Shop recommendations in SF Bay area to do a swap?
 

I think I'm ready to put in a 2J, but I'm going to pass on doing it myself this time. Is there anyone good in the Bay Area? Pure Auto is on the other side of the country, but LA is a possibility too... I don't want any rookies on this one, need some good suggestions!

If you are buying a Pure Auto swap kit then maybe they would do a discount if you shipped your car to them and paid for them to do the swap too. The cost might be worth shipping it, especially if you are already dropping that much coin. I can understand if you wanted someone local in case something needs a revision or fixing, but shipping the car could still prove to be the best idea.

I don’t know anyone local. Neil at The Racers Line might be able to do the swap or at minimum know someone. I’m sure if Neil had the Pure Automotive swap kit that he could do the swap.

Are you looking for someone to do the install and you will source all the parts or do you need someone who will source the motor, tranny, etc?

Ideally one place to do everything seems best. Maybe I need to break it up in to parts... one place for motor acquisition and build, another for fitment and fab work, and another for final assembly/install, and then a tuner?


Above all I really would like pros with the 2J build as I want the motor build and configuration to be solid. Who is best in the Bay Area with 2J's?

If you’re going motec, regardless of the motor, with the amount of tuning required after the swap is completed, shipping your car to Pure to have them do everything will save you lots money in the long run....plus, since they have been running through so many swaps lately, your chances of getting a reliable car back should be higher I would think.

You guys are probably right, shipping off would be best. I was really hoping to keep it local mostly for the support, as I can imagine a lot could and probably would go wrong with a swap like this until you sort out all the weak links in the drivetrain and install bugs. If we had a good shop in the area that would definitely push me to going for it, I will have to think about it more now.

If you wanted to do some budget route for a dedicated track car then perhaps there would be money to be saved by doing as much of the work you could like securing a motor, pulling the bumper, motor and tranny, and delivering a chassis, 2jz, etc to the shop, but if you were going to have this as a street car or daily, and wanted it to feel like stock then Pure Motive has the kit, can get the parts, can do the install and it will feel like the car came with a 2jz. You may actually save money that way too than trying to do it all with multiple shops or with one off components.

This is going to be a street car. I was definitely thinking the Pure kit because of that, I want everything to work in the dash/console. What I'm not so sure about is the rest of the drivetrain, diff, axles, and maybe rear knuckle/hubs. Seems like that is a bit of an unknown for doing the swap and probably needs some fab work. Otherwise, yea, any shop should be able to put in the plug and play stuff. Guess I'll give Brady a call and see what he can do.

You'll need a custom driveshaft, but the stock diff is strong enough for a 500 whp build. You need to start thinking about swapping it for a Ford 8.8 if you're shooting for say 700+.

Stock axles would last, if you're not going to be doing a lot of launches and are not ridiculously low. I'd recommend DSS axle upgrade. Nothing else is required for the rear.

Elite Performance

If your up North (Santa Rosa) you can try RPM in Rohnert Park, that's where I have my LS rx7 at, and they seem to do good work.

If this is going to be a street car in Cali, have you thought about the consequences of it not being a bar legal swap + smog?

Only if he gets popped. Many areas of California are smog exempt, especially up here north of Santa Rosa, so no worries about finding a smog shop to pay off.

Yea, I had Martin build my 3SGTE race motor about 15yrs ago. They are pretty heavy domestic though, at least last time I visited. I was hoping for a place with 2J experience... or at least import experience.

I don't live in a smog zone, I don't have to get smogged. If I sell it, then it has to go out of state. The car is going to remain 100% stock on the outside.

+1 for Elite Performance Give them a call or drop by the shop.

I don't think you can underestimate the benefit of finding a good local tuner/mechanic to work with. Dropping the car off for half day here or a day or two there to sort those little niggling issues is gold. Stick to your plan A of finding a reliable local guy. Sure buy a kit or long block from a specialist, but find a local to help make it all happen.

Elite performance


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+1 for shipping it to Pure Automotive. They are the best shop for this particular swap. They won't run into anything they haven't seen before.

Thanks for all the info guys. I actually got introduced to a very reputable and well known local builder and was able to really hear what it takes to build it out solidly as well as hear realistically what the 2J can do on only pump gas...if you want to be able to drive it hard. In the end, for $30-40k and limited to 450whp on 91 pump gas it's just not worth it for me, not even close enough to consider it actually. It would make a whole lot more sense to spend the money on an actual Supra, than do a 2J swap. Money is not really the issue, but the 2J just isn't going to make big power on pump gas here. I don't have E85 near by and race gas is way to inconvenient to run. A V8 would be way to obvious to authorities so I'm stuck with the FA20 for now. I'll just watch all you guys doing the swaps with envy! :sigh:

I haven't paid any shop to do a single thing on my car and i'm above $40k on my build. And I source parts really effectively lol. I have about 600 hours of labor into my car. That may be reduced at a shop but it's doubtful with all the work i've put in and i'm not done yet. Just FYI.

@86fun - If you want a cheap and fun 2jz car, the is300 is easy/cheap to swap and looks cool to boot.

I sent my car to Pure for an LS swap. I'll let you know how it goes when it comes back end of January. Should be at least 500 whp on 91 and a little more on E85. Pure claims only 86 lbs heavier than stock I believe. I don't totally agree that a V8 attracts more attention. Sure if you put a wild cam in the car. I'm having them make the car as quiet as possible with a big suite case muffler as well as Laguna pipes so I don't have to lift there. To me a loud blow off valve attracts more attention than a NA V8 with a stock or mild cam and quiet exhaust. Plus turbo screams import and cops hate imports, most cops! Never got anything but a thumbs up in my ZL1. Actually had a cop follow me for a mile just to pull up next to me and tell me he liked the car! To me cops that can tell the difference between a Toyota and a Chevy motor are probably into cars and are more likely to respect a V8 swap, Merica!

Why do you want to waste money on a v8 swapped 86 when you have a ZL1???

A. Better power to weight ratio while staying NA.
B. Cost of consumables tires, pads and rotors, not to mention money saved on registration and insurance.
C. Just to be different
D. It will be a full on race car down the road
E. With a 1000 lbs less weight and a much shorter wheel base it should be more fun to drive

If your car needs boost then it is suffering from one of 3 problems.
1. Car is too heavy
2. Engine is too small
3. Both of the above

I like a bare bones analog driving experience and I don't think anything that's coming out in the future is really going to get me as excited...

On average, with a manual transmission, we take pump gas cars on 93 up to about 18-19 psi which generally makes about 550-600 depending on the setup. For a setup like that with reasonably nice parts, stock head and block, you'd end up somewhere around $28-$30k all said and done. If you start adding stuff like cams, valve train, studs, etc you start looking at closer to $35k. But the real issue with getting the car to me is transport, its difficult to find an affordable, reliable guy to do it. I wish I knew a retired guy that would be willing to take my trailer and go drive across country to pick up cars. Buying Supra is extremely costly and most of them, even though they look good in pictures, need lots of work. And in the end, you're still limited to the same hp, only now you have a car that is much harder to replace and has much older bushings, parts, etc. Not knocking Supras, I have one and I love it, but every time I drive it I'm afraid someone is going to run a red light and destroy it. So whether it comes to us or goes somewhere else, my vote is not to give up on the project, they're so much fun when they're done. :cheers: