RB30ET Swap

[hybrid_turbo]

ok this imho is stupid but im gonna ask anyway because i dont want my mate to screw
anything up...

anyway, has anyone done a RB30ET swap or any RB series engine into a RA65 (or any
3rd gen celica) before, i have seen a picture of a RB20/5DET sitting in a RA65 engine bay
but i dont think they went ahead with the conversion...

my mate has a RB30ET sitting in his mates garage and he wants to swap it into his RA65
celica, so far the things i can see wrong with this is

1) engine mounts are too far forward and would sit right where the swaybar is. (so would be
a nightmare to move the mounts)

2) i doubt theres a bellhouse to bolt the W series gearbox up to the RB engine.and if
there isnt then they would have to get a R31/VL gearbox (5speed) and then would have
to modify the driveshaft. this could cause to the driveshaft to be unstable if it isnt done
right (also i shoudl mention, the guy doing this conversion loves to cut things, he dosent
really give a shit)

3) it says Holden on the rocker cover

4) possibly have to cut a hole in the floor if the gearbox has to be moved forward or
backwards or if they need a different gearbox and it dosent line up with the original hole.

5) and for some reason the guy doing it thinks he might have to cut the firewall... wtf

6) hes probably gonna cut the support bar or whatever you call it to put in a different
radiator (like he did to his sigma, which has a 253 V8 in it)


all things considered, i dont either of them have really thought about this conversion
too much and i dont think it would be a safe conversion if this guy does it (and he will)

is there anything else that i have missed that could be a potential hazard? and what
are your thoughts?

[RONA]

Someone tried an RB20 into one or an RA60 and binned the idea due to the length.

RB's are pretty farking long.

[BigWorm]

You need to headbutt your mate. Hard.

[hybrid_turbo]

yeah thats what i thought, a mate in the US has a 7MGTE RA65 and cant even fit paper
between the gap because he chose to keep the radiator in the stock location. dosent
affect anything though. and i was told the RB is longer than the 7M so if it is theres no
chance

BigWorm: seriously thought about that

[tom210]

get a nissan rocker cover?

[chris davey]

Speak to Wezelton

[Norbie]

Doing a bizarre engine swap just because you have the bits lying around is rarely a good idea.

Tell your mate to buy a Commodore for < $500 and put the RB30 in that. Believe it or not it will bolt right in, and actually fit!

[o_man_ra23]

Tell your mate to send the motor to the scrap dealers and get a 1GGTE. Seriously, this engine swap is the worst idea I have heard anyone come up with. Tell ya mate to lay off the Ganja and start thinking.

Cheers, Owen

[Shifty]

Tell your mate to send the motor to the scrap dealers

I agree with the vast majority of stuff you say on this forum, but WTF?!

Sure, an RB30ET isn't the ideal motor for an RA65 but they're an awesome motor and for outright torque & power would tear a 1G a new one.

As Norbie said he's best buying a VB-VL Commodore and the thing will just bolt right up.

[o_man_ra23]

Ah, I missed the T on the end... soz. Ok, new statement to replace the one shifty pointed out...

Tell ya mate to sell the motor for a rediculous amount to a bogandoor enthusiast and keep the profits.

A 1GGTE would be a quicker motor in a RA65 due to the reduced weight and better balance, which would override the extra power, even down a 1/4 mile (improved weight transfer to rear tyres on takeoff = better launch)

Cheers, Owen

[Norbie]

Actually in a drag race I'd put my money on the RB... but that's beside the point.

You're quite right, a complete and running RB30ET will fetch good money these days, easily enough to purchase a 1G-GTE engine + trans. When you factor in the greatly reduced cost of conversion this is certainly the smarter way to go.

[o_man_ra23]

Actually in a drag race I'd put my money on the RB... but that's beside the point.

I would disagree, the RB would sit there spinning for too long. Brett_celicacoupe has already proven that a basically stock 1GGTE with stock ecu will pull a 13.5sec pass without much trouble on shitty tyres... so that 2sec that the RB has traction problems will allow the 1GGTE to run off in the distance and win. Either that or the RB will take off while off boost and take too long to spool up (1GGTE spools quick due to the twin turbs)

Cheers, Owen

[RONA]

I would disagree, the RB would sit there spinning for too long. Brett_celicacoupe has already proven that a basically stock 1GGTE with stock ecu will pull a 13.5sec pass without much trouble on shitty tyres... so that 2sec that the RB has traction problems will allow the 1GGTE to run off in the distance and win. Either that or the RB will take off while off boost and take too long to spool up (1GGTE spools quick due to the twin turbs)

Cheers, Owen

The extra 1L of capacity more then offsets the advantage of twins

[o_man_ra23]

Still has traction issues from teh extra weight at the front.

Cheers, Owen

[hybrid_turbo]

thats for your input guys
hopefully he goes for the 1GGTE idea...