My 89 All-Trac - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

I<3Toyota · 01-24-2009, 03:15 PM

About a year ago I bought a manual 89 All-Trac Camry with a blown head gasket for $100. The swap to a rebuilt ST185 3SGTE, transmission & rear diff is done & it's running great. I've had the windshield replaced & put on some new tires. I picked up a ST185 dual core radiator & air to water set up that I'll put in next weekend. Just waiting for the heat exchanger form a friend. Suspension is next on the list. Interior is in great shape but, I still will steam cleaning the seats. There is some paint fade on the hood & trunk so I plan on hitting pick n pull when it stops raining to replace them. Overall it was a great find & I haven't put a lot of money into it so far. I want to keep the car as stock looking as I can just to stay under the radar. The only thing I have yet to figure out is how to replace the steering wheel with something smaller without looking obvious. The car is a nice balance to my 85 MR2 & it's also the first 4 door car in our car family. I'm obviously far from done with the project though.

kesando · 01-25-2009, 12:10 AM

Very Nice! And welcome to the Nation!! I love my Gen2 with stock 3sfe so your car must be

. Are there steering wheels from other Toyotas that you could swap?

Ten_and_Two · 01-25-2009, 12:59 AM

Nice all-trac, awesome swap. I would love to do the same to my car, but it's not in good enough condition for the 3sgte.

Jimnist · 01-25-2009, 02:45 AM

Mega jealous right now, that's awesome! Is the all-trac a constant AWD system or can you select the drive modes to 2H and 4H? Maybe even a 2L or something?

Do you think you'll change it to a front mount intercooler?

atobe · 01-25-2009, 01:12 PM

that's awesome looks like charlie have someone to talk to when he's doing his project

rty · 01-25-2009, 02:17 PM

Cool.

white90dx · 01-26-2009, 12:44 PM

Good job... Looks like it will be a nice inexpensive sleeper. The ST185 rear diff and Camry Alltrac rear diff are the same, so unless you put in an LSD diff (it was optional on the ST185), that didn't do much other than get you a a (possibly) lower mileage diff.

Make sure you replace that intercooler with something that gets cool airflow (probably a front mount intercooler). You should have room up front since you aren't running A/C. You can cut out underneath the front bumper to get more airflow without being obvious.

-Charlie

TBayToyotaBoy · 01-26-2009, 05:05 PM

Very nice, kudos to you on the swap. You make it sound so easy, although we all know from Charlie how much work and detail is involved.

I'd be inspired to do the same, if only I had any cash!

white90dx · 01-26-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBayToyotaBoy

Very nice, kudos to you on the swap. You make it sound so easy, although we all know from Charlie how much work and detail is involved.

I'd be inspired to do the same, if only I had any cash!

The mechanical aspect of the swap is very easy to get right if you start with a 5-speed Alltrac Camry... For FWD Camrys, it can be easy or hard depending on what you started with and what you want in the end. And the wiring isn't as bad as some other cars (say, Subarus...).

Its no Honda swap, but it isn't rocket science either.

-Charlie

JMSports · 01-26-2009, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by white90dx

The mechanical aspect of the swap is very easy to get right if you start with a 5-speed Alltrac Camry... For FWD Camrys, it can be easy or hard depending on what you started with and what you want in the end. And the wiring isn't as bad as some other cars (say, Subarus...).

Its no Honda swap, but it isn't rocket science either.

-Charlie

So how hard do you think it would be to put that engine (with cruise/maybe ac) in my FWD DX. I really dont need the AC cause it doesnt work as it is, and i live in NY so I can deal with it. Im assuming the 3SGTE is a RWD engine right? So i would have to take the whole FWD housing out and put a Rear-End in the car? And how cheap could the swap be and still run good. Im really not looking to skimp on quality, but i dont want to do an expensive engine swap job and have the car rot out everywhere else (especially because I have alot of normal body rot, and had a rotted gas tank and exhaust)

I<3Toyota · 01-26-2009, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by white90dx

The ST185 rear diff and Camry Alltrac rear diff are the same, so unless you put in an LSD diff

Actually I do have Helical style LSD in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by white90dx

(probably a front mount intercooler).

I have a air to water set up from ST185 RC edition so I'll be using that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by white90dx

And the wiring isn't as bad as some other cars (say, Subarus...).

2.5RS = easy wiring FTW!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMSports

Im assuming the 3SGTE is a RWD engine right?

You can swap a RWD MR2 3SGTE into a All-Trac AWD 3SGTE. The motors have some minor differences but, it's mainly just the transmission.

Mike Morris · 01-27-2009, 12:56 PM

Wow!! Neat!!
Good luck with it!

JMSports · 01-27-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I<3Toyota

You can swap a RWD MR2 3SGTE into a All-Trac AWD 3SGTE. The motors have some minor differences but, it's mainly just the transmission.

That doesnt help, i dont have an Alltrac, i have a FWD DX.

white90dx · 01-27-2009, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMSports

That doesnt help, i dont have an Alltrac, i have a FWD DX.

Use an Alltrac motor. The wiring harness and accessories are in the right place. If you have a 5-speed, you can even use your stock transmission to save money - all you need is a custom clutch (the FWD Celica guys do this all the time). The stock mounts for the 3s-fe work on the 3s-gte unless you change the transmission (even then, some stock mounts stay).

-Charlie

PS. An MR2 motor sits just as if it is a FWD motor, just in the back of the car. It is possible to use an MR2 turbo motor/transmission with just changing a few parts (mainly: water neck, wiring, accessories, mounts, axles and shift cables mounts on the transmission).

white90dx · 01-27-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I<3Toyota

Actually I do have Helical style LSD in it.

I have a air to water set up from ST185 RC edition so I'll be using that.

2.5RS = easy wiring FTW!

You can swap a RWD MR2 3SGTE into a All-Trac AWD 3SGTE. The motors have some minor differences but, it's mainly just the transmission.

Good on the LSD. I already put an ST205 LSD in my Camry Alltrac - it handles snow like a dream!

The RC intercooler should work out great. I think you will need to work with the mounts a bit to bolt it down, but it should keep the sleeper look perfectly.

It is only easy to do wiring in a Subaru if you get the correct year of the car and do a RHD swap... I've seen enough Subarus pulled apart for swaps to know.

-Charlie