RA28 Motor Conversion

[theboopy]

Hi all

I am a bit new to this. I have bought a RA 28 with a pristine body but interior and motor are very ordinary. I am asking advice as to what motor to put in to the car, that is easy (ish), has more power and mate up to the car well. Iwould appreciate and ideas

Thanks in advance

Lockie

[Lambolica]

What do you want to do with the Celica, and what sort of budget did you have in mind?

The easiest is the twin cam 18R-G if you can find one as they are essentially bolt in, beyond that engineering is required and the budget needed is higher.

Cheers
Simon

[theboopy]

What do you want to do with the Celica, and what sort of budget did you have in mind?

The easiest is the twin cam 18R-G if you can find one as they are essentially bolt in, beyond that engineering is required and the budget needed is higher.

Cheers
Simon

That would suit fine I am not after an engineering job, just the best motor to put into it. Where would I find one. I am new to Toyotas, have had pommy cars forever........ Thank you for the reply

Regards

Lockie

[Slidin23]

gumtree is a good start

i would say look on here but you would have more luck looking on the toymods facebook page

a guy called N00B on here has sold a few recently he is in s.a i can ask him if he has any for sale atm

they can go from anywhere between $500 to $1500 depending on condition if it has the twin carbs etc.
i actually have a full exhaust with extractors and a 2 1/4 exhaust with muffler for sale atm for $150 that would suit this conversion.

i pulled it out of mine as i am going a stainless exhaust with a yoshi motor bike muffler and custom high rise extractors

[TheToyman75]

Lockie,

The 18RG is old school 8 Valve twin cam and was a factory option for your car. So fitment is simple, It is literally a bolt in option.

Because the engines are so old they can be found in the full spectrum of conditions. Unless you can hear it running and carry out some basic tests on the engine (compression test, leak down etc). Then I recommend you consider any 18RG you buy as needing a rebuild. Obviously the best condition you can start with, the less issues the rebuild may find.

They are available carby and EFI, personally I prefer carby for many reasons. Either will work.

[theboopy]

gumtree is a good start

i would say look on here but you would have more luck looking on the toymods facebook page

a guy called N00B on here has sold a few recently he is in s.a i can ask him if he has any for sale atm

they can go from anywhere between $500 to $1500 depending on condition if it has the twin carbs etc.
i actually have a full exhaust with extractors and a 2 1/4 exhaust with muffler for sale atm for $150 that would suit this conversion.

i pulled it out of mine as i am going a stainless exhaust with a yoshi motor bike muffler and custom high rise extractors

Thanks for the info I will see what I can find. I assume the engine parts are available?

L

[trevv]

I have an ra28 with 18rc emession low compression motor, but i have decided to rebuild the 18 rc to an 18r, i have bought an 18r head that has been reconed so this is the start of increasing the compression of the old boat anchor as most people call them, but i do not want a high reving motor, i will get an engine recon company here in canberra to do the work, but not yet as the motor still runs fine, i will wait a bit till it needs it, no need to rush. Besides i need to stay with the 18rc i just spent 1800 on having factory air con installed, can not having my son cooking in canberra summer after all.

[Pagie84a]

Thanks for the info I will see what I can find. I assume the engine parts are available?

L

Some parts are available with a bit of searching others are like hens teeth, I think timing chain slippers and tensioners are the worst. There's a 300 odd page thread dedicated to these engines on here so your not gunna be short of info

[theboopy]

Thanks. I will keep in youch

Lockie

[o_man_ra23]

Have a look at the front of the head of any motor you are looking to buy. There will be a number cast in it, something like 11111-88210. The 11111-882 will be common, but the last digits mean the following:
10 - 18R-G - early motor, 9.7:1 compression, lumpiest cams, non adjustable cam gears.
30 - 18R-G - same as 10 but with adjustable cam gears
50,53 - 18R-GR,18R-GU - Compression down to 9.2:1, unleaded carbies, air injection and less aggressive cams
70 - 18R-GUE - Compression down to 8.3:1, but power increased with EFI, electronic ignition, better flowing head and larger valves. Cams are the least aggressive.

A couple of things to note. Converting an 18R-C to 18R-G isn't simple. The only time an 18R-C should donate a block is when the block of the 18R-G is completely shagged. The 18R-GUE pistons have thinner compression rings. These aren't easy to obtain. Arias do custom pistons for these at whatever compression ratio you want. They have different designs for boosted and NA applications. If you are going to rebuild with new pistons, you may as well go 92mm bore. This will get you 2140cc capacity without hurting the revvy nature of the motor. You will need a Cometic 92mm head gasket to suit (the standard gasket will have the fire rings jutting into the combustion chamber).

Good luck. The easiest way is to find a carby version that is currently running and throw her in. Worth the extra dollars if you don't want the hassle of rebuilding.

[theboopy]

Thank you for all that info. Which 18RG would be best for a straight swap with out a rebuild? Or if it need a rebuild what should I try for. I am new to Toyotas and am having quite a learning curve

Regards

Lockie

[73GTV]

I have an ra28 with 18rc emession low compression motor, but i have decided to rebuild the 18 rc to an 18r, i have bought an 18r head that has been reconed so this is the start of increasing the compression of the old boat anchor as most people call them, but i do not want a high reving motor, i will get an engine recon company here in canberra to do the work, but not yet as the motor still runs fine, i will wait a bit till it needs it, no need to rush. Besides i need to stay with the 18rc i just spent 1800 on having factory air con installed, can not having my son cooking in canberra summer after all.

http://schneidercams.com/naturallyaspirated-10.aspx

[o_man_ra23]

Any of the 18R-Gs will be a near straight swap in carby form. The 18R-GUE adds the complexity of EFI (unless somebody has converted it to carbies) which would make it a requirement to engineer due to the change in fuel system.

Realistically if you can get one with a 10 or 30 head, that would be the best bet, though the 50 and 53 head versions still go quite well. Just best to make sure the one you buy is running, and you can perform the tests that the Toyman has suggested. Don't expect very high dynamic compression, as the cams are pretty lumpy and overlap a lot. About 120psi across all cylinder is pretty normal. Generally if they are even, all is well.

Expect that you will have to do some modifications to the throttle system. There are many ways to do this, bit of googling and you should find a few reasonable ways.

[73GTV]

" About 120psi across all cylinder is pretty normal, Generally if they are even, all is well."

Not even correct advice.

Why give him bad advice when the Std compression is: 180.3 Psi and the warn limit is 142.0 Psi. page 3-29 fig 3-98 para 4. of the Toyota 18R Engine manual. Worn blocks are the norm for 40 plus year old engines which require a proper rebuild. Either bore up or sleeve are your only options, so why fool yourself when you know that you will have to spend the funds to make it close to what it originally was rated at.

Doesn't matter which head, which cams or which valves are used when the proper work if not performed it becomes throwing good money after bad... Save the money and save that engine, build it right the first time

My second build I cheated and got an 8-RC block and bored up to the standard size to use older pistons because I was not able to purchase those oversize pistons, I saved the block until I was able to do it right. The 8-RG as I call it was a great option to see what the original performance was like before spending the funds for the upgrade. Fun to drive it is.

[theboopy]

Thank you for that. What would be a round figure to complete a rebuild as you have described? Providing I started with a sound engine.

Regards

Lockie