supercharge 7MGE? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

jboogey · 03-19-2009, 02:45 AM

i recently bought an 89 supra n/a with a rod knock for $700. i pulled the engine and rebuilt it. found a blown head gasket and a spun bearing. easy fix. i want more power, but i am not sure if i should rebuild a 7mgte or put a supercharger on my 7mge. rebuilding a 7mgte will cost much more, and i am sure that in the long run, that is what i will be doing. does anyone have any suggestions?

Jeeves · 03-19-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboogey

i recently bought an 89 supra n/a with a rod knock for $700. i pulled the engine and rebuilt it. found a blown head gasket and a spun bearing. easy fix. i want more power, but i am not sure if i should rebuild a 7mgte or put a supercharger on my 7mge. rebuilding a 7mgte will cost much more, and i am sure that in the long run, that is what i will be doing. does anyone have any suggestions?

There is not a commonly available supercharger available for the N/A 7M-GE motor. There are pictures floating around the net and cardomain.com of a 7M-GZE but it is the only one of it's type anyone has ever seen. It's also a flimsy looking thing.

Supercharging isn't easier than turbocharging, it's just an alternate means of achieving boost. You still have to build the engine/trans/clutch (if it's not automatic) to handle the power levels you're looking to make. And the N/A's weren't equipped with some of the things the GTE's were to take the heat of forced induction.

A GTE swap, GTE purchase + rebuild, or a simple GE swap will probably be cheaper or more cost effective in the long run than trying to go the path less traveled.

jboogey · 03-20-2009, 02:56 AM

so am i screwed when it comes to horse power. is there anything to do to a 7mge. i know the engine has so much more potential. now the weight of the car is another issue. when it comes to a swap for the 7mgte, i will also need all the electronics from a 7mgte, as far as the engine and turbo go, right?

***bgrieger*** · 03-20-2009, 01:00 PM

The easiest and often cheapest thing to do would be to sell the car and pick up an equal condition turbo car. You can often find the prices between the cars are so close as to not make a difference on the dealer lots, and the engine alone for the turbo swap could run you up to a grand depending on where you can get one and what you want in a used engine. You then can add on the turbo and all the associated parts, as well as any custom stuff you need/want from there.

Now, if power is the real goal, a full engine build is in order anyhow before you even start, so first you need to ask yourself how far do you want to go in your quest for power, and what do you want to use the car for, and once you can answer that with some certainty, then you can start to comparison shop to find the best way to get there. Take a little time to read up on the builds of some of us here and on other sites to get an idea of what you want. It also makes it so we can help answer specific questions with some certainty.

Everyone wants to shoot for the sun, the moon and the stars, when really most people can barely afford or have the technical capacity to get to the end of the driveway.

***Razo-E*** · 03-20-2009, 01:06 PM

just swap to a 7MGTE, that's what I did..

willtotheumm · 03-21-2009, 12:03 AM

7mgte's can be built with some good HP numbers. Just takes money...

jboogey · 03-22-2009, 10:19 PM

well thanks everyone for the advice. i am wondering now if it will be more work to put a turbo on my n/a along with all the electronics needed, or to rebuild a 7mgte. i have a full shop at my disposal, i just want to go the right route from start. i hate doing things twice. and what company makes a cold air intake for a supra. i cant seem to find the right angle air tube to safely nestle the air filter. i heard that lexus has one that bolts right on, but i dont know what model lexus. i am working now on rebuilding the front end/steering linkage. it is all 20 yrs old, and starting to get sloppy. i found a 7mgte from a 93 supra. should i be looking for an 86 - 91 mk3 or will a will the 93 work?

Jeeves · 03-23-2009, 10:02 AM

1986.5 - 7MGE ONLY.
1987 - 1992 = 7M-GTE & 7M-GE (Though in 89, they changed quite a few things, so it's an "odd" year)

1993 Supra were Mk4 Supras which had the 2JZ engines.

You sound like you have too many pots in the fire.

jboogey · 03-23-2009, 10:32 PM

i just have grown up working on american cars. this is my first import. and i dont know very much about it. i just want to get my facts straight before i make a big mistake.

SupraTuned · 03-24-2009, 02:43 PM

Noted my good man. Go with a 7mgte. If you search through a reputable imprter such as j-hot, you might actually get what you are looking for. Their are many other importers out there such as j-spec as well, but be careful. Most will ship free freight to a business address, so if you know anybody with a business, you may luck out. 7mgte combos run about 950 with trans and wiring. Your car should ALMOST be plug and play as far as wiring goes. there is still a few things you will have to do to wire up correctly. And as far as installing the engine, I have not swapped before, there may be some things you have to do for tranny and engine mounts.

***Razo-E*** · 03-25-2009, 08:52 AM

it depends on the year of your 89, early 89's had 86.5-88 style crossmembers and motor mounts, and later 89's switched to a "jz-friendly" crossmember with different motor mounts...

It's nothing too hard to get around, but if you don't feel like dealing with switching motor mounts or even crossmembers, make sure your mounts are the same..

Carcrazy1 · 03-25-2009, 03:02 PM

7 MGTEs are the best option if the prime moto is to achieve speed.

I have experinced its performance and it works the best

jboogey · 03-30-2009, 09:30 PM

so the steering rack is shot to hell, i just learned. is there anything that i might need to know before i dive in and swap it with an OEM replacement? i have to replace the upper control arm bushings too, which i am glad to find out, from toyota, that there are only 54 left in the country, south cali has like 34 of them. i will be ordering them NEXT DAY to get them by saturday.hopefully i will be getting the steering rack and bushings by then. so as i dont have to get the front end aligned twice. i just hope the current steering rack doesnt give up before i can replace it..

oh, would the possability of my 89 being 'jz friendly' change which steering rack in the car?

Jeeves · 03-31-2009, 10:05 AM

89's can be either year really. It seems to vary depending on when it was exactly as to whether it actually uses the Pre-89 crossmember or the post-89 crossmember. If you look at your motor mounts and yours are square you've got the Pre-89 Crossmember.

Now, the JZ path isn't exactly the CHEAP path. There's always buying the BIC (Because I Can) Mounts. He's a guy out of Canada, and he makes these:
http://bicperformance.com/images/1jz_brackets.jpg