty tools, I highly suggest tearing apart a transmission one day if you get the chance.

Here is the other side without all the bars blocking the gears. The rotational mass of all these gears spinning all the time is crazy to think about.

It took 2 nights to pull it all apart. There is a lot of cleaning to do. I plan to try out my new harbor freight sonic cleaner on the smaller parts. Initial findings show this transmission was actually in pretty good shape, but maybe a little dirty inside. I won't know more until I actually start measuring everything according to the TSRM. The syncros did not look bad at first inspection, and that is usually one of the high wear items.

Here is a sampling of some of the tools it took to get this far. I have a 30 ton press in my garage as well that will be needed to disassemble all the gears. Hopefully I will have more to share soon.

 

[discoelk]

Looking good!