Find Out How Much It Costs to K-Swap an MR2 (Video)
Putting a Honda engine into a Toyota is cheaper than you think.
Maybe it’s the DIYer in us, but when we see a “how much it cost to swap” video we have to give it a watch. Sure, we don’t dream about owning a Toyota MR2, but one with a K24 in it? Interesting. So, we came across a BoostedBoiz video where Kyle Wade talks about his MR2 which is rocking a turbo K24 swap. His inspiration? None other than Race Labs MR2 from back in 2011-ish. Here’s a thread from the forums. Not bad for inspiration if you ask us!
Alright, down to the fun bits: stock non-turbo MR2 was $3,000 on good-ol Craigslist. Why swap it? Well, the stock motor threw a rod through the side of the block, providing the perfect opportunity for Wade to do the K swap he’d always wanted.
The engine? Through a timely Craigslist purchase (he got a sleeved GSR block for $100) he traded up to a complete K24 engine that was sitting around the shop at PFI Speed, a Colorado tuner who does badass work. He then got a transmission for $150. He also got a deal on some Hux Racing motor mounts, which retail for about $400. An engine harness from an ’05 RSX and shift cables for free when a friend was parting the RSX out (he traded some labor by pulling the motor for the owner). He ran a Hondata ECU for $500, used the stock fuel system, saving some money there.
ALSO SEE: K-Swap All the Things feat. Porsche 911
Curiously, B series axles both work with the K series transmission and have the same spline count as stock non-turbo MR2 spindles, so $120 from Autozone got his axles sorted. Grand total? $3,800 out of his pocket to get a running, driving MR2 with Honda power. Paying full price for the engine mounts would only have bumped him to $4,200. Not bad: $800 to swap it. How much if you don’t have a buddy to hook you up with a motor/harness/etc? Wade guesses $1,500 to $3,000 if you already own the car.
He also suggests getting a K24, since they’re abundant and cheap. Plus, for his goals, a little more displacement definitely helps. Bonus: he turbocharged it for $1,000 more, so he’s about $5,000 in for a car that’ll do 11.8 at 120 mph in the quarter!
Would you drop a K series into an MR2, or just get a Del Sol? Join us in the Forums and let us know.
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