maschinenbau said:GIRTHQUAKE said:The 2GR-FE V6 in any MR2- but especially the AW11- turns it into the angry child of the NSX.
In that same vein, the newly popular 2AR-FE swapped into a MR2 Spyder seems like a perfectly logical upgrade.
Eventually I hope to get myself the angry Italian uncle of the NSX with a Kswapped x1/9.
I was trying to decide yesterday what V6 was the 'mainstream' V6 roughly equivalent to the LS for V8s and the K-Series for I4s.
I couldn't reach a conclusion. I narrowed to the: LFX, 2GR-FE, and Honda J-Series. But of those, I couldn't decide if one one was 'the king'. Part of that is...they just aren't used in the same frequency as an LS or K-Series.
What I did reach a conclusion on was - VW Flat-4s are the correct answer to pretty much all things aircooled. And possibly the solution to all things 'flat'. I mean really, a Subaru is really just a fancy Japanese Volkswagen, except less reliable...
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I support this mission.
But only if we make some brake light lenses that look like the car is throwing up its hands in frustration anytime you hit the brakes.
In reply to DocRob :
Subarus are waaaaay more reliable than ACVWs.
Dusterbd13-michael said:3400 in a miata, except nothing off the shelf works.
I really want to do an lt1/4l80 combo in a tbi silverado. Should all fall in place, harness should be simple, and it should make it a way better truck all around. I think the 4l80 would be the only tricky part, as i don't know if theres a factory calibration for that.
I know it doesn't make quite as much power but the TPI350 is what should have gone in all non bigblock GMT400 trucks. It's just the best truck motor from the era; plus it looks cool.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I wonder how fun/uncontrollable an X1/9 with a 2GR-FE would be. Italians did love them some V6es.
wvumtnbkr said:I'm not sure this is exactly what you mean, but a gm 3500 or 3900 can basically bolt in place and use the same ecu and most of the sensors as a 3400.
does this mean i can build a 3900 Fiero with all junkyard OE GM parts?
iansane said:Dusterbd13-michael said:3400 in a miata, except nothing off the shelf works.
I really want to do an lt1/4l80 combo in a tbi silverado. Should all fall in place, harness should be simple, and it should make it a way better truck all around. I think the 4l80 would be the only tricky part, as i don't know if theres a factory calibration for that.
I know it doesn't make quite as much power but the TPI350 is what should have gone in all non bigblock GMT400 trucks. It's just the best truck motor from the era; plus it looks cool.
I wholeheartedly agree. Problem is finding the PCM tune or TPI and an electronic trans. To my knowledge that engine was never mated to a 4l80, and my skills in custom tuning are lacking
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I don't fix broken cars for a living, so I could be wrong on that. I've never seen an aircooled VW puke its guts out like I have about...20 Subarus. BUT I'm also perfectly willing to concede...I've seen about 10x as many racing Subarus as I have racing VWs or racecars powered by ACVW pancakes. Given equal sample size my opinion may well shift.
maschinenbau said:In contrast to the other thread, list engine swaps that just make sense and no one would ever question the validity of. I'll start:
LS in place of a small-block chevy
The guy who is actually building one of the most questionable ideas I ever had starts a thread suggesting an LS in place of a small block (which I am currently building)
...go figgar.
In reply to DocRob :
Other than the fact that they are both pancake 4 cylinders, I see very little in common between the Subaru Boxer and the ACVW.
GIRTHQUAKE said:In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I wonder how fun/uncontrollable an X1/9 with a 2GR-FE would be. Italians did love them some V6es.
Part of the issue is the stock motor is tiny, and therefore there's not much room. Also, you don't get the "weight reduction" benefit you usually get when you drop out an ancient engine because the stock one isn't that heavy either.
I did some quick tape measure swapping and a Honda j series v6 with transmission attached is too wide to fit between the frame horns in the x1/9 engine bay. I suspect most modern motors have similar issues, and while by itself it is not insurmountable, it is the kinda thing that puts you on the fast track into "very questionable" engine swap territory.
I have a 1964 Chevy C10 with a swapped in 350 that replaced the worn 283. What I want to do is drop in a 409 or 348 with the 3x2 barrel carbs. I just need a reasonably priced short block.
Dusterbd13-michael said:iansane said:Dusterbd13-michael said:3400 in a miata, except nothing off the shelf works.
I really want to do an lt1/4l80 combo in a tbi silverado. Should all fall in place, harness should be simple, and it should make it a way better truck all around. I think the 4l80 would be the only tricky part, as i don't know if theres a factory calibration for that.
I know it doesn't make quite as much power but the TPI350 is what should have gone in all non bigblock GMT400 trucks. It's just the best truck motor from the era; plus it looks cool.
