Need some help... new to the mr2 scene

pete88p · 07-27-2007, 01:26 PM

hey im brand new to the mr2 scene... ive been interested in the mr2 lately and have finally decided to become part of the community.... here is my scenerio and i need all the help i can get...

i am considering picking up a 1993 black mr2 n/a ... i was going to get a jdm mr2 turbo motor and do a swap... my question is how hard would it be to do the swap? what other parts would i need? would it even be worth the effort?... etc.... please help me out

mr2willwin · 07-27-2007, 01:32 PM

I have never swapped from N/A to Turbo, but I would suggest getting a 3rd gen, with LSD. It is worth every penny you will spend! If you do a search on here, you can find out anything you need to know. Hope this helps...

pete88p · 07-27-2007, 01:36 PM

this kinda sucks being lost in the mr2 scene... but isnt the III gen the mr2 spider? and do u think it would just be better off getting a used mr2 turbo instead of trying to swap from na to turb?

the reason i wanted to do the swap was because for practicality... the n/a obviously has less power, and on an older car that means everything will be tighter because the car wouldnt be able to do sick smoke shows... drifts.. etc... and of course insurance would be less on a n/a than on a turbo.. and being that im 18... every penny helps...

but back to the point... should i just go turbo from the beginning and tune the car up/ tighten everything... and lastly will the swap if i do so cost me my lifes savings?

Gairloch · 07-27-2007, 06:21 PM

No, what he's referring to is a gen3 3sgte. Third generation of the motor. The Spider is a Mark III

When you say practicality, what do you mean?

An NA => turbo swap is a big project and a gen III motor is even bigger. If what you really want is a turbo then buying that to start with is probably the best idea.

pete88p · 07-28-2007, 04:43 PM

by practicality i mean for a n/a mr2 there is less horsepower compared to the turbo version.. so everything will be tighter, and less wear on the car...

and how big of a project r we talking about? there is a 17 yr old that just finished a gen3 turbo swap on his n/a mr2

Gairloch · 07-28-2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete88p

by practicality i mean for a n/a mr2 there is less horsepower compared to the turbo version.. so everything will be tighter, and less wear on the car...

Just for the record, the fact that the car is 16 years old has more to do with the state it's likely to be in than the whp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete88p

and how big of a project r we talking about? there is a 17 yr old that just finished a gen3 turbo swap on his n/a mr2

Just to give you an idea of how involved it is one of the best ways to make sure that you get all the parts you need is to buy a JDM clip, a cut off of the back half a car shipped from Japan. For a gen III motor this clip will generally run you about $3500.

For an NA to gen III swap you could easily spend $8k before you turn the key. and at this price you still won't have any paint, suspension, braking, wheels or tires. Oh, and if you have to deal with smog certification in your area fergetabout it.

It's not impossible by any means but it's a bit more than a weekend project and for the cost of the motor swap you could have bought a second car.

Panic · 07-29-2007, 11:03 PM

I am in the same boat here. I just purchased an N/A. I want a Turbo, but can not afford one right now. Now that I do have the N/A I want to paint it, Restore the seats, Change out the carpet. The list goes on and on. But if I do all this stuff I will not want to do it again when I finally get the turbo. So I think I am going to Go ahead with restoring it. Drive the piss out of it, I have a rebuilt motor with only 20000 miles, I figure I can easily get 180000 out of the motor. This should give me plenty of time to restore the car inside and out. Also I will have the time to upgrade suspension, and brakes. That way when I finally ready for the Engine Swap I will be putting a Gen 3 motor in a MR2 that is in Pristine Condition. I just hope that the Engine Clips are not 6000 in three or four years.

PHOENIX · 07-29-2007, 11:12 PM

Here is some info for you....

MK1 - 1985 - 1989
MK2 - 1991 - 1995 (96 - 99 in Japan only)
MK3 - 2000+

when we talk about Generations (Gen) or Revisions (Rev), this applies to the MK2

Gen1 - 1991 - 1992
Gen2 - 1993
Gen3 - 1994 - 1995
Gen4 - 1996 - 1997
Gen5 - 1998 - 1999

As far as swapping the engine. Do as suggested above if you have the money and get a Gen3 motor. Reason is, is it has more HP, a better Turbo, and usually lower mileage so your engine will last longer. Now, when you buy an engine, Buy a CLIP. A clip is where they literally cut the car in half, and you buy the rear end so you get everything you need to do the swap. If your new to cars, and have never done it, you might consider having a shop do it, it will save you a big headache and certain shops are pro's at it and know what they are doing. Granted, a Gen3 clip is about $1000 more than a Gen2 clip, but you will see a nice difference in HP. A shop will charge anywhere from $1300 to $1600 for the swap. Hate to say it, but thinking your gonna get any money from your old engine, well....no. Your engine is worth about $200 bucks IF you can even find a buyer.

