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.

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.

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).

quote:

---

Originally posted by AdrianS
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.

---

If you order a 20V dizzy cap from the US, could I add one to your order?

The gearbox bits are finally here !
Theoretically, all that's needed to convert a C160 six-speed to RWD.

---

Selector shaft

---

End cap/reverse lockout

---

Shaft seal

---

Dust boot

---

To be continued....

So the Alpine is over, and it's back to work.

Starter and alternator are back from the sparky (minor salt water damage ! - must have got wet in storage or transit)

On to the gearbox.

Selector mechanism removed, and compared against new parts from celica (c60) box :

(c60 parts at top, trueno c160 selector mechanism at bottom)

The good news : the celica end cap (which carries the reverse lockout) fits the c160, so no work required there.

Placing the two shafts side by side, you can see that they are close :
(c60 shaft at top)


They have the same major and minor diameters, but the c60 shaft has a longer splined section.
Up close, you can see that the c60 shaft has the middle roll-pin hole about 1 mm closer to the other.


I think there is enough slack in the mechanism to allow for the hole spacing.

And finally, the c160 shaft has one of the splines machined off (hard to see), while the c60 has not :

I can have the splines ground back to match the c160, and have the key spline ground off, but I need to ensure the mr2 shift linkage will fit the end of my selector shaft.

Here is the end of the c60 shaft (apologies for the bad photo) : it has a flat machined in about 20 mm from the end.


I've posted a question (and some of these photos) in the gearbox/engine thread about mr2 selector shafts, as it may be of use to others (http://www.mr2australia.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18548)

Nothing is as easy as it sounds, but I'm getting there slowly.

Gearbox conversion finished !!!
I can find all 6 gears and reverse.

New Selector assembly :



Assembled in case :



getting there slowly.

quote:

---

Originally posted by MCT_MR2

Next time you need parts from Melb City Toyota, let me know, i work there and get staff discount

---

Thanks for that; I'll keep it in mind.