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1UZFE - Considering ITBs and Cams. Thoughts?

Old 10-28-15, 02:25 PM
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Deegee
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Default 1UZFE - Considering ITBs and Cams. Thoughts?

I'm toying around with the idea of some individual throttle bodies and slightly bigger cams on my 1UZ SC400 (non vvti).

I'm wondering if I'll need to purchase a different piggyback system (currently have SAFC) to make this system work together and gain slightly more power. My hope is to get near 300 to the wheels in the 1UZ with this setup and tune.. nothing crazy

Would I need to scrap the SAFC all together and get another piggy back or perhaps a stand alone system such as ProEFI or AEM? Right now she has manual tranny (w58), rush headers, intake, and custom single exhaust (2-1) no cats or resonators. The purpose of the vehicle isn't for drag racing or anything, right now I'm having a bunch of fun throwing it sideways with the 1UZ. Replacing the motor with a 1J or 2J isn't an option, and I like the idea that if this 1UZ gets destroyed, I can simply buy another for under $800 bucks.

So, any tips or recommendations on upgrading my current setup with ITBs and Cams or one over the other would be appreciated

Here is a Supra that did something similar.
http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthr...com-Photoshoot

Last edited by Deegee; 10-28-15 at 02:28 PM.
Old 10-28-15, 03:03 PM
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Kris9884
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Well, in short yes, you'll need a stand alone plus, ITB's at the cheapest are like $900 so with the stand alone and ITB you are already around 2k, before cams and installation.. :/ At least if something happens to the motor you can get a junkyard swap for like $250 all day.
Old 10-28-15, 03:14 PM
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Ali SC3
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it only makes it sound cool, there are lots of videos online of it. ITB changes the engine alot, you will need a more capable piggyback like the aem fic or a full standalone to take advantage of the ITB's, even then its tricky.

I would look into boosting the 1uz, the cams are already decent for hp applications.
the first thing I would do is look into a centrifugal supercharger on a fish bracket.
If you have more fab skills, then a real single turbo setup is always a great power adder.
Old 10-28-15, 03:17 PM
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Kris9884
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If you're just looking for cheap power near 300hp or more, there have been great reviews of 75-100 wet shots from many people without any other mods. BTW how does your car sound with the single exhaust and no res or cats?
Old 10-28-15, 07:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Ali SC3
it only makes it sound cool, there are lots of videos online of it. ITB changes the engine alot, you will need a more capable piggyback like the aem fic or a full standalone to take advantage of the ITB's, even then its tricky.

I would look into boosting the 1uz, the cams are already decent for hp applications.
the first thing I would do is look into a centrifugal supercharger on a fish bracket.
If you have more fab skills, then a real single turbo setup is always a great power adder.
Yeah decent ITBs aren't cheap at all, I've considered boosting it with a centrifugal supercharger and fish bracket and it just seems like there's a bunch of custom fabrication that needs to be done which include relocating the battery, and I believe even losing AC but don't quote me on that. Perhaps somebody that has a supercharger can chime in. I've done some skimming around on Lextreme which tends to be the go to place for 1UZFE mods but honestly a bunch of it seems out of date too... so I haven't seriously considered it hence why I figured NA could be "easier" to setup (and I don't mean cheaper by any means).


Originally Posted by Kris9884
Well, in short yes, you'll need a stand alone plus, ITB's at the cheapest are like $900 so with the stand alone and ITB you are already around 2k, before cams and installation.. :/ At least if something happens to the motor you can get a junkyard swap for like $250 all day.
I was hoping if I went with ITB and cams a tiny bit bigger than OEM that I wouldn't need a stand alone. At that rate it would seem the most logical option to obtain this range of power would be to go with 1J. I've seen posts here and there that indicate a 1J up to 400HP can be fine electronically with the 1J ECU + SAFC - Perhaps somebody can chime in with more detail on this.

Originally Posted by Kris9884
If you're just looking for cheap power near 300hp or more, there have been great reviews of 75-100 wet shots from many people without any other mods. BTW how does your car sound with the single exhaust and no res or cats?
The car is really loud, it almost sounds like an LS when I get on it. A few people that I've drifted and raced say it sounds a lot more powerful than it really is, and they're right.
Old 10-28-15, 09:23 PM
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You can absolutely get 400+ on the stock 1j ECU. Even more with a turbo, fuel pump, injectors and AFC. Checkout some build threads for ideas.
Old 10-29-15, 06:26 AM
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+1 on the super charger. They sound good and are a great combo with the v8. If you could do cams and S/C that would be pretty sweet.
Old 10-29-15, 10:19 AM
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Ali SC3
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the fish bracket requires relocation of the battery, and I am not sure about the fusebox but its easy to turn sideways if needed. you do not have to delete the a/c as far as I remember, they usually say that for single turbo setups cause the exhaust comes right where the compressor sits, but for a supercharger there are no mods to the exhaust. believe it or not the fish bracket is 90% of the fabrication already done, just bolt up the right supercharger and oil lines and presto you are good to go.

