4 Cylinders, 6 Cylinders, 8 Cylinders Ah!-Ah!-Ah!

Alright, now that I have laboriously dragged out the focus of my blog, yes, I am working on a 2GR swap for my SW20. Far from the most unique swap in these cars, but I was drawn to it like a cartoon pie on the windowsill. The 3sGTE is a fine engine, but 1980s turbocharging is archaic and unfortunately in the States we didn't get the improvements that came to this engine over the years. 3rd, 4th, and even 5th Gen 3sGTEs are very popular swaps into USDM SW20s, but, in my opinion, if I already have to swap in a new engine the 2GR-FE has a lot going for it. Whether I liked it or not, the engine needed to come out anyway.

I mentioned in my last post that my car's engine was.... not exactly the best example of a healthy motor. As you can see above. That's a lot of smoke. The car had been leaking coolant... and oil.... my entire ownership. It was coated with oil on the lower half of the engine. I have not fully torn the engine down, but I suspect the head gasket was blown. That's an uneducated guess, but that's my best guess.

Compared to my (mostly) stock 3sGTE, it will have more power and building it with simple bolt-ons will result in roughly about 300whp and on a much more modern engine platform (I GET OBD-II ♥). Albeit, with a lower ceiling for capability. I do not currently track my MR2, but I am working up the courage to take on the track. One takeaway from everything I have read or watched regarding tracking your car is very generally Naturally Asperated > Turbocharged for a beginner track car. Turbochargers add complication and can result in unreliability and when you are not on the track you are losing valuable seat time. Last, the sound of the engine is a big draw to a car for me (as you will find later in this post). The 2GR makes me..... feel things.

I don't know who thought it was okay to allow a minivan engine to sound this. good. but somehow this engine shrieks like a banshee and I love it.

So we've established what is going into the car, and we've established why, but most importantly... how? Yea... I have spent 2 posts explaining that I am mostly 2 halves of 2 different idiots sewn together and I have no experience. That's why I'm cataloguing it! I'm bound to fuck up sooner or later, why not get it on camera?! Well... I mentioned above that the sound of an engine is a big draw for me and my 2L EcoBoost Focus ST was just not cutting it for me.

So I bought a 2013 C63 AMG to replace it. :)

I purchased this car knowing it was in need of some common, but intimidating, maintenance. That maintenance was to replace some annoying sounding camshaft adjusters. A passageway that opens/closes with oil flow is known to wear prematurely and cause a click sound on cold start. This was unfortunate because the car sounds incredible on startup and your Mercedes-Benz can't sound like it's broken! Can't have anyone thinking you're "one of the 'poors'."

...I'll just roll my eyes and keep going, but yes, it did stink that my nice, new (to me), German super-sedan sounded broken.

I unfortunately did not take many photos of this project that don't look like these, but I purchased 4 stronger aftermarket plates to replace those AMG labeled plates at the end of each camshaft. I used a timing kit from Amazon that was recommended to avoid selling an organ for the Mercedes branded tool. And... Everything went well. I have been driving the AMG for about 4 months since then with no issues. Minus a couple of oil leaks caused by not tightening down the valve cover evenly. It might sound small, but that job gave me some serious confidence that I could do more than basic oil changes (with the right guidance).

That leads me back to the MR2, back to why I'm attempting this, and why I chose the 2GR. Yes, it is still putting an engine where it was never meant to be, like any swap. Unlike most other swaps, this is as "bolt-on" as a whole engine swap can get. Marc at Frankenstein Motorworks, Alex at Wilhelm Raceworks, Paul at Woodsport, TCS motorsports, and many more. Have poured their lives into making products for this swap over 10+ years that make it possible for any dunce to complete it. That includes this dunce!

With the right guidance, I am confident I am able to complete this swap. The best way I learn is do things myself, but to have an expert first ELI5. If I'm able to be shown how to do things, I normally expand on that naturally with time. For example, I religiously watch YouTube guides for skills I want to learn and after they provide me with a good base knowledge, after that I can take it from there. I am rarely able to just "figure it out" without the training wheels, but eventually I'll sign up for the marathon.

Thanks for reading, next post we start tearing into the engine removal!