No pics today.
Cleaned tons of gunk out of the throttle bodies - they were black as!
The block is stripped.
The head is at the doctor for a freshen-up (not cheap!)
The loom is being built as I type

Ordered a new timing belt pulley and idler from melb. city toyota : they can source JDM parts for the blacktop at a reasonable price, and say 4 weeks delivery at worst.
I got the part numbers from http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/ , and they all matched toyota's computer system in melb.

Next : finish cleaning block and paint it, start to re-assemble the engine.

Total cost so far : rising.

Look - 5 valves

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Lots of cam lobes :

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Tonight I have reassembled something ! (inlet and throttle bodies)
One box of parts empty.

Eeeek! no oil changing there.

This thread brings back memories of an engine swap I did back in NZ. The customer had a very tidy Corolla GT (3 door htchback model) and had managed to comprehensively blow up the original 4AGE. He'd bought a 20valve off TradeMe, and wanted it fitted. He'd been told by a mate that "they're all the same block, so it will just bolt in".

Didn't want me to even lift the cam covers, let alone change the timing belt. "She'll be right, mate".

One week later, after beaching about the bill - "how could it be that much, they just bolt in!" he was back, complet with a delightful rattle.

"What did you do to my engine?" he said. I pulled the cam cover off and it was just like the photo's above. One complete rebuild later he had a swiss watch powered Corolla, and a much lighter wallet. Two weeks later he wrote the car off.

Moral of the story (in my eyes, anyway) Don't let muppets drive good cars, that's what Hyundai Excels are for.

yep someone in japan had fun cooking on your engine ^_^

at least you checked !!

I have the original handbook from the 1/2 cut, with 2 dealer service stamps : 1 at 1,300 km, 1 at 89,000 km !
I was prepared for this : my research showed photos of heads like mine (thanks Road and Track, among other sites).
But - the head is straight, no cracks, no signs of overheating; the block is good, still showing hone-marks in the bores.

Added cost : head bolts & gaskets = $500, head prep + valve seat & shim = approx $600 (exact price yet to come in).
plus many happy hours stripping & cleaning everything

Given the all-up cost of the conversion, it is worth taking a look inside before installing - it will never be easier or cheaper than now. Worth it for the peace of mind.

Always over-budget, and have a contingency fund (or credit card), when doing this sort of thing. If you come in under budget, buy the car/wife/gf/bf/dog a present.

Having seen the condition of your 20V, I also decided to lift the rockers on my 20V.



Lucky for me, it's looks to have had a relatively good life. Still need a small clean up on the rocker cover itself.

If mine looked like that, I wouldn't have lifted the head. Yours looks fine. How long have you had it / how many k's?
A mechanic mate of mine says that you can get away with a lot if you run a high-detergent (flushing) oil through a few times; it will lift a lot of the crud for the cost of a couple of filters and a few litres of oil. That's what I did with the import Datsun a15 I got for the old y a few years ago. This motor is a tad more sophisticated though...
My mechanic said it would probably be okay, gave me a pretty good estimate of what the cost would be, and left the decision up to me. I didn't want to take any risks : I always expected this project to cost over $5k (including the 6-speed), so the head etc is only 20% over budget, and I don't want to touch the engine again once its installed.

Progress : the block is clean inside and out, everything is painted (block, sump, brackets), and I have all the gaskets.

Spent Sunday pressure-cleaning the workshop floor for a re-paint.
I'm fortunate to be doing this swap with the use of a fully set-up workshop and very experienced assistence from a friend of mine, at mates rates, so I pitch in where I can.

I've only had it a few weeks, and it's currently hanging from an engine crane. I bought it with a guestimated 140k on it. I've just finished installing a new timing belt and water pump, just doing all the other little things on it before working on getting a MS2 and C56+LSD put on it.

Anyway, I better stop hijacking your thread

A big day for the project !

I have the cylinder head back (photos to come).
I ended up taking the head to Rob Baker, who has crack tested it, checked for trueness, and shimmed the valves. All for a reasonable price, and it's so shiny .
The bottom half of the engine is reassembled, so I'll have the engine all finished by the weekend, except for the timing pulley & tensioner (en-route from Japan).
My wiring loom is finished and paid for, and on the way back from the US.
This project is back on schedule, and I'm a happy man.

PARTS
I was quoted ridiculous prices for JDM parts from City Toyota; $185 for a distributor cap; I can get the same part for $35 USD from Lithia Toyota, Portland, Oregon ! I'm going to be using them where possible from now on.

Cost so far :
Half-Cut (6-speed blacktop) : $3700 delivered
Gaskets & head bolts : $500
Loom : $500
Head reco : $735
Cam pulley and tensioner assy : $220 (not from Lithia)
Labour : n/a (mates rates)

Still to buy :
Gearbox bits (selector shaft etc)
Flywheel to be skimmed
Clutch & pressure plate
Exhaust to be adapted & ceramic coated
87 brakes

Since the drivetrain cost more than the car, I think I'm officially a petrol head (again).