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| Http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/supra/ | Short Cuts | ||||
| Author: Andrew Zook February, 2000 |
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Supra Engine Swap Part II Index: |
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| The repaired frame |
Since I am swapping frames to a short wheelbase frame from a standard cab pickup at the same time that I am doing this swap, I needed to move the mounts for the cab and bed, as well as fix that annoying northeastern rust demon.
I started by cutting off all of the mounts for the rear of the cab and the front of the bed. Once these were removed, I had full access to the rusted sections of my frame - most notably right behind all of the mounts that I had just cut off.
In order to get rid of all of the rust and ensure that my frame would last me for many years, I replaced both sides of each frame rail as can be seen in the picture. I did not cut everything out at once, but rather did one side at a time so that the frame would not lose it's original shape.
Once the frame was repaired to my satisfaction, I remounted the springs and axles so that once again I had a rolling chassis!.
Mounting the transmission to the engine
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| Comparing the two bellhousings | Supra bellhousing and transmission |
It is quite obvious that the stock bellhousing on the truck transmission will not work on the Supra engine. The starter and the clutch are located on the opposite side of the engine, so even if the bellhousing from the 22R were to bolt up, the conversion would not work.
I was very relieved to see that indeed the Supra bellhousing was a direct bolt on to the truck transmission. It was a very simple, straightforward procedure.
I next bolted the original Supra flywheel to the engine, and installed the Supra clutch - which just happens to be a Centerforce II! Everything went right together like it was made to do so.
I then installed the transmission onto the engine to prepare it to mount in the truck.
Installing the engine/transmission
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| Driveline mounted in frame | Front view showing clearance | Location of mount compared to original | Clearance and oil pan location |
Once I had a rolling chassis and an intact drivetrain, I was very excited to put the engine into the frame to see how it fit. Using the bucket of the tractor, my father and I effortlessly lifted the engine/transmission into the frame. It was soon apparent that the mounts were spaced apart correctly, at the right angle, and hopefully at the right height!
To mount the engine to the original mounts on the frame I had to make up a plate that bolted to the motor mounts, and cut off the ends of the original plate on the frame. I made something up at work the very next day and eagerly went home to try them out. I bolted them to the engine, lowered the engine into position, and welded the plates right onto the original ones on the frame.
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| The cab installed | Clearance between manifold and booster |
Once the engine was installed and I was happy with the location of it, I brought the cab back into the shop to install it onto the truck.
As soon as the cab was lowered, it was obvious just how tight of a fit this really is. The rear of the engine comes within 3/4" from the firewall and the pulleys in the front of the engine are about 3 inches from the front of the cab. This certainly does not leave much room for the radiator!
One of the first things that I noticed was that the vacuum diaphragm on the top rear of the intake manifold was hitting the brake booster. I soon came to find out that this is a part of the EGR system and can easily be removed and a block off plate fabricated to replace it. Removing the diaphragm turned out to be a little more trouble than it would first appear. To get it off you have to cut the top off so that you can get inside and remove the screws that are holding it. It must have been crimped shut at the factory after the base of it was installed.
Otherwise the fit is tight, but livable. It still looks like the back of the intake manifold will hit the booster when the engine flexes to the side, but I think that a simple dent in the booster will fix this problem.
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| Crossmember/cab interference |
I decided to install a 1" body lift soon after I had the cab sitting on the frame. This is more because of the extra cab on the standard cab frame than anything. The cab was contacting the "U" shaped crossmember in the frame which is almost solved by a 1" body lift. I have to beat the seam on the underside of the cab flat when I remove it to paint everything. The body lift also has advantages for the engine swap. The engine looks like if would have been very close to the underside of the hood without the body lift. It also leaves a lot more room for getting to those pesky transmission bolts when doing a clutch job, and gives me back a little of the lift that the heavier engine and the addition of an ARB Bull Bar has taken away.
I will definately have to do some work to the rear suspension to get the truck to sit level again. It currently looks like it will sit about an inch higher in the rear.
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| The fuel tank installed |
I had been planning to use the fuel tank from the Supra to feed the engine all along. In the interest of saving time, I opted for the fuel tank from an '85 carburated truck because the front of the tank would fit under my extra cab, and the stock extra cab fuel tank would not.
Unfortunately I do not have the fuel lines and the pump installed at the moment. The fuel system is the part of the swap that I am currenty working on and am very close to completing.
Click here to continue to the gory details.
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