which engine is the best engine for little money, fast, durable?

[abhattan]

I am currently researching and pricing what it would cost me to do a 1JZ-GTE VVti swap and right now, engine, tranny, ECU with all loose ends, about $3500. I will be doing all of the work, so I save a lot on labor. This engine is a single and NOT a twin like the non-VVTi. Bigger injectors and upping the boost and I will be near or at the 400hp mark. All of that without opening up the engine either. But of course, that will just be the begining...

[ochowdero]

Originally Posted by cre

I'd start with suspension and brake upgrades, then start collecting parts. Some things such as a fuel controller, wideband controller, adjustable FPR and stronger fuel pump may all be installed while still running the N/A and it will give you a chance to learn the fuel controller. You can also install a good oil cooling system on the GE which will still be used on the GTE.

yeah i was looking at an oil cooler.
http://compare.ebay.com/like/1405586...Types&var=sbar

im going to be doing suspension, brakes and tires here very soon.
tires first! i am beyond the legal limit of tread on tires.. i believe 4/32 in california is illegal
i trying to get a decent idea of suspension though. im looking around and just dont know what to get. maybe you can give suspension ideas.

BTW - i have code 12, 27, 41.. i cleaned the ground strap terminal on the intake manifold and put it my extra ecu and it cleared up. i havent drove it yet to see if theyll come back yet. but i know that dirty or corroded ecu ground straps can throw codes.

[ochowdero]

Originally Posted by abhattan

I am currently researching and pricing what it would cost me to do a 1JZ-GTE VVti swap and right now, engine, tranny, ECU with all loose ends, about $3500. I will be doing all of the work, so I save a lot on labor. This engine is a single and NOT a twin like the non-VVTi. Bigger injectors and upping the boost and I will be near or at the 400hp mark. All of that without opening up the engine either. But of course, that will just be the begining...

yeah exactly my point, 1j and 2js are more durable. you feel safer just slapping in the engine and calling it a day. even with that engine id still be replacing the head gasket and making sure nothing is warped or cracked.
you can get close to that 400 mark with a rebuilt 7m(stock internals, maybe some aftermarket parts to get alil more hp) just like the 1j.
the HG is the biggest problem that i see with them and if you fix it RIGHT THE FIRST TIME then you wont run into that problem...

[ochowdero]

should i piggy back the fuel controller?

[ochowdero]

Test drive=fail!
After clearing the codes I test drove the car to SE if they'll come back.
After getting to OP temp.. Still no codes, but now it stalls out when I down shift. Or slow down.... Hmmmmmm?

[cre]

Don't ever assume that you're safe swapping in ANY engine blindly. A used engine is a used engine... P E R I O D. You wouldn't believe how many are known to be complete garbage and are still shipped. Video of it running? I've driven cars home after throwing a rod... 10 seconds of video of it running doesn't mean a thing. I've seen engines with phenomenal compression test results which then sat in an open yard for months with no spark plugs in place all the while allowing the rings to seize and the cylinder walls to pit like the surface of the moon. If you buy used plan on rebuilding it.

As for suspension: It doesn't take much to beat old, stock parts. Stiffer springs and decent dampers. Eibach's paired with KYB GR-2 dampers make for a great feel with a very low ticket price (while still streetable thanks to the subtle progressive spring rates). Add to that new bushings where needed (no need for urethane unless you can just get them cheaper) and stiffer sway bars and you may find yourself flat out stunned by the difference.

A fuel controller a type of piggy back. They all require an ECU to pair up with. Is there something else you're referring to?

[ochowdero]

Originally Posted by cre

Don't ever assume that you're safe swapping in ANY engine blindly. A used engine is a used engine... P E R I O D. You wouldn't believe how many are known to be complete garbage and are still shipped. Video of it running? I've driven cars home after throwing a rod... 10 seconds of video of it running doesn't mean a thing. I've seen engines with phenomenal compression test results which then sat in an open yard for months with no spark plugs in place all the while allowing the rings to seize and the cylinder walls to pit like the surface of the moon. If you buy used plan on rebuilding it.

As for suspension: It doesn't take much to beat old, stock parts. Stiffer springs and decent dampers. Eibach's paired with KYB GR-2 dampers make for a great feel with a very low ticket price (while still streetable thanks to the subtle progressive spring rates). Add to that new bushings where needed (no need for urethane unless you can just get them cheaper) and stiffer sway bars and you may find yourself flat out stunned by the difference.

A fuel controller a type of piggy back. They all require an ECU to pair up with. Is there something else you're referring to?

I don't know much about them I just seen them.
I was looking at the Greddy e-manage.

Suspension is indeed a need. I'm riding stiff..
That's was along the lines I was looking at. Coilovers are too expensive.
I do want to handle corners like a champ tho. Haha

[cre]

The Greddy E-manage is well, I guess the best term would be "super piggyback"... It's much like the MAFT-Pro, MAFT Gen II and MAP ECU. With all of these the stock ECU remains in place and these devices intercept and modify sensor and ECU signals such as air flow (used to control fueling, there are set backs to controlling fuel this way), ignition timing (can be used to correct for the aforementioned problem), boost control, air flow meter conversion and so on. You can get all of this with a couple separate devices or got with one of the "super piggybacks" and get it all in one shot. On upside to getting a device with everything rolled into one is the ability to record what everything is doing on your laptop where you might otherwise only be able to log one device at a time and have to learn and use a number of applications. On the down side having to learn all of this at once can be confusing for many people and often ends up in abandoned projects. I don't recommend them for the novice unless it's not their primary vehicle or they can otherwise afford some likely downtime.

[ochowdero]

uhm sooo, is there a more "basic" one?
i love the idea of data recording. its easier to detect problems but seeing how im new to fuel controller, i dont want to confuse my self specially when trying to go to work.

[MA70-3.0GT]

cre, all this talk of f-cons etc, is that really necessary for 400bhp? I was under the impression that using the lexus kvafm/custom air screw, uprated fuel pump, adjustable fpr and 550+ injectors would be a good starting point on a stock GTE motor with the turbo wound up, while keeping the fuel cut feature, and then when funds allowed, add a decent turbo elbow, larger I/C and hard pipes etc just leaving the boost as 11-odd psi before finally uprating the turbo...

Would that not be sufficient to make 400bhp once the turbo was replaced & boost increased? IMO I'd feel happier using a similar setup & keeping the fuel cut for any unforeseen fuel system malfunctions.

I was reading this yesterday... http://www.suprasonic.org/lexusriemer/lexusnotes.html

Seemed to suggest that with that done around 330-340 would be realised with relatively low boost and with potential for more in future (I was getting near on bone stock hardware at the limit of the turbo's capacity, and running into fuel cut at higher revs on occasion, hence I'm on the lookout for the aforementioned injectors & afm as a precaution with the new turbo)

The only potential issue I can see with this, is that it could cause a rich condition on cold starts before the O2 sensor is in the game. However I don't see this as a major problem as cold engines like a richer mixture anyhow, and the O2 would warm up & the system go open loop in about 5 minutes anyway?
(and if it proved TOO rich in certain circumstances I'd think you could devise a switch/resistor setup to disable the CS Injector from the driver's seat & not throw a code?)
Obviously as injector sizes and boost levels increase the f-con etc would eventually become necessary as the closed-loop richness would become too much even with the CSI disabled & you'd get bad starting & flooding, but my point is that for the lexus & 550's etc mod and an upper goal of 400bhp, wouldn't the stock ECU be able to handle it?