The Project
If anyone has any information on how to acquire a good engine or transmission for this project at a reasonable cost, please email me with details. Thanks a lot!
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Latest Updates:
I've decided to pay off all my student loans before sinking money into this project. ETA for this is January or February, possibly earlier, depending on how well some parts I don't need sell on ebay. I've got to sell or part out a couple cars, and get my other MR2 out of the police impound. Other than that, I've just been working my ass off. I think I'm gonna start tearing apart the Datsun this week, and put the Grand Prix up for sale, get them out of the way.
Why the heck would I attempt such a thing?
Because I can? Well, some think I'm nuts, which may be true, but I like to be different. The 3sgte, while a pretty good motor, is not capable of sustaining my goal of 400rwhp for a long period of time, reliably, using street gas. The 3sgte produces 200hp and 200ft-lbs stock, with a turbocharger, and with its heavy iron block, weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 400lbs. The LS1 produces between 305 and 350hp stock, which is considered severely underrated, and with its all aluminum construction weighs in at 460lbs with all accessories, or 397lbs for the longblock. I wont be using any accessories other than oil pump, water pump, and alternator, so what we are looking at here is a motor with nearly double the power stock, at nearly the same weight. Not to mention the LS1 has a torque curve about as flat as your kitchen table over the whole RPM range, and a 3sgte pushed to that point would have a very very peaky torque curve as the turbo spools. The LS1 is therefore much more predictable, safer, and faster around a racetrack. Parts for the LS1 are readily available, and they are inexpensive comparatively. A simple header and exhaust system coupled with a good cam can reach 400rwhp in the LS1. The motor can be bored and stroked out to 7.0L should I ever want to, and with forced induction... can you say 4 digit horsepower? My end goal for this project is 400rwhp or more, with 2200lbs dry weight, with a full interior, and I'm right on track to accomplishing this!
But how on earth is it going to fit? The LS1 is pretty long, 28", compared to approximately 22" for the 3sgte, making the traditional transverse mounting nearly impossible, never mind the fact that there are no transmissions of that sort designed to handle 400ft-lbs of torque for very long. Not to mention many of the available transmissions would place the car at 4000rpm at highway speed, clearly too high for a big V8. That leaves one radical solution, longitudinal mounting. I sat my 6'3" self in the drivers seat in the most comfortable position, and measured 10" of room in the interior between the seat and the firewall. This 10" is enough for the motor to fit comfortably in the designated space. What transmission? The '95+ Porsche G50 transaxle used in the 911's is optimal because of its ability to withstand high torque, the fact there are ready made kits for mounting the G50 to the LS1, and the gearing is acceptable. The G50 transaxle is the same one used in the Ultima GT-R to handle its 6.0L LS1-based motor. There are a few problems that arise with longitudinal mounting of the motor, a few things are in the way. First, the fuel tank. I would have to saw off about 6 inches of the fuel tank if I was to keep the stock one, so I am going to build my own custom fuel tank, and use a GM-based fuel system. The firewall has to be cut and re-welded, pretty much eliminating the storage space behind the seats. The rear crossmember will be in the way of the back of the transmission, so I will either have to build my own tubular rear crossmember, or cut out the center of the stock one where the transmission goes, and weld supports around it. A small modification to the trunk will also likely be necessary. Wiring would then normally be a huge problem, the LS1 will not run correctly with the stock ECU without all the emissions junk in place, so to keep things simple I will be using a full standalone computer. The planned computer to this date is the Ultra Mega Squirt, if it comes out in time. The UMS computer is a full standalone with full wideband O2 support, direct fire ignition control, and low cost.
So why a Toyota MR2? Because what other car combines the mid engine rear wheel drive layout, sleek looks, quality design, weighs less than 2800lbs, and is anywhere near affordable? Its a bit heavier than the first gen MR2, but has a much better quality feel to it, is far better looking, and has more room in the engine bay for this project. People have recommended Fieros, but though I do like the styling of the fastbacks, they are built like garbage, have hideous interiors, and handle terribly. The MR2 is one of the most nimble cars on the road, and it will be able to out handle and out accelerate virtually any street driven vehicle. And seeing as how I have one, its the perfect option. I had mine down to 2500lbs with the 3sgte motor installed. It will be unbelievable with a 400hp V8 right behind my head!
Why the LS1 and what's it all about? The LS1 is the motor used in the '97 to '03 Corvette, and the '98 to '02 Camaro and Firebird. This latest generation 346 cu/in design retains the same engine mount locations and bellhousing bolt pattern that is common to all 90 degree V-6 and V-8 small block Chevy's. The aluminum Y-block design features 3mm thick iron liners and 6 bolt main caps, a crossbolt design. The aluminum heads used have a different bolt pattern, with each bore surrounded with 4 headbolts instead of the traditional 5. The oil pan is made of cast aluminum, and is available in many styles, from the shallow Corvette baffled and gated "wing" design, to the deep sump truck version. The oil pan is a stressed member, with some of the bellhousing bolts threading directly into the oil pan. The oil filter mount is cast into the oil pan, and the oil pump is a front mounted and driven gerotor design. There is no distributor as was traditional on earlier small blocks, as the LS1 uses a direct fire ignition, with a separate coil for each cylinder. The intake manifold is of a tuned length multi-port, sequential fuel injected, composite design, uses a single 75mm throttle body, and has no directly connected throttle linkage. A serpentine belt system drives the water pump and accessories. The cooling system is similar in flow to the GEN I SBC, and uses a distribution system to direct the coolant first to the block, thru the heads, then to a new design mixing thermostat before being returned to the radiator. The results are 345 hp with 350 ft/lbs of torque, with a 6200 rpm fuel cutoff. 100lbs lighter than the LT-1, the long block weighs 397lbs.
Follow this project The left hand column displays the different projects for the car as well as updates as they proceed along. I will update it whenever I have a chance to work on the car. Feel free to send me an email with any questions you may have. If you are interested in sponsorship, or if you have products that look appropriate for this project, let me know! Thank you, Jim Pekarek |
Links Aerodynamics Electronics Engines & Transmissions Racing
If you are a company looking to showcase your MR2 or LS1 products, email me at MR2LS1@hotmail.com for more info on advertising and how you can get involved with this project! |
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