Sneak Peek at the 2JZ (Lexus Inline 6 Motor) I am Cramming into my Ex-Girlfriend's Engine Bay

Are you looking to do a GE or GTE swap? At the end of the day, the easiest thing for you to do is use all the factory electronics to the engine and ecu to eliminate any guesswork. I would make sure you have a thorough understanding on how all the electrical works together to make a system like this run. I knew nothing about it going into this swap and learned everything about it as I went along. Had to start somewhere somehow.

I could do this any day of the week now, but at the time with the learning curve it was the most difficult thing I had ever done years ago.

 

I’m probably gonna go with a gte but non vvti probably. You think that would work or honestly what do you think about it. I’m going with a 2j for the reason of it having an iron block and it’s a beautiful motor and something I’ve wanted forever. What’s your overall opinion and advice tho what would you go with? And as far as electrical i don’t even know where I’ll start because I’ll probably just be buying the motor

 

Unless you're going with an aftermarket standalone system, your absolute best bet is getting the engine out of a car that already has its harness and ecu. VVTI or not, be aware it'll be a lot more work finding a harness and ecu that are all compatible with the engine you get.

I will say one thing for sure- even if you're going the tuning route with a standalone system and doing something mild, you'd probably be a lot happier with the lower end torque with the vvti motor. Nothing wrong with the other, but just my opinion. I don't know what your end all plans are for your engine, but that's what I can say if you aren't doing a full tear down and rebuilding your engine into a rocket.

 

As of right now I don’t want it to be a rocket. There will probably be a couple small things I do like cold air intake and cam it but nothing big that’ll all come in a couple years right now I’m just focused on how I’m gonna get the motor mount it and do all the electrical. Thanks for the advice

 

This is incredible. The amount of work you put in boggles my mind. The fact that she left without the truck boggles it further! J/K, I wouldn't let her have it, either.

 

It was truly a labor of love and so insanely far from perfection though. I love cars, love all things mechanical, and this was really my first step into the world of this stuff. Lots of money lost, but definitely no regrets lost even after all these years. Would love to someday do something like this again, but with a much more professional and clean approach.

 

Sounds like you did/do it for the right reasons which will make you happier than most of us on here, or anywhere, for that matter. Cheers to you!