[Rules] Basic Rules For an Engine Conversion

[RAd28]

And unless you like getting bent over and getting reamed for odds and ends, buy a running halfcut, so much goodness in a halfcut

absolutly definatly... i could have bought 2 half cuts for the money i spent chasing bits for my engine package...

[PuGZoR]

I bought a halfcut (AE101 Levin 4AGZE flavour) for my Sprinter project, and I have decided to go aftermarket ECU since I'll be going turbo, but I can relate how good it is finding little odds and ends off the halfcut. Also, for someone inexperienced, it's good to see and examine all the parts running everywhere, and seeing how everything works if you've got little knowledge in that area, like I did. On top of that, I'm putting the big Levin calipers on my AE86 which in the paraphrased words of my brake guy, will be about 3x better than the stock AU spec AE86 ones. Having to get brackets made up for the calipers sucks, haha, but you need to get brackets for pretty much any AE86 brake upgrade. I've got a heap of stuff spare now, but I guess it's better than having to go out and buy more stuff. I'm already finding it a little testing having to go searching for other parts just to get it up and running.

Big agreement for me not having the car you're working on as your daily driver too. I got a trusty kingswood for my chores! Come to think of it, the time thing relates too. I wanted to get it done by Xmas, and it would have, but some parts take AGES. Eg, W58 to 4AGZE bellhousing is taking a while. There's a group buy on here, and no offence to Joel for organising it (he's a god), but there's a serious wait on getting the goods on the manufacturers end. Make sure you source these hard bits before really starting on the big stuff or you could have stuff sitting idle for months. And no, not the good kind of idle.

Oh yeah, don't know if it's been said yet, but having friends in the know is a must. I don't work in the automotive industry, never have, and probably never will. Turned 20 in October, so I'm fairly young too I guess. If it wasn't to a lot of my friends willing to give advice (none of them have helped physically yet, but have been able to lend knowledge), I'd be a lot worse off. Forums only take you so far sometimes, especially if you need an answer relatively quickly. One of my friends is an ex-wrecker, but is now a motorbike technician apprentice, another is a motorbike technician by trade, and a lot of my friends have experience with very differing cars, even though they're not directly in a motor-related trade. Basically, you've gotta be relatively social if you're going to do a conversion right the first time with minimal experience.

*shrugs* That's much of my experience thus far.

[allencr]

Don't start vast projects with half-vast ideas!
It'll cost more then you think.
It'll take longer then you think.
It'll be harder then you think.
It will be more complicated then you think, unless you've done it before.
It'll get a lot of advice from friends that don't know and/or think!

[Kagetsu]

Don't get into a conversion without a taste for cheap pre-packaged foods (baked beans, instant spaghetti, etc)
There will be times when you take that spare car seat put it behind the engine in what would be the drivers possition and make silly noises... Ensure no family or friends are there to watch as you 'flat shift' into sixth going around the corkscrew at Laguna, doubly so if they have a video camera.
Only complete retarded fools try and put a V12 in a Supra.

[sv_i]

budget three times what you estimate it to be
do one big thing per day
have at least 2 days a week of "down time"
use sunscreen at wreckers... burnt neck and scalp = migraine
bolt in conversions are never just that.

[ViPeR_NiPPleX]

if something is too hard, pack away your tools and leave it for tomorrow.

it something doesn't fit properly, only use force as a last resort.

Don't let your mates do up the bolts on your tailshaft.

[skiddz]

bolt in conversions are never just that.

amen to that

yeah it'll drop straight in after you massage the firewall, change engine mounts, mess around with oil returns, change gear box, change crossmember, change tail shaft, and then fuck with wiring... so yeah she'll drop straight in...

in my experience, search, read, then re-read, go n look at exactly what you are gonna modify, re-search, re-read again, talk to an engineer, see what all the major bits ur gonna need cost, double it, then check your bank ballance.....