Parts list:
-GTE motor (Supra) - US or JDM flavors. US is by far the easier of the swaps, but JDM has its advantages as well.
-GTE US harness - or lengthened JDM version. US harness makes life easier
-GTE igniter
-TT ECU - US or JDM. Auto ECU can be used with auto/6spd, but I recommend
getting an ECU that matches your transmission type.
-downpipe - recommend el-chepo greedbay special 100$ stainless one. Or, spend the bucks on a name-brand one, but they all work the same. Slight modification needed if bolting it to JDM twins.
-EFI resistor pack (If US motor)
-TT tach - Auto or 6spd. Try to stay with what you will be swapping in.. Auto tach for auto car, etc. Just makes it easier, as the auto cluster has the PRND21 layout on it.
-Transmission type: If you are keeping your 5spd you *must* upgrade the clutch during the swap. Recommend RPS "blue" PP w/ stock disc arrangement. Easy engagement, holds 480lbs/tq. Be sure to get the flywheel resurfaced. If you are an NA auto now, you will want to swap in a TT auto. You can also put in a 6spd if you wish, but will require a few supporting parts to do so (a post for another day)
-Sidemount intercooler w/ piping. If you wish, you can install a front mount easily enough for any TT application.
-TT fuel pump or Walbro 225 pump (I’d go w/ the walbro, cheap and effective)
-Misc tools: 5 jackstands, floor jack, assortment of metric wrenches/sockets, breaker bar.
-New trans fluid, coolant, oil, fuel filter, etc.
Disconnect the battery
Unbolt and remove the hood (2 bolts on each side) – Mark the bolt locations w/ chalk for easy assembly.
On the passenger side, pull down the carpet in the foot well – it is held in place by 2 plastic push-in fasteners.
Unbolt the stock ECU, disconnect the harness plugs (the yellow/grey ones) from the ECU. Disconnect the harness from the orange and white relay assemblies. Pull the harness through the engine bay and lay it on top of the motor. Disconnect the ground strap from the head to the cowl. Remove the air intake assembly (filter box, maf, elbows)
and set aside. Disconnect the coil on the passenger side fender leading to the distributor
Disconnect the strap from the alternator to the chassis. Unbolt radiator return hose and drain coolant. Don’t try to unbolt the drain plug…just unhook the hose. Unbolt the ground strap from battery to chassis. Disconnect the harness plugs from the igniter, and the 2 connections on the fuse box. Remove the coolant lines to the firewall (heater hose connections, PTA to get off). Disconnect the power steering lines from the box to the pump (leave them attached to the pump/motor). Remove the accessory drive belt. Unbolt the AC compressor assembly and slide it off the studs. Do NOT unbolt the AC lines from the compressor, as this will purge the entire refrigerant to atmosphere (and fill the engine bay w/ nice oil mist, among other nasty stuff). If you do it, you’ll have to have the AC system refilled later. There is enough slack to simply unbolt the compressor and set it aside for now.
Jack the chassis up and support the car on 4 corners, I also tend to put an extra jack stand under the rear differential. The car’s weight balance will change when the engine is removed, so it will want to kick up a tad, just helps keep it level 100%. Lower the E-brake once the car is in the air.
Underneath the car, unbolt the fuel line from the filter, and the ground strap. Unbolt the starter positive cable. Drain the transmission fluid/gear oil. On the rear differential, unbolt the driveshaft companion flange. The 4 bolts, NOT the 3 bolts. Unbolt the driveshaft bracket from the floor pan at front/rear prop flange (center of the car). Slide the driveshaft assembly forward into the transmission to clear the differential, then backwards to remove it from the transmission. Unbolt the heat shield and the chassis brace (if you are targa). Unbolt the slave cylinder bracket, let it just hang. If you are auto, disconnect the fluid lines and shift rods. Unbolt the shifter assembly. Wrap a shop towel/cloth around the tailshaft section and tape it (you’ll see why in a bit) Unbolt the transmission crossmember. Support the tail shaft of the trans with a small hydraulic floorjack if possible (long handle helps).
Get your cherrypicker setup. There are 2 lifting points on the GE block, small metal hooks bolted to the head on the front and rear. Apply lifting pressure to the motor w/ the cherry picker, not a ton just enough to help lessen the chance of a tilt back on the motor. Unbolt the motor mounts. You should now be able to lift the motor freely. Slowly pull the motor/trans assembly out. If the tailshaft hadn’t been covered w/ a towel/cloth, it would scratch the paint as you tried to work it past the edge of the trans tunnel/firewall.
Prep your TT motor, hook up the harness and lay it on the top of the motor. Install your old motor mounts (if needed) and your clutch fan assembly. Install your transmission assembly on the motor. Drop in is pretty much the reverse of removal. Wrap the tailshaft of the new trans in the same way you did before to avoid scratching as it goes in. Get the motor in as far as you can, and use a hydraulic floor jack to help level the assembly out. Make sure you clear the crossmember, the oil pan likes to catch on the back part of it. Once you get it level, it should slide right into place. With the cherrypicker still taunt, bolt the motor mounts in place (keeping the hydraulic jack, or an extra jackstand on the tailshaft). Once bolted in (loose), bolt the transmission crossmember in place. Might shift around a bit, but it will line up. Once it’s strait, tighten the motor mounts down all the way. Install shifter assembly (kinda PITA solo if you have a manual, but do-able) and fluid lines if auto. Bolt the slave cylinder back on. Install the brace+heatshield, then the driveshaft. Hook the fuel lines back up, and the ground strap. Hook the starter positive cable back up. You can now lower the car back on the ground. Mount the ignitor/efi resistor (if applicable) to the strut tower. Slide the compressor back onto the motor and get it mounted up. Hook up the alternator connections and the fuse box connections. Install the new radiator hose, and the lines to the cowl. Hook the power steering lines into the box. Check battery grounds. Install the sidemount intercooler and install piping.
There are 4 wires on the fusebox plug side of the TT harness, and only 3 wires on the NA fusebox side. These will not connect, so you have to modify the arrangement a bit. The extra wire is the small black/red (power) wire. Easiest thing to do is remove the wires from the plug, and use your original NA plug for the 3 main wires so everything clips up. Bridge the small black/red wire into the main black/red (large) wire a little bit up from the connector so it gets power. Just tape everything up, it will look factory.
Feed the orange plugs down through the firewall. Install new TT ecu, and hook all the connections up. BE 100% SURE that the orange plug “clicks” into place. I spent several hours troubleshooting an electrical problem only to find that the connector wasn’t in all the way. You will have 2 left over plugs, one for the TRAC ecu and one for the fuel pump ECU. Don’t worry about them.
Install your TT tach, and new fuel pump. I would wire the pump to constant 12v.
Recheck all your electrical connections. Coil packs, ignitor, EFI resistor. Check your grounds twice to be sure they’re all connected (2 under manifold, 1 on cowl, one on fuel filter bracket) and solid.
*Note about differentials:
If you are putting a 5spd or TT Auto trans behind your GTE motor, you can keep your current driveshaft. The TT Auto LSD rear end (3.73) will bolt right in place of your current 4.27 rear end with no real modification. This will give you LSD and a bit more gearing to work with if you are 5spd (and probably reduce the shock to the W58 too, giving it a longer life) and will feel like stock w/ the Auto trans.
If you are planning on putting in a 6spd transmission, then I would also put in the 6spd rear differential. You will need a 6spd driveshaft, differential and axle to complete the install. I do not have any 6spd units currently to do a writeup with, but would be happy to take donations
There is info out there on what all is needed for the 6spd swap.
NA to TT Swap Tutorial
