5MGE into my RA40 - Opinions please!

[JadeEstevez]

I mentioned I may be putting a 5MGE in my Celica over the 12 months that I'll have no license. Oh, By the way, I'm losing my license in April!

My mate John has an MA61 in his parents yard that I want. It has an early 5MGE in it hooked up to a W57. 5MGE's practically bolt into RA40's, Only known issues are the slave cylinder and the starter motor being on the opposite side. Easy fix; Reroute the cable to the starter and the hydraulic line to the slave. I plan on running triple solex's or webers (40mm), Boring it to somewhere between 2900 - 3100cc, and raising compression. Cams and a port polish are most likely gonna happen too.

The fact that the engine and trans are from a mate is greatly enticing! (If he wants to sell it to me :O) But, Other reasons I chose the 5MGE... It weighs roughly 150kg. The 18RG weighs roughly 145kg and the 7MGE weighs roughly 205kg. Gaskets and other parts are more readily available then the 18RG. The early 5MGE has a distributor, Making it an easy swap to Carbies. Stock, It has more horsepower then the early 145hp 18RG's.

I'll need thermofans on the radiator and a reliable electric fuel pump. Break upgrade is a must, Which I will be doing while the coilovers are being made up. I can't think of anything else at the moment.

Anywho, I'd like to hear everyones opinions

[thechuckster]

measure it before buying - you might find that it's longer than you expect making radiator re-location (forward) a must. RT142 fuel tank will deal with fuel supply and you'll get to keep it EFI.


oh, and it's brake not break upgrade.

[JadeEstevez]

Yeah sorry, I was sleepy when I wrote it. Nah I don't want to keep the EFI, I want a triple carbed six

[MattC]

You might want to check that you can register it with the carbs first, most states require the car to comply with all of the emissions standards applicable to the year the engine was built, not the year the car was built.

[JadeEstevez]

I don't want to take it through regency, There is no way it would pass with the carbies. I was thinking of either taking it through with the EFI or not taking it through there at all Haha.

[Willofan]

Hey Marcus,

An engineering feat and legal/roadworthy pioneer, I like the idea. What you could do is find an old MA45 MK1 Supra and swap the bonnet and guards. Imagine that longer nose on a coupe, awsome.

In late April I am going to Qld to pick up an old RA40 sports sedan coupe with a Holden 186 with triple webers. The firewall has been moved back 200mm too allow for the 6 cylinders and bring the weight back, I might transplant this with a 6cyl Toyota power plant and 5mge was is on the list of possibilities along with 6mge and 7mge preferably not turbo as I dont like the way they behave on the track.

I will be keen to watch your project.

[JadeEstevez]

Thanks mate, Means a lot coming from your I did think of making it a Supra Coupe. Put the supra nose on it and what not... I have the MA45 tail lights if I wanna go down that path.

I don't think I will have to modify the body to accommodate the 5MGE at all but we'll see... Before I do anything, The brake upgrade will be first. While I'm doing that I'll send the block and head to get worked on. Once it's back I'll put it altogether and try jam the thing in the engine bay and start it

Of course this is all just a plan at the moment... Depends if I can get that supra or not. If not I may just build the 18RGTE but it won't go in my daily, Just something to keep me from being stir crazy without being allowed to drive for a year!

[masterofsinanju]

marcus, as usual I like the way you think.

Dish the dirt on your license. What shenanigans did you get up to you great git?

Not sure the 5mge triple carb is the most practical idea ever, but practical just doesn't cut it sometimes.

[JadeEstevez]

Okay, I'll come clean with it I was just speeding.

