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

[ochowdero]

I currently have a 87 supra NA 7mge 5 speed.
it runs decent, but i am going to replace some parts and get it up to standard. BUT
my only concern is that I dont want to replace parts that i cant transfer over. I plan on working on a seperate engine and build it up and get ready for install. which engine? idk.. ive searched the forums and am sure there is a thread on this topic but cant seem to find it. you can re direct me if you want.

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

this is what i want for my car: Daily for now. fast, cheap and reliable. when i mean fast, i mean have some decent kick that will put most cars to the test. 400hp maybe?
i have money and will invest money but dont want to go broke. thats where i have no clue on what engine to do. 2j, 1j, 7m?
i want to maintain my current engine til i get another engine(?which idk?) but dnt want to waste money replacing parts.

in an unbiased opinion on engines can you help another fellow out on deciding without hurting his pocket book?

[ochowdero]

i ask this question because now a days people are all about the 2jzgte.
you spend $1000 to $3000 on the engine maybe turbo uprade, fuel system, blah blah blah..
thats alot of money even though the 2jz are more "reliable" then the 7m
which is true from factory, and possibly even after builds.
but i know personally that 7m have potential. not sure how the 7m affects the pocket book. or in reality what all these engines affect.

[MA70-3.0GT]

For your goal of 400hp & minimal cost the 7M-GTE is the way to go IMO. you should be able to pick up an otherwise good motor (or ideally complete GTE equipped car for the ECU, loom, KVAFM etc to break & recoup costs) real cheap with a BHG, You'd want to replace that anyway for peace of mind, stock will be fine for 400hp provided you...

Clean everything operating room clean

Have head & block faces checked & possibly skimmed by machine shop (IF the head needs a skim make sure the rear timing cover is fitted too so it doesn't hang up)

Fit a quality head gasket (OEM composite type is fine & less hassle as metal ones require extensive polishing of mating surfaces)

Ensure your head bolts are either in good condition, no thread "galling", or better still replace with new aftermarket bolts or studs. (also clean threads in the block & ensure no dirt/oil in bottom of holes to affect torque readings)

Ensure that whatever fixings you use, they're torqued in the right sequence & to the right spec (this can differ with lubricants too, stock bolts with 10w40 oil is 78lb/ft IIRC but do research and get this step right as the wrong torque is what causes most of the BHGs in the first place.

Once you have the motor buttoned up nicely you can then look into upgraded turbos, injectors etc to get you to that 400 mark.


Although I've over-simplified things here it's not too hard, but really you may ultimately be better off & make things easier getting a turbo car to start with & using yours for parts (I.E. get a runner with shagged trim/bolt on panels etc cheap).

Also to throw another spanner in the works, you may want 400hp, but I ran a stock turbo & injectors and few other minor mods at 12psi and found it was more than quick enough Can't have been more than 320-340??? and effectively cost nothing, no injectors or bigger turbo

[ochowdero]

This is the exact kind of feedback i was looking for. thank you!

i originally planned to go with the 7mgte because its cheaper and with proper rebuilding and maintenance it can withstand alot of hp. (plus i have a 7mge so a gte swap wouldnt be to hard at all)
im fond of the 7m i love them simply because people think theyre a crap performance engine because of the BHG. i dont want to fall into the 2jz scene purely because of "quick power". i believe reaching a goal of 400hp, if i even want to have that much, is cheaper in the long run with the 7m. am i correct?
people have their opinions and since i never rebuilt these motors before i dont know the difference in cost/power ratio with them.

like you said, with stock components and a kept up or rebuilt 7m with minor turbo upgrades, fuel injectors and others pushing 320!? not bad and im sure you didnt spend to much.

i hope more people hop into this convo, this may help out alot of people with the same questions. and since i couldnt find it on the forum anymore...

[cre]

The spec is 78 ft lbs when using moly grease. ARP has updated their specs and now specify a higher torque than that. You generally want to use 30 weight oil when lubricating fasteners. I recommend against using a variable viscosity lubricant for critical fasteners.

Swapping in a 2JZ will cost a lot more than swapping in a 7M-GTE and upgrading it for a mere 400RWHP. The 2JZ is cheaper to get 400RWHP out of IF it's already in the car. The 2JZ is more reliable but the 7M can be quite reliable if shortcuts aren't taken and the person doing the work pays close attention to the details. A 7M refreshed to stock conditions, using stock parts can manage 400RWHP pretty reliably. I'd upgrade a few things while the engine was out, naturally, but it doesn't have to be a monster build.

[CanadianBak'inSupra]

7mgte ARP studs:

not sure when they were manufactured but i just used them in a 5mge a week ago. i only went 80 lbs.

[907mge]

What is your budget?

[cre]

Originally Posted by 907mge

What is your budget?

You should know the answer to that:

The MKIII Supra is an amazing vehicle and project car. It's not just a matter of what can be achieved in terms of performance but much more so the vehicle's uncanny ability to detect your total budget and ensure that the cost of ANY project will always exceed that sum by $500 or more.

[ochowdero]

Originally Posted by cre

You should know the answer to that:

The MKIII Supra is an amazing vehicle and project car. It's not just a matter of what can be achieved in terms of performance but much more so the vehicle's uncanny ability to detect your total budget and ensure that the cost of ANY project will always exceed that sum by $500 or more.

Cre said it.

i personally havent really set a budget aside. just for the fact itll be a slow process until i can start getting deep into the build. being busy all the time and limited funds as of right now i cant do much but maintain my engine now and get it up to par and maybe mods here and there that are transferable to the 7mgte.
as soon as i know what i want to do with the 7mgte and get a parts lists going of what needs to be done and need for the build i will work a budget and hope that the supra doesnt force me to go over what i want.

to answer your question, a 2jzgte swap with minor mods pushing around 500hp? is about what? $2000-$3000+ ..since im going with the 7mgte, with less then 450hp, id say around half of what i would spend for the 2j.

[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.