TreyMR2 · 07-29-2007, 11:15 PM

Hey I just did a Gen3 swap so maybe I can help you. About whats your buget and how much do you know about cars, like experence working on them, not specificly the MR2. By the way I strongly suggest going Gen3, never owned a gen2 but I have road in one. It DOES make a difference, a big one.

TreyMR2 · 07-29-2007, 11:44 PM

oh yeah for the recored I did my swap with just me and a buddy. I'm under $4000. Yes I did do n/a to Gen3 too.

pete88p · 07-30-2007, 12:53 PM

trey.. where did u pick up all the parts... i think i can deal with a 4g budget...

and i do have alot of experience with cars... ive just never done a swap... i have taken the motor out of my old car... done all my own installs. etc... matter o' fact here are a couple pix of her.... 04 scion xB making over 200 hp... i blew the tranny and since then it was stolen and sits somewhere in kentucky on bricks...

TreyMR2 · 07-30-2007, 10:44 PM

Nice to see something different don't really see to many modded xb's out there. You should be set then as far as experence. I didn't get a clip but would strongly suggest getting on cause I had a very hard time finding parts. I got lucky enough to find a few wrecked MR2's to buy parts off of cheap. It took me about 5-6months cause I took my time trying to save as much money as I could. Chicoraceworks got me a few parts, which by the way work great. I got some things from people on here too. My engine and trany are from OsakaJDMmotors.com. They are in unbeleivable shape but like I said doing it without a clip is tough cause you don't get everything to do the swap with it like you do with a clip. You might want to see how much MRtuned spent on his clip it looks really nice, better than most if not all the clips I have seen.

07-27-2007, 01:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
pete88p No Skills Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: i dont live in CT Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Need some help... new to the mr2 scene hey im brand new to the mr2 scene... ive been interested in the mr2 lately and have finally decided to become part of the community.... here is my scenerio and i need all the help i can get... i am considering picking up a 1993 black mr2 n/a ... i was going to get a jdm mr2 turbo motor and do a swap... my question is how hard would it be to do the swap? what other parts would i need? would it even be worth the effort?... etc.... please help me out

07-27-2007, 06:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
Gairloch Dreaming of apexes Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 4,472 Thanks: 115 Thanked 223 Times in 196 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	No, what he's referring to is a gen3 3sgte. Third generation of the motor. The Spider is a Mark III When you say practicality, what do you mean? An NA => turbo swap is a big project and a gen III motor is even bigger. If what you really want is a turbo then buying that to start with is probably the best idea. __________________ "Inside the car, the world beyond the driver's immediate horizon ceases to exist. Alone with the solitude of his desire, survival sense numbed by the speed, he's outrun the mediocrity of the outside world, slipped the shackles it tries to clamp on us all. He is running free, chased only by a fear of failure, for failure is to risk ejection into the real world." ~Mark Hughes

07-29-2007, 11:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
PHOENIX Beams Owners Group Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Japan --> U.S. Posts: 7,337 Thanks: 74 Thanked 221 Times in 166 Posts Blog Entries: 1 My Google Map iTrader Rating: (41/100% )	Here is some info for you.... MK1 - 1985 - 1989 MK2 - 1991 - 1995 (96 - 99 in Japan only) MK3 - 2000+ when we talk about Generations (Gen) or Revisions (Rev), this applies to the MK2 Gen1 - 1991 - 1992 Gen2 - 1993 Gen3 - 1994 - 1995 Gen4 - 1996 - 1997 Gen5 - 1998 - 1999 As far as swapping the engine. Do as suggested above if you have the money and get a Gen3 motor. Reason is, is it has more HP, a better Turbo, and usually lower mileage so your engine will last longer. Now, when you buy an engine, Buy a CLIP. A clip is where they literally cut the car in half, and you buy the rear end so you get everything you need to do the swap. If your new to cars, and have never done it, you might consider having a shop do it, it will save you a big headache and certain shops are pro's at it and know what they are doing. Granted, a Gen3 clip is about $1000 more than a Gen2 clip, but you will see a nice difference in HP. A shop will charge anywhere from $1300 to $1600 for the swap. Hate to say it, but thinking your gonna get any money from your old engine, well....no. Your engine is worth about $200 bucks IF you can even find a buyer. __________________ Moving to Eureka, California March 2009 I am currently in the process of moving to the states. My time online will be limited and spiratic over the next month till around the 3rd week of January.

