Another M-to-JZ VVTi Swap // Sub-3000lb Street Car - 1988 Hardtop N/A Chassis

[NARFALICIOUS]

Hey All.

You can consider me a noob. I've been registered on here since I got my car in 2014 but I have hardly posted on SM or SF. Active on FT86Club.
This is partly a build thread to show the progress, but any input will be appreciated and also probably solicited LOL as I'm new to the Supra build game. Have only owned it long enough to know the VC gasket leaks, starting issues, but thankfully not the BHG issues.

It was my daily in 2014 and part of 2015, sadly she sat in the Phoenix Sun for about a year 2015-2016 and then sat unloved for the past 3 years in my garage while I played with slower toys like my FR-S. Time to wake her up.



Stock Specs:
1988 Supra Hardtop
7MGE, W58 Manual Trans
No ABS. 4.300 LSD

Since owning:
- Replaced Starter
- Replaced Steering Rack
- Removed All A/C component ahead of the firewall
- Removed 95% of the sound insulation, cleaned and sanded
- Obtained R154 Last Summer locally
- Just obtained a JZX100 1JZ-GTE VVTi M/T ECU


2020 Goals
- 3000lbs
- 1JZ-GTE VVTi Stock Swap Refreshed
- Suspension (unsure of what I want)
- Brake upgrade (unsure)
- Fix some trim
- Refresh stock sawblades (in process)
- Find some good lightweight wheels

2021 Goals
- 400WHP - Nothing Crazy
- Sub-3000lbs

I will be posting pictures tonight.
I know also that just about every bit of info is already available about these swaps but not really all in ONE place. Unless someone can direct me to that ONE place? I would like to compile all of it. I may not be the most experienced but I'm good at making resources and can probably get a page up. Let me know.

 

[A70nut]

There is the jz swap bible you can look up, there is also the jz swap for dummies thread. There isn't much on 1jzvvti specific swaps but the info on jz swaps is all for the most part the same. Looking forward to progress!

 

[speedy]

Wow
Great welcome. I’m about to start a built to ..
7MGTE..
I know I know. !!.

 

[NARFALICIOUS]

OK. So I said I was posting pictures that day, and the lie detector determined THAT was a lie. But now I have some pics.
This will probably be procrastination-personified. If I end up working on a different project at home or get addicted to some video game, I'll probably get pulled away from this, hopefully not now that I have a lot of parts ready. I don't know what I've been doing all year to be honest... Anyways.

(will edit this post to add some older pics if I have them)

July 2014: Bought the car for $3000. Was in pretty good shape, normal tail light/brake lights lighting up in the wrong order, starting problems, leaking power steering. broken climate control. Otherwise a good car and was my daily for more than a year.

2014: replaced power steering rack, replace a starter, A/C didn't work so I removed the A/C compressor, belt, condenser, and lines. I believe the Evap core is still in there.

2015-2016:
Moved to AZ and she sat most of the time in the AZ sun not being driven and fading away =(

2016:
Moved to Texas, slightly better conditions but never driven. (intermittently kept having ignition switch problems)

May 2019:
Changed out diff & trans fluid

June 2019:
Can't see the clear coat peel in certain light =)



June 2019:

Ripped out the carpet, washed it.
(carpet had a leak on driver side, turned out to be the Clutch Master Cylinder.



Removed sound deadening. This picture is like halfway.



June 2019:
Decided I wanted to do a JZ swap.


July 2019:
R154 picked up from a MK3 owner in E. Texas. Very knowledgeable dude, I wanted to keep standing in the parking lot talking to him but it was like 100 degrees out.



Tried the yellow fog look, I think the bulbs I got (some cheap bright LEDs off Amazon) aren't good with the yellow film. Suggestions?



She gets let out of the house sometimes




Added some L shaped tabs to hold the climate control straight

Replaced Clutch master cylinder


March 2020:



JZX100 1JZ-GTE VVTi arrived!!
Good: Originally a manual trans car, it has ETCS (not ETCS-i), has a non-immobilized manual trans ECU. Part number: 89661-22790
This is great because I can run it with the stock ECU for a while without having to trick the ECU or run anything weird, at least I don't think.
Compression was good per the JDM engine place... I never got to run it on the crate like I wanted to myself to make sure it was good...Like I said, It's hard for me to focus on 2 projects at once...and it arrived in the middle of my garage project. So even though I don't trust other people, I am just having to trust that it's still in good shape.







July 2020:
Painted my front sawblades.
Here is one of them before/after. Don't worry, I did completely clean it first. Lots of cleaning, brushing/sanding on the inner, and some light sanding on the outer.



