Changing to a manual might not fix the issues as the entire car has to be wired up differently.

Dumb question thou, did the mechanic add the 3 extra wires for the 2zz? 1 for the vvtL oil pressure sensor and 2 for the vvtL control module. If none of those were done then the ECU will never engage lift
Also can the current ECU even activate Toyota's lift function? From what I was told when looking for a piggyback ECU was most support Honda's VTEC but were unsure if they were compatible with Toyota's VVTL-i.
This is also another reason people go for the powerFC as you can get one designed to run a 2zz-ge

There is not much point in asking other people if I'll help, best to talk directly
 
your location is not a problem to me., i get cars sent to me from all over australia because its generally cheaper for an owner to pay $750-$1000 in freight than burn up twice that with someone who is experimenting with a conversion or something really unusual.
 
i have not done a 2ZZ SMT because no-one (with money) has ever asked, and i never saw a market for it. In fact, i think the 1ZZ SMT car is a good combo if you like how the trans/clutch works. For someone with deep pockets, i cannot see why it could not be made to work properly, but it would entail a lot of custom programming and study. Sending a car out like you seem to have with an 80% job, is just asking for trouble, and I'll bet whomever did it,  regrets taking it on.  
 
In thinking about this, please consider toyota probably spent many man-years on the software, yet some people think guys like us can sort it out from scratch in a few days. not credible if you really stop and think
 
The Vipec per se is probably not your problem, but rather the 2 way data comms between the VIPEC and the SMT computer.
 
[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.8"]Your 192 HP does not surprise me at all. a dead stock 2ZZ puts out about  145-150hp at wheels if everything is just spot-on. anyone who tells you a lot more is dreaming or using[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.8"] an uncalibrated dyno. With restrictive intake and exhaust, I've seen them down at 125hp. Thats not to say you cant get more, but it will depend on the set up.
 
[font="arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.8"]finally,  be aware the 2ZZ is a very unusual engine with very narrow power band and badly considered cams from factory. Thats why many turbo conversions on them dont work very well, or they become "flat-out" engines only. The "lift" was just a gimmick to go head to head with Honda.  The SMT was an even more stupid gimmick that never took off, and causes no end of grief once they are aged, so putting them together is less than clever IMHO .