relocating battery to the trunk is very easy, its about the same difficulty as running a power wire for an amplifier in the trunk if you have ever done that. from the stock positive wire I have one large wire going to the trunk that connects to the battery with a fuse right next to the battery, and a short wire from the battery to the closest chassis ground bolt. I used a $10 plastic battery box and made a couple holes in the bottom and bolted it down, if you have removed the stock amplifier and cd changer, you can pretty much reuse some of those bolts to secure it down. if you still have those you can do it anywhere else in the trunk its not difficult and helps with the weight distribution on the SC.
Old 10-29-15, 11:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Ali SC3
the fish bracket requires relocation of the battery, and I am not sure about the fusebox but its easy to turn sideways if needed. you do not have to delete the a/c as far as I remember, they usually say that for single turbo setups cause the exhaust comes right where the compressor sits, but for a supercharger there are no mods to the exhaust. believe it or not the fish bracket is 90% of the fabrication already done, just bolt up the right supercharger and oil lines and presto you are good to go.

relocating battery to the trunk is very easy, its about the same difficulty as running a power wire for an amplifier in the trunk if you have ever done that. from the stock positive wire I have one large wire going to the trunk that connects to the battery with a fuse right next to the battery, and a short wire from the battery to the closest chassis ground bolt. I used a $10 plastic battery box and made a couple holes in the bottom and bolted it down, if you have removed the stock amplifier and cd changer, you can pretty much reuse some of those bolts to secure it down. if you still have those you can do it anywhere else in the trunk its not difficult and helps with the weight distribution on the SC.
While the stock positive lead is 6 gauge I wouldn't use that as a gauge to what you should run to the trunk; it's a fairly long run, I would want to bump it up. Although, running a 4 gauge wire through the door sill moldings can be a bit difficult, so you could run 2x 6 gauge wires instead, which gives you the equivalent of a single 3 gauge. There are 2 troughs in each molding, so it's probably easier to put 2 smaller runs than one thick one. Especially where it gets to the back seat area, I remember it being slightly annoying to even get just a 10 gauge cable around back there.

You can still leave the factory 6 gauge starter wire at the engine and do a terminal block to "splice" them together. The factory wire just has a terminal lug at the battery clamp, anyway, so a simple stud-type block would work well. There's also distribution blocks with studs and screws, so you can put your new battery cables on one side, the factory starter cable on the other, accessories in the screws. Then screw the block and its cover in an easy to reach area out of the way of your new SC/Turbo and pipes. If a turbo make sure it's far enough away from the exhaust side that it doesn't melt.

And wherever you run it through the firewall, make sure it's well protected from shorting out against the body.
Old 10-30-15, 09:11 AM
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I am actually in the process of making a spacer for the 1uz intake manifold for have some more air volume. I was wondering if anyone else has an intake manifold that has been modded or made.
Old 10-30-15, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Ali SC3
the fish bracket requires relocation of the battery, and I am not sure about the fusebox but its easy to turn sideways if needed. you do not have to delete the a/c as far as I remember, they usually say that for single turbo setups cause the exhaust comes right where the compressor sits, but for a supercharger there are no mods to the exhaust. believe it or not the fish bracket is 90% of the fabrication already done, just bolt up the right supercharger and oil lines and presto you are good to go.

relocating battery to the trunk is very easy, its about the same difficulty as running a power wire for an amplifier in the trunk if you have ever done that. from the stock positive wire I have one large wire going to the trunk that connects to the battery with a fuse right next to the battery, and a short wire from the battery to the closest chassis ground bolt. I used a $10 plastic battery box and made a couple holes in the bottom and bolted it down, if you have removed the stock amplifier and cd changer, you can pretty much reuse some of those bolts to secure it down. if you still have those you can do it anywhere else in the trunk its not difficult and helps with the weight distribution on the SC.
Hmm this sounds very intriguing and possibly what I'm looking to do if cams + itb wouldn't net me any more power than FI persay. Would you happen to have any links on build threads regarding this setup? I haven't been able to find a kit that comes with everything for 1UZ.
Old 10-30-15, 05:01 PM
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I say go ***** out. Like you said 1UZ is easily replaceable if anything goes wrong then its just taking the bolt-ons off and putting em on the new engine. I was always interested in finding out what a 1UZ can do NA. Standalone for sure especially if you have cams intake exhaust fuel etc
Old 10-30-15, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by SCFactory
I say go ***** out. Like you said 1UZ is easily replaceable if anything goes wrong then its just taking the bolt-ons off and putting em on the new engine. I was always interested in finding out what a 1UZ can do NA. Standalone for sure especially if you have cams intake exhaust fuel etc
Yeah absolutely my thought as well. Break something, and transfer it onto the next 1UZ and drop it right back in.

Last question regarding stand alone ECM on 1UZ NA; Would I still go with the almighty AEM/ProEFI stand alone ECM?? Or is there a particular stand alone that is ideal for NA?
Old 11-01-15, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Deegee
Yeah absolutely my thought as well. Break something, and transfer it onto the next 1UZ and drop it right back in.

Last question regarding stand alone ECM on 1UZ NA; Would I still go with the almighty AEM/ProEFI stand alone ECM?? Or is there a particular stand alone that is ideal for NA?

I was thinking Megasquirt as far as engine management. It's a V8 and it should respond well to more air, more fuel. Guys in Australia have all sorts of great thigns for that engine, not so much stateside. Have you seen the videos of an ITB 1uz?
Old 11-02-15, 07:37 AM
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Originally Posted by sc4hunnit
I was thinking Megasquirt as far as engine management. It's a V8 and it should respond well to more air, more fuel. Guys in Australia have all sorts of great thigns for that engine, not so much stateside. Have you seen the videos of an ITB 1uz?
Yeah I've come across many 1UZ vids in 240s, Miata, and Cressidas which inspired me to keep it in the SC.

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