Potomac-Greg

I just sunk a crapload of cash into resealing my engine. I knew I had two leaks, but it looks like I've got leaks in the upper and lower balance shafts, the oil cooler and the cam tower. Makes me wanna puke.

luftpirate

If you dumped a ton of money into it to do that why didn't you just set it aside and start prepping for the swap?

odurandina

everyone getting ready to to an lsx swap is in this upside down position... i say it's worth doing the work, as i have decided to do... i am at 108k -- then do 1 more set of belts around 150k miles... you all convinced me, just do the work and enjoy the engine until around 175k miles -- the point where the crank and block are entering the danger zone that will result from a bearing failure... get your LSx stuff together and either eventually, pull the engine and sell it to someone who wants to stay Porsche, or enjoy it until it blows up, either way - the enjoyment vs. $$$ will be there. my consigliere convinced me to have Raj do my rod bearings as well... just my 0.02

Potomac-Greg

At my current rate of use, I'll get to 175,000 miles in .... about 35 years!

For me, the LSx route would involve selling my drivetrain to the 944Cup crowd, where a low-mileage, 1988 drivetrain (higher compression, short 5th gear) would be in demand, and applying that money to the LSx.

But the conversion is still to expensive and unpredictable.

PS: My leaks were no longer livable once they became a fire risk.

odurandina

i finally got the time to do my research during last 3 months... i haven't decided who to source for parts; it's not that incredibly important to me as the final resutl, but i had some leftover questions that talking on the phone with Tony G. put to rest... there isn't a single tech issue that has not been solved... the project is going to run 20-21 thousand dollars because i am not going to skimp on the engine... [going to attempt a new 515 hp ls2], AND if i stay all Renegade...

and a little less if i go with the other guys. either way. the opinions on this forum vary seven ways to sunday on who to source...

either way, i'm looking forward to it.

Tom R.

if i needed a LS motor and i was going to spend 20k i would buy myself a nice used C6 and keep the 944 for rainy days. instant gratification, better all around package, and that almost new car smell.

Plus, people have already taken care of just about every technical problem right out of the box, and there is a market to sell it to once you get bored of her.

before i dropped low 20s into a 944 i would sell the 944 and buy a nice 996. again, something that is resellable.

but i am different than most people. I prefer to spend time with my wife and daughter than work in the garage on a never ending project.

David Floyd

All good points Tom..... you forgot to add that you change cars like I do socks, so you know how important resellable is

odurandina

after having spent about 6 months w/ mostly the off-topic crowd talking up Fema camps, martial law, this joke of a president and all things Porsche, I think an LS2,3, with big HP in an S3 (968) has tremendous fantasy/resell value for many high end Porsche owners, because they now have a pretty good feeling of how well-behaved these builds become when tracked... and the appeal for the street is also very strong - (maybe due in part, because of the cosmetic and performance updates that are available for the cars)...

very well received fantasy project over there !

Reimu

My logic for the swap is:

-The engine is already fubar
-I can't stand the thought of going through all the cash just to get back to n/a power
-I am very attached to the car and don't want to sell it
-There is no point in buying $2500+ worth of turbo engine parts for a car that after the swap probably still wouldn't be worth the same as a stock turbo; what's the point of turboing when you can just buy a turbo?
-The sbcs are god-tier reliable and comparing the aftermarket to the 944 world is a joke
-An easily streetable 300-400 horsepower for less than it'd take to get a 951 to the higher numbers
-Rarity
-No more slapping my head thinking coulda had a v8
-Trolling the 928 crowd
-Badass on the track *see tony*
-Actually being able to back up the 20 year old PORSCHE badge against these brand new kids

I've researched like crazy and it is doable for even a poor cheap bastard like me with the 5.3's and what the good fellas at 944hybrids are doing. And now that spec is making clutches and S&P are doing headers for the swapped cars it just makes sense.

