hi guys,
i know there is plenty of info for the r154 swap but i'm making my own thread to tell my personal experience on my 93 sc300 5 speed (w58).

first off, i must say that i've read a bunch and have done a lot of late night reading on this swap so there is plenty of info out there, especially here on CL.

now, i have not started the actual swap yet and am still collecting parts. just waiting for them to get here. Listed below are the parts I have or have coming to me:

-used R154 from a 1JZ (which does not have extended shifter housing)
-new 1JZ bellhousing and bolts (seller kept his)
-used MKIII driveshaft (from research, will only need front half)
-new HPF ferramic clutch and Spec pressure plate
-new stock 1JZ flywheel, flywheel bolts, pressure plate bolts
-used clutch release fork, slave cylinder
-all new snap rings, washers, release bearing, pilot bearing: http://cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TS...aspx?S=CL&P=11

some info about my w58: the measurement from the front of the bellhousing to the 2 pins of the shifter housing is 26 7/8 inches. shifter is swan neck type.

some info about my r154: the measurement from the front of the bellhousing to the 2 pins of the shifter housing is 26 inches. shifter is swan neck type.

now most of you know you need to do some sort of modification so the shifter comes out in the appropriate spot. i initially chose to do the heat and bend method to the stock MKIII shifter. well, come to find out the shifter is not a solid piece from the bottom to where the **** screws on. the vibration dampener is actually hollow right in the middle with rubber above and below. this is a good thing...

now i start thinking out of the box. i remember when i had my engine/tranny out, the shifter from my w58 looked very similar. so today, i go out and take my w58 shifter out. guess what, the MKIII shifter fits in it and the w58 shifter fits in the R154.

now here is the interesting part: though the shifters are similar, the MKIII shifter is tilted towards the driver's side. in my chassis, it's almost enough to hit the left side of the shifter console when in 1st or 2nd but i can still shift cleanly. i'm assuming this is because the center console for the MKIII is a little off center towards the driver's side. looking at the w58 shifter, it's actually tilted towards the passenger side and puts it in the middle when in neutral.

another interesting difference between the 2 shifters: the w58 shifter is about an inch longer towards the rear. so think of it...the MKIII shifter in my car not only sits closer to the driver's side, it's also an inch more forward. there is also enough room in the shifter console that it does not hit anything up front when in 1st, 3rd, and 5th.

what this all means...
i can use the w58 shifter with the r154 and will only be an inch off within the shifter console. these 2 pics, from joewitafro show what i'm talking about. my measurements are 26 inches and 29 inches where his are 27 and 30, respectively. he's got an actual soarer r154 with the extended housing:



my only concern is the 26 inch measurement. the opening within the tunnel is about 2 inches by 2 inches. if the opening isn't big enough on the forward side, i think i'm just going to cut the tunnel enough so the shifter can bolt up. this way, no other modifications are needed. i will update this thread once i begin the swap. i'll also take pics for u guys to see what i'm talking about.

ps. the parts that blizzy mentioned to buy would work. if u use the r154 shifter, it would still be an inch short (which would not matter as there is enough room) or if u use the w58 shifter, it would fit perfectly.

fred

 

So blizzy's mod but using the W58 shifter is the way to go? One thing I like about the W58 is the shifter. I've got a greddy **** on there now, but I really enjoy the way the shifter feels and where it is positioned.

This is good info, keep it coming!

 

i believe so. as joewitafro mentioned, the soarer shifter is different than the r154...it's one inch longer which i believe is the same one used in the w58. the placement/angle of the shifter also corresponds more to what would fit in the sc300. the MKIII shifter installed on my w58 puts it closer to the driver. the W58 shifter puts it in the middle of the console.

i'll take some pics of the w58 shifter installed on the r154 and post it up. unfortunately i can't do it w/ the MKIII shifter as i already have it installed on the w58 tranny.

 

This is really good find crazy, you are correct on the MKIII shifter about it being slanted to the left. It barely hits my console in first but its enough to notice. Just to refresh the measurement on the shifter I cut, I cut mine 2" directly back, and it is perfectly centered, (after I cut the new hole of course), in the console, but still slanted. So it sounds like you nailed it on the head with this one.

Jon

 

Crazy, here are some pics of my mk3 shifter moddeed to fit the sc .Yesterday i decided to tack weld it just to be on the safe side. I also cleaned out the rubber and use jb weld to full the hole up. Short shifter that fits perfect in the sc location. The throw is a little longer but i guess i will have to live with it for now.

 

Good thread Craaaazzy
post as many pics of the step by step as you can
thanks!

 

good job. what's ur measurement from the bellhousing to the back of the shifter now? is it around 29-30 inches? i'm thinking now that if i really wanted to, i can make up the extra inch by heating and bending the existing w58 shifter as there is enough rod to do so. this would also lessen the height a little...will need to do some drawings first to make sure.

i was under the car today and it seems like i'll be needing to cut into the tranny tunnel a little bit. not sure how much as i didn't do any measurements. i'll have to remove the shifter again to verify and when i do, i'll let u guys know.

 

I think its around 30 inches give or take. You will definately have to cut the tunnel since the 5 speed tunnel is different from the auto.

 

here are some pics i took today of the parts i've collected. first 2 pics are of the w58 shifter installed on the MKIII R154 tranny. right now, i'm thinking i will just increase the angle of the shifter a little bit to make up the inch difference (ie, pulling the top of the shifter back about an inch so shift **** will be more centered...this should not change my throw significantly)




tranny and driveshaft:


slave, fork, and screws for shifter:


pressure plate, hub, release bearing, and the washers(note some are already on hub):


clutch disk:


1jz flywheel:


shifter bushings:


i'll be taking the shifter out from the shifter console again on the w58 to take measurements of the size of the hole to see how much i'll need to cut...

 

i found an old pic of the w58 when i had it out of the car. does anyone know or have tried putting the shifter housing from the w58 to the r154??? looks similar enough, w58 is slightly longer but if combined w/ MKIII R154 shifter, could put it in the right location.

here's my w58 and below is blizzy's pics of the stock and soarer housings:

 

Your W58 shifter looks identical to my soarer R154 shifter in terms of swan neck. You just have to buy those two peices blizzy talked about.

 

Subscribed.

Thanks for your input in my thread. I'll find out soon how everything fit as far as the shift boot etc.

 

yeah, unfortunately when i called carson, i was told it was no longer produced and their supplier in japan was out. i called a few other places but they wanted about $250 for both parts (but they couldn't confirm that they'd be able to get the parts from japan either). i'd rather live w/ the shifter being an inch more forward and use $250 for meth supply. =)

 

What year W58 is that? My W58 doesnt have the crazy swan neck IIRC

 

bean, mine's a 93. i believe it is an early version w58. the later ones may have had the external shifters i believe but i can't confirm since i don't have one.