1MZ-FE Rev4 Swap

[rev4sam]

Hello all, i'm Sam Benbow and i'm starting the idiotic first-time project of putting a 97 Camry's heart (1MZ-FE) into my beloved Rev4 uk model t-top. Now i understand that this isn't exactly a groundbreaking unique swap but this is gonna keep myself, a noob of the highest order, very busy for a while. So it's safe to say that i'm gonna be spending a lot of time on this forum and tapping into all of your experience! 

So iv'e had my car for about a year and it's pretty much standard, other than rota wheels, long-life exhaust, nrg steering wheel and a short shifter kit. To be fair, iv'e absolutely loved every minute of ownership and haven't had any major problems, other than the heater matrix pipe of doom! It's been great fun to drive and a really good daily car but I feel like i want something different now. I didn't want a turbo because i like the sound of a v6 more and buying a prebuilt v6 mr2 was out of the question as well. So i was then left with just one option, build my own! So it was either going to be a 1mz or 3vz engined car, and due to various nit-picky reasons i decided on the 1mz! So iv'e bought the swap kit off of Chris Woods and got it home yesterday to start cleaning the engine down and replacing or servicing various parts. after which it'll be time for the main event, the bit that i am most concerned about! But i'm beyond excited to get this journey underway and will keep you all posted!  


This is my baby in her current state,


And this is the lump going in her!

[manitou]

Aug 20, 2018 21:50:21 GMT rev4sam said:

Hello all, i'm Sam Benbow and i'm starting the idiotic first-time project of putting a 97 Camry's heart (1MZ-FE) into my beloved Rev4 uk model t-top. Now i understand that this isn't exactly a groundbreaking unique swap but this is gonna keep myself, a noob of the highest order, very busy for a while. So it's safe to say that i'm gonna be spending a lot of time on this forum and tapping into all of your experience! 

welcome welcome!

not so idiotic, I have the same project at my place - it's a glacial thing.

Anyway, this is the place to ask v6 questions - well, we are hoping it will be the place for v6erie and other bodgey business. Forums have dwindled due to suckerbergs data machine, so a lot of the old forums have been to fade away and have been neglected, but this one is here to stay!

So don't think any question is too dumb because someone else will probably want to know the same thing, and unlike faecaebook people will be able to search old Q's and A's for years to come.

Put up some pics as you make progress. 

[martin42006]

Welcome to the club.
A good first swap, I just finished swapping mine a month or so ago. If you need a hand with anything then there are plenty on here who can help. Are you wiring it yourself or have you got the loom?

[rev4sam]

Hi guys, thanks for the welcome! Yeh I'm going to be attempting to wire it myself which is concerning, considering my absolute lack of electrical experience!

[byrney1984]

Welcome along to the party. Don’t fret about the wiring just check every connection as you go and you’ll be fine. If not just ask theres enough of a skills base here to help.

[martin42006]

The wiring isn't too bad especially on the non-vvti engine. You will need a multimeter, soldering iron and a butt load of heatshrink.
It's worth taking your time so that you end up with a tidy loom that you can work with.
I had my vvti engine wired up in 2-3 days.

[rev4sam]

Yeh i want the loom to be as easy to understand as possible in case i need to adjust it in the future. Iv'e got a fair while before i'm there mind, I'm still trying to find some mounting bolts for my engine stand at the moment so i'm behind before iv'e even started! Nowhere local stocks them so its gonna have to be an eBay job i think! M12x1.25 stud i believe. Once i get those i can get started working!

[byrney1984]

Yep most jap bolts/threads are metric fine. Not sure where mine came. Might have been from the body mounts but I did have to turn some pipes down to extend my stand because it wouldn’t clear the flywheel. But that was when I only did the bottom end rebuild. Good luck with your build I’m hoping to have my 3vz turbo running in 6 weeks just had a major set back.

[rev4sam]

Well, not sure if you can call it progress but the engine is finally on the stand and in the conservatory ready for a good seeing to! I'm off to cruise culture in Carmarthen tomorrow, after which my full attention will be on the engine! Check ouit my instagram, @sam.benbow.97 Ill be putting up all of the photos from Cruise Culture and the progress on the car.

[cdwood2010]

It was great to meet you Sam, you're enthusiasm for the project will pay off big time!

The trick is to make a list of all the jobs you need to do, keep it updated, add things you forgot, and do a little every day. Even if it's just a small task, it will keep you moving along.

Projects like this are like a roller coaster, you head down hill dismantling, cleaning, stripping etc. Eventually you reach a point where start climbing up the other side, bolting things together, fitting parts, making connections and more importantly crossing more things off your list.

By the time you're ready to fire her up, you will know every bolt, and every wire. The wiring is really easy, and I will try consolidate my notes for you. The good news is that you can't do any damage by not connecting something, only by connecting something incorrectly. And as we verify each wire as we go, that's pretty hard to do!

That's a way off yet, focus on the prep for now, and take the opportunity to do any jobs that are easier with the engine out and the bay empty.

Give me a call anytime, or post up any questions and progress so we can help out / take the piss according!



Chris.