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Kalmah's 7M-GTE Swap into 93 Pickup

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Old Oct 18, 2011 | 05:49 PM
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Kalmah's 7M-GTE Swap into 93 Pickup

I bought a pretty built 93 pickup regular cab earlier this year and the 22RE in it has some compression issues and has a knock at startup from what I've heard described as a spun rod bearing. It burns oil and is pretty much at the point where it could probably use a complete rebuild. I'm tired of the lack off "around town" power it has and when driving up to the mountains it only gets worse. I considered getting the ENGNBLDR street head and cam and possibly boring it out but quickly realized the cost would be pretty high. So I pretty much decided after some research to go with the 7M-GTE as the turbo would help out at altitude.

The most motor work I've done is rebuilding the front end of a 22RE in my old 4Runner so this should be a good learning experience and decent winter project for me.

I found a 7M-GTE locally off of craigslist that was pretty cheap, it's missing alot of stuff but I've been able to locate quite a bit of it off of supraforums.com and celicasupra.com.

Here's the truck:



Here's the motor:



Found a brand new clutch for a 7M-GE off supraforums.com:



Started removing all the accessories and valve covers, I'm sure it's going to come apart easier than putting it back together.



Nothing noticeable after taking the covers off, no sludge buildup.



I did notice some oil residue in the 4th cylinder exhaust port, hopefully everything checks out when I pull the head. I'm not too comfortable with changing the valves and springs so I may take it to a shop when the head is pulled.

More to come.
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Old Oct 18, 2011 | 06:12 PM
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I'll be keeping my eyes on this one...
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Old Oct 23, 2011 | 04:17 PM
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Had a problem with one of the head studs and had to drill it out but I finally got the head removed. I had to purchase 10mm and 14mm allen socket heads to get the head studs and spark plug galley cover off.





Cross-thatching looks good, didn't really notice any scoring, alot of rust in the coolant ports.



Have a turbo and some other random stuff on the way. More to come!

Last edited by kalmah; Oct 23, 2011 at 04:19 PM.
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Old Oct 23, 2011 | 05:14 PM
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Excellent, I'll be following this one.
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Old Nov 6, 2011 | 09:41 AM
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Progress???
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Old Nov 6, 2011 | 01:13 PM
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Waiting on funds, will update in a week or two.
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Old Nov 6, 2011 | 01:46 PM
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subed, this going to be good
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Old Nov 25, 2011 | 10:38 AM
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just wanted to stop by and say keep at it man. im in the tail end of this swap now, and i know how much of a pain it can be. the swap itself is not hard, but i have gone to the point of making mine not hacked together and just throwing a used motor in.

anyway, i plan on updating here and on the other forum im part of. before i tried to become part of a couple 4x4 forums and was subsequently snuffed.

as i said, keep trucking with it, cuz i have faith that i will be happy with my swap, and you will be happy with yours when your done.

here is a link to my other thread on toyota-supra.info. lots of help over there, and the moderators completely participate and offer lots of helpful advice. its a smaller board but ive gotten the most help over there with the 7m motor itself, and there are a couple members that have 7m trucks/4runners, and theyve been great with the tips and suggestions.

ill be sub'ed to this build, and if anyone has any questions, ask me and ill try and help with as much as i can.

also, if anyone would like me to put pics up here, lemme know!
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Old Nov 27, 2011 | 03:14 PM
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Quick Update: I've dropped the engine off at my mechanics shop, hes cleaning it up and checking the internals. When I get it back I'll take some pics. I've also received a CT-26 with 28k miles or so on it, no shaft play and the exhaust housing doesn't even have rust on it.
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Old Nov 27, 2011 | 09:08 PM
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very good. make sure your mechanic checks the oil pump clearances, and the valve shims mostly. if hes going to do the block deck and cylinder head surface, id have him get a pretty damn smooth surface on em. then toss a MHG and some arp bolts or studs. i believe about a 20 RA (could be wrong about the anacronym term) is the reccommended finish for a MHG, and thats about babies-ass smooth.

other than that, a quick check on the rod/main bearings is all id say you need if the cylinders look cherry, which they did.

sounds good man, good score on the turbo. should run like a banshee.

keep on with the updates.
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Old Feb 16, 2012 | 07:34 AM
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lookin' good. subscribed. i have a few parts left over from my build so lmk if you're having trouble finding anything
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Old Feb 16, 2012 | 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by liveoffroad
lookin' good. subscribed. i have a few parts left over from my build so lmk if you're having trouble finding anything
Thanks, I remember your truck from the jambo, wish I had checked it out.

The motor is still at my mechanics, hes pretty slow but does good work. Head got a minor rebuild and checks out, seems the camshafts aren't the originals as the journal markings don't match but should work.

