MPDano

I agree with you too. I love the 928, don't get me wrong, but I like to keep an open mind too. When I was 18, I also did an engine swap in my Triumph TR7. I built (engine race internals) and installed a Ford V8 302 with a 4 speed from a wrecked Mustang. That car was dangerous fast. Yup, 150 mph in a car I built. So fast I sold it after the car did two 360's and I ended up on the center divide showing off to some rich kids in their brand new Trans Am. I even raced a 911 up hill and made seem as if he was parked. Well, 23 years later, I don't regret doing but would have approached and gave more respect to its new power.

I think the Fuel Injected solution in the 928 would have been nicer, but you can't beat the simplicity of the good old Carburetor.

heinrich

I drove this car a year and a half or so ago. It was for sale in Seattle, and didn't have the red crap. It drives nicely, no issues, and it has a weird torque band, sort of no-peak. Linear perhaps, a LOT like a 911. Impression is that the car leaks rain, is an old car, and is only interesting because of the conversion which apparently was done very well.

soupcan

I rode in an 85 with a 400ci chevy last year, it was a fun ride. A 6.1L Hemi conversion would be cool, or better yet a Cayenne S or Turbo swap.

Malibu310

The car is a bargain - the install kit for Renegade is $3,000 - the NAV is at least $3,000 - installed - that's the price of the entire car. The comment of the 6-71 well - it is not so simple - the entire engine components will need to be changed - it needs very low compression - much stronger rods and crank, but ours very much detuned with a smalller 355 cu.in. block is 600 HP and 600 lbs torque.... The advantage is that to upgrade HP in a Chevy motor is very cheap... all the $$$ hard work is done and the rest to upgrade is very cheap. I made the mistake of switching to an EFI from an original carb setup - I also thought the carb did not fit the character of the 928 (by the way the blower motor is smooth instant power all time, more like an EFI). The switch was a very expensive mistake - it would have been cheaper to just get a crate motor with EFI set-up. The low end torque difference is amazing - drive our cars then get into a stock 928 and you would think there is no power. However once the 928 is in it's powerband like on a high speed run, they are all very fast (stock or Chevy)... