Hi there, new to the forum...I have an 85 mkII in really good condition but the 5M-GE is tired along with the tranny and rear end. Lots of miles on it. Obviously the first thing I looked at was a 2jz JDM swap but understand that a 7M-GTE would probably be less of a headache to set up...or should I just rebuild/modify my 5m? Not sure where to start, open to suggestions/ideas! Thanks.

Go with the 7mgte swap, or if you wanna keep your 5mge then turbo that one

You can go 2j but depending on how deep your pocket is. The engine bay would be such a tight squeez and you'll definitely do a lot of chopping to fit the 2j. You can fit a 7MGTE in it and for that you'll need a MKIII donor. You can turbo your 5M and if you're thinking about rebuilding both tranny and engine the is the chance you can work on setting up a turbo. You can use the turbo manifold, turbo, intercooler, and oil line from the MKIII. Or if you like, you can get the 6M and turbo that as well.

IR