5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

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teranfirbt
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My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

So I decided it was time for a different engine. After the tuning pain of the CBR600 throttles, I wanted to get back to an engine that would run MAP sensing for load with Megasquirt, and I wanted a bit more power. Having seen the photo of the dude that swapped 4AFE into his ride, I figured that would be a good way to go. Easy peasy, right? Wellll, not so much.

I knew that I would need a different exhaust. Individual mandrel bends are fairly expensive, but I stumbled on these Jegs weld up header kits. That's stupid cheap for the number of bends you get! It's aluminized mild steel, but I'm not exactly worried about this lasting forever.
Luckily the ports are round, so a 2-1/2" x 14" x 1/2" piece of 1018 cold rolled steel was ordered which fit perfectly. Bi-metal hole saws make quick work of the flange, and a couple good weekends with the welder produced the majority of a header:
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The ignition coil is from a Ford Escort.

Next piece was a cooling pipe to get from the back of the head to the Tercel radiator. I bought a 6' stick of 1" SCH10 stainless pipe from ebay and went to town:
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I didn't want to sped the money for a bunch of els, so all of the corners are 45° miters. Not the greatest for flow, but considering the opening on the thermostat I wasn't worried about it.

The last thing built before going into the car was an alternator bracket that was integrated into the coil bracket:
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Next step, out with the old!
After installing a pilot bearing, clutch, freshly surfaced flywheel, and swapping the Tercel oil pan, the 5A was put into the engine bay... And already the problems started to show:

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That's not gonna work at all... :(

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Hood sits on the oil cap and still isn't closed, doh!


Oh well. While deciding what to do, I added a 5/16" pickup to the fuel tank for the fuel pump from a '76 Celica.
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The fitting is a 90°-05 JIC bulkhead elbow. On the inside of the tank is a tube with a strainer on the bottom. I didn't trust the factory 1/4" pickup tube to feed the carb pump, so I went bigger. All of the fittings are JB-Welded together to prevent leaks.
Running under the car is a 5/16" aluminum tube that's bent to run with the factory fuel lines.
That all runs up to a surge tank in the engine bay that feeds an EFI pump.

Anyway. Back to the intake!
At this point, I decided to build something custom. So some 1/4" 1018 steel was ordered and a flange made:
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Sadly the intake ports are not round, so I drilled out to a reasonable size and then finished everything out with a carbide burr:

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At this point I'd also been working on the other half of the cooling system. The stock thermostat housing didn't fit between the head and the firewall, so I decided to move it. I made matching blank off plates for the head and the housing, and moved it to the side of the block:

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The heater was connected and a bypass to allow hot coolant from the head to flow around the thermostat was tee'd in:
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More bits of exhaust tubing were used to make the intake. The runners are 1.5" exhaust pipe x 11" long and the plenum is 3" exhaust pipe:
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The ends of the runners were formed (read: hammered) to match the ports on the flange, and a burr was used after everything was welded to blend it all in.

After some throttle fitment issues, it was decided to move the surge tank under the intake and route the throttle toward the washer tank:
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A little time with the MIG later and we have the bulk of the intake!
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To get the throttle cable over to the throttle, I used part of the Corolla throttle cable housing that came with the engine, an 8 mmx1.25 coupling nut, and a section of 2mm stainless wire rope.
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The cable ends are cut up shanks of 1/4" bolts about 3/8" long with a 3/32" hole through the center. Get everything lined up right and zap it with the MIG running stainless wire to get a super nice custom throttle cable.

On to finishing up the exhaust:
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Bought a 180 and a 180 + 45 mandrel bend in 2" pipe on ebay, plus bought a couple lengths of straight pipe locally. Muffler is a Walker turbo muffler I bought on Rock Auto, the cat is something I bought on ebay for cheap. The flanges are from Rock Auto as well. They take some care to get them set up right, but boy are they nice to have for pulling the exhaust apart.

Which leads us to the current state:

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Made some things pretty, finished up the fuel and cooling systems, and pretty much got everything locked in.
Ditched the Ford coil pack for a Hyundai Accent pack. It's got the correct terminals for the factory Tercel wires, and is still a 3 wire coil. Probably doesn't have the oomph of the Ford pack, but I don't really need it for a 5A.
(And yes Peter, the intake has a brace back to the motor mount bracket ;))
The last major hurdles are wiring and the hood issue, stayed tuned!
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by ARCHINSTL »

MY - WORD ! ! !
:o - :o - :o
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by dlb »

nice! looks great. can't wait to see it run. keep it up.
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Gottolovem
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Posts: 1637
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:28 pm
My tercel:: 1985 SR5 with snow plow,1987 auto 1984 parts car,1987 FX-16 GTS
Location: Reno

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by Gottolovem »

WOW very impressive :shock:
How did you know that the wire ends from a Hyundai would fit the Tercel research or just endless tinkering?
teranfirbt
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Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

