Realistic labor and fabrication cost for 2JZ GTE FRS swap
 

Hello,

I have made a post asking for input on my parts list for this swap. Now i'm asking for realistic input on the cost for labor and fabrication.

My budget is 20k. My parts list is currently sitting at 14,050 That covers engine, trans, ECU plug and play kit, and Upgraded Twins for the 2JZ that support 600HP.

Throw in another 2-3k for misc parts inter-cooler, radiator,plumbing for turbos, gages, boost controller,ect.

So say 17k for parts on the mid range of the scale.

What is a realistic number for labor and fabrication on a 2JZ FRS swap. Its the one thing i cant get a solid number on for planning and i'm not jumping in the pool if i don't know how deep that bitch it.

Should i just scrap this idea and go with the Built Fa20 short block from Craford Performance. I priced out that build and its 15k with no Fabing. And i know i can do all the wrench for that build my self with a Haynes manual and youtube. But I really want a 2JZ sitting under my hood!

Please people of the inter-webs give my ass a reality check:laughabove:

I have not done a swap myself, but I would expect to spend a total of closer to 25-30k to see a completely finished vehicle, tuned the way you want with all the supporting mods for 600hp. Plus the extra estimated cost will give you a safety cushion, and if you don't spend a full 30k, kudos, you "saved" some money XD

Well, here's an easy check. You have a $20,000 budget and have "spent" $17,000 on parts. At a labor rate of $100/hour you now have 30 hours for labor.

The math is simple enough, you don't have enough money. For comparison, a same engine replacement is going to cost you 10 to 20 hours of labor. The valve recall is about $2,000 in labor and takes 18 hours by the invoice I saw.

What is your intended purpose for the car? I’d budget at least 25K for a 2J swap if you’re going to do 100% of the labor yourself. It will still probably end up costing more. I would do the following if I were you and want big power with sub 20K budget.

1. Buy big turbo
2. Buy several stock fa20 motors and transmissions
3. Get really comfortable swapping engines and trans in and out of the car

As someone who has wasted money on multiple built fa20 engines I’m trying to save you some money. Especially from someone like Crawford who has a poor reputation on here. As much as people want built FA20’s to be reliable and make great power like an EJ that is simply not the case. If it’s just a street car you can make a lot of power with a turbo on a completely stock motor. (With ethanol or meth kit)

There are swaps on here that have been going on for 2 or more years and are still not done. It is a major task and the guys that seem to do it fast and easy make it look far more simple than it is. A lot of the ground work has been done by the pioneers but there is still some unknown territory. If doing yourself plan on a year. If paying somebody to do it then plan on more than you have left in your budget.

we usually say around $28k if you dropped off a car with the stock motor/trans already removed and left with a running 2j/cd009 setup. stock vvti engine, single turbo, basic fuel system, drive by wire, intake manifold, no ac. includes our Motec package so you do get working cluster, steering, fan/fuel pump controllers, abs, etc. it's all of the add on's that will drive the price beyond that.

I'll be sure to hit you guys up after I buy a house hahaha :D

Thanks for all the advice, i think for right now this would cost more than i want to spend on it. Ill just slap a turbo kit with 10lbs of boost on her and slowly mod the rest of the car.

Thanks for the reality check

There is a Pure K24 kit on the horizon. This might be another option and would be inside your budget. It would also be upgradable with a turbo kit or supercharger down the line.

Irace86,

I was looking at built Fa20 engines for the FRS and ran across a thread on another forum that led me to.

http://elementtuning.com/competition...r-wrx-fa20dit/

It seem to good to be true. 7-8k for a completely built long block? 5K for the cheaper build! They have been racing BRZ/FRS for years so they would have to know there shit.

You ever heard of them, i'm gona post in the engine build section and see what peps have to say about there rep.

Thanks

I have no personal opinion or experience. There is plenty of opinions here, and they are on here.

Most agree that a built engine on E85 is good for the street. Most people who track their car seem to burn through built engines along with other consumables like the transmission. This might be due to oil/fuel starvation or aggressive tuning or maxing out the engine + tracking the car. Most would agree that a street tune and a more conservative track tune or boost/power level is advisable. If you plan on just having a fun car on the street and for the canyons then a built motor on E85 is probably fine. Without E85 then power levels are ehhh and risks go up, even on a built motor at these compression levels.

For reliability reasons and power potential, the K24 swap is ideal for your situation, but again, it all depends on your goals and needs.

Irace86.2.0

My primary goals are 400-450 whp with out maxing out the engine to get there. Primarily shes gona be a street/country roads/canyon carver. Track her a few times a year just for fun.

I'm going to look into the K24 swap and see what there.

Thanks

You are maxing out the manual transmission at that power level (ie with typical torque), so even if you do a built engine, you will still need a transmission upgrade. You are also maxing out a lot of the supercharger kits. Turbo kits would be better to reach those numbers, but at that power level you will have much more torque than the superchargers and will put an engine at more risk. A built engine still could be risky.

The K24 with S2000 transmission would meet your needs with the most reliability for the investment, and the car wouldn’t feel as front heavy as a 2jz. You could do a stock k24 and do some cheap NA mods then eventually add E85 then eventually do a turbo kit instead of dumping all your cash at once. Pure is working on the K24 swap still, but some of the parts for the conversion are completed. Here is some ideas of what the k24 can do.

https://kmiata.com/blogs/news/k24a2-dyno-testing

This swap will be cheaper for many reasons. The motor n tranny are cheaper. Aftermarket intake wouldn’t be necessary. Aftermarket parts are cheaper. Etc.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131767