Got a new leather kit from JF Customs off eBay and a non-OEM shift knob from ebay . Really nice. The blue color and the material is a bit different than stock, but I think it matches the center console better and is a great quality.




November /December 2020:

1JZ swap parts ordered! Finally ordered a bunch of parts and they are starting to trickle in.
- NGK Spark Plugs - Ebay
- OEM rear main seal, front crank seal, cam seals - Ebay
- OEM timing belt - Ebay
- "OEM" NTN tensioner - Ebay
- Timing tensioner pulley - Driftmotion
- OEM Rear sump Used - Ebay
- OEM thermostat - Ebay (superstition springs lexus) - Not sure why I ordered this, didn't know that the water pump would come with one.
- OEM 1JZ VVTi water pump, with thermostat - Unused/New - Ebay
- Future Fab downpipe - Driftmotion (bought it on early Black Friday sale but I should have waited a day and got it from Future Fab's website when they did their own Black Friday sale, could have saved 20 bucks or so)
- Freed Engineering AC delete bracket & Gates belt - Freed Engineering's website

Will start tearing down this week.

1JZ swap parts still need to order as of 12/5:
- OEM valve cover gasket
- JZ to R154 bell housing
- Clutch
- Flywheel
- Engine brackets
- throttle cable
- upper speedo cable (my RPM is jiggly)
- intercooler and piping
- random hoses
- R154 MK3 Supra Driveshaft

1JZ swap other/still needed once everything else is obtained:
- Wiring
- Once in, get a pipe welded from downpipe to the rest of the exhaust

Future:
- Consider going to a 3.9 or taller final drive

Question for you guys

I am planning to do this as a stock-ish swap, the only thing I have aftermarket I have really is the downpipe.

I was mainly going to forgo the head gasket and just do the valve cover gasket since I have to take them off to do the cam seals.

Or is that a mistake? how far would you go into the engine?
- Head gasket?

- mild block/head rebuild?

I am planning to, in the future after better supporting mods, to then get an aftermarket turbo, manifold, aftermarket ECU, etc. But that may be a year or more down the road. Should I do an engine rebuild at that point, or now? What do you think??

 

[NARFALICIOUS]

** Reserved for Part Numbers, Links, Useful Stuff **

Suggestions/links, please post them. I am sure to come up with tons of questions / issues that I'll run into. There are tons of resources I've spent time the last year looking at but everything seems to be scattered everywhere, I'd like to get the diagrams, part numbers, pictures, tips, etc all into one PDF or website one day. I already have an excel workbook where I'm starting to put together what I know so far from the threads I've read off different forums like here, JZX100, and the IS forums, and other sites. I know some older links are dead.

 

[JDMMA70]

I was mainly going to forgo the head gasket and just do the valve cover gasket since I have to take them off to do the cam seals.

Or is that a mistake? how far would you go into the engine?
- Head gasket?

- mild block/head rebuild?

I am planning to, in the future after better supporting mods, to then get an aftermarket turbo, manifold, aftermarket ECU, etc. But that may be a year or more down the road. Should I do an engine rebuild at that point, or now? What do you think??

Generally the head gaskets are solid on the JZ engines, while they can still blow, its been rare in my experience. So If I were in your situation, I too would just replace all the gaskets other than the head gasket. If you can afford to get a new OEM head gasket, then it wouldn't hurt to replace it obviously. If the block and head are in good shape, I wouldn't worry too much about the bottom end or the head, just make sure everything is clean, adjust the valve lash on the head and call it good. Regarding your question of doing an engine rebuild later on, what are your power goals? If its a street car that will be kept under 600-700hp, there really isn't any benefit to building the bottom end.

 

[Zmith_33]

Huge congrats on your project!
Honestly, I'd do the headgasket aswell "since you're there".

 

[NARFALICIOUS]

Couple of updates

Dec 2020:
Got started on the engine
As of today, I have removed the A/C Compressor, the Spark Plug cover, Timing Cover, Crankshaft timing pulley, timing belt, timing tensioner, and stock turbo elbow.



Took the stock elbow off and test fitting the future fab downpipe.



Toyoda & Toyota stamped on the same part. At first thought it was an easter egg to the family name but found out Toyoda operates as a separate company and makes parts. They are currently part of the JTEKT group along with Koyo. Nice.




I Noticed this (copper?) showing on the side of the new belt. This is normal right? Googled random timing belts from other manufacturers and see it on pictures of other new belts.