I hate to say it but I may have him build the motor, my work has me slated to go to Alaska for 2 months and I want to have the truck ready by late spring/summer. I'll still update as much as I can. In the meantime, I'm going to get my rear drive shaft rebuilt this week to hopefully alleviate the awful shaking I get on acceleration.
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by kalmah
I remember your truck from the jambo, wish I had checked it out.
I think i remember yours too, were you with us on chinaman's?

Originally Posted by kalmah
I hate to say it but I may have him build the motor, my work has me slated to go to Alaska for 2 months and I want to have the truck ready by late spring/summer.
No shame in that IMO, i did the same thing. i don't mind doin the work but i didn't want to risk messing something up internally. i have 3 yrs and over 30k on my swap and still runs great so i think it was worth it!

Last edited by liveoffroad; Feb 17, 2012 at 10:14 AM.
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Old Feb 18, 2012 | 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Singtoe
Kalmal

Do you have any pictures of your 37" double bead lock set up. I would like to know more about that.

Thanks
Check out http://www.trailworthyfab.com/
You can get the entire wheel w/ tire for $200-$250, the only issue I'm having is they are almost impossible to balance.

Originally Posted by liveoffroad
I think i remember yours too, were you with us on chinaman's?
Yep.
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Old Feb 21, 2012 | 09:50 AM
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Quick Update:
Had the rear-driveshaft rebuilt by Drive Line Services here in Colorado Springs. It was homemade by the previous owner, the splines were shot, it was never balanced, and the u-joints were bad. They had it done in about an hour and a half, would definitely recommend these guys. Alot of my low speed vibration has been fixed, I still need to slightly adjust my 3rd member angle to completely eliminate it.

I also attempted to get my wheels balanced and had a hard time finding a shop that would do it for me because of the beadlocks. The shop I found ended up putting a pound of weights on every wheel, it is quite a bit better but the "bouncing" I get at 55mph is pretty much unbearable. I am debating on whether or not to replace the wheels and tires because I drive the rig to all of the trails I run. With the supra motor easily hitting 55mph, the bouncing is going to bother the gummy bears out of me.

Last edited by vital22re; May 14, 2012 at 10:45 PM. Reason: language
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Old Feb 21, 2012 | 09:58 AM
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what did that set you back if you don't mind me askin? I just got through building my front d-shaft. vibration isn't too bad on my initial test but it hasn't been trail tested yet.
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Old Feb 21, 2012 | 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by liveoffroad
what did that set you back if you don't mind me askin? I just got through building my front d-shaft. vibration isn't too bad on my initial test but it hasn't been trail tested yet.
It was about $250 all said and done. My front driveshaft is made with square tubing so I never use it on the road. I wouldn't worry too much about getting it balanced unless you plan on using 4 wheel drive at high speeds.
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Old May 12, 2012 | 05:31 PM
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Just got back for a weekend break from work, I've been on the road for about 3 months and stopped by the mechanics place. I ordered ARP studs, MLS head gasket, and a TG Battery Box; some of which is not here yet and aren't pictured in the below pics-

Old motor out, cut off the old bumper too help create some room.


I bought a crank scraper to hopefully reduce some of the off camber oil issues, some minimum filing was required to get it to fit.


The machine shop did a great job cleaning everything up.




Black ceramic block paint to assist with cooling it off.


Engine mock up.




There are still a few things I need like the radiator and oil cooler but for the most part it looks like I did a good job finding pretty much everything for it.
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Old May 13, 2012 | 06:13 PM
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That engine is looking CLEAN! Any plans for power mods? Full 3" exhaust got me 4-6 psi of boost. What tranny will you be running? You arn't going to regret the swap. I love getting funny looks from muscle car guys right after doing a burnout. Its so nice not having to downshift on the highway...ever. Heck, don't need boost for most hills. Right now my record is 30mpg but its been as low as 21. Wind effects it alot.

Not sure how familiar you are with these engines so...I recommend a good set of after market gauges so you can keep track of everything. Make sure you get a vac/boost gauge, water temp, oil pressure, and egt for sure. The oil pressure will scare you at first. At a warm idle its supposed to be 4.3 psi. That is not a typo. Make sure you let the turbo warm up before boost and cool down before shutting off. That will save your seals and bearings. I give mine at least 1 song on the radio before I shut it off. If I just come off the highway I'll give it 3-4 songs. Your egt gauge will help with that.
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Old May 13, 2012 | 06:41 PM
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Going to keep it as stock as possible and try to baby it, 3" exhaust is about it. I'm using the W56 for now. I've got a mechanical oil pressure and coolant temperature gauge going in for now but may get additional ones in there in the future. Have you done anything for the supposed off camber oiling issues? Modified pan? Accusump? How long have you been running it and have you had any issues?
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