Most radical build/swap?

There must be a thread on this topic already, but I'm not finding a search feature on this forum.  So if anyone could direct me to a thread that already covers this, I'll go there and take a look. 

Given all the amazing builds and swaps that have been reported in GRM over the years, I would love to see a compilation of some of the most interesting and radical ones that have been done.  I'm considering a moderately radical mod to my car, and would like to see a few that make what I have in mind look like child's play, as a little motivation.  So, if anybody has ever put a jet engine into a Pinto, I'd love to read about it!  Thanks.

I'd love to body swap a rear engine rwd body onto a front engine rwd chassis using a fwd engine converted to rwd. 

My vote? Petes molvo. 

Or Patrick darth nader.

Or anything by the nelsons.

My crap just dont compare.

Burnout video

There's a 6.0 and a D1SC under all that plumbing.  Estimated 750ish crank HP.

Stampie said:

I'd love to body swap a rear engine rwd body onto a front engine rwd chassis using a fwd engine converted to rwd. 

Is that like a a tattoo of a butt, with a butt-shaped tattoo on it, on your butt?

R1 engine mid mounted in a geo converted to awd?

This one is bringing a smile to my face. 

DATSANITI - 1980 Datsun 210 Wagon VQ35 Swap

Toyman's jet boat!

Loosecannon's original E-Mod MGB with the Jag V12. Not that any of the subsequent iterations were any less radical as he continually looked for less weight.  At this point, I'm not sure any of the original MGB remains.

The Ferrari that had a Subaru engine then went LS V8 then fell off the face of the planet.

In reply to Knurled. :

Fire! Fire!

nashco's AWD hybrid electric Fiero  has always been one of my favorites

Well, I feel foolish - I completely missed the fact that there is a whole forum, with 60+ pages, devoted to nothing but build threads.  I'll look through those over time.

Here's what I have in mind.  I have a track dedicated, but still streetable, 1992 968.   I've been working to take weight out of it, and have read about dedicated track 944's as light as 2100 pounds.  But this car has a couple of inherent limitations when it comes to weight reduction:  A ~60 lb iron torque tube and drive shaft, and a pretty darn heavy engine.  So I had a thought. It has (or at least had) a small back seat, and I can't help but notice that there's enough room between the front of the transaxle and the cockpit to fit a compact engine.  This would do away with the torque tube and driveshaft, and I'm thinking a Mazda 13B turbo with aluminum end and intermediate plates, which would weigh close to 200 lb less than my engine, the crankshaft of which alone weighs in at 55 lb.  400+ hp appears to be safely achievable with these engines, without blowing the apex seals out the exhaust every few weeks.  So yes, I'm thinking a mid engined 968, using the stock transaxle, flywheel, clutch, and bell housing, with a transfer plate between the new engine and the bell housing.  The power-to-weight ratio could be pretty decent, and it would be a mid engine car, for goodness sake!  

My biggest obstacle is simply the fact that I never, ever want to campaign my own race car (hats off to those who do that, but it seems to be an all-consuming undertaking that I just don't have the time and patience for - it will be strictly arrive-and-drive when I start racing competitively, hopefully relatively soon), so this seems like a silly amount of work and expense for a car I consider primarily a training tool.  Although, I could see something like this being a viable UTCC car...

In reply to Cloud9...68 :

The 968 is so heavy compared to the 924 that it sprung from due to the added creature comforts and added chassis bracing.  The 924 has the same torque tube and similar transaxle along with a heavy lump of an engine (the same bottom end was used for diesel use, so its stupid stout).

Ditch the carpet, underlaying, power steering, A/C, lightweight racing seats, replace rear and side glass with plastic, replace body panels/dash/door panels with composites, etc.

Or swap the drivetrain into an early 924, which will be a very lightweight chassis to start with and add composite panels of your choice.

The 968 engine won't bolt directly to the Audi transaxle, but an Audi V8 or I5 will.  The transaxle input shaft is different between the 944/968 and the Audi passenger cars that also used the Audi 016 transaxle, so you'd want to replace the transaxle with one from a Audi with FWD.  Otherwise, it could work just fine and as long as you build a proper firewall between the squishy organic bits and the hot, spinny things and with a proper firewall and rollbar you could take it to the track without major issue.

In reply to Stefan :

I've done a ton of weight reduction stuff already, including converting from the pop-up lights to homemade fixed ones, removing the A/C and radio/speakers, converting to a manual sunroof, removing the front and rear bumper bars (required fabricating a new two hook mount), and about twenty other things, but I have not gone as far as to remove the carpet or replace the glass and body panels with plastic/composite... yet.  I just ordered a set of scales, so I'll weigh the car soon.  I'm afraid I'm gong to be disappointed as to how heavy it still is, but we'll see.

I wouldn't use the 968 engine with this conversion - too large and heavy.  I'm thinking a single turbo 13B rotary, as stated above.  Super compact, and low center of gravity.

Ian F said:

Loosecannon's original E-Mod MGB with the Jag V12. Not that any of the subsequent iterations were any less radical as he continually looked for less weight.  At this point, I'm not sure any of the original MGB remains.

Thanks for the mention. There is still one metal panel that is original MGB

Shameless self promotion incoming:

Georgia Tech Wreck Racing's $2015-2017 GRM Challenge car, a 2001 Honda Insight sporting a Subaru SVX-sourced 3.3L flat-six, and a 2.5 RS-sourced 5 speed, all in the back.  Around 1900lb, and 35/65 weight distribution, and 230hp.  Not the fastest car in a straight line, but extremely low polar moment of intertia means it rotates like nothing else.

The rear subframe, suspension, brakes, hubs, axles, etc. are mostly unaltered SVX parts.  The front end is a mostly unaltered Crown Victoria subframe, control arms, hubs, and brakes.

And it won the Challenge in '17!

Kimini. I mean jeez it didn't start off as a car, it started off as an an engine and some chassis tubes.

Jay_W said:

Kimini. I mean jeez it didn't start off as a car, it started off as an an engine and some chassis tubes.

yes it took some INSIGHT to see that.

IT'S STILL BUTT UGLY.

Matthew Kennedy said:

Shameless self promotion incoming:

Georgia Tech Wreck Racing's $2015-2017 GRM Challenge car, a 2001 Honda Insight sporting a Subaru SVX-sourced 3.3L flat-six, and a 2.5 RS-sourced 5 speed, all in the back.  Around 1900lb, and 35/65 weight distribution, and 230hp.  Not the fastest car in a straight line, but extremely low polar moment of intertia means it rotates like nothing else.

The rear subframe, suspension, brakes, hubs, axles, etc. are mostly unaltered SVX parts.  The front end is a mostly unaltered Crown Victoria subframe, control arms, hubs, and brakes.

And it won the Challenge in '17!

That is really cool, and it make what I have in mind look like a wheel upgrade...

I nominate this car - http://www.coupers-cars.com/sprite_restoration.htm

Given the size of the engine - Jag XK, and the recipient car - 1961 MG Midget, it puts one in mnd of a dog breeder trying to get a Great Dane to mate with a Chihuahua.

I do not want a Great Mexican, but that midget is Beautiful.

Anything Ben_Modified had built