T series engine conversion

2TG conversion for KE3#-KE5# cars
In Japan and north America, 30 series corollas came with a 2T engine standard and a 2TG in the Levin, so putting a 2TG in a KE30 type car makes sence. But in Australia the KE30 only had a 3K engine, and the latter KE55 only had a 4K engine. To put a 2T or 3T engine in a KE corolla many things have to be changed. (Also consider that a 4A-GE may be a nicer motor to use, but a 2TG will be keeping within the period and factory look).

Engine mounts
To put the 2TG engine (or any T engine) in a KE corolla you can use TA22 celica engine mounts which bolt to the block. The engine will then bolt to the KE30 cross-member, sort of. But this is not the nicest way as the engine will be too far back and to the right, you end up having to shorten the tailshaft, and you will have to cut the back out of the gearstick hole. The carbies will also be coming very close the the master cylinder.

Pictured is the TE crossmember, KE dimentions included.

Here are the dimentions of the proper TE crossmember as found in a Toyota repair manual. I changed my cross-member to these dimentions. I cut the mounts off the cross member and welded them in the correct position. It is only nessecery to be accurate to 2mm. With the K motor, the crankshaft sits 17mm to the right of center of the car. With the T motor sitting on the proper TE crossmember, the crankshaft is in the middle of the car. When going to the T motor using the factory dimentions, the gearbox crossmember also has to be modifyed to move the gearbox to the left 17mm so it sits strait. Using this crossmember, the back of the T motor will sit at the same place as the back of the K motor sat.

My motor. I use a T50 from a TA22, as used in the TE27/TE37. I have a bellhousing from a TE72, as it has a newer clutch lever and fewer vent holes.

Gearbox
The T50 gearbox is the same length as a K40 gearbox, and same shaft spline. The T50 gearbox uses different holes in the chassis further back, which are already there from the factory if it is a manual car. The T50 gearbox from a TA22 celica should be used. When the gearbox from a TE72 or AE86 is used, a new hole in the floor needs to be cut for the shifter. When the TE crossmember is used, the holes in the middle of the gearbox crossmember need to be moved 17mm to the left. This brings the gearbox into the centre of the car. The shifter hole may need modifying a little to, idealy the whole hole moved 17mm to the left.

Clutch
Using a T50 gearbox also means converting to hydralic clutch, from cable. As corollas in other countries came with the T engine and T gearbox, there is already holes for the clutch master cylinder in the firewall, but you need to use a holesaw still. The cable clutch pedal still does not quite meet the linkage, so some modification has to be done. I fixed this by using a Celica hydralic clutch pedal and parts of the RA23 Celica pedal box. I unstitched and rewelded bits to move the pivot.

Tailshaft
If you started with a manual car and are still using the same diff, the same tailshaft can be used with no modification at all, because the gearbox is in the same spot and has the same spline. If you started with a automatic car, you need a tailshaft off a manual car that used the same diff you have. If you upgrade to a T series 6.7" diff (standard on the TE37 Levin/SR-5), you will need a TA22 tailshaft shortened 50mm to give a resultant length of 1129mm from center to centre of the uni joints. (1129mm is the factory dimention for a TE37 tailshaft using the 6.7" diff).

I welded leaf mounts, and anti-roll bar mounts to the Celica diff.

Rear axle assambly
The standard diff on a KE30 is a U series 6" banjo type. These will be strugling to handle all the power of a 2TG for very long, especialy if you do any hard launches/burnouts. Australian model KE55's and some of the later KE30's had a BorgWarner diff, either 4.11:1 or a 4.3:1 with the autos. These are a much stronger diff and will be able to handle 2TG power, but not forever, and not if you do any power upgrades. The standard diff for the TE30 series cars was a S series 6.38". The TE27 and TE37 Levin and SR-5 models came with the bigger T series 6.7" diff (also known as the 10 bolt diff). In Australia these are found in all RWD Celicas, usualy a 4.1:1 ratio. I have used a RA23 Celica diff, cut the spring mounts off, and welded the leaf spring mounts on. The angle of the leaf spring mounts needs to be fairly acurate, or you can get uni joint vibration.

Axle tramp
is common with leaf springs and a more powerfull engine. A easy fix is to add another leaf to the pack which stiffens the spring and reduces tranp.