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Engine swap ideas for 1983 tercel SR5??

15799 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  dug320
Hey guys, I'm wondering what my options are for swapping a new engine into my 1983 toyota tercel SR5 wagon. I don't want to do a bunch of fabrication or serious modification. I also want to be able to maintain the use of 4wd. I have heard that there was a turbo charged engine that had 4wd. Is this true. I'm looking to get the most power I can into my car within reason. Her she is if you want to take a look. http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/353808. Any suggestions?
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well, tell us the engine it has now, and we can see what is compatible, and what does/doesnt fit...
maby look for a camry all-trac engine? that's awd turbo. :\


LOL



... from pics, he's got a 3A-C. 3S-GTE from an all-trac turbo Celica comes to mind, but I have no idea about the feasiblity of this swap.
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Yes, I have heard people saying that I should consider the all-trac turbo camry engine. How hard would this swap be? Also what kind of HP gains would I be looking at? Thanks again guys!
dude, your car is CRAZY clean!

how the hell is that 22 year old car so clean?

I cant imagine you getting the turbo celica engine in there without a whole hellava lot of work. youd be looking at custom everything, probably more work than your wanting to do.
why not try for a 4A-GE hi-comp or 20v?
wooh man, your car is clean as a whistle, omg!

seriously consider putting an A series engine, like 4age, 7afe and so on, it'll simply bolt on to your A series chassis.

if you want more torque, go with a 4agze afm or map (145-170hp)

if you want more power, go 4age and build your own turbo (actually, this might be more money cause you'll need to start with a stronger block like 4agze and prolly use standalone)

for high reving, go with silver or blacktop 20v 4age (145+ hp)

or you can build your own hybrid using 7a short block and a 4age head and make a 7age, or whatever comodity you can think of. the 7age will be 1.8 litres. i'm pretty certain your 3ac is 1.5 litres
Thanks for all the compliments guys.

Martiniracing: Are all of the setups that you are talking about going to be fwd/4wd compatible? Also, is there going to need to be any fabrication and custom work done to get this to work? Thanks
guys, the Camry Alltrac was never turbo..

the CELICA Alltrac's were turbo...

as for swapping, you're going to have to go completely custom, something along the lines of a 3s-gte, or possibly even a 1mz-fe VVTI V6...

the possibilites are endless...





except not 2jz, you cant do that!!
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I'd be careful about suggesting the most powerful engines since it was designed to work with the lowly 3A-C.

4A-GE would probably be the most feasible since its an A series engine. Should bolt directly to the engine mounts and transmission bellhousing. 4A-GZE would give the most gains in hp and torque but you'll DEFINATELY have to replace the tranny with a stronger one. People who have dropped 4A-GZEs into their NA MR2s have ended up tearing up the transmissions. Bone stock it might be able to take a early model 4A-GE though (ie. not 20v). Ideally, if you go that route, you'd want a RWD variant from a AE86 (which would give you about 115hp). Essentially, your biggest concern is going to be ensuring that the AWD tranny (which was never used with the 4A-GE) isn't overstressed. For that reason, I wouldn't get too crazy.

Also, the ECU and wiring harness need to come out.

A good alternate choice would be the 4A-FE or 7A-FE. That would give you at least 30-40 more hp. Eitrher way, the move to EFI instead of that shitty single barrel carb will be a definate improvement.

- John
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Razo-E said:
guys, the Camry Alltrac was never turbo..

the CELICA Alltrac's were turbo...

as for swapping, you're going to have to go completely custom, something along the lines of a 3s-gte, or possibly even a 1mz-fe VVTI V6...

the possibilites are endless...





except not 2jz, you cant do that!!
oh yea, the camry's weren't turbo. :)
PublicEnemy said:
Thanks for all the compliments guys.

Martiniracing: Are all of the setups that you are talking about going to be fwd/4wd compatible? Also, is there going to need to be any fabrication and custom work done to get this to work? Thanks
seeing that your engine is mounted vertically, you might have difficulty fitting the 20v 4age unless you modify your firewall to clear the distributor.. it's behind the exhuast cam

yes, you might have problems with drive train holding up, find out how much power your tranny can take before looking for an engine if you want your whole combo to run reliably.
So If I were to go with the 3s-gte swap how much fabrication of parts would I looking at? I would also need to get a new transmission correct? Also, would I still be able to use 4wd? Thanks
with all trac, you'll be looking at custom drive shafts, custom prop shaft, custom engine and tranny mounts.

not to mention wiring and some other stuff and tweaking also
Originally posted by PublicEnemy

So If I were to go with the 3s-gte swap how much fabrication of parts would I looking at?


A shitload.

I would also need to get a new transmission correct?
Yes. Never mind the fact that it won't mate up with the transmission bellhousing; your stock tranny will become a hand gernade with a 3S-GTE in front of it.

Again, I'm not knocking your desire to do this... I just want you to be aware of what you're getting into. Such a mod could quickly drain your time, money and patience. If it were my car, I would split the difference between the best power gain, and the most fesible. In which case, I would get a 1st or 2nd generation 4A-GE and call it a day.

There have been 3S-GTEs put in Corollas before, although I've never heard of it done on a AWD model.

- John
Hi

The biggest problem is the setup. The only direct swap is with a 4a-c. You will have to take some parts off the 3ac.

IF you can find a 3a-le (japan only) it will go in without any mods.

ANYTHING else and its time for fabrication.

IF you think of fuel injection, get ready to replace the fuel lines and gas tank.
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