In the beginning: All of the original wiring was jacked from dry-rot and hacking from the previous owner/shop. It just made sense to me just to do a swap. The purchase: 1994 Celica GT-Four WRC. Third Generation 3SGTE. 2500 of this particular engine were built, the bare minimum production requirement for entry into WRC (Homologation). If you are interested in something similar, the non-WRC is just as fun, and MUCH easier to come by. In and out with the ol' swaparoo: Don't try to look under her skirt. The easy part is complete in 6.5 hours. Bolting in is just the beginning: Bolted right in as if they were meant for each other! Minimal fab required. The waiting game.... Wiring is fun, so until we could get caught up around the shop customer wise, she collects some dust. At least she looks really good, even just sitting. Add 8 months and a few Coronas and Newcastles.......... 3 Sets of wheels and numerous 16 hour days later.... Anyway, this is my baby. She's been a long time in the making, but it was well worth the wait! If she is not the first actual WRC swapped 88 in the US, I am the first girl to have done a 205 swap in that generation afaik. No flaming on this one boys, plenty of witnesses to me being completely hands-on with this project. I needed a lot of help (TY Harry) - not like he had a choice - but I cant thank him enough. We had to COMPLETELY re-wire this beast, and I own him years of backrubs to pay him off. Every bolt I couldnt break loose, everything that was too heavy, everything that was beyond my "girly skills", he was there to help every step of the way. Mod list: Modified engine mounts with 90A Hardness urethane filler Fluidyne radiator from 4G63 T Frankenstein half-shafts (ST205/ST165) ST185 Coilover system (some fitment modification) Synchronic BOV Hallman MBC @ 15psi Upgraded Heat Exhchanger for factory A2W IC system. Lo-tec Pillar Pod with Autometer Water Temp/Boost/Oil Pressure Gauges Apexi Turbo Timer 17" Scion tC wheels Battery Relocation Short Ram Intake (Custom with AEM element) Hand-Made 2.5-3" Exhaust with Guru Divorced WG Downpipe She's pretty much stock, but I love her just the same! Future plans: SuperPro Urethane Bushing Kit (purchased but yet to install) 4-Wheel Alignment & sport tuning on coilover system. (Just need them adjusted) *Hoping for a 62-1 Turbonetics Turbo from one really kind husband* MAP ECU 2 880cc Injectors 16x7 Wheels in Bronze (have yet to find the right ones) Fresh paint Repair heater control panel and high pressure power steering line Rear limited slip differential from ST185 Replace/recover black leathers Replace ST165 IC pump with Bosch AEM UEGO 6-in-1 Wideband
Very cool, kudos for you for all the work. I am curious though, why did you have to make up a hybrid halfshaft. I run the 205 box and it mates fine with the 165 bits? BTW 205 rear diffs are just as good as 185 rc / CS ones for the LSD, some ST185s were open diffs like the 165, so not really an upgrade as such. If you are going to swap the rear diff, try and get a complete 205 rear subframe with discs and calipers too, it can be made to bolt straight in.
Welcome to the boards! "Snap" on the colour - very sexy (but I'm biased) Excellent sofar - let this be an inspiration for us all You're in the right place, these guys really know their stuff and we all enjoy helping one another
I used the halfshafts because for some reason my 165 stubs wouldnt fit snugly within the transmission. We took the 205 inner stubs and mated them to the 165 outer half shafts. I just wish I had the full 205 shafts, since my 165 ones are in rough shape anyhow Unfortunately being in the US, its much more likely for me to find the differential from a 185 than a 205. I know the codes for finding the LSD variation from the 185, but if I find a 205 diff as cheap/close I would much rather jump on that! LOL Thanks for the help!
No worries MR2 guru. Another quick tip is on the 185 rear brakes, if you can find a complete rear set up, Nick the carriers for the rear discs and the rear discs themselves, its a small but worth while bolt on upgrade, giving you bigger rear discs, while still using your caliper. Just a heads up, the guys in the UK have found that 350 - 380bhp is the practical limit for the 205 wta system, many choose to upgrade to a FMIC before that and report better intake temps. The Evo 9 FMIC is a popular fitment and there are actually kits available so its just a bolt on set up for a 205, maybe would make things simpler for your car too? When you up the boost, with the bigger turbo, watch the fueling, no 3 cylinder always runs lean with the top feed set up. ST205 blocks can crack for some reason easier than the others, although you have by far the better head and gasket set. nice to help out, 205 swapped 165s and very very popular in the UK, so If I can be off assistance, let us know.
glad to see you finally post this here. welcome. half shafts can be swapped for 1990 camry v6 axles which are readily available here. fyi. in fact i had to order 4 of them because the first pair was one camry and one alltrac. lol. just so you guys know i hardly doubt they will need a ton of help. mr2guru.com i believe is the website.
going to the dragon next year? i'm planning everything around it this time so i will be there in mine.
That engine is seriously huge; here I am complaining about getting the injectors out of a 3S-GE, using shortcuts :-/. Any peformance comparisons to a stock st165 or st162? I wonder how much faster it is, although that engine looks a bit heavier than the 3S-GTE. Your car certainly looks nice, I hope you enjoy it. Is that a manual or automatic? I couldn't tell by the pictures. Didn't think the st165s were sold as automatic, either. I noticed that you run an MR2 shop in Asheville. I couldn't believe it, since I'm 35 minutes south in Hendersonville. I've been pondering getting an mk1 MR2 sometime, so having you guys so close would definitely be a plus. It also looks like you are quite fluent with 4th gen Celicas, so if I can coax these '91 Supra injectors into working on my Celica and I keep it running long enough to have more troubles, I may come by sometime . --Teran
To pick up on a few things in you post mate The UK ST205s are generally about 240 - 250bhp on normal fuel, Jap stuff being higher octane. Compared to the UK ST165, which had 182bhp as stock. pound to pound, the ST165 is the lighter shell 0-60 book figures in the uk Stock 165 7.7 secs 0.60. Stock 205 5.8 secs 0.60. ( they are faster times, but this is an average) I would say that at least this conversion is worth maybe 60 - 70bhp more than a stock ST165, and certainly the ecu, turbo and head are far better, giving you much more low down torque. The Stock ST205 gearbox is lower geared than the St165 one, aiding acceleration at the expense of cruising. I would not say there is much difference in the weights of the 2 engines, maybe the gen 3 being lighter by a couple of kgs thats all. It would be a manual, the only auto came with the ST215 Calidina and the gen4 3sgte engine. no other auto 4wd cars sold to my knowledge hth mate
