2GR Engine swap with EB60 gearbox = no cutting rear subrame build video!

[jvanzyl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusNROfjFTQ&t=424s

Finally a build series showing how to put a 2GR in where you don't have to cut the rear subframe!

We'd still have to ship the gearbox over from the US as I don't think we don't get the EB60 over here.. but that's not that bad in the grande scheme of things.

[Nvy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusNROfjFTQ&t=424s

Finally a build series showing how to put a 2GR in where you don't have to cut the rear subframe!

We'd still have to ship the gearbox over from the US as I don't think we don't get the EB60 over here.. but that's not that bad in the grande scheme of things.

I cant see an easy and cheap way to source 2GR either so it has to be shipped from US too. The prices for 2GR I have found are in the 3500 mark.

[jvanzyl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusNROfjFTQ&t=424s

Finally a build series showing how to put a 2GR in where you don't have to cut the rear subframe!

We'd still have to ship the gearbox over from the US as I don't think we don't get the EB60 over here.. but that's not that bad in the grande scheme of things.

I cant see an easy and cheap way to source 2GR either so it has to be shipped from US too. The prices for 2GR I have found are in the 3500 mark.

You don't get the old lexus 350's over there?

[Gaz2405]

Eb or EA transmission is going to be the way I go in the future.

[Nvy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusNROfjFTQ&t=424s

Finally a build series showing how to put a 2GR in where you don't have to cut the rear subframe!

We'd still have to ship the gearbox over from the US as I don't think we don't get the EB60 over here.. but that's not that bad in the grande scheme of things.

I cant see an easy and cheap way to source 2GR either so it has to be shipped from US too. The prices for 2GR I have found are in the 3500 mark.

You don't get the old lexus 350's over there?

We do but engines can be hardly found. Also its close to impossible to register such car here, ill have to do the swap, sell it to some1 in another country and then import it back. Id rly love a V6 tho

[jvanzyl]

Eb or EA transmission is going to be the way I go in the future.

Yeah unfortunately you gotta import them from the US. I couldn't find them here.

But if you look at how he's done the rest of his engine swaps, a lot of the kit will be purchaseable from him, and it's looking like you won't need to get a custom ecu and tune which will save £1000's..

[Gaz2405]

Toyota Auris uses the EA61... 6 speed, or an Evora. 😂

[jvanzyl]

Toyota Auris uses the EA61... 6 speed, or an Evora. 😂

I have no idea if an EA gearbox would work.. I've emailed the guy so much trying to get an AR swap details sorted for doing it over here and he's been super patient with me. I'll leave if for a bit till the series progresses..

[Gaz2405]

EA gearbox fits the 2gr, it's what comes on the Evora as standard.

[jvanzyl]

EA gearbox fits the 2gr, it's what comes on the Evora as standard.

Gotcha - it's the size and room that it occupies which is the clinch... not having to notch the subframe is a big deal.

Found the EB transmission we'd need in the US:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2005-2010-SCION-TC-2-4L-STANDARD-TRANSMISSION-MANUAL-SHIFT-TESTED/392894405672?fits=Model%3AtC%7CMake%3AScion&hash=item5b7a54dc28:g:jGgAAOSwi15fJh76

so then it comes down to shipping etc..

[Carolyn]

Actually, the cost and effort of notching the subframe is very minor compared to the rest of the project.

[jvanzyl]

Actually, the cost and effort of notching the subframe is very minor compared to the rest of the project.

True, but it's one less thing to have to do/pay for :-)

No idea what the balance of the cost would be for sourcing one of the MR2 Turbo (e153?) gearboxes and notching the subframe vs ordering the e60 gearbox from the US..

[J88TEO]

Isn't the EB gearbox found in the Avensis and the Camry?

[jvanzyl]

Isn't the EB gearbox found in the Avensis and the Camry?

