VVT-i conversion

[SleeperSolara]

You guys think it's worth the VVT-i conversion for my 2000 Toyota Solara??
My friend just did it to his Gen 4.5 Camry.
He has the hook up on gettin' me the heads, cams.
All i would have to get is the ECU wit VVT-i.
You think it would affect my CP-e tunin' box??

[ASG14]

I don;t think you'd gain enough power to warrent doing it in all honestly. I'l put the money elsewhere.

[Mr_Krispy1183]

I'd honestly go the opposite route of that (which I'm planning on doing soon) and keep your 1MZ heads and valvetrain, and swap in the 3MZ block. No replacement for displacement, even if it is only a .3 literage increase.

[ASG14]

^ HAHA! Funny you mention that as I spoent a while on the phone with TRD4Life talking about that.

[Mr_Krispy1183]

^Cool. I've been meaning to talk to Gabe, but I've also been in touch with gregtrd, who may actually perform the surgery for me, should cash flow permit.

[Sentinel]

Yes, displacement is where its at, but seeing as the 1mz heads are sized for 3.0L, and given that the 3mz block fits (assuming it fits good with the tranny and ALL the other junk)...

Why wouldn't a full 3mz swap be the way to go with this?

[gnegroni]

Yes, displacement is where its at, but seeing as the 1mz heads are sized for 3.0L, and given that the 3mz block fits (assuming it fits good with the tranny and ALL the other junk)...

Why wouldn't a full 3mz swap be the way to go with this?

Because you could bypass DBW throttle and add a supercharger later on, asides from making mad power.

[Jakecallun20]

I say go for it. if you can get the heads, cams and the valvetrain. An ecu from an early highlander should be pretty easy to come by. don't know how well it will work with everything else in your car though. (including the cpe box)

[(K)]

I agree on the hybrid swap over VVT-i. It's not THAT much of a gain.

Gabe mentioned pushing >300hp out of his Camry with the 1m/3m hybrid supercharged of course. It was beast.

[Eye8Pussies]

I wouldn't do it.


but then again, it's your money.

[Chinky420]

"there's no replacement for displacement"

i think i remember reading that line on some engine FAQ a while back.....it's stuck with me ever since, and i have to agree.

sure you'll get the neato factor of VVT-I, but at the expense of using the 3mz ecu and all it's drawbacks. i.e. people complain that with the DBW there's a noticable lag between smashing the throttle and having the engine respond.

i'd say, spend the money to either bore out your block (for maybe .1 - .2 liter displacement gain), or swap out the block for the 3mz, while keeping the 1mz head/cams.

i've thought about it before, and if i ended up doing anything like this to my engine, i'd look to make the hybrid 1mz/3mz in the way mentioned above, or i'd just bore out the engine to gain a little displacement.

good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

[Sentinel]

It seems like the block swap is a big hassle for not much gain (.3L? that's what, 20hp? Especially considering you'd need to swap all the other engine parts onto the block.

How much is the block and all other parts going to cost? I'd try to find a S/C before putting that much effort into the motor.

Of course, if you plan on doing a lot of work (and going forced induction later), and get pistons, rods and all the other parts for big boost...

[Chinky420]

^^^ yeah Sentinel, i have to agree. i said above that i was considering it, but i decided that it wasn't worth the trouble after everything would be said and done (basically, the cost-benefit analysis showed up as being bunk).

plus, you'd have to consider the amount of downtime for your car being in the shop (if it's a daily driver). this factor alone is usually enough to KO the project.

but if the guy wants more engine, then those are the ways to get more engine. sleepersolara's been around here a while, and i'm sure knows that there's always the possibility of the s/c (if found), as well as other custom setups.

oh yeah, and sleeper: if you have a programmable CPE tuner, then it can be adjusted. if you have a pre-programmed one, you may have to work out getting the 3mz A/F data, else you risk throwing a CEL and negating all that hard work.
^ i think that's right. someone with a CPE verify please (i just figured that would be the case since CPE sells two diff models for the 1mz and 3mz).

when it comes down to it: most people wouldn't bother with doing a swap, unless there are some long term plans involved with serious modding.

with that being said: since your friend has the hookup, and has done it to his camry then:
a) you have an edge when it comes to pricing
2) you know someone who can do the swapping
iii) you can ride around in his car and determine for yourself if it's worth the cost/time to swap to the 3mz/1mz setup.


but for myself, i figured it would be easier to buy a civic, and mod that, than to swap out the block for such a limited size gain. a P&P job was also not worth it to me, since i would have had the car out of commision for the duration of the work, and would only gain 0.1-0.2 liters of displacement, possibly at the expense of my block's durability.

[SleeperSolara]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I was just wonderin' if it would help out.
I was thinkin' about doin' the 3MZ / 1MZ hybrid.
For the 3MZ / 1MZ hybrid what do i all need??
Do i just need the bottom end, piston, and use the 1MZ heads and everythin' else??
What about the tranny??
Will the 1MZ tranny bolt up to the 3MZ bottom end??
As much as i would like to have my car S/C, that won't happen.

[ThatVietGuy]

Why won't supercharging your car happen?

I would think building a motor would cost way more than bolting on the supercharger. Or are you just going off the fact that finding a charger is so hard?