Thought exercise.....lightweight 200 HP engine

Y'know, it's a shame that BDAs are so expensive, or whatever the 2 liter version was called.  (BDG?)

Which brings me back to 2.5l Duratec....

FiST can be tuned to 200 hp.    Should be light.   Focus ST.      2.3 from a mustang.     The na 2.3 was pretty strong.

I would suggest LFX or LTG. Trans options are easier/cheaper for LFX, but both engines can be found under 1k. LTG is 272/295 right off the bat.

classicJackets (FS) said:

I would suggest LFX or LTG. Trans options are easier/cheaper for LFX, but both engines can be found under 1k. LTG is 272/295 right off the bat.

The GM High Feature engine?

Might be too wide to fit between the shock towers, no?  At least once you cram it over to the right enough to clear the steering box.

The last time I did plugs on a V8 Falcon, I needed to use an open end wrench on the end of the spark plug socket for a couple on the left side. 

gumby (Forum Supporter) said:

Atlas 3700. All aluminum, 240hp, inline, manual trans options(important to me, maybe not you, but definitely lighter than most autos).

My first thought was 2.9 Atlas. I’d love to build a Chevy II with a 2.9 and M5 and use it as a commuter

So here is the dilema; most modern twin cam 4 cylinder engines are within 75-100lbs of a push rod V8. The turbo and supercharged 4 cylinder motors weigh just as much as a V8.  A 5.0 V8 with aluminum heads and manifold, that will easily be 250hp and it will be lighter than the straight six in the car now.

If it's a packaging thing than I'd put the biggest 4 cylinder you find, clean up the ports on the head, run a mild cam and call it a day.

If it were me I'd run really light motor like a Toyota 3TC or Datsun A15 that would easily take 200lbs out of the car. Either one of those motors will make 100-120 at the wheels. 

Realistically the V8 makes the most sense.

gumby (Forum Supporter) said:

Atlas 3700. All aluminum, 240hp, inline, manual trans options(important to me, maybe not you, but definitely lighter than most autos).

Any engine with a readily available manual trans would be a plus, and popping the hood of a Ford to reveal a 5 cylinder GM engine would be amusing.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Ooooo I like the 5 cylinder idea.

Lightest 200hp? Ducati 1299 Panagale motorcycle engine with its integrated transmission. You only get 106 ft lbs of torque at 10,000 rpm, so maybe not.

1.6l Ecoboost can easily hit 200hp at the wheels, with 300ft/lbs. Plenty of room for more mods too, everything from blocks to heads to bigger turbos. 

More thoughts........inline sixes are inherently balanced,which would be nice in an old car that was designed before NVH was a thing..........a 2.5 Duratec would work, but I'd retain the balance shaft rather than eliminate it as in NC Miata swaps......I wonder how it would work with "my favourite engine I've never seen', the Daewoo aluminum straight six?

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

I'd have to know what the original six weighs to actually do anything. 

385lbs vs.460lbs for a SBF says my very quick internet search. I always thought it was a wash between them.

I've looked for the weight of the original Ford engine and the one universal list that's everywhere on the net says it weighs 385, then add on the weight of the stock 2-speed auto. I wonder how realistic a 100 lb reduction would be for a modern manual trans coupled to some all-aluminum engine.

Just so you know what started me down this rabbit hole, here's the ad.....(1) Marketplace - 1962 Ford Futura | Facebook

The Suzuki J23A perhaps?  2.3 liter inline four, 16v DOHC setup, 90mm bore & 90mm stroke, should be pretty light and lots of manual trans options around.  Would need something like a Megasquirt to control.  Perhaps the later J20B head (internet says it should fit, has variable valve timing of some sort) would help.  I would think at least one of the cams will need to be reground to support this power requirement.

Anything with an iron block seems completely out of the running here; I'm surprised anyone mentioned motors like the 302 when there's no torque requirement but the ask is for "the lightest weight engine to hit 200hp".

2 pages and no rotary suggestions?

red_stapler said:

The 1L ecoboost triple can probably be turned up to 200hp with a Fiesta ST turbocharger, and weighs 215lbs fully dressed.

This is the weirdest option and the one I'd most love to see at a cars and coffee.

So for Ecoboost motors, what RWD transmission bolt up? Just curious. 

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

When you use aluminum heads and intake on a SBF it shaves around 50lbs from the motor. A T-5 trans weighs 78lbs. 

Just to be different than most - VW 2.5L 5-cyl. They make 172Hp stock (08 and up). I'm sure 200 Hp would be reachable. 

Not sure how the trans would work though.

To be really different... Cosworth Vega?  (If you can find one)

In reply to NGTD :

Bolt pattern is same as/close enough to work with VW four cylinder.  Not any cheap RWD trans options for that, although I did note when contemplating bolting one up to a Mazda rotary trans, that a G60 flywheel was close enough to the same outside diameter to where you could machine a few thou off of the VW flywheel and press on the Mazda gear.  (The starter bolts to the trans, so you'd need a Mazda gear)  That, and the clutch depth to bellhousing is different enough that you'd have about a half inch to play with adaptors.  Clutch disk is close enough to the same to be a non issue, 228mm VW vs 225mm commonly available Mazda units.

There is just a LITTLE bit of power potential with the 07K engine, too....   The biggest issues with it are that the accessory drive is dual plane, and you need to have the A/C compressor there to drive the water pump.  There are various solutions for this.  Next is there are no bosses on the left side of the engine for a mount.  People generally build off of the oil filter mounting pad and have an engine mount with oil flowing through it to a remote filter.

If you're going to the trouble of adapting a Mazda smoothcase trans to the car, may as well just continue down that path and insert a BP engine.

I really screwed up this post and deleted it.

In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :

Well, the Nelsons have more than one car running the Atlas sixes in older shells, so it has been done. The ad doesn't say which engine the Falcon has, but it did come with a 144 cu.in. six, producing a whopping 88 HP.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

My brother had one with a blown out muffler, you could hear him coming from 1/2 a mile away, it sounded like a D type Jag thundering down the Mulsanne and then suddenly it'd burst upon the scene at 28 mph.