That solution came from a friend. I had mentioned my issue with the Ford coil terminals and he noticed the Hyundai coils on a junkyard trip. I did some research and ended up spending 25 bucks for those coils on eBay, I don't think anyone kept a 95-99 Accent long enough to need new coils, so parts houses were more than ready to get them off their shelves for cheap! Plus they come with the sweet bracket and the correct filtering cap for the power wire, overall win in my book.
larry mcgrath
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My tercel:: 83 tercel v20 B/T (The ROCKET)98 toyota t100
Location: Wilds of Montana

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by larry mcgrath »

WOW!!!!!!!!! great looking job, when I swapped in my 20v b/t I dropped the cross member 1/2" with some flat bar to gain some hood clearence for the plenum. Keep us posted :) Larry
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by Petros »

Major effort. You really went the long hard way to make that engine work, making both a exhaust header and an intake plenum (the original intake plenum could not be made to work?). As well as all the other bits and pieces necessary to make the EFI and distributorless ignition all work.

On your fuel tank it appears you have a pump flange mounted on the top of the tank, or is that just the standard Tercel fuel tank cover? Do you have an in-tank pump, or is it in the engine bay? Is that a standard Tercel4wd fuel tank or is it out of something else?

What are the specs on the 5afe engine? displacement, power and torque output?

It will be interesting to see how it performs, fuel economy, etc.

How much money you think you have invested in the swap?
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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irowiki
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Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by irowiki »

If you notice in one of the pictures Peter, where the air filter would normally attach was basically rubbing on the firewall!
Former Tercel Enthusiast (not a practical family car anymore but they still have a place in my heart)

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87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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teranfirbt
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Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

Irowiki got it on the nose, the throttle on the original plenum was ~1" from the firewall. I suppose modifying the original plenum was a possibility, but I no longer have the resources to weld aluminum, but I do have a MIG, so steel was easy. I did look into the possibility of making an adapter for the original plenum, but nothing seemed to jive with the engine bay. Overall, the custom plenum was probably on the same order of work as making the original intake work.

The tank is factory Tercel, as is the closeout panel. The pump I got mounts externally to the tank and is attached just above the axle. I don't know what style pump it is, but I didn't want to try pulling fuel through that much tube on a non-diaphragm pump.

Factory the 5A is a 1.5 liter 4A makes 104 hp ad 97 ft-lbs, comparable to the 4AFE. With all of the custom work done, it's probably a little more. Economy is to be seen.

Overall I'd say I probably have on the order of $1500 into this including the engine, although I had the Megasquirt from before which adds $200. The whole project was done for fun, putting a 4AF (carbed version) with a weber and DIS controlled by Megasquirt would be a damn sight easier, and would be nearly as good as the fuel injected version. There's also a lot of corners I could have cut on the cooling system by using a lot more hose vs. all of the hard pipe.
teranfirbt
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Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

Wiring is underway!
Start with a mess:
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And then organize and clean up:
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Which is where I am now. Engine bay is almost done, just a few things to wrap up before covering everything up. Glove box area is the next step, it's where the Megasquirt, wideband O2 controller, and main relays are.
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lannvouivre
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My tercel:: 2006 Pontiac Vibe
Location: Odessa, TX

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by lannvouivre »

I love fabrication. I feel jealous, honestly. Grumble, grumble. Anyway, this was a fun read and I think I'll continue stalking.
But...did you try hitting it with a hammer?
teranfirbt
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Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

And it runs! Wiring complete, hood modified mad max style. I'll get pictures up later since I'm on my phone. Makes good power, sounds good too. Mileage is to be seen, only have about 30 miles so far. By the gauge it's either the same or slightly better, but a tank or 2 driving to work will tell.
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Gottolovem
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My tercel:: 1985 SR5 with snow plow,1987 auto 1984 parts car,1987 FX-16 GTS
Location: Reno

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by Gottolovem »

:oldgeek: :oldgeek: I bow down to your fabrication skills very impressive :oldgeek: :oldgeek:
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Mad_Marx
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My tercel:: 1986DLX (K.I.A. by a Texting Driver, currently being uses as a parts car) 1986 SR5 AC, Cruise, Sunroof a.k.a. TERC II Electric Boogaloo (restoration in progress). 1984 SR5
Location: Boise, ID

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by Mad_Marx »

Wow, impressive indeed!
teranfirbt
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Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: 5AFE Swap... Or how to make a project big!

Post by teranfirbt »

Wiring all done and laid out:
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Then finished out with some loom tee fittings:
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Turns out I needed a lot of space to clear the oil cap. I decided a smallish bump in the hood would be pretty sweet, so I laid it out in sharpie and cut away:

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The Diablo .040" thick cut off wheels for angle grinders are super badass, easy to control and cut fast.

Got the oil cap clearance decently set:
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Then fabbed up and tacked in the filler pieces:
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After a lot of moving around everything to avoid warping the hood, all of the welding was done:
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The welds were ground smooth using a carbide burr and POR patch was applied to use as a filler:
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I'm still waiting on the 4 day cure time before I go to town with the sandpaper and paint. The whole hood is going to end up black
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