Fishey

No reason for a motor to last more then 50k when it sees something like 10k a year if you are serious about your cars.

Also, I can do our FC motor in like 1 night out and stripped in less then 3 hours. Also, cost of teardown and fixing a "blown" motor is usually a hell of alot cheaper then a traditional motor. Even so we have seen great reliability until we start to push the motor.

sillbeer

I agree with avoiding the rotary route. I currently am building an FC 3 rotor race/street car. The only reason I'm not using an LS-X is because I already have so many parts for the 3 rotor, if I changed my mind now I'd lose money. But the LS-X swap is the cheapest, most bang for the buck and least cost to maintain swap you can do.

tifosiman

<sarcasm>
Now that would be hella sweet.
</sarcasm>

JEC_31

Screw the 'Stang, lets go all the way back to a good old reliable horse-drawn wagon chassis swap. My friend knows some Amish guys who build some solid stuff...

pjburges

The land rover v8 fits well in the 944 albeit not as reliable as a lt/ls-1.
I dont get people critisizing the SBC. I know this is a porsche forum, but my work truck logged 526,000 miles without a single thing done to it except the basic plugs oil changes and filters. I had to rebuild the TBI unit once due to the extremely poor quality fuel we consitently fed it. This did not seem to effect the longevity of the motor. The SBC's are hardly the lightest engine out there and certainly not the most efficient, but don't criticize their reliablity! On a side note the TH400 tranny in the truck failed about 40,000 miles later, if you would consider occasional slipping and rough shifts a failure.

Cast iron is an excellent material to make an engine out of as the grain structure is easy to work with in the bores. Its not light, but the wear patterns are excellent and re-machining is cheap. I had a engine shop rebuild mine as I was busy. Did the whole thing for 600 bucks and it runs like a champ again. Im sorry the 951 is a hot motor but it just doesnt have the cheap serviceability of the SBC, nor does it have the reliability of an SBC assuming the owner is not an idiot.

944obscene

Might I suggest an MZ or VZ series Toyota V6 motor? Its a popular swap on the mr2oc.com forums. Personally I think they sound and perform great. Granted, they aren't big displacement, but they aren't hard to come by. Mostly found in Camry's and Lexus's. Recently on the mr2 boards, a guy fitted a 1MZFE in his mr2 with sequential turbo's (one really small one and one really large one) and a custom made intake that used individual trumpets housed in a large plenum fed by a single large throttle body.

The motor will require boost and all the necessary components in order to make big power. The nice thing about a 3+ liter V6 is you have torque to play with. Even if you are only making 250 hp, you won't feel sluggish coming out of turns. With a turbo, you can quell (but not eliminate) lag issues for the most part. Or you could fit a supercharger on the motor and have enough torque to really own the track. A 1MZFE with an Eaton MP62 or 90 would work quite well.

On the flip side of the coin, I suggest you look into each motor that interests you thoroughly then see what it will take to complete a swap. Then save more... You will always run into problems.

MyBlackCar

You could pretty much do almost any engine. Check Kennedy engineering for adapter plates for Porsches. Maybe an S2000 or Renesis rotary and shave 200lb off the chassis while you are at it? The VR6 looks doable and very appealing.

Another funky idea would be to make it an electric hybrid. There is a company in Florida that does this for 911's (makes no sense financially, but whatever floats people's boats). You would get instant torque at the sacrifice of driving range. Maybe slap a generator in there and run it off gas. Nissan is currently experimenting with this configuration for their AWD hybrid.

Fishey

Wow, so much great rotary information in here its making my head spin...

1. 50k is the normal life expectancy of a high HP rotary (400-450whp)
2. The cost of a motor way less (non-modified) then a 951 Motor (So buying a replacement motor is much cheaper to start with)
3. The cost of upgrading said motor is about 1/8th as much as a 951 motor
4. The amount of work to do is about 1/8th as much as a 951 motor
5. The cost of repairs is about 1/4th as much in parts
6. Engine failures are not a 1:1 relationship due to block vs Plate
7. HP output is higher on the rotary we make the same numbers are special tool from a 13BT on pump gas around 600whp even on a mustang dyno.
8. We see a larger power band then a modified 951
9. Example of our Rotary vs 951 it takes 4 hours to do an engine swap by yourself! compare that to a waterpump job on a 951.
10. In terms of Cost/Performance/maintance the Rotary is easier to live with then a 951 as if you can afford a 951 you can always have spare motor ready to go into a rotary.

Now, keep in mind on a rotary less is more when it comes to reliability and functionality so this is not a stock vs stock comparison or a daily driver comparison this is for those of us who want ultimate performance.

JEC_31

LOL

Overheard at the autocross:
"Hey, there's an open spot - you can take one more run."
"OK. Gimmee a minute while I swap in the spare engine."

Seriously, I still love RX-7s. No flame intended on the rotary faithful.

Spidey944

As an import/german car mechanic, I can not believe that anyone would reccomend the 1.8T for more than a portable outhouse. Nuff said.

turbo944s2

LOL why do you hate 1.8ts so much? I have a 2000 audi a4, this engine has been pretty reliable for me. I just put a gt28r on it too.

Fishey

That like saying, Hey, give me a day or so to swap out my 951 motor because it has failed... You do know that reliability isn't going to be 300k miles on a 450-600whp 944 right? You be lucky for 100k on such a motor but I betting your going to be replacing it at 50k just like the rotary. I have worked on 951's much longer then rotary cars maybe a year or so on the rotary but with some of the best in the US at it. So I learn fast and with my own eyes I can tell you the 951 doesn't have anything on the rotary. The only 2 advantages I will give it are gas mileage and emissions. I also like to say I have talked to lots of rotary experts and read there forums but just like here on rennlist I think most of them are retarded.

Potomac-Greg

Other than sludge (oil issue) and ignition coils (Bosch goes British), what's wrong with it?

I'm a little biased. I've got a 2002 TT. There's a lot I don't like about it, but it puts out 225 HP with minimal turbo lag. I've often said, after driving the TT and the 944 back to back, that the two cars would make wonderful children.

Stien

Did we rule out a TDI 944? Was it because of size? I think the amazing amount of torque would be, well, amazing.

ritzblitz

1UZ or 3UZ add itbs to melt faces. f20c is another alternative. I would love one in my 944 and if I had more money I would go for it