Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey Guys,

Looking at picking up a 7M-GE complete from a 1990 Cressida Grande,
for about $500 (needs some work) and has about 300,000 on it.
Firstly is this a good buy for this motor, computer, wiring loom and box?

Secondly, and more importantly,
has anyone attempted such a conversion in their lux?
I know Suprasurf's done the sweet 5M-GE conversion OK into a Runner, would the 7M be do-able into a luxie? Could the 7M be bolted to my g'box or is the auto a cheaper/easier option.

Cheers,
Bart

What capacity and configuration is this engine?

If its a straight six, I've heard firewall clearance is often an issue.

300 000 is a lot of kays on any engine. Can you source another cheaply if this one gives up soon?

I've spent a fair bit of time looking into the engine conversion thing, and come to the conclusion that the price of the engine is fairly insignificant when compared to the total cost of the conversion. Unless you do all the work yourself.

So it pays to get a good engine to begin with.

Yeah slosh,
the motor is a 7M-GE 3.0L Straight 6. 24V Twin cam EFI.
Good ones are rated standard at about 200BHP (round 145Kw?)
Which would be sweet. Currently got 22R with about 70Kw

Was thinking of buying the motor and rebuilding it out of the car,
then putting it in after its all sorted. You reckon this will be more
expensive? It will probably be the most reliable option tho.
Can you get adaptors for these motors to go into luxies?

Cheers,
Bart

These motors are POS!! And with 300,000km, its an even bigger POS!! They are renowned for having head gasket problems. Mums MX83 Cressida, which only has 110.000km on it, has a blown HG. EVERY other 7M i have ever heard of has had a HG job done at least once in its lifeSure, it can be fixed (for good) with a metal HG or the std toyota one, and with ARpo head stud kit, but do you really want to go to the expense??

When we did a 1UZ conversion into a mates MX83 Cressida, he sold his 215,000km old 7M complete with loom, ecu, box, etc for $150.........they arent worth that much.

Yes, it can be fitted to the engine bay of the hilux, but may i suggest an atmo 2JZ?? 170kw........more expensive, but sh!tloads less hassle

Phill

Good point Phil,

I had an MX83 and it blew a HG too, but you get a heap of warning
like (6 months of hot engine temp., bubbles in the coolant, etc.).
Other than that, I never had a single prob with it (did 40,000kms odd in it), good power, good fuel economy, would sit on 200Ks all day long, and when I say I would rebuild the motor a metal HG would be definately on the list.
I found out last night that the motor was completly reco'd at 230,000,
as the previous owner worked at Chatswood Toyota Service, so why not.
It still starts and runs fine, has done in my mates car for last 12 months.
He does not drive it hard.

If I buy a 2JZ (which I would love don't get me wrong) it will cost in
the region of $1500 - $2000 at least for the complete motor, and I will
have no idea how old it is, how long its been sitting in a container for,
etc. etc. Then I need adaptors, radiator, mounts, etc. This will cost
well into the 6-7K mark. That's the only reason I'm not looking at the
lexus V8 or the 2JZ-GE. I just figured the older motor would be cheaper
to rebuild, and I read on this board that the 7M adaptors are heaps
cheaper than the 1-2J adaptors??

Bart

i spose a reco at 230Kkm isnt too bad. Altho, what was involved in the reco??

IMHO, i would save up HARD, and wait till i had the money for a 1UZ/2JZ. You would be rewarded with a motor that would last for years to come, more power and better fuel economy than the 7M (mates 1UZ MX83 returns an av. of 12.8L/100km, whereas the 7M would be over the 14L/100km).

Remeber. the later model motor it is, the less total KM's it will have on it, and the more reliable km it will be able to achieve in the long run. There are LS400 Lexus's running around (1UZ, early models, 1989-1992) with OVER 400,000km on them (i have seen 2 with a shade under this), and they drove absolutely perfect(both country cars).

The later model motors are massively strong and over engineered. The 7M was a major stuff up on toyota's part, and they know this.

Phill

The old 7MGE / GTE arent to bad if u use the revided toyota head gasket and tension the head about 20 pound more than Toyota settings and use ARP head bolts as the standard bolts can snap under the extra tightening !!!

Gday
There is atleast one person on the list that has one of these in the lux, depending on what you have in there at the moment, u can source std bell from supra to bolt to the box and it lines up close on perfect to the mounts, if diesel apparently straight on.
Andrew

Check these

7M-GE/7M-GTE Hilux swap
http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/supraswap/

5M-GE 4 runner swap
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/supra/

The G52 bolts straight up and only minor modding of the mounts if you used to run a 22r.

I have read about 1JZ and 2JZ im pretty sure but i cannt find it right now. Who knows ask around. Maybe the box fits up to these too. Box mightn't stand up to these though.

John

Don't write the 7M-GE off because someone has had probs
Pick any engine and someone will tell you horror stories !!

I'm doing up a 7M-GE at the mo to go into my lux. The Head gasket probs are easily fixed, theres plenty of info on the net if you search for it. I have the 7M-GE diagrams and can scan them and send to you if you like.

My 7M is from the MX83 and we actually dropped it into a lux and got it running in about 20 min, but found the front pully keyway was stuffed. Got new crank and now rebuilding ready for transplant.

