Is she worth rebuilding???

[MrMckie]

well..i'm new to toyotas, i'm a honda head and looking for some advise about this.

My mother owned a 1996 corolla base model auto, no power anything. 105k on the clock. The motor recently died in it..i spoke to a local shop and he found a replacement engine with 88k on it..parts and labor he said i looking at $1605 including tax to get her back up and running..

now i was thinking, f** it i should just do it all myself..can't be harder than moding a civic or integra..

looking around this site i was thinking about getting a silver top: http://www.jdmenginescorp.com/engine...ine-silver-top.

i know the harness has to be modified so i'm lookin at like 1700 already right there, not including shipping and finding all the parts for the auto to manual swap and axles. would it be worth it?? would the performance and handling be comparable to that of a b16/18 swapped civic or integra?

how much do you guys think i would i be able to sell the car for as is?

[modernage]

If you plan to sell it, you'll most likely get under 900 or so if it doesn't run so at least fix that problem first before you sell it. That's good that it's the base model cause it's even lighter without the power options. I say get the BT instead of ST since it has more power. You can always turbo or supercharged it if you want more power. You can even drop a Beams 3SGE if you want to and have the time and money. I'm sure the handling should be similar even though I have no experience with Hondas. They're both FWD cars that weigh the same except Honda has a bigger market for parts. I'm planning on doing the same swap once I finish school and have the time for it. It'll be hard to find a manual Corolla since 9 out of 10 of them would most likely be auto in the junkyard.

[Steelballz]

yikes everything is expensive in the states!!
you'd get a whole corolla 20V crashed in Ireland for €800-1k :O

what engine was originally in it, not much power from much other than the blacktop...but the ae101 levin 4a-gze (1.6 supercharged, nice near 200bhp with a healthy engine with the overdriver supercharger pulley) has the same mounts as a 20v blacktop, so would make a nice base for a power-orientated corolla.handling on corolla's IMO is great, better than standard civics aswell.and look MILES better lol

[speedy25]

Originally Posted by MrMckie

My mother owned a 1996 corolla base model auto, no power anything. 105k on the clock. The motor recently died in it..i spoke to a local shop and he found a replacement engine with 88k on it..parts and labor he said i looking at $1605 including tax to get her back up and running..

I know price are much more expensive in CT than they are here but $1605 sounds expensive.

What is the real problem with the original engine? "Died" could be a $5 part or total destruction of engine parts. Since Toyotas are non-interference and are typically VERY robust I find it odd that replacement would be needed at 105k.

-SP

[MrMckie]

Originally Posted by speedy25

I know price are much more expensive in CT than they are here but $1605 sounds expensive.

What is the real problem with the original engine? "Died" could be a $5 part or total destruction of engine parts. Since Toyotas are non-interference and are typically VERY robust I find it odd that replacement would be needed at 105k.

-SP

i haven't gotten a chance to head to NY to check it out. But from my phone call with my brother it doesn't want to start, is leaking oil, and putting out alot of smoke out of the muffler. He said if it does start from what i can hear on the phone it sounds like its runnin on 3 cylinders and it's slapping like crazy..

Even if it needs to be rebuilt around here i'm probably looking at the same price as to replace it.

[PhatRoyale]

This is a good opportunity to get a swap.

4A-GE 20V, 4A-GZE, 3S-GTE are good candidates.

In terms of comparable performance to those cars you mentioned, I think with the right parts and settings, the 7th gen can be built to be pretty competitive despite having 4-wheel machpherson struts compared to the double-wishbones all around normally seen on Hondas of that era.

[MrMckie]

i'm thinking this may have to be a long term project with all the work & money thats going to be needed to this ol girl back on the road and into a real nice sleeper. I definitly going to have to think this through.

[MrMckie]

how well would a stock 4A-GE 20V stand up to let's say 7-9lbs of boost?

[PhatRoyale]

If you're looking to forced induction then the Silvertop 20V would be the better choice due to the stronger internals.

Another option is getting the 4A-GZE, and swapping the supercharger for a turbocharged build.

[MrMckie]

thanks for the input, i'm heading to NY to check the car out and find out what happened. I might try to take it home with me too so i can start tearing it apart.

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by MrMckie

thanks for the input, i'm heading to NY to check the car out and find out what happened. I might try to take it home with me too so i can start tearing it apart.

Keep us posted!