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  • ImpishSprite

    July 19, 2008 11:45 a.m. ImpishSprite New Reader

    mad_machine wrote:

    here is another thought The M42/m44 engines that BMW stuffed into the last 4 cylinder cars they shipped to the US. They can be had for relativly cheap money (everybody wants the 6's) and because they are designed to sit over at an angle, allow you to have a relativly low hood line.

    And they make a bitchin supercharger for them!

    The problem with that idea is the placement of the rear of the engine. That slant would actually put the last 1/4-1/2 of the engine rear length into the top of the passenger footwell. The footwells on the Spridgets extend up the sides of the motors on anything longer then the A-Series engine. Oft times you have to cut out the package/heater/battery area which is extended from foot well to foot well. With the slant of the motor as angled as it is, it will leave no room what so ever for the passenger's legs without forcing them to sit with their legs directly against the outside of the footwell.

  • ww

    July 19, 2008 2:20 p.m. ww Dork

    My first thought was SR20, which were widely available in the Infiniti G20 and I have a couple of friends who are running them in Datsun 510's and Roadsters pretty successfully with imported RWD tranny's. Although, I think they are still a little too big for the Sprite/Midget.

    I would go with either the 1.3 Suzuki or the Zetec. Although not a lot of aftermarket support, both are reliable and small enough to fit with the right fab skills.

  • digdug18

    July 19, 2008 8:59 p.m. digdug18 New Reader

    i'm NOT going with a motorcycle engine, I know that for sure. I found a v6 outta a ford f150 a 93 i think it was, including the whole running gear, and axle, etc, the whole package for $100. it has 70k on the odometer. but i think im gonna pass that up.

    The zetec seems like the place to try for at this point. I like the look of that jag swap but its too nice to drive and jag motors are unreliable when compared to a zetec, lol. And the honda swap is in the back of my mind as well, i have done some checking and there are a couple of kits to use a b-series honda motor for a rear wheel drive car, they have a couple of adapters out there...

    Andrew

  • 92dxman

    July 20, 2008 3:38 p.m. 92dxman New Reader

    98 Single Cam Honda Motor: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/758859466.html

    2.3 Turbo out of a T-Bird: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/757908681.html

    307 Olds Motor- free: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/756782027.html

    4age and tranny $500: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/755406402.html

    2.5 Ford V6 out of a Contour $499: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/750789546.html

    2.5L 4 cyl out of a Wrangler $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/744865328.html

    01 Civic motor $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/737181303.html

    D16 motor and tranny: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/734140057.html

  • carguy123

    July 20, 2008 6:51 p.m. carguy123 HalfDork

    92dxman wrote:

    98 Single Cam Honda Motor: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/758859466.html

    2.3 Turbo out of a T-Bird: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/757908681.html

    307 Olds Motor- free: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/756782027.html

    4age and tranny $500: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/755406402.html

    2.5 Ford V6 out of a Contour $499: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/750789546.html

    2.5L 4 cyl out of a Wrangler $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/744865328.html

    01 Civic motor $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/737181303.html

    D16 motor and tranny: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/734140057.html

    I see posts like this all the time up north and yet when I check my local FW/D craigslist I get nothing but scammers and odd ball wheels and tires. I don't get it.

    Is it that up north in the rust belt the engines survive the cars or what?

  • 92dxman

    July 20, 2008 8:53 p.m. 92dxman New Reader

    Yep that was from the Philly Craigslist. A fair share of cars rust away and the motors survive.

  • TransMaro

    July 20, 2008 10:26 p.m. TransMaro New Reader

    Go buy the big blue book and build a 1380 for it.

    It bolts right in and runs great. Why mess with a good thing?

    You can still get TONS of speed parts for the A-series for reasonable prices.

