OK so I picked the new engine up tonight and I got my hoist back, as you can see from the pics. Tonight Ill pull the 2.5 out and remove the needed components for the 3.0 and remove the unneeded components from the 3.0. I hope to install the 3.0 tomorrow, but well see.

Anyway, here are the pics.

 

Wow, nice, I thought the SVT contour is supposed to be pretty quick with mods.

 

They are decent, but not as quick as the TL's... I dont think.....

At least with this swap it will be close.

 

 

Damn, you didn't waste any time! Nice pickup

 

Yeah I try not to waste time. I'm serious when I say I'm sick and tired of having the TL dirty, plus I want to be able to take the Contour to the mountains for some snowboarding. I wonder what these cars look like with a roof rack.

 

You have a SH-AWD TL, and you want to go snowboarding in the beater?

 

I would have cleaned the engine compartment first My engine bays are clean.

I remember the days of replacing the motor in my camry. It took 36 hours to complete the job.

12 hours to take out the old one, 12 hours to properly change over good/bad parts and 12 hours to install button up and fix any issues.

It builds character.

If i had another garage, i would attempt something like this again too.

 

With snow tires you can go almost anywhere.

 

Yup, I dont mind losing control and smashing into the mountain in the beater. Yes the TL would be a hell of a lot better, but I really dont feel like putting a rack on my TL....no thanks. and since the seats dont fold down a snowboard will not fit.

 

I keep forgetting, I still don't know if it snows enough where OP lives since he said it's the butthole of Socal, but assuming if it doesn't snow very often where he lives, then snow tires would be a waste

Maybe if you live in the snow belt on the east coast, but for most people in California, it's not worth it.

 

Oh dont worry, it will be cleaned. I am the same exact way when it comes to this kind of stuff. i didnt clean it last night since i was tired as hell and finished at 1130. I have a lot of work to do, but hope to have the new engine in and running tonight...... that may be a little far fetched, but anything is possible.
Exactly

 

Makes sense. We somehow fit 5 people and 5 snowboards in my friend's Evo X though we could only fit 4 snowboards on the racks

 

Make sure you change the oil a couple times too.

When i replaced teh camry motor, there was some water in it(didn't know that when i purchased it) . But i changed the oil twice. I ran it for 30 seconds to a minute and drained. I ran it and drained again until clear.

 

I hear you about where you live. My SIL lives in Hesperia, so I know what it's like there (I've seen snow there, in the damn desert). I don't blame you in the least hiding your TL.

And congrats on the swap / pickup. I think it will serve you well.

 

Thanks, unfortunately I dont think I will get much done tonight. I have been at work since 630 and probably wont be going home for about another hour

 

Finally got her running last night at 1am lol. I had to wait for the adapter plates called "bugzuki" plates, named after the forum member that makes them on the contour forum, due to the season it took 6 days to get them

The hardest and most time consuming part of this whole swap was porting the heads to match the manifolds and grinding the damn passenger side mount. Normally the mount can only be removed and installed by removing one of the heads. SO in order to do it without removing a head, it has to be cut and ground to fit. Those two things alone took me 3 days, mainly because I was using a dremel and was only able to work on the car after work and only for a couple hours each day.

Well worth the trouble though. This little car is fun as hell to drive lol. This 3L has enough torque to never have to down shift. I can be in fourth at 25 and step on it and it pulls hard. Completely surprised me.

The only embarrassing part of this whole project was going to work in business attire with dirty fingernails that I could not get clean. I used everything to try to get them clean including cutting stained skin off lol. Good thing Im the boss

 

Very nice. A good brush from an M16 rifle cleaning kit and some laundry soap will get them clean (sorry, my old Army tricks).

so without further ado...........................






Good work getting it done.

 

I'd much rather be in my beater if someone else wants to crash into me. Sometimes your winter beater is to protect your summer car from the elements and sometimes it's to protect it from nitwits who can't drive in the snow.

 

Wow....great pics. This is the first thread in a long time I had to skip a couple post just to get to the pics.... I'm looking for a beater myself

 

Unfortunately I had to give my cleaning kit back to the Corps when I turned in my M16
Exactly!
I know, I know. Pics are being uploaded now.

 

As Promised:

 

Nice! Well done!

 

Car: 600
Engine: 435 (with tax)
Parts: 73.00 (actually paid 53 since I had 20 credit at autozone)
Bugzuki Plates: 25

Total: 1,113.00

 

I would drive the car in which I would be safest. Would that be a TL or a Contour?

 

great beater / 3.0 swap

Enjoy!!!!

 

The TL would most definitely be the safest. Its a beater/commuter/fun car to drive so the TL can sit over the winter.
Thanks,

 

nice clean engine! congrats. That is an awesome price for a complete purchase/repair.

 

WOW....for $1100 this car looks great! Leather, 5spd, bigger engine, all pwr accs.....def a great pickup!

 

Thanks, I could have done a better job on cleaning the engine compartment but it wasnt as big of a priority for me.
Yeah its a steal. The interior looks worse in the pictures than it does in real life.
Also, I need to change the tips on the exhaust cause they look very...... mexican like me lol. I need to get something that looks better.

 

Looking good, I love the colour Give it a good detail and clear up that left headlight and it'll be good to go.

 

There is no cleaning of that headlight. It needs to be completely replaced. The tabs are broken and the inside is a mess.

 

well done

 

well done mike. technically you can flip it for some money if you want.

 

Its already up for sale lol.

 

So this is what you been up to...I was wondering where you been. Nice beater! Hope all is good with cha man!

 

More fun with torque=priceless.

Nice job. I wish I had your skills.

 

Yeah I have definitely been preoccupied. I needed to get this thing on the road especially with how bad the weather has been lately. The TL has been mistreated and hasnt had a bath in a few weeks. At least she is able to sit in the garage while my beater takes a beating through the winter lol. All is definitely good with me..... how about yourself?
We gotta get another meet going.

Yes the torque is definitely priceless. This thing pulls hard like my old DSM did with the EVO 3 16G turbo. No need to downshift when going up a mountain, just step on the gas in 5th and it will pull you straight up at low RPM's.

The skills come with many years of practice/mistakes. If you take a look at my thread history from when I first started in this forum you will see that I cause my tranny to blow on my 2G TL thinking that I could do a tranny fluid change lol. Its ok though, because it led to my first engine and auto to manual swap. Experience through necessity.

 

i need to man up and do me an engine swap...

 

I took this baby up to Bear Mountain for snowboarding last weekend. I am so impressed with the performance of this damn little car.

On the way up there was a ton of ice and snow on the road (there wasnt a sign for chain requirements) and everyone was driving slow to the point that they would pull over and let me pass. Mind you I was only going 15 mph at most. I made it up the mountain safe and sound without a single slip of the tires or loss of traction.

Everyone was putting chains on in big bear and I was cruising around chain-less like a rebel, but it was perfect. The car did great and I am impressed.

Obviously the TL would have been the preferred vehicle due to SHAWD but I dont mind wrecking this little beast where I do mind even a scratch on the TL