I just bought a 92 Lexus sc300, but the engine won't start (hydrolocked most likely). I plan on rebuilding the motor with boost in mind. I've done alot of searching and research on this topic. I plan on using 2jzgte pistons, bc stage two cams, bc valve springs and retainers, and all refresher parts. I won't be ready for boost for quite some time, but I want tobuild the motor for it so I won't have to tear it apart again when I want boost. what do you guys suggest I do, since I'll be running the motor n/a for a while. I know what gasket to use if I want boost, but I don't think that low compression will work well with n/a. any advice? thanks

 

Why not just swap in a 1jz? Do all the normal maintenance while its out and drop it in with stock twins until you want to move to a larger single.

 

If I get a different motor id do the same refresh I'm doing right now to the 2jzge, plus replace turbos, buy an intercooler setup, ecu, harness, have to do wiring, tuning, just alot of uneccessary time and money imo.

 

Its really very simple if you look into it more. Wiring is simple with the right engine set, turbos don't usually have to be replaced, intercooler is a must for any boosting, ecu comes with the motor...

I'm just saying it might be worth looking into.

 

I'll look it, but if I did get a swap, I would still replace rings, valve guides, seals, bearings, ect.

 

Most of the motors come over with 50-60k miles most people just do the main seals, water pump ect

 

Dont take the head off! Seems like people who do have bad luck with them blowing up....something about mystical magic jz dust. lmao

My buddy has a sc drift car with a stock 1jz, precision 6162, good fuel system(can't remember what), makes 500 and has dogged the hell out of it at events with zero issues for a few seasons.

If that's not a testament to the reliability of a 1jz motor, then i don't know what is.

 

Don't take the head off which motor? Is it really that much better to just drop a 1jz in than to have a rebuilt 2jzge ready for na-t?

 

I like GTE swaps and I think they are great for most people, but that doesn't mean na-t is not reliable, the engines are practically the same and if it blows 90% its installation error or bad tuning/engine management. The gte doesn't get a bad rep cause it comes with a turbo ecu already, but if you follow my guide for swapping to a turbo ecu, then you can put together whatever na-t you want and run it with similar reliability as long as you keep your boost level right for your compression ratio, which comes into play deciding on your headgasket and pistons etc. you must decide on your short term and long term turbo goals, and then decide on the headgasket/pistons.

If na-t wasn't reliable then there wouldn't be so many of us with na-t's for years and years. My head has been off.. lol.. and my motor hasn't blown up yet, and really I don't think it ever will. Have had no problems motor wise at all really with the GE.

OP rebuilding the Ge or even getting another one for na-t is a good idea, honestly anything JZ is a good idea, na-t can save yourself buying alot of double parts if you are going single turbo anyways, and with the right setup you can have the reliability of a regular gte even with a turbo. that being said if you just slap together all the wrong stuff and use the stock ecu with a piggyback you can expect it to not be reliable or even fun for that matter.

most important is on na-t is choosing the right setup (for turbo parts), and also engine management.
If you run a na-t on the stock non turbo computer and beat on it, yes you will have lots of problems.
If you use a turbo ecu or even a standalone those issues are not as existent which is why people favor gte swaps because it already comes with an ecu that works, it cannot be made to run as bad as a na-t does if you just slap a turbo and a afc on there (Which many people seem to think is good enough). IF you go standalone though make sure you know a good tuner you can trust or it quickly becomes a huge problem after your build is done and you are ready to enjoy it, but you can't set up the ecu.

If you are planning on low boost 400hp or less, then the na gasket and na pistons is the way to go keep that compression ratio up there and you will be fast off the line and quicker to spool
IF you want to go closer to the 600's reliably on pump without a world class tune and setup, then a tt gasket is what you will want to do with na pistons, or a ge gasket with lower compression tt pistons. IF you are redoing the pistons anyways, the method using the GE gasket is technically superior, but most of us with long blocks that are still in good shape just do the headgasket and arp headstuds, the net effect is similar but not exactly the same the ge gasket provides a better squish technically speaking.

you can run a tt headgasket on an n/a motor, but it will feel a little less peppy. as I said it comes down to your goals. IF you never get around to going turbo, you will not like the tt headgasket in the long run. If you do an na gasket, then go turbo and decide you are bored with the 12 psi or whatever and must have more boost, you will also not be happy about having to redo it, so figure out which is more important. being slow for while na so you can run more boot later, or keeping it a fast na but limiting your boost. its all a tradeoff really unless you are using ethanol, and then always use a GE headgasket and GE pistons, its is much simpler with E85.

 

Thank you very much! Gte pistons with ge headgasket was what I was thinking, but I wanted to make sure the car would run safely on the lower compression until I gather the funds to boost. It's not my daily driver, only a project car. I plan on running megasquirt or aem.

 

the car will run just fine even in n/a if you lower the compression even with the stock ecu, it just won't feel like it has that extra umph. after a couple of weeks you probably won't notice it but as I said if you are lowering the compression I am going to assume your power goals are more than 400hp, because if they aren't, then you are lowering your compression for no reason. If your goals are higher than that then you are on the right track If you need to hit very high power levels you may want to consider further dropping the compression.

Without knowing your power goals its hard to make recommendations. literally no 2 people seem to have the same goals when building a JZ, and for different power ranges, I personally would build my JZ in many different ways, so the more you define how much power you want to make the more the very experienced JZ guys on here can help narrow it down for you.

 

My.end power goal would be around 600whp. I'm going to keep it N/A until I upgrade brakes, suspension, and wheels and tires, than boost but limit it to 450whp because I don't want to jump from stock to 600whp when taking turns sideways. Once I get comfortable with 400-450 ill up the boost until I'm comfortable around 600-650whp

 

Just out of curiosity, how low of compression ratio are you trying to go for when you do the rebuild?

 

low 9's is a good spot to be. its like the new 8.5

 

I'll be trying to go for low 8.5 - 9.0