Canuck

Toasted my engine on I-5 last Wednesday, thanks to split coolant recirculating tube. Have the option now of spending more than the car is worth for a new engine, throwing the car away, or trying somthing a little more exotic...like an engine swap.

We'll have a 5 minute pause to let all the "purists" get over their palpitations, then, would like to hear from any who know of or can give advice on workable engine swaps. Am thinking of stuffing an early Buick aluminum-block V-6 in there. Anyone done such a thing or have some other useful suggestion to make?

Please spare me all the rants about what a travesty the very thought is.

If you don't like engine swaps, but know of an economical source for 944 (early '85) short blocks, would appreciate that info too.

TIA, Canuck

josephsc

it's a Blasphemy, but probably a good option, if done right. Have you looked at stuff on
Renegade Hybrid for start? Discussion on this engine also recently came up: a 968.net thread. A porsche engine swap is also another option that few people here have also done. Have fun!

Eyal 951

part out the car and buy another one, or buy an S2 or a 951. An engine swap wouldn't be worth it i don't think. Are you talking about the turbo gran national buick engine?
~Eyal

adie

heh heh heh, I know the purist reaction well. An aluminum Rover V8 fit's easily and can be done in a weekend, Chevy LT1 also looks a viable option, now i've moved to Canada I'm looking into that one but not quite yet. I'd find what engine you want first as the cost of the unit is probably the justification in the first place.

Jonas Goldsmith

put in a 928 engine... lol, j/k... engine swaps in 944's aren't worth it unless you plan on building a race car... in which case i would just build up an engine rather than swapping...

josephsc

Engine swaps could also be worth it if you enjoy working on interesting projects. Certainly not a good performance/dollar trade-off though.

kennycoulter

my boss at the hotrod shop put a 454 with a roots blower in his and it fit under the stock hood. i was mad. but i want to do it too. but i want a 928 engine with twin turbos and big flares and the intercoolers in the flares and the battery in the back and...... but i have seen a ton of chevy small block conversions done in both 924 and 944 maybe look at paw perfomance automotive warehouse i think they have a cross member for it or for anything really. the cost is cheaper than anything if you went with a 350 lt1 or carb engine because the hop up parts are cheaper than even regular replacement parts for fords. but i dont really like the idea either. and it would be pretty heavy up there

*Michael.*

For about $6000 you can put in a 5.7l V8 if you do the labor yourself. Yeah, tons of torque and close to 300hp.... That is totally not worth it!!!! If I had the money and the 944 wasn't my daily driver I would start tearing my pathetic 2.5l 4cyl out right now.

4G64 944

The torque tube setup makes a bellhousing adapter cake, all you need is a flat peice with 4 taped holes and one center hold, then find a clutch disk with the same splies as the tube that fits your flywheel/clutch. I have been doing alot of research trying to decide if I want to swap a mitsubishi tubo 4cyl into a 944, mostly because I know the engine inside and out, have contacts to get parts cheap, and I am very comfortable with the engine management software. With 951's going from 8-25k they aren't exactly cheap, and the prices of modifications are definately not that cheap, not to mention the pleothora of "chips" I hate chips, they are never right, I want to be able to control fuel and timing on my own. Running a carbed v8 would make life easier since very little wiring needs to be done, but I am planning on swapping an entire engine harness in so I can run a dsm ecu, of course if I plan to take on the project

Untier

lt1 or lt4, do it!

Matt O.

Do whatever you have the money for and whatever makes you happy (you choose the order of those two).

There is nothing wrong with the renegade swap - to each his own. Do it right and that will be one fun car that will last you a while.

Dave951M

Do whatever floats your boat. Just remember that with power, you'll likely have to beef up the brakes, drivetrain, wider tires, and so on and so on. The conversion cost is more than the engine alone.

*Michael.*

I used to say, "you don't need to beef up the brakes, just because you have more power doesn't mean you are going to drive the crap out of the car all of the time"

Then I turbocharged my Miata almost doubling the power, the brakes seem to not work quite like they used to. That is because sections that I used to beable to hit 60mph on I can now hit 100mph on. Much more work for the brakes.....

Mike B

I agree with Joseph.

Cars are rarely an investment and you probably wouldn't recover your capital on a project like this. Having said that if I find a decent 944 needing an engine I would definitely consider a LT1. I think it would be a pile of fun!

trebor_quitman

Just thought of an interesting idea, What about one of those new Electric engines? Or at least a hybrid? Not the direction most Swapers are looking for, Economy/environment VS Power/speed. It's probably VERY cost prohibitive, just curious how the drive line hooks up on one of those. Do they even use the classic flywheel setup, or are they more directly tied to the wheels? DEFINATLEY a rear battery on that setup.