5MGE Rebuild Begins... Cams anyone ?

[VA61DETT]

Hi All,

My Poor old 5MGE Died yesterday, It appears to have developed a rather nasty crack in the head on number 3 cylinder.

So now after months of putting it off I am now going to rebuild the engine.
I plan to keep it fairly stock N.A (as it’s just a daily driver).

I would like to have the cams ground to make a little more poke on the top end.
I will also be giving the new head a bit of port work.

Has anyone had much experience with moderately working the head on these engines,
any suggestions tips / or things to avoid ?

Any input would me much appreciated.
Cheers!

[Joshstix]

Personally I'd be looking for a 6MGE long motor as the easiest option or you could probably get a 7MGE in there for the same sort of money as the rebuild and get more power and economy.

But if rebuilding it is really what you want at least put a 3L bottom end under it.

[VA61DETT]

That was quick !

I did consider going down the 7M path,
However I want to keep this one fairly stock.

I already have a project car (Another MA61 with a Twin Turbo VG30)
Cant afford 2 project cars right now

[wilbo666]

Josh makes a good point

The cost of a rebuild will be pretty well the same regardless of the engine (6mge or 7mge).

You should be able to get a 7mge in need of a rebuild for next to nothing (or indeed nothing!)... a cheap ebay.com VRS kit, and you're well on your way to more power and a better outcome I'd think!

Something to think about...

Cheers
Wilbo

[ViPeR_NiPPleX]

With the 5m/6mge head, the amount you grind from the bottom of the cam lobe, it's advised to shave the same amount from the cam tower to keep the valve train geometry the same. That may only be the case with higher lift cams. Something to do with the hydraullic lifters, which ideally would be converted to solid for high rpm use. 7M, as odd as it sounds, is the best base without changing your bellhousing.

[VA61DETT]

Cheers for the info Viper,

Ime not going to do anything crazy with the cams, just want to see what I can get out
of the stock shafts.
When you talk about "cam tower". which part is that exactly ?
I have heard of cutting down valve guides (at the seal point) for high lift applications,
but have not had one of these apart in a while.
I know they have an odd rocker / bucket setup
Ime not going to be reving past 6.5K, as the cam system more-or-less falls down
after about 5K..

I still want to keep all the stock electronics / sensors etc...
Really dont want to do re-wire job on this car.

Cheers.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

To be honest, the best option, even price wise is to get a 7MGE. Wiring would be a piece of cake. It'd be nothing compared to the work that's gone into the other for the VG30.

[VA61DETT]

I know the 7M is much the better option...
How much would you be expected to pay for a half decent one ?
Including ECU / Wires etc...

I just already have all the parts handy for a 5MGE,
Spare head, Good bottom end, Rebuild kit etc....

If theres anyone in perth with a cheep 7M, that may convince me otherwise
So far stock and simple is the plan, just has to get from a-b
and be reliable, (with the occasional bit of silly stuff on weekends).

I really want to keep the car, as I have spent a lot of time and effort on fixing
almost everythign on it, the old MA61's are getting quite rare nowadays.

[RObErT_RaTh]

Forget the 5M for a sec and show me pics of this VG30 powered MA61!

[tomvale13]

Theres always bound to be 7mge's and boxes with ecu's for sale due to the popular jz/mgte engine swaps,

the thing is you need to rebuild em as previously mentioned with a VRS kit (fairly cheap).

I've seen a 7mge with ecu and box go for under $500 a few times now, I'm sure of it.



Good luck

[rob]

if you only want the car running just spend the money to get it going and dont bother spending more.

if you find a 7M to put in then your up for the cost of that and all the seals and belts and all the crap you have to buy to get it running

just try to decide if u just want to get the car running

or

you want another project you have to spend $ and research on

[VA61DETT]

Yer,

I dont need another project,
Think Ill just stick with a cheep re-build.

The last engine I rebuilt was a 21R From an old XTCelica,
Thats went way harder after rebuild + 1mm oversize pistions
In fact it want soohard it blew the dizzy leads off twice !

Ill probaly be happy enough with the slight improvement of not having a cracked head

Oh yer, here's a sneek peek of the 'project' for Robert
(I am working on a huge post for this one soonish)
This photo is quite old, I have to take some up to date ones....

[RObErT_RaTh]

Saweeeeeeeet I very much look forward to seeing a proper members ride thread +rep for you

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Oh the irony, that was the exact picture I was sending Wilbo

[VA61DETT]

Cheers,

I have been meaning to get off my a$$ and publish this project
(has been about 5 years in the making).
Been seeking motavation lately after I broke the diff...