7mgte

I was wondering if a 7MGTE will fit into a non turbo 1990 Supra...What would a person need to put it in there?

Yes, especially since 87-92 turbo supras came with it as an option. All USDM MA70 chassis are the exact same with the exception of the targa top. To do the swap you'll need the..
turbo wiring harness and ECU
everything bolted to the engine
oil cooler with lines
IC with hoses
R-154 transmission (if it's a manual)
the DS
rear differential gears and LSD if you have the cash
ignitor

Okay well I am thinking about making a drag racing only car, and I can find a heavily used non turbo 1990 for about 800$...

So I would be best off just buying a front clip of a car that already has the 7MGTE right? Also you mention that I need the DS... lol what's that?

Thanks alot.

DS = drive shaft
you would be best off finding a turbo supra and stripping off all the parts I said you'd need, if you were going to buy a clip you might as well get a 1jz clip. Honestly though if your looking for a drag car the MKIII is not the best place to look, unless you just like a challange. If you really want a 1/4 mile car keep looking, mustangs are about as good as it gets for the dollar in 1/4 mile races and there a dime a dozen too.

DS = drive shaft
you would be best off finding a turbo supra and stripping off all the parts I said you'd need, if you were going to buy a clip you might as well get a 1jz clip. Honestly though if your looking for a drag car the MKIII is not the best place to look, unless you just like a challange. If you really want a 1/4 mile car keep looking, mustangs are about as good as it gets for the dollar in 1/4 mile races and there a dime a dozen too.


Okay, got it. I know a little bit about the mkiv Supras and figured that since they have such remarkable 1/4 mile potential that the mk3 might be the same...

Out of curiousity, why don't you think the mk3 makes a good drag car? Is it just the 7MGTE or the whole car? Unreliable? Expensive? And what is the 1JZ from, it must be the predecessor to the 2JZ... Will the 1JZ go straight into a mk3?

And on a side note, I drive a muscle car every day and would like a change... my friend has a 5.0 and I don't really like it much compared to my Covette... I'm just looking for a good import for drag racing.

Part of it is the IRS, if you custom fitted a 4-link with a 9" rear or something it would be much better, also the MKIII is 3600lbs.. thats right 3600lbs. Its not the options or goddies on the inside bu the chassis it's self thats so heavy. The 7m is a very good engine once you get past the BHG and rod knock, can make all the power you'll need pretty much but it's just not enough to move a 3K+ lb tank down the track. You got it on the 1jz, its the 1st version of the 2jz, it's a 2.5L TT I6, came in the soarer and JZA70 MKIII's, if you get a front clip everything is bolt in pretty much.

Hey guys,
First post here. Im a big honda buff, but my buddy just asked me to swap a 7M-GTE into his 1990 non turbo. I should be able to do it seeing how everyone is saying its mostly bolt in. My questions pertain to the turbo. You listed the ignitor as one of the required parts. I have a picture I found on ebay of it, but I wanted a describtion of what it actually does. I am also wondering if the cat is located in the same place on the non turbo as the turbo model....and if the down pipe on the new engine will bolt up to this. Anything else you think I should know, feel free to let me know. Thanks.

Welcome to the Supra world. The ignitor just controls/sends the spark to the coil pack then plugs after the ECU, the n/a has one too of coarse but it's attached to the coil and will not plug up or work with the turbo ECU/wiring harness. The Turbo has an extra cat on the down pipe but the cat-back flange is in the same spot. Also I would advise against using a n/a cat-back with a 7m-gte, unless you want 4psi and 190hp stock, just buy a full 3" turbo cat-back and DP and he'll be much happier. Everything in the swap is completely bolt-in since the chassis' are the exact same.

Do you think it would be smarter to buy another supra and get all the components off it like the DS rear end and tranny, or try to piece it together? My buddy just wants to slap the GTE right into his existing tranny and do the rest later...... i dont really like that idea, but im not the one funding this project either. How do you think it will drive without the LSD and 3.73 gears. i estimated about 2K for the project including the components, do you think that is reasonable? Or is there a better place to find supra parts?

The easiest way would be to buy a wrecked Turbo MKIII, then scavenge what you need becuase you know you'll have everything. $2000 is about average, I did my swap for well under $1000 but I got a bunch of deals and waited a long time. Since it's his car he can do whatever he wants with the transmission, I'm assuming he like doing things twice or maybe he just doesn't want over 350hp. It will drive fine without an LSD and tall gears, but he'll have alot of one-tire-fire's and a loose rear end in the wet if he's got a heavy foot, it could easily get him into some trouble. The 4.3 gearing will have some annoyingly high RPM's on the highway but it will make the car alittle faster and give it alittle more torque to the ground. 3.73 gears are only on the 89-92 turbo if you didn't know.

Well he took my advice and we found a 90 turbo in rather shitty condition for 1000$. We pulled the engine out of the good supra last night, using my John Deere tractor as an engine crane (cuz thats how we do things in Maine..haha). Im going to pull the rear diff tonight and then we will have the good supra completely gutted and can start on the crappy one. My buddies plan now is to use the rear diff, the DS and the Tranny from the GTE car, but buy a newer engine from a JDM dealer. I think thats a good idea cuz the car he got has 150K on it. The only thing im thing im worried about now is how long do the R-154 trannies last? Is 150K too much for the drive train components?

If it was me I'd just rebuild the 7m-gte that came in the turbo parts car, that way he'll know it will last along time, longer than any used JDM engine with the same problems that one has. Like I've said before a good used JDM 7mgte will cost $600-700, and a complete rebuild for the 7m will cost around $1000 (a top-end only rebuild is much cheaper though) so it's his choice. Good to see he decided to do it the right way, nothing wrong with using a boom pole as an engine lift, I've done it before. :biggrin: I wouldn't worry about the tranny at all, unless it starts to grind 2-3 gears then it's fine. New syncro's are pretty cheap last I looked. The R-154 is one of the beefiest transmissions you'll ever see and can take almost any abuse you can throw at it. Happy boosting. :smile:

When you say a complete rebuild will cost $1000, are we talking rods, pistons, head gastket, timing belt, water pump, and studs? If we did that i think it would be smart to go all out on the head gasket and studs and get a greddy metal on with some apr studs (thats a little pricey, i think about 300-350 total). What about cleaning and regrinding valves on an engine of that age? The list seems pretty long for 1000 bucks? Let me know what you think, and what you would include in the rebuild.

The only reason you would change out rods and pistons is if there was something wrong with them or you want 500+hp, those are not included in a rebuild kit. The stock rods are good for 450-500hp and if you have them shot peened/stress relieved there good for even more. A good set of weisco, ross, or other pistons will be all you'll ever need, but stock pistons are fine for the same hp as the stock rods. If you were to rebuild definetly spend the extra $220 for a set of ARP studs/bolts and a MHG. Yes, you would also want the shop rebuilding it to 3 angle grind the valves, replace the valve shims, mill and prep the head and block, and of coarse clean everything completely but that's all machine costs so it's extra. A full rebuild kit should include rod and crank bearings, timing belt, all the seals, all the gaskets, thrust bearing, pilot bearing, water pump, oil pump, valve stem seals, valve shims, rings, and a few other things I'm probably forgetting.