What to put under the hood? 88' Celica GT - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

NinjaFresh · 11-18-2006, 02:58 AM

Hey there guys I'm new to the forums. I was just wondering what motor I could put under the hood of my Celica? I'm looking for something pretty easy to put in. I don't mind buying a new tranny and such. Mostly I'm looking for the biggest bang for my buck. I hear the 3S-GTE is a good motor, but it is a bit expensive. Well, I'm looking for something that has good hp and trq. Easy to find parts for it. I don't wana wait months getting stuff from Japan. A good price. I mean if I have to save then I'll save. I'm not looking for a track car, just a daily driver with power. I wana be able to take people on the streets. Maybe go to the track on weekends for some fun, but mostly a daily driver. To work, and shit. Thanks again for your imput.

macdafoe · 11-18-2006, 04:57 PM

Then the 3SGTE is truly your only option.

NinjaFresh · 11-19-2006, 03:45 PM

How hard would it be to put a third gen 3SGTE into my car?

Tommy · 11-19-2006, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macdafoe

Then the 3SGTE is truly your only option.

thats bs, pleny of motors that will go in there.

Actually your easiest cheapest bet is the 3SGE, you can get a 2nd gen with about 160hp for half the cost of a GTE and itll be much easier to get in there. if you want to be really cheap, you can get a 1st gen with about 145hp and pick up a stock wiring harness and itll be plug and play.

3SGTE will cost you $4-5k if you do everything yourself, double that if you take it to a shop.

NinjaFresh · 11-20-2006, 02:24 AM

4-5 grand woah. Where is all that going? Just the motor? Well, money aside is it easy to install? I really wanted the third gen 3SGTE, but I think there is a junked 88' All-track in the Celica grave yard might be a a newer one I'm not sure. I was just wondering how hard would it be to drop it in. Tommy thanks for the info I'll keep that in mind if I can't find what I'm looking for. Like I said I'm new so I'm trying to keep an open mind when it comes to info from everyone.

Tommy · 11-20-2006, 06:03 AM

oh itll bolt right in no problem, getting it to turn on is where the tricky part comes in. there's a sea of wiring that has to be tackled, custom made wiring harness is a must. Celica is not a honda.

and 3rd gen GTE's are like the most expensive of the GTE's costing upwards of $2-3k just for the engine, youll need a complete front clip, not to mention a transmission, which will set you back another 5-600 at least. Go check out the gen2 camry page if you want to see how involved this process really is, it is in no way shape or form easy, as white90dx is in the final stages of his swap into a gen2, which would be very similar to what you want to do. think his total right now is around $6k, and he did everything himself.

TTercel · 11-20-2006, 03:13 PM

How about a 3VZ-FE? Not sure how easy it is to get in, but I have seen it done. If you want more power get a nitrous kit

.

NinjaFresh · 11-21-2006, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTercel

How about a 3VZ-FE? Not sure how easy it is to get in, but I have seen it done. If you want more power get a nitrous kit

.

A V6 humm..at first I wanted to do a inline six from a 93 Supra(2JZ-GTE), but that seemed more trouble then worth. Well, I'll look at the Camry page. Thanks for the info Tommy I love my car and all, but 6k is getting a bit expensive. I know it isn't a Honda it is hard to find good aftermarket parts for my car and if I do they usually are a bit expensive. My friend has a 90 Civic Dx and it pisses me off how much shit there is. He'll be like look what I got for my car it was cheap as hell. So the whole build it yourself is a mix blessing. It is nice cause not to many people will have it, but building it would be a pain. Haha and I'm a waiter so this is all from waiter pay, and I'm in school. Haha at least I don't pay rent.

Tommy · 11-21-2006, 09:05 AM

if you have any skills at all, you could probably do a 3SGE swap for $1500. Pick up a 2nd gen for about $5-600, then either make a harness yourself, or pay a shop probably $4-500 to do it for you, then its a direct swap. Take that other $500 or so to replace all of the wear items on the engine. Probably take you 2-3 days to do the swap if you have everything lined up and ready to go in.