As Cre said.. it would be silly to drop a JDM import straight into the car. You want to replace seals first.. EVEN if it doesnt need them.
Salt corrosion is bad and thats what you are going to find. Cheap engines really.. but there is a reason for it.
I looked at getting a front clip and dropping it in. My mechanical abilities are not what they should be since I haven't torn out engines and rebuilt them in over 20 years.. so I ask the experts. For me to do it the way I want, is going to take a minimum of 10,000.00 (more like 14,000+)
I can pull the engine, I can put the engine in.. but I don't trust myself with finessing things and generally I like doing things once only. From all my research I will be sticking with the 7MGTE solely because its the most cost effect way to reach my modest HP desire of approx. 400 at the wheels. If I wanted above 400 I would go with a 2jz swap and single turbo. My initial estimate for doing this with a single turbo was slightly over 14,000.00. You cant just drop it in and hope for the best.
JDM imports are great if your prepared to redo the engine prior to popping it in. If your not.. your gambling. (which isn't too bad if you can pull the engine and rebuild yourself later on)
100,000 miles out of a properly built/properly maintained 7M or 1JZ or 2JZ is simple to do. I only drive my car 2000 - 3000 km per year.. so the car should outlive me