I wholeheartedly agree. Problem is finding the PCM tune or TPI and an electronic trans. To my knowledge that engine was never mated to a 4l80, and my skills in custom tuning are lacking
You can run a TPI off of an LS PCM. I'd imagine a TPI350/4l80e is doable with some fiddling.
DocRob said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I don't fix broken cars for a living, so I could be wrong on that. I've never seen an aircooled VW puke its guts out like I have about...20 Subarus. BUT I'm also perfectly willing to concede...I've seen about 10x as many racing Subarus as I have racing VWs or racecars powered by ACVW pancakes. Given equal sample size my opinion may well shift.
I grew up with ACVW engines and a newish one was finished much over 70,000 miles. My sister nearly went bankrupt trying to commute with a high mileage one. (80,000). Shops could always "fix" her motor cheaper than she could buy another. But sometimes those " fixes" wouldn't even get another 1000 miles before she was again parked on the side of the road. ( pre cell phone days)
I seem to recall a Fiat/Lancia/Alfa 2.0 motor fits in X1/9s does it not?
That would be my pick given the amount of power you can get from them.
DocRob said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I don't fix broken cars for a living, so I could be wrong on that. I've never seen an aircooled VW puke its guts out like I have about...20 Subarus. BUT I'm also perfectly willing to concede...I've seen about 10x as many racing Subarus as I have racing VWs or racecars powered by ACVW pancakes. Given equal sample size my opinion may well shift.
When ACVWs were new they were constant problems. Burning valves, wallowing out the valve guides, wearing out lifter bores, pulling studs out of the case in later ones, issue after issue. The dealerships actually would have loaner engines to swap in to customer cars.
They mainly survived in part because of the awesome dealer network, and contemporary cars were not much better.
We're jaded in thinking that an engine that can barely go 200k miles is "bad"... ACVWs might need deep engine-out service at a tenth of that.
You guys might be taking me a tad too serious. I definitely wasn't being serious with the 'Isn't a Subaru just a less reliable Japanese VeeDub' comment. My dry sense of humor doesn't always come across in text format.
SV reX said:In reply to DocRob :
Other than the fact that they are both pancake 4 cylinders, I see very little in common between the Subaru Boxer and the ACVW.
Look at the pushrod EA engines... they look remarkably like an ACVW with a water jacket. Three main bearings and all.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I knew about the stud pulls. Not surprised to hear about valving burning and valve guide issues. Which as you point out, definitely an issue in contemporary vehicles as well. I have pulled the heads off of several <75k mile Ford small I6s and they all needed valve jobs.
There is definitely a reason why 'they don't build them like they used to'. And I'm okay with that, because they generally build them a lot better today.
In reply to DocRob :
My Baja bug broke the crank.............to much revs, that's a thing?
My Subaru thus far hasn't......................therefore I declare it more reliable.
Can't argue with the science............survey of one.
When I got the Outback I told my wife I'm not sure if the exhaust note is Lancia or VW bus.......pretty sure it's the latter.
I went with an LFX V6 and a 6L50e transmission in my 66 Chevelle. The car is light, thrifty and pretty fast.
DocRob said:I was trying to decide yesterday what V6 was the 'mainstream' V6 roughly equivalent to the LS for V8s and the K-Series for I4s.
I couldn't reach a conclusion. I narrowed to the: LFX, 2GR-FE, and Honda J-Series. But of those, I couldn't decide if one one was 'the king'. Part of that is...they just aren't used in the same frequency as an LS or K-Series.
What I did reach a conclusion on was - VW Flat-4s are the correct answer to pretty much all things aircooled. And possibly the solution to all things 'flat'. I mean really, a Subaru is really just a fancy Japanese Volkswagen, except less reliable...
The V6 equivalent to the LS is the GM Ecotec LV3. It is basically an LS with 2 less cylinders. It's how I would have gone had it been available in 2013 when I did my swap.
67LS1 said:I went with an LFX V6 and a 6L50e transmission in my 66 Chevelle. The car is light, thrifty and pretty fast.
I keep having the thought that late 60s Cutlasses could weigh under 3000lb, and that with an iron V8. What could they weigh with an aluminum lower cylinder count engine?
In reply to Tom1200 :
I got you covered Tom...
I once drove a borrowed Baja Bug that had a dead miss in it around the Dominican Republic for three days. Didn't leave me stranded. Perfectly reliable.
Last Legacy I saw at autocross the kid brake boosted, dropped the clutch, and kaboom. What kind of design gets all explody when you introduce 30 psi to it?! Hardly reliable.
Now we're all tied up! 
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