easy motor swap in 1985 celica GTS

[jukeboxhero2008]

i have a 1985 celica GTS. last rwd year i believe. anyways, the motor has a lot of miles and problems and i have a bit of money and i could do an engine swap on it. i am looking for a pretty easy engine swap. one that "drops right in" so to speak. of course engine swaps are never easy. i want to keep the good balance of the car so no v8 swaps or extreme swaps. i also don't care if its a toyota engine or not. the only criteria is that it has to be reliable, decent power, good aftermarket parts, not to hard to work on, RWD based and not carbed. i am a big fan of the ca18det engine and i am looking to see if it would drop right in. i don't like sr20s so dont worry about those
thank you

[stepho]

Read this.
It's for the '70-'77 Celica but the motor swaps are pretty much the same.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~stepho/celfaq.txt
http://members.iinet.net.au/~stepho/celprod.htm

If you want straight forward then go for another 22R-E.
They are good strong engines and a new cam and aftermarket exhaust can do wonders.
The turbo 22R-TE isn't very powerful in stock form but the internals are stronger than the normal 22R-E.
I've been told that they can be made to perform well when the turbo and cam are replaced.

The engine bay is pretty wide but not very long, so 6 cylinder engines aren't easy.

If you don't mind a more involved transplant then try the Lexus 1UZ.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~stepho/mods.htm#CarinaV8
The 1UZ weighs only a tiny bit more than the 22R-E.
Down side is that Toyota only made them as auto.
Dellow in Australia make manual bellhousings for them but it gets expensive when you include a good clutch, a Supra gearbox, etc.
Also, some people have put in Chrysler 318 V8's and Ford 302 V8's into the RA65 with good success but I've always had question marks about how the weight balance affects the handling.

- Stepho