The 1UZ or 2JZ are awesome engines but you will be throwing alot more money at it to get either one running in the lux.

The M series has so many advantages.. like it bolts straight up to the G52 / W56 , the computer is piss easy to get going, this makes it the best bang per $$$ for a conversion and the money you save can be thrown at transfer cases, lockers tyres etc...

Go for the 7M, its too easy. My 2c

Attached pic is my one sitting in the hole and running

Going off this info this conversion is starting to make sense.....

Were these engines made after 1990(age of my lux)?

Hi
The mx83 cressida was made and brought into aus till 92 or so, before they axed it and replaced it with an imposter...the Camri Ultima.
Andrew

Yeah I got nothing against M series motors. At least you know what the problem will be before it happens.
Not to mention that they are smoooooooooooth as you like and make power nice and early in the revs.
I used to get about 12/13L /100Kms in my mx83 which is better than my
22R just about, and alot faster. And for $500 with motor,auto box and computer, I reckon its a bargain.
How much do you reckon it will cost to rebuild a 7M-GE with new bolts and metal HG??

Suprasurf, I had a 22R 5spd manual which is the W58 pattern? (correct me if wrong)???
So does that mean I can bolt the 7MGE onto my g/box without too many problems??
How does it fit with the firewall on an 89' single cab?? How much do you need to mod the mounts?
Do you have any pics of the mounts and stuff? How long will my gearbox last after slapping it
behind a motor with twice the HP??

Cheers for all your help,
Bart

Toyo Truck wrote:How much do you reckon it will cost to rebuild a 7M-GE with new bolts and metal HG??

I'm using a stock HG but tightened down an xtra 20 pds

Toyo Truck wrote:Suprasurf, I had a 22R 5spd manual which is the W58 pattern? (correct me if wrong)???

So does that mean I can bolt the 7MGE onto my g/box without too many problems??

The Hilux came with either the W56 / G52, The 7M-GE ( and 5M-GE ) series manuals had the W58 or W57.. They are all the same bolt pattern so you can use the M series bellhousing straight to the lux box.

BUT the MX83's are all autos so you need to find a manual bellhousing + flywheel ( usually from MA61 Supra with 5M-GE )

Toyo Truck wrote:How does it fit with the firewall on an 89' single cab?? How much do you need to mod the mounts

The firewall is a non issue but you will need new mounts to create the best fit.

I also recommend getting your hands on the sump and oil pump from an old 4M ( 2.6 crown ) or 7M-GTE which has the bowl in the middle instead if the front. With the Supra 5M-GE conversions I've done so far alot have had big end bearings wear out because when your climbing with your foot to the floor the pump can sometimes suck air.

Toyo Truck wrote:Do you have any pics of the mounts and stuff? How long will my gearbox last after slapping it behind a motor with twice the HP??

No pics sorry but will get camera out when fitting 7M.
I've run the 5M-GE for 3 years now behind a G52 box, the weaker of the two, and had no problems. Thats part of the beauty of the 5M / 7M the hp is not so crazy you need to rebuild the rest of your drivetrain to handle the power increase.

hey bart

im pulling a mates 7mge tonight which has been fitted with the supra manifold and turbo (if flys)

the motor developed a knocking about 20km ago, so the owner sourced a second hand 7mge and we're fitting it up so he can sell the cressida.

the motor with manifold, turbo etc will be for sale cheap cheap

give me a call if you're interested

the motor is in artarmon

I have one of these abortions in the workshop at the moment and I mean it is an abortion
You can pick up a good VP Commodore V6 for about the same price and it is a lot better fit

toyrex wrote:I have one of these abortions in the workshop at the moment and I mean it is an abortion
You can pick up a good VP Commodore V6 for about the same price and it is a lot better fit

You won't fit a Commo for the price of a 7M, not even close.

The Commo donk maybe just as cheap but all the xtra crap like adapters and exhausts the $$$ will add up.

The bottom line is the 5M and 7M are cheap hp allowing those on a budget to power up. I'm sure if you want to throw $$$ at your toy then there are better engines.

Don't knock the old 5M / 7M until you've tried one in a lux.

Hey guys,

Provided neccessary head-gasket precautions are taken,
are these motors reliable?? For 4WDing, water crossings, mud, angles,
and especially mid to long distance touring.

How does this conversion compare to a VP or VN 5.0L V8 conversion??
Would the V8 be alot more reliable than the 7M-GE?

The other thing that concerns me is IF these motors break down in the middle of nowhere, any mechanic should be able to fix a commy 5.0L but not all would know, let alone seen a 7M-GE??

Cheers,
Bart

Toyo Truck wrote:Hey guys,

Provided neccessary head-gasket precautions are taken,
are these motors reliable?? For 4WDing, water crossings, mud, angles,
and especially mid to long distance touring.

How does this conversion compare to a VP or VN 5.0L V8 conversion??
Would the V8 be alot more reliable than the 7M-GE?

The other thing that concerns me is IF these motors break down in the middle of nowhere, any mechanic should be able to fix a commy 5.0L but not all would know, let alone seen a 7M-GE??

Cheers,
Bart

As the bommadore motor is more liklely to bust thats a good thing I guess ...