MK1 beams swap questions

[jeremynandrew]

Hi everyone, i'm the new owner of an 86 mr2 and I am looking into pricings of a 3sge beams engine and I had some questions for the forum about this, as this would be my first foray into sports cars. 1. I am using this car for a daily drive/casual track car on the weekends, and I am wondering if the beams would be more reliable for daily driving than the 3sgte? 2. Would the red top or black top beams be more practical for swapping into the 86? 3. I live in Austin, Texas and am looking for a shop that can do the swap for me in the area(not enough experience/skill myself to do this), is anyone from Texas here and can recommend a shop in the Austin/San Antonio/Houston/Dallas area that is known for its toyota swap work? Thanks for any information delivered, I hope to have an extremely fun car with that smooth NA engine feel, as I have riden in my friends turbo charged cars and I don't really enjoy the acceleration curve feel of a turbo, though I guess I would grow to like it if I had to go 3sgte. Peace

[328FTW]

It doesn't matter what engine you use the condition is what makes the engine last. If you buy a beaten old engine that hasn't had its oil changed in 4 years then the chances it is going to last even if you service it are significantly lower.

Just remember that whatever engine you choose it is going to be a big job. Red top or black top beams won't make a huge difference, it would be noticable but not world changing. Also with the beams you are not going to get much more out of it than what comes factory they are well tuned from factory and the gains you can make with mods minimal were a turbo you can get a lot more power from later on if you ever get sick of just driving through town and want to set a speed record across it instead Also there is fuel economy to consider if you are using it as a daily driver.

[jeremynandrew]

Thank you for the feedback 328FTW! In regards to an old engine, wouldn't what you said be the same for ANY engine I decide to swap, be it a BEAMS, 3SGTE, 4AGE 20V, 4AGE Supercharged, that any engine I choose could be that old engine that hasn't had its oil changed in 4 years. So I do plan to buy an engine from a source that is trusted by the community and has review from many buyers, not some questionable hack on the internet, all you hacks out there know I'm talking about you! As far as power gains go, I am not worried about any mods beyond an engine swap and some better suspension and brakes, and a BEAMS makes more than enough for what I want... heck I may even go 4AGE 20V for that buttery smooth feel on acceleration and its much nicer on the wallet, cornering is so much more fun than a quarter mile track! And since I am looking for relative efficiency, a 3SGTE or 4AGE supercharged is out of the question as far as I am concerned... I just want a car that can get me from point a to b and have a wee bit of oomph and be a mark I MR2 ( I just love that Big Kid Go-Kart look it rocks!) I appreciate the reply. Peace

[Stados]

If you want a more practical swap, easy to do. Go to the 20V, and the fuel economy will be significant.. The beams is great, the car became a beast, I have put the 5sfe tranny as combo, and the shifter is so quick, I think using it daily was not a good idea, if you were somewhere with traffic jam.
Easy way, 20V. Hardest way, Beams. More power on beams, but the 20V is great too and so much easy to achieve and I think the replacement part are easiest to find.

P.S. Sorry about my English, I'm a French guy !

[jeremynandrew]

Thank you Stados, good engine comparison info. As I do want this car to be my daily driver I think I am gonna do the 20V swap in the end... I guess a BEAMS MK1 will be a dream for me until I get out of Culinary school and can find a place to have the time to learn more about cars. From what i've read of the 20V swap info on this site(sooo much and so clear! awesome) it seems pretty straight forward, I think I could handle that at my friends garage, as far as getting the engine in and hooked up, tho I might need help with the wiring, unless people are still making harness builds out of old harnesses here for the public? Because if the wiring was just plug and play I would feel confident doing that. Once the 20V swap is done do I need to get the engine looked over by someone that knows more than how to use a wrench...(wrench man being me) or can that engine check over be done before its installed? Keep the info coming, interest in my project makes me very motivated to get 'er done!

[mr220v]

I wired for Kameleon's beams mk1 back in December. We'll know here shortly if there are any shortcuts to the motor mount issues.

[DCKilla]

eBay Motors: JDM Toyota Celica ST202 3SGE Beams Engine MT Trans (item 140317714609 end time May-06-09 19:01:11 PDT)

I believe that the tranny has LSD. It's just not in the title. Shoot them an email or call'em. They are really nice folks and the engines will be in good shape. Also, look at all the great stuff that comes with it.

[jeremynandrew]

totally awesome DCkilla, I got in touch with the company and while my forecasted budget is too small for the 3sge they will be able to help me get a "certified pre owned" black top 20V... as certified as a random used engine can be. They are nice people too, must be cause they are from texas. Mr220V: are you still building those cool plug and play harnesses from the 4age and the 4age20V harnesses for the swap? cause if you are youre gonna be my best friend in about 3 months. Thank you all for guiding me in the right direction, just gotta find me a shop in the austin area in case I have trouble with the minor adjustments needed for the 20V swap.

[mr220v]

Originally Posted by jeremynandrew

Mr220V: are you still building those cool plug and play harnesses from the 4age and the 4age20V harnesses for the swap?

Of course I am. I build harnesses for just about any conceivable swap you could do to an mr2 at this point.

I was going to say that if you don't quite have the budget for the beams, want a little more power than the 20v or a 4agze, and don't have any problem dealing with S series mounting issues, you could go with a gen3 3sge. They are actually cheaper than the 20v's and make more power and torque than any stock A series motor.

[jeremynandrew]

I did a little web 'search on the third gen 3sge and it does sound like a sweet engine, but I have very little access to tools for work( mainly a big ass socket set and then i would need to buy anything beyond that) plus I dont really have a place to work on a car(stupid apartments) and my money situation is no good(at school)...(sorry for all the ()()()...LOL) so I think the best option for me now is the 20V, as I can do the engine pull myself in a day and then tow the car to a shop to have the 20v put in. Also I have heard from many posts here at MR2.com that the 20v has a smooth-as-butter feel during acceleration due to those sweet +4 valves, and I am looking for that as I enjoy the feel of a car in a corner more than pure power, and lower power is safer for a driver in a corner than an engine with some punch IMHO. Once I get back to Texas and work a month to have the money for the 20V I will get in touch with you, MR220V, with a pair of harnesses in hand. Oh, BTW stados, I spoke with the guys in Denton you recommended and they mentioned a shop in their area that they recommend so I am set on all fronts... just gotta head back home for the summer, work a bit, then coordinate all this dropping/towing/shipping/paying...Driving! YAY! and then there will be pictures for the site. I'm so excited about this as I have had rides in MR2s and they are uber fun in a passenger seat, so I cant wait to have one of my own with steering wheel access. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions guys... this forum is so friendly and actually cares enough to help the community, y'all totally rock so kudos to MR2.com

[mr220v]

If you're going to be doing part of this in a parking lot, then going with another A series motor is the best idea. It's something you could probably get done in a weekend.

If you're going to go to the trouble of dropping the motor, you probably ought to save some expense and put the 20v in yourself.