2fer944s

Okay, you know the story, want more power without spending any money. Anyone have a free engine lying around (ha, ha).
Have a 68 912 and am looking at a possible conversion candidate, heard that a early 911 motor will mount right up, but no one will confirm. Is it true?
Also, what is this I hear about VW conversion, type IV? Talked to a VW builder last night and he said I should go to a pre type IV for cooling reasons. Thoughts?
Reason for change, low compression test in #3, around 80 and rest are 110. Rebuild is costly in 912s and almost cheaper to convert. Looking for guidance. Car is in great shape and set up for track. See pic

exc911ence

I remember seeing that car on eBay!

Anyway, a 911 engine conversion isn't terribly hard but the parts are expensive. Besides the actual engine, you'd need to cut off the 912 engine mounts from your car and weld on the mounts for the flat-6. You'd also need to cut the passenger side inner 1/4 panel to mount the oil tank (911 engines are dry-sump) and installing an auxiliary oil cooler in the passenger front fender would be wise as well. The oil tanks usually run from $100-up but the oil cooler and rigid lines are really expensive. To mount the cooler, you'd have to cut out the right side battery box and weld in a patch. You'd want to upgrade the rear torsion bars as the 911 engine weighs about 150lbs more than the 912 unit and it mounts farther back. In your short wheelbase car, you'd really notice that weight. If you don't already have one, a 911 CD ignition unit is a must unless you buy an MSD aftermarket ignition set-up. One more thing, you'd want to replace your stock 912 4-speed tranny with at least a 901 gearbox , a 915 is preferred for strength. Buying all of this plus an engine would be at least $10K I would think... your labour being free of course!

The Type 4 swap is easier and cheaper. It's a wet-sump engine so no oil tank worries. The pancake cooling system works fine and you can fabricate a rear mount that uses the stock 912 mounting points so no cutting/welding is needed. The engines are cheap but you'd really want to find one from a 914 (GA case preferably) that has the better flowing heads. You can get big-bore kits to bring these over 3.0L displacement (mine's 2.4L) and can generate over 200hp (mine's 140hp) reliably. The stock 912 gearbox will handle the load and the engine is not much heavier than the stock 1.6L so no torsion bar swap is needed. Just bolt on a pair of 44-48IDF Webers and away you go!

Hope this has been of some help to you.

hoffman912

type 1 engines that are beefed up are quite unreliable compared to a type 4 beefoed up to same hp. a t4 thats built correctly can be a fast mo fo, and very very relaible.

you can do the economic choice and go t1.. but you will loose in the end with short engine life span and unreliability.
you can go with a smarter choice and go t4 and be very happy, and will have longevity and be reliable.

you could have steve drabant help you out with a subaru conversion. looks very cool and promising.

or you can just bite the bullet and get your 912 motor rebuilt, do it yourself, make sure everythings done correctly, and have a pretty bitchin hot 912 motor at the same cost you could have someone else build a stock rebuild for you (probably even less).


i remember that car too. it looks like a great car, and honestly i wouldnt cheepen it by putting in a type 1 motor. id go t4 (if you ve gotta do it), or maybe subaru. honetly id save up do it right and put in the 912 motor.. but im more of a purist in that sense.. either t4 or 912..

exc911ence

Pul-eeze! I know you'd be on the phone with Renegade Hybrids and jamming a small block V8 in that sucker!

hoffman912

well i happen to like the original motor... if i was going to go with somthing else id drop a raby built t4 that could make somewhere between 140-160 hp at the drop of a hat. but id like to take what the porsche gods gave us with these cars and make them wilder. i like what john benton has doen with his 912 motor.. 140 hp, and is VERY reliable, VERY fast, and very mean!

if i could put any engine.. any engine at all in the 912.. id put a fuhrmann 4 cammer in there. '912 carrera". then again.. i dont have 50k for an engine..

btw.. met up with fellow rennlister Jason Pamenthal today, who happened to be in town with his 912 from rhode is.

hoffman912

btw.. id rather cut my own ***** off than put a v8 in the back of my 912. sure they have power.. but they loose all of their handling characteristics and handle worse than a 911. i bought a porsche b/c its a true sports car with great road handleing characteristics. if i wanted somthing unstable, heavy and only good in a straight line, i would have gotten a charger.

sorry.. end rant. those are just my thoughts.

atlporsche

http://www.utm.edu/~gonzalez/Mov00701.mpeg

that's what a subaru 1.8@ 120 hp sounds like with no mufflers...

the radiator is in back, and I should come in somewhere between a 912 weight and a 911. I'm designing it as a bolt in kit.

as for the 4 cammer...Subaru made a 4 cam engine...2.5L in NA form and 2.0L in turbo form that's good for 300 hp...both engines can be had for under 3 grand complete with wiring harness and ECU.

sjd

Steve Jensen

Type IV VW should be possible - there's been a lot of talk on 356talk about 'em lately. An early 911 should work as well, but I would think that would be costly as well.

SLRWILKIE

The cost of rebuildind a type four motor can be almost as much as the original 912 motor. And actually when it comes to things like main bearings you you may have a hard time finding them for the type 4.

Doug&Julie

Amen to that Harry!!! (...or a 911, of course...)

atlporsche

I took mine for a ride...

guess what...

it feels like a 912....but ooooh boy the sound....it's got a pair of supertrapps now...

sjd

DrJupeman

What is involved in dropping a 914 engine into a 60's 912? What "parts" are needed (e.g., engine mount, flywheel, etc..?)

hoffman912

Dr Jupeman,

go onto www.912bbs.org and talk to a guy named tony, on the renegade or 912E board, he will give you the skinny on it. he is the expert on the swap. the 912bbs.org is the message board where all the 912ers hang out.

i believe its flywheel, mount, engine tin (very important!!!!!!), and a few other things.

912E engine tin is in short supply (only 2999 made), and what you can do is get 914 engine tin and 912 engine tin, frankenstein it and make it work.. if you dont seal the engine off from the exhaust correctly with the engine tin you will have crap for cooling.

Danno

How about stuffing a Geo Metro 3-cylinder engine in? Saw some website where a guy did that and the car ended up at about the same weight with more power too! Can't find that website anywhere, does anyone have a link to it?

Doug&Julie

...what the hell kind of hooch do you people smoke out there in California?!?!