6 Bolt Engine Conversion Questions

I plan on getting a 97 Eclipse GSX [another project car] with a totally blown engine [or missing engine]. Then i plan on doing an engine swap replacing the 97's engine with a 6 Bolt Engine from a 90-92. I just have a few questions about this.

1. Where can i get a six bolt engine? I see places for 4g63 engines but they do not specify if it is a 6 bolt or seven.

2. What is "DSM Link" and how will it help me run a 6bolt in my 97 GSX?

3. Where did u guys order your 6 Bolt engines?

4. If i use a 6 Bolt Engine I have to use exterior engine parts for a 90-92, in my send gen correct?

5. How hard or easy was it to do this engine swap?

6. how much should it cost for labor to do this engine swap [i dont know if i can do it by myself, dont have all the necesary tools/ equipment at this time]

If u have any input feel free to IM me at Afrokid888 or Email me at [email protected] , as u can tell im really confused about this swap, so any input would be very apreciated.

well right now i am in the middle of doing the swap, so when its all done and finish, running good, i'll let you know how hard it was, and for the other stuff... well i will answer that later today cause i need sleep!

ok thanks

a few more questions

1. Would i have to replace the intercooler // intercooler piping with the 6 Bolt Conversion?

2. If i dont have to replace it, should i order 1g Intercooler Piping or 2g Intercooling Piping?

3. If i order a totally new intercooler will it fit on with 6 Bolt Engine?

I plan on getting a 97 Eclipse GSX [another project car] with a totally blown engine [or missing engine]. Then i plan on doing an engine swap replacing the 97's engine with a 6 Bolt Engine from a 90-92. I just have a few questions about this.

1. Where can i get a six bolt engine? I see places for 4g63 engines but they do not specify if it is a 6 bolt or seven.

2. What is "DSM Link" and how will it help me run a 6bolt in my 97 GSX?

3. Where did u guys order your 6 Bolt engines?

4. If i use a 6 Bolt Engine I have to use exterior engine parts for a 90-92, in my send gen correct?

5. How hard or easy was it to do this engine swap?

6. how much should it cost for labor to do this engine swap [i dont know if i can do it by myself, dont have all the necesary tools/ equipment at this time]

1. I got mine from a junkyard in my town... the way you can tell if it is a six bolt or not is if it is between the years 90-92, thats all you gotta know! eclipse, talon, laser... any of those will work, as long as it is between the years or 90-92!!! check ebay or other part websites to see if they have any, you might have to drive a little or have one shipped, no biggie!

2. DSM Link is a datalogger and a very helpful tool in tuning your engine! check out www.dsmlink.com and look under the FAQ they have a bunch of answers that explain it the best!

3. i got mine from a junkyard in my town!!

4. right now i am kinda experimenting with that since i have yet to finish the swap, i can update that in about a month when its running! but i am sure kevin will be back before then(i hope!) and answer it quicker!

5. i dont know that one yet either, from the research i have done it seems quite easy, and i have been talking to kevin about it for about a week and he said his swap wasnt to bad, just you need to have DSM link to compensate for the random misfires!

6. have no clue! i'm doin mine myself... shouldnt be much more than if you swaped your 7 bolt with another 7 bolt!

a few more questions

1. Would i have to replace the intercooler // intercooler piping with the 6 Bolt Conversion?

2. If i dont have to replace it, should i order 1g Intercooler Piping or 2g Intercooling Piping?

3. If i order a totally new intercooler will it fit on with 6 Bolt Engine?

1. its always a good thing to get rid of the SMIC if you are planning to get some good power! but if you arent (why swap to the 6 bolt?) then you can leave it and the 2g piping will fit as long as you have a J pipe off the turbo!

2. replace it with the 2g piping cause thats the body style you have... so then the piping will run in the right places!

3. the intercooler doesnt go on the motor... it mounts to the body! the piping is what runs to the motor... so you can order pretty much any intercooler as long as its for a 2g so that the mounting brackets are right!

I think most of it has been correctly answered. About the DSMlink thing, like RST said it is helpful. In my humble but experienced opinion, using DSMlink is the only "correct" way to run a 6 bolt in a 2g. It can be done with the "baro wire mods" as I did for years, but when you move to a large turbo you'll apreciate the safety and value you'll find in DSMlink.

Go to www.magnusmotorsports.com and read the 1gina2g article. That was all I had when I did my swap. RRE has some helpful info as well, and I believe magnus even links to it. (imagine that, two vendors giving each other credit).

If you are swapping only the block nothing else will change. You wont even be able to tell the difference. If you are doing the head as well there is more work to be done. If you are swapping the turbo as well, then you have to do all the usual things you would do in swapping to a mitsu based turbo, like the j pipe RST mentioned. Etc.

The main points are the mods to the drivers side motor mount to make it physically bolt in (20 minutes with a cutoff wheel), and the wiring in of the 1g cam angle sensor to make it work electrically. (15-20 minutes). The magnus page is your new friend. Happy reading :) Decide after you read that if it is something you can do yourself. The dealer will charge ~1300 just to swap a shortblock, not sure how much to do a whole conversion, if they even would. A smaller shop is a risky choice, and could cost more after they screw it up a few times. A willing dSMer like myself will do it for about a grand, and if you can trust him, is the best way to go. A DSM shop is a good choice, but only a small fraction of us will end up living within driving distance of one....

Thanks for the input...dont know if u want to do the swap yet since this is not going to be a racing car, but my street car. Just wanted to know my options, cus im afraid of crankwalk. so do u think its woth while doing the swap just to avoid crankwalk? or should i just save some $$$ and risk it.

risk it. The chances are low. Just dont give it a reason to CW (see my previous 345,756,346,098 posts on the subject) :D

lol