    Shawn

  • wlkelley3

    July 21, 2008 11:31 a.m. wlkelley3 Reader

    My vote is for a built-up 1275 with a supercharger. You know it will fit with no modification (especially to the trans tunnel), readily available, easy to do, etc... I plan on doing that (minus supercharger) to my 63 Spridget. Already have a 72 parts car with the 1275 and all of the running gear. Just look for a rusted out complete Spridget with 1275, readily available usually for cheap $.

  • Brust

    July 26, 2008 11:41 p.m. Brust New Reader

    and the built 1275 will be a helluva lot easier all in all. Problem is, you're looking at thousands for the engine buildup (supercharger or 1380) and then figuring out your tune.

    I didn't have any trouble with getting my silvertop running properly. Used engine of unknown mileage fired right up (plug the computer in) and runs like the day it left the factory.

  • Ryan9118

    July 27, 2008 1:55 p.m. Ryan9118 HalfDork

    I vote for a rotary. This page makes it look relatively easy.

    http://www.geocities.com/mg12a/mg12a/intro.html

    I'm putting my Midget back together now and I'd like to have more power, but I'm not sure I want to go through with swapping in a different motor. It would be fun though.

  • steved033

    July 27, 2008 9:36 p.m. steved033 New Reader

    HAYABUSA! duh.

    sjd

  • TOZOVR

    July 28, 2008 6:34 a.m. TOZOVR New Reader

    SHO V6. 220 hp stock and revs to the moon. intake is symmetrical so you can put it where you need...Aerostar bell housing bolts up allowing you to use a T-5 etc.

  • 92dxman

    July 28, 2008 4:56 p.m. 92dxman New Reader

    2.8 or 3.1 GM V6 $100: http://www.tristatetuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60319

  • Mite

    Aug. 5, 2008 3:54 p.m. Mite None

    I vote for a 478 cubic inch Hemi:

    http://www.modifiedhealeys.org/Photos/126Marian/Marian.htm

  • grtechguy

    Aug. 5, 2008 3:55 p.m. grtechguy SuperDork

    ^^^ one of my favorite swaps.

  • mad_machine

    Aug. 5, 2008 5:27 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

    just out of curiosity.. why not a 1500 or the 1800 from the MGB?

  • Tim Baxter

    Aug. 5, 2008 6:10 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

    Do you mean the B-series 1500 (as in an MGA), or the late Sprite 1500?

    If the former, it's underpowered and overweight. If the latter, it's just a POS engine.

    I love the B-series in any displacement, but it's REALLY heavy, pretty tall, and not all that powerful. You have all the work of an engine swap and not a lot of advantage.

  • patgizz

    Aug. 5, 2008 6:52 p.m. patgizz Dork

    ecotec?

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/07-Pontiac-Solstice-Sky-2-4-Liter-Engine-OE-LKQ-8-M...

  • mad_machine

    Aug. 6, 2008 7:52 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

    I had no idea that the 1500 from the spitfire was considered such a bad engine. Too long a stroke?

  • Tim Baxter

    Aug. 6, 2008 8:04 a.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

    Well, this is coming from an MG guy, and we're trained to hate the Triumph 1500 just because it replaced the absolutely wonderful 1275 A-series....

    Besides that, the 1500 has a weak bottom end, doesn't much care for revs, and is kinda asthmatic. Oddly, when Triumph added a couple of cylinders on it somehow works much better. Still a week crank (or thrust washers, to be more precise) but I love a Triumph six.

    All those old British engines are crazy undersquare. They had some crazy formula that tied the bore to the amount of tax the owner had to pay, or something like that.

    For whatever it's worth, I really like the B-series engine. It's torquey, makes great noises, and the 1800 version was pretty powerful for its time. But nowadays 98hp from 1.8 liters is no great shakes at all, even with the torque, and it's REALLY heavy. Almost small-block-Ford heavy. So I wouldn't pick it for a swap unless you were really just jonesing to keep it all British. And even then, I'd look at a Rover V8 instead.

  • Jensenman

    Aug. 6, 2008 12:53 p.m. Jensenman UltimaDork

    I have seen quite a few of the 1500 Spit/Midget motors break cranks, either right behind the center main or between rods 3&4. Don't ask me why, they just have an appetite for cranks. For that reason, I'd avoid it as a performance motor swap.

  • Brust

    Aug. 6, 2008 2:45 p.m. Brust New Reader

    Yeah, I think the triumph engine will make more power, but not engine swap more, if you know what I mean. If you're going through the pain, you might as well get some more power, reliability, light weight, and fuel economy out of it. That's why the Suzuki swift GTI or the 4age or Miata 1600 are good choices in my opinion.
    As to the zetec or eco tec, or SR20, I would take a good tape measure to those and figure out really how big they are. The 4age is a pretty small engine and still was quite a challenge to install. I didn't have to cut any out of the footwells (except a small amount from the top of the passenger footwell that could have been avoided in retrospect), and had to enlarge the tunnel only slightly (again, could probably have been avoided). I know you could fit the engines, but add in the alternator, the header, intake plenum etc, and those engines get big quick.

    Of course, the Marian 478 Hemi sprite sort of dogs anyone who says it can't be done. I think that would be a great ride for a one legged couple: driver missing his right leg and passenger missing his left leg. I can't imagine there's much in the way of a footwell, and if there is, I'll bet after a ten minute ride you smell like KFC with your leg all fried up like the Colonel's secret recipe from engine heat.

  • Tim Baxter

    Aug. 6, 2008 3:29 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

    Actually, the 1275 is a bolt-in for the Sprite, and I'd bet on it making more power than the Spitfire 1500.

  • RX_Midget

    Aug. 7, 2008 6:43 a.m. RX_Midget New Reader

    I'm a little late to the thread, but my vote should be obvious.

    Buy a 84-85 RX-7 GSLSE and use everything. Motor, Trans, driveshaft (shortened), and rear axle (narrowed), and oil cooler. I use a $100 VW Scirocco radiator and it has no problem on the street keeping it at 180F. Swap in a later Midget gas tank (8 gallons IIRC). Exhaust will reguire some creative thinking to get it quiet, but it is not to hard to do - ceramic coat the headers to keep passengers feet happy and put down some insulation especially on the passenger side foorwell.

    The heater shelf can be salvaged by notching the drivers side air passage and boxing it to clear the clutch slave cyl. A small cut and box is needed in the upper passenger side foot well (way above your feet). The trans fits in the tunnel with only a slight massage with a hammer in a few spots to clear the reverse light and neutral switchs hanging off the trans. I dropped the crossmember making it bolt in and cut the original for more clearance. It sits no lower than the exhaust.

    I ditched the Mazda F/I because it sat up too high and would require a modified hood (I don't like big hood scoops). Buy a Racing Beat Weber sidedraft intake and get a used 45 DCOE which is good for a stock or small street port motor on the street or use a Weber sidedraft style throttle body for F/I. Use the Mazda clutch master and modify the pushrod - the MG cylinder will give you one very large left leg if you use it.

    It is a fast car with a stock motor and a very fast car with just a street ported motor. I can not complain about reliablilty - I've been racing the same motor since 2000.

    Here is the latest from this past weekend:

    RX-Midget at Polish Mtn Hillclimb

    How it all started: RX-Midget project from totaled shell to complete car.

    If this seems like too much work, the 1275 is really a great motor when built up and they "drop-in".

    Good luck.

    B.

  • Type Q

    Aug. 7, 2008 11:34 a.m. Type Q Reader

    Mite wrote:

    I vote for a 478 cubic inch Hemi:

    http://www.modifiedhealeys.org/Photos/126Marian/Marian.htm

    I saw that car at local show a couple of years ago. It's pretty impressive. The one thing I remember though is the foot boxes were really small and the pedals were offset pretty far to the left to clear the engine.

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