Yes - in the manual versions I believe.. of which I've never found one :-/

[shnazzle]

What I'm puzzled by is that on the 1mz and 2gr conversions so far, the top cross bar has to be moved backwards. How come that is no longer necessary?
That makes the notching of the subframe seem like a piece of piddle

[jvanzyl]

What I'm puzzled by is that on the 1mz and 2gr conversions so far, the top cross bar has to be moved backwards. How come that is no longer necessary?
That makes the notching of the subframe seem like a piece of piddle

Yeah no idea about that part... guess we'll have to wait and see what happens in the vidjeos.

[Gaz2405]

What I'm puzzled by is that on the 1mz and 2gr conversions so far, the top cross bar has to be moved backwards. How come that is no longer necessary?
That makes the notching of the subframe seem like a piece of piddle

Not all have been moved back, there's a few that haven't had it touched, but does look close though!

[Marc]

Hi everyone, I'm the creator of that video and noticed a bit of traffic coming from here.

I'm happy to answer any questions but i wanted to answer a few that i see already.

Notching the crossmember is not a huge deal when you have to cut the firewall anyways but the basis for this swap is actually the 2AR-FE kit that i make and that one does not require any cutting at all so positioning the transmission to not require notching the crossmember there means it's way more in reach for people doing their first engine swap and may not know how to weld or know anyone that can.

On the V6 you'll always have to make a top access panel, otherwise there's no way to service the front coils and plugs.

The disadvantage of where the transmission is located for the 2AR-FE swap is that the front alternator access panel becomes not quite needed but strongly recommended. You can actually just use the 4GR alternator to move the plug and gently add 10mm clearance around the alternator. the sheetmetal there is so thin that a few light hits with a plastic hammer will add the necessary clearance without damaging the paint. Personally i will be putting in an access panel anyways because i want to be able to service the alternator if something ever happens to it.

The thickness of that alternator panel will be less than the thickness of the padding on the carped there so it won't be visible at all under normal conditions. I won't be quite as lucky on the top panel, the padding there is only a few millimetres thick but that'll mostly be covered by the parcel shelf anyways so the interior should look factory. 

I don't need to leave a ton of clearance for engine movement, the 2AR-FE swap is also tight up there so the front motor mount is quite stiff to make up for this. I might have to fill the rear motor mount to limit movement further but we'll see when I get there.

The rear bar where the engine lid attaches to will not need to be touched because the engine is mounted far enough forward. I don't have a picture with an intake on it but this should give you an idea of clearance:


Hopefully this answers some questions but i'm happy to answer more and thank you for watching the video!

[jvanzyl]

Welcome Marc! :-)

Thank you for answering all of those questions - it is much appreciated.
Glad to hear that the top structures don't need shifting...

So an angle grinder and some tec screws and we're good for the access panels yeah? ;-)

[Marc]

I'm going to try to be a bit fancier than tek screws but all you need to do is seal off the area. If you did it with Tek screws it would still not be anywhere near as bad as some of the stuff i've seen in the past and none of the areas being touched are structural anyways so it would not be an issue in respect to strength.

Overall it should still be a relatively easy swap and should be doable in the $6-7k range. Way less if you spend time hunting for deals of course.

[jvanzyl]

I'm going to try to be a bit fancier than tek screws but all you need to do is seal off the area. If you did it with Tek screws it would still not be anywhere near as bad as some of the stuff i've seen in the past and none of the areas being touched are structural anyways so it would not be an issue in respect to strength.

Overall it should still be a relatively easy swap and should be doable in the $6-7k range. Way less if you spend time hunting for deals of course.

Of that $6-7K range - how much of that is that actual engine and gearbox/ and is the exhaust manifold etc in that budget? ( He says reaching for excel and plotting power vs £.. )

[Marc]

Let's see, i hadn't actually put a shopping list together, let's take a stab at it:

2gr-fe motor with alternator $800 (this can vary quite a bit but that's a fair estimate)
EB60 $1200 (right now they are a bit more because of COVID builds, there's about 2 years of MR2 builds that have started in the last three months, figure $1800 if you're in a hurry and don't look for a deal right now)
Flywheel $350
Clutch $400
Calry DBW pedal $25

