Wildcard: the Nelsons have been experimenting with the Northstar V8...dubbing it "GM's Coyote". While I am still dubious of its power potential and reliability, its reputation should make it a cheap car to buy. Since they come FWD, you can have a mid-engine V8 Corolla...
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:Ok, I'm dragging this thread back up.
I've been looking around in the car. The potential for a sick mid-engine is still playing with my brain, but I don't think I want a Vee or inline engine sticking up in the back, which leads me to a potential boxer?
I'm still considering F/R drive for many obvious reasons, but might I be dumb to overlook a boxer in the middle? I don't think I want an EJ25 for many reasons, but are there budget/reliable/buildable boxers I should consider? Even flats would work.
350Z driveline is tempting, but pricey. Start rattling off some that might tease me to stay F/R. GM doesn't have many options that are decent. I mean, plenty of 3.8 and 4.3Ls out there, but then I'm dealing with big iron blocks and 80s wheezer heads. By the time GM got to "cool" engines that didn't weigh half as much as the car, they were all FWD. The 2.8L came in RWD, but my options transmissions and clutches for the metric bolt pattern are pretty wimpy... not to mention that the cranks on 2.8s weren't the greatest.
I know that the answer is K-swap and an ebay turbo, but I might blow the budget on converting the K to RWD.
TL;DR: Good RWD combos, or maybe some boxer/flat mid-mount options?
Ummm.... the 3400, 3500, and 3900 are all fairly easy to make work in RWD. They all bolt right to a 4th gen camaro t5 (preferably a 97 through 02 v6 camaro / firebird). Just use the stock starter (for the engine you choose), and an s10 2.2 clutch and pressure plate. Use the stock trans HTOB. Plenty of ecus that will run the 3400. The 3500 gets slightly more difficult as does the 3900.
My 3500 put down 182 hp at the wheels.
I think my 3900 is putting down more than that.
Cheap parts too...
The 4g64 out of a Ram 50/Mighty Max would probably drop right in, manual trans and all. That nets you around 112 hp with the SOHC 8 valve version. Added bonus is that the trans and rear end are fairly robust for their size.
Stampie said:Stampie said:You know I'm voting for Cadillac right?
You can't hide from the truth.
I finally got that hunk on the engine stand.
I know GM is the easy button, but Toyota makes some mighty fine V6s. A 2GR in that wagon would be an absolute pistol. Could do FR or MR configuration depending on your preferences.
I need to get with the times on Asian market acronyms. Most of my knowledge looks like LT1, LS6, G80, and F41
Off to the wiki pages.
Specifically, hoping for power-dense. The car is already so light.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:I need to get with the times on Asian market acronyms. Most of my knowledge looks like LT1, LS6, G80, and F41
Off to the wiki pages.
The GR series V6 has been around in various guises since about 2002. The 1GR-FE is the four liter truck unit, and thr 2GR-FE is the 3.5 liter passenger car version used in the Camry, Avalon, Highlander, Sienna, RAV4, Lotus Evora, etc. They are rated at 270ish bhp and run like scalded cats.
Ignore the -FE part. It's understood and not important here.
Since the same engine family was used in transverse front drive and longitudinal rear drive applications, you decide how and where to install it.
The 2GR is a popular swap in the second-gen MR2. It shares most/all of the bellhousing pattern with earlier Toyota V6s as well as the S-series (e.g. 3S-GTE) that the MR2 came with. The point of all this is to say that you have a lot of transmission options.
The 2GR is so good all the MR2 people are dumping their problematic turbocharged tuner engines and just tossing in a Camry motor. It's what powers the Free Europa, which went 12 flat on a stock ECU, stock automatic, stock exhaust, stock everything powertrain related. This Corolla wagon should only be 500 lbs or so heavier.
The 2AR is the basically 4-cylinder version. Same era of Toyota engineering (peak reliability and ubiquity), same bellhousing and trans options, but 2/3 the cylinder, 2/3 the weight, 2/3 the power. Toyota's K-swap. It's becoming popular with the W30 MR-2 Spyders since their engine bays are much smaller and the 1ZZ's are weaksauce.
1UZ is the 4.0L V8 from the 90's Lexuses like LS400. They make OK power, mid-200's, and are reliable. Georgia Tech Wreck Racing won the Challenge in 2010 with a 1UZ-powered Miata.
These are good to look at. Doesn't look like the 1AR and 2GR have much aftermarket support, but if it is stout enough to handle some extra ponies, I'm in.
I know that monster power isn't necessary, especially for autocross, but I'm hoping to find something light that I can turn up the output a bit. That is to say, I'd rather have a smaller/lighter 250 hp in the form of a turboed/modded 4-cyl than a heavier V6 or V8 that is 250hp stock.
Ideally, the K24/ebay turbo option would be killer, but I don't have high hopes of adapting it to RWD within a reasonable budget.
Here me out. RWD friendly 4cyl that makes gobs of power when turbo'd. M111, they're cheap to buy.
I'd be down for a Merc under the hood, as long as I can find a decent transmission to go behind it. Benz wasn't known for inspiringly robust reliability in their boxes.
Curtis, I have an SC 400 that you can have cheap. I know that I am a ways from you, but I am pulling an empty trailer towards Tampa in the next month.
In reply to lownslow :
It's tempting, but I have a Caddy 500 that weighs about the same as a 1UZ with double the displacement that I got for free. I think if I go heavy and cheap, the 500 would make Stampie drool uncontrollably, and that's really the important part here. :)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to lownslow :
It's tempting, but I have a Caddy 500 that weighs about the same as a 1UZ with double the displacement that I got for free. I think if I go heavy and cheap, the 500 would make Stampie drool uncontrollably, and that's really the important part here. :)
Agreed.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
The 716 6 speed transmissions seem to be doing fine behind 5.4 supercharged v8 engines and turbo m104's. Its what I'm using behind my 5.4 swap.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to lownslow :
It's tempting, but I have a Caddy 500 that weighs about the same as a 1UZ with double the displacement that I got for free. I think if I go heavy and cheap, the 500 would make Stampie drool uncontrollably, and that's really the important part here. :)
I certainly understand. 
In reply to lownslow :
I appreciate the hookup on cheap parts, though.
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