Bomber

I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm planning on an ls1 swap at some point, but I'm not ready yet. My car was overdue belts and maintenance when I got it. I didn't want to hurt anything between now and when the swap happens, so I figured I'd so the belts and chain guides "just to be safe". A few hundred is cheap insurance. Well I pulled the valve cover only to find several teeth on one of the cams gone. Bummer. Do I rush the swap and be without the car, or put more money into an engine I'm pulling anyway? I decided today to not rush the swap, and fix what I have. The good news is I may have a set of cams tomorrow and my 968 DD may be ready to take me to work Monday. Poor 951 has got grass growing around it wondering when it's gonna get it's turn again. I almost fired it up today to put it back in service, but the battery was dead and I took that as a "fix the 968" omen. Plus I need to retension the belts and I didn't want to have both of them down in case there more than a re-tension.

Matt Sheppard

Good on ya, Aaron! Redundancy has it's privileges


Bummer on the cam teeth. The white car had perfect teeth.

Rogue_Ant

Ugg, LSx swap is sooo played out - frankly I'm sick of it already (and I like the LSx engine).
I will absolutely guarantee you that you can not make 300-400rwhp for less then it takes a 951 to get there:
K27/6 or K27/8 Turbo - $500
Injectors - $200
Chip - $200
MAF/PB/Ostrich - $300

Total ~ 1200-1500. Good luck getting an LS with harness and computer for that, never-mind the myriad of extras needed to actually complete the swap and make it work.

You can get 951 pistons rods for next to nothing (set on Ebay for $50 right now). Header and crossover are ~$300 on ebay as well. For under $1000 I could turbo an NA using only factory parts.

Furthermore I fail to see how an LSx swapped anything is considered a 'rarity'. The LSx, and GM SBC is the single most swapped engine ever, period. In addition, I have never had a reliability issue that was due to the motor in five (hard) years of ownership. Sure parts might be a little bit higher priced, but if cheap parts was so important then I would buy a Honda Civic - just like every one of the other million civics out there.

And really, who wants to troll the 928 crowd?

Badass on the track, perhaps, but it definitely limited in the classes available, and last I saw, Tony was selling his because of that fact...

If someone wants to swap to an LSx, then that is cool - but don't try to rationalize it vs a turbo car/swap, when the much more obvious answer is to simply buy a corvette.

Reimu

I do agree that the ls swap is a bit 'boring' and God knows if I had the money I'd prefer to do something with a 3L

-By higher numbers I meant 400+

-Slapping all the 951 stuff on there for $1000 may be pushing it... I don't know. At the end of the day it will be "you went through all that trouble for something you could've bought off of craigslist for a few grand more?"

-How many sbc 944s have you personally seen

-I'm not interested in making a track-only car, otherwise I'd go nuts on it instead. I want a reliable, trackable, streetable, and fast 944

No kidding the turbo can be capable, but there is a reason so many people with the fast 951s regret not just doing a ls1 from the start.

Rogue_Ant

I think it is mostly a case of "the grass is always greener"...

Much beyond 400rwhp, and your are severely risking the rest the drivetrain anyway, I just don't see the need to have an engine capable of 800rwhp when the rest the car won't take it. 400-500rwhp the 951 motor will get you there.

Thankfully I haven't seen any SBC 944s out here, but in every other car in existence someone has stuffed an SBC/LSx in. It is just played out already. I would pass up ten LSx 944s to see one VR6 944.

And yes you could be right with buying a 951 for only a few grand more... and you would still be far ahead compared to buying everything needed to swap an LSx. AND have better trans/brakes to start with as well.

A quick craigslist search here in denver, and in 30seconds I found two LSx Corvettes for 13K...

If someone wants to swap - cool I'm all for it. But to swap because its "makes-sense" doesn't make much sense to me.

techartisan

tremendous fantasy/resell value
or
tremendous fantasy resale value?

spend the cash...build the dream....not trying to discourage that end...but when it comes to sale day....keep dreaming