So that's $2775-3375 in the donor parts

Then, the mechanical bits i make:
EB60 Trans mounts: $395
EB60 Shift linkage kit: $442 (there's a bunch of tiny custom parts in this, if you're able to fabricate you can likely save some money here but we're assuming that people want the easy way so this is staying in the total)
DBW pedal adapter $66
2GR right side motor mount $200 (this one isn't actually for sale yet but that's my target price and it will be made available by the end of this series)

Axles $260 (made by assembling 3 rav4 axles together, there's a video on this)
custom clutch hose $25

So at this point it's done mechanically, the engine is hanging in there and the transmission is hooked up to the wheels, the clutch pedal and the shifter and you're at $4163-$4763

So let's get an exhaust on there,
stock manifolds $200 (you can get a better deal if you find some that have damaged cats since you're just looking for the collector)
y-pipe supplies $200
Muffler bits $250 (could be $0 if you reuse the stock exhaust, it'll cost a bit of power though, it's a reasonable exhaust but this is way more power than stock)
labor: $0 because we're assuming you're doing it yourself

bringing us to $4163-5013

great, one step closer, now we need electrical so you're going to go back to my store:
Body controller $190 (this makes the gauges and the A/C work, it handles all the BEAN MPX communications and becomes a junction box to make it so you don't need to modify any of the stock vehicle wiring other than the engine harness)
2AR-FE wiring kit $150 (this only needs slight repinning for use with a 2GR, i'll document them but if there's enough demand i may even make them available that way also)
ECU $460 (this pricing assumes you don't turn a core in and you're using a 3rd gen sienna ECU which isn't on the store yet but will be very soon. Rav4 which is available today is $550)
MAF pipe $170
6" filer $55
Intake elbow/PCV connection $75 (this is a DIY affair but the videos will show how)

You'll also need to hook up about 15 wires or so yourself, these will be well documented and you can check out the 2AR-FE wiring video to get an idea of the work involved, it's pretty simple)

Add $70 for quality fuel line bits and now you have a motor that runs and your total is $5333-$6183

the motor runs but you still needs odds and ends:
Serpentine belt: $25
A/C bracket (optional): $150 (this is a rough target price if this part becomes available from me, i need to get further along before i give more details on this)
ECU Brackets: $45 (i make a set of brackets for the 2AR ecu that can be used but will need a bit of tweaking
MAF pipe bracket: $20 (another DIY affair, the 2AR-FE one likely won't be usable here)
Cooling hoses: $200 (this seems generous but it adds up quickly by the time everything is hooked up)
Battery relocation: $40 (DIY)
supplies to close off access panels: $200 (diy)
Dipstick modification supplies: $30 (DIY)
Vacuum hoses: $50
Coolant: $40
At this point you have a finished car and you've spent $5983-$6983

There's probably a thing or two missing from this list like assorted hardware that you may be missing but this list should get you from zero to a finished swap.

TLDR; yes that includes absolutely everything as long as you started with a running car.

[jvanzyl]

Marc this excellent - it gives such a great insight as to what is part of the swap and a very good indication of costs... you could totally budget for this build over time and get it done. What an awesome project this would be!

[Marc]

If you're concerned about budget and you want to do this as cheap as possible i would start by keeping my eye out for a cheap transmission. The one in the video was picked up for $200 and i'm going to put about $160 in it to bring it back up to where it should be. and frankly the only thing in that $160 that you would not do is the $55 shift lever because yours is unlikely to be ridiculously rusty. The rest is new seals and whatnot, stuff you would want for your build anyways.

But please, for the sake of everyone don't hoard one of these transmissions and then don't get the build done. As soon as i start talking about stuff like this the price goes up because the short supply gets exhausted and then people can't do the swap which means they don't buy my parts and make my efforts a bit pointless.

My total investment in this build will be about $2500 including from the price of the car to the coolant that goes in at the end but i know what kind of parts i use for my builds so i buy them opportunistically. The last part i was missing was that transmission so when i found it i started planning for the project.

[Bugster_MR2]

Welcome to MR2ROC.

Not having to cut the crossmember is a pretty big deal if you ask me. Great work.