First, I got a fine last year in August. From a speed camera, I thought I'd do the right thing and admit to doing it. I was on my P2's and had 4 points, My parents offered to take it but I thought I'd get some good karma admitting to it... I was wrong. It was 3 days before my Birthday and me getting my full license. Got my full license, Paid the fine, A month later I received a letter saying I had to go back to my P2's until I was 20. $390

Second, I was on the way to Gawler on an open country road that used to be 100kph. It was changed to 80kph about 6 months before the day I got pulled over but I still drove 100 through there. Cop around the corner parked out the front of some randoms house with his radar and got me. Turns out my car was unregistered by 10 days too... I never got my registration papers and we don't have the stickers anymore and I forgot to ring up and ask where my papers were. I had to go back on my P's for 2 and a half years. $1152

Third. I got pulled over thrusday last week (7th), The first day on my P's! Yes... Yes I am stupid for speeding, Especially the first day on my P's again. I acknowledge it's my fault, I don't really care that I'm losing my license, I get to keep my job and thats all I was worried about. Because I was on a good behaviour agreement and didn't last even one day, I lose my license for a year. $390

And to think, If I had just let my parents take the blame like the insisted, Instead of me thinking about getting 'Good Karma', I'd be on my full license still. Also, I wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't speed I can't help it, Something about the RG... I Hear the awesome roar of the induction at about 3000 RPM and I can't help but accelerate more to hear it better. Lol.

Some positives; I can fix the rust in my car. I can throw a 6 cylinder in her like I always wanted. I no longer have to worry about getting caught speeding and losing my license. My girlfriend can make up for all the driving around I did for her the last 3 years by being my personal taxi!



Now that thats out the way, The 5MGE is better then my other Idea. I originally wanted to get a 1GGE and do this. After some research, The 5MGE is better suited to my needs.
Further research I've decided I'd keep it 2.8 litres and put higher compression pistons with radical cams in it, Build the thing to rev well like the RG does.

[masterofsinanju]

You are in SA right?

Did you see there is a court case pending about SA rego and it being backldated if you pay for rego within three months of expiry? I can't recall details but you might have something there if you look it up.

Nice of your parents to offer. Better of you to knock it back and potentially get everyone in trouble.

Your girlfriend comes to the rescue again. I said it before. Keeper.

[JadeEstevez]

Yeah she is a keeper I'll put her to work helping my with this conversion, Seeing as I do the dishes Fair trade.

[MA61 Turbo A]

Hello,

This sounds interesting, i have just built a mild 5mge for my crown ute. There are NO after market parts for the 5mge, rods, pistons, cams etc...If its an early 5mge with the vaccume advance dizzy, you could put carbies on, would have to make a manifold though. I'd keep the efi, probly wont sound the same as the 18rg but a hell of a lot easier to get running in the first place.

Im south of Adelaide if you want to chat, or i have a build thread on toyotacrowncentral

Cheers

Brad

[JadeEstevez]

Yeah it's an early 5MGE with vac advance, I want carbies, I don't care how superior EFI is, It's not the same. I was informed you can get some stroker kits in the US but not keen on them anyways as I want it to rev.

[MA61 Turbo A]

Hi,

I would assume that the stroker kits are the 7m kits

5mge's are not easy to get power out of, i kept mine efi for simplicity ? tripple webers would give you an unrestricted inlet, simliar to what i have. Stock cams stop making power at 6k but not sure of timing though as im using adaptronic to controll it. Boring it out to 84.5 or 85mm would bring it close to 2.9/3.0ltr and almost square up bore/stroke ratio.
You could try to find a 6m/7m crank to stoke it and bore it to 3.1/3.2ltr may not rev as hard but more torque. M series engines will never rev like an 18rg

To date my 5mge has put down 120 rwkw and 213nm, still being run in so needs to be retuned in a few thousand km's, wasnt cheap to get to this point and i built it all myself.

Cheers

Brad

[JadeEstevez]

Yes but after owning an 18RG for so long, I prefer revvy engines over torque... Must be why I love rotaries so much The ability to go all the way to 8k on the tacho is always satisfying. The look you get from people when your engine just keeeeeps going through the revs is hilarious. Especially passengers, As I have the original tacho that max's at 8k with the redline starting at 6k. Dad kept yelling at me to change gear when I first took him for a drive XD Haha.

This is just an experiment, It may not even happen.
I just wanna build a 6 with triple webers or solex's. Thats all I really want out of this. If it revs great then it's a bonus, But I will try to build it to rev anyway. Stroker kits won't achieve this...

By the way, Thanks for the input Now I know I can bore to 85mm, hehe.