Aslam-o-Alaikum,
Hope everyone is fine and in good health
I have been wanting to start this project for a long time but every time had other commitments....but finally planning this project and Insha Allah would be executing it soon......the engine is blowing smoke now so needed to be replaced.....don't want to go ahead with the overhaul as have difficulty sourcing parts for the 3K and want to opt for a fuel injected engine
A background on the car.....we have owned this car for about 34 years now (my dad bought it on March 1980), he was in the army so this car has been all around Pakistan......we have had a few cars during this time but this one just stayed around chiefly because we have an attachment with this car and never wanted to let it go
It has traveled 550k miles to date (we bought it at around 50k miles)....it has been overhauled twice and still has the original 3K engine from factory....only the head got changed during the last overhaul in 2003....my dad took real good care of it and still has the original color on the roof, the insides of the door, boot, hood and engine bay....the sides have been resprayed many times....last time was couple of years ago that also included side skirts replacement and driver side floor board replacement....the original rims were replaced as they were bent and were eating up the tyres
Enough background on the car.....coming to what I want to do with it
I want to put an engine that is reliable and the parts are easily available....the car would be kept for occasional daily use so it should be economical and should be a bit powerful than the current engine....also will be changing the current transmission as it is a 4 speed and want to move to a 5 speed transmission
The mechanic suggested an engine from a 82 Corolla but its a carburetor one and I want to go with a fuel injected car
My brother wants to put a turbo engine in it, preferable a 3SGTE.....but I am of the view that this is a 38 year old car and a turbo engine would not be safe for such an old car....also I do not want to turn it into a drag racer, just want to put a newer engine, preferable a fuel injected one, so that it is not problematic and parts are easily available from the market.....I want to restore it in original condition so that we can keep it for years to come in future and have minimal problems......people have put V8's and turbo charged engines in it overseas and have been using it as a drag racer, but dont want to go on this route
So the options left are either to go with a 4AGE or 4AFE/5AFE engine.....I had a corolla with a 4AGE engine in Australia but did not have a good experience with it..frequently had to replace spark plugs, even though I was using the titanium ones...also it needed 95 octane or higher to work and we don't have such higher octane numbers available in Pakistan.....my view is based on my experience so my apologies for my lack of knowledge on this aspect.....the experienced people who have had better experience can increase my knowledge in this regard.....also not sure about the availability of 4AGE parts
I have seen few cars with 4AFE engine swapped in them and this could be the preferred path to follow
There is also an option to go with a 5K or 7K engine.....it is a much easier swap as these engines will be bolt on fits but have found that parts for such engines are not easily available...also these engines are not that powerful
So my request to the experts out there on the forum to guide me with their knowledge and experience as what engine to swap so as to keep it stock and problem free....also what to look for during swap so that our "experienced mechanics" don't do any "exciting" stuff with my car
After the engine swap, I am planning an interior and exterior restoration.....but that have to wait till the engine swap is done
Many thanks and would be waiting for the experts opinions