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07-27-2007, 01:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
mr2willwin Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Holladay, UT Posts: 334 Thanks: 15 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I have never swapped from N/A to Turbo, but I would suggest getting a 3rd gen, with LSD. It is worth every penny you will spend! If you do a search on here, you can find out anything you need to know. Hope this helps...

07-27-2007, 01:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
pete88p No Skills Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: i dont live in CT Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	this kinda sucks being lost in the mr2 scene... but isnt the III gen the mr2 spider? and do u think it would just be better off getting a used mr2 turbo instead of trying to swap from na to turb? the reason i wanted to do the swap was because for practicality... the n/a obviously has less power, and on an older car that means everything will be tighter because the car wouldnt be able to do sick smoke shows... drifts.. etc... and of course insurance would be less on a n/a than on a turbo.. and being that im 18... every penny helps... but back to the point... should i just go turbo from the beginning and tune the car up/ tighten everything... and lastly will the swap if i do so cost me my lifes savings?

07-28-2007, 04:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
pete88p No Skills Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: i dont live in CT Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	by practicality i mean for a n/a mr2 there is less horsepower compared to the turbo version.. so everything will be tighter, and less wear on the car... and how big of a project r we talking about? there is a 17 yr old that just finished a gen3 turbo swap on his n/a mr2

07-29-2007, 11:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
Panic Some Skills Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 72 Thanks: 5 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I am in the same boat here. I just purchased an N/A. I want a Turbo, but can not afford one right now. Now that I do have the N/A I want to paint it, Restore the seats, Change out the carpet. The list goes on and on. But if I do all this stuff I will not want to do it again when I finally get the turbo. So I think I am going to Go ahead with restoring it. Drive the piss out of it, I have a rebuilt motor with only 20000 miles, I figure I can easily get 180000 out of the motor. This should give me plenty of time to restore the car inside and out. Also I will have the time to upgrade suspension, and brakes. That way when I finally ready for the Engine Swap I will be putting a Gen 3 motor in a MR2 that is in Pristine Condition. I just hope that the Engine Clips are not 6000 in three or four years.

07-29-2007, 11:15 PM	#9 (permalink)
TreyMR2 Gen3 swap DONE!! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,885 Thanks: 22 Thanked 44 Times in 42 Posts iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	Hey I just did a Gen3 swap so maybe I can help you. About whats your buget and how much do you know about cars, like experence working on them, not specificly the MR2. By the way I strongly suggest going Gen3, never owned a gen2 but I have road in one. It DOES make a difference, a big one.

07-29-2007, 11:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
TreyMR2 Gen3 swap DONE!! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,885 Thanks: 22 Thanked 44 Times in 42 Posts iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	oh yeah for the recored I did my swap with just me and a buddy. I'm under $4000. Yes I did do n/a to Gen3 too.

07-30-2007, 12:53 PM	#11 (permalink)
pete88p No Skills Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: i dont live in CT Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	trey.. where did u pick up all the parts... i think i can deal with a 4g budget... and i do have alot of experience with cars... ive just never done a swap... i have taken the motor out of my old car... done all my own installs. etc... matter o' fact here are a couple pix of her.... 04 scion xB making over 200 hp... i blew the tranny and since then it was stolen and sits somewhere in kentucky on bricks...

07-30-2007, 10:44 PM	#12 (permalink)
TreyMR2 Gen3 swap DONE!! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,885 Thanks: 22 Thanked 44 Times in 42 Posts iTrader Rating: (5/100% )	Nice to see something different don't really see to many modded xb's out there. You should be set then as far as experence. I didn't get a clip but would strongly suggest getting on cause I had a very hard time finding parts. I got lucky enough to find a few wrecked MR2's to buy parts off of cheap. It took me about 5-6months cause I took my time trying to save as much money as I could. Chicoraceworks got me a few parts, which by the way work great. I got some things from people on here too. My engine and trany are from OsakaJDMmotors.com. They are in unbeleivable shape but like I said doing it without a clip is tough cause you don't get everything to do the swap with it like you do with a clip. You might want to see how much MRtuned spent on his clip it looks really nice, better than most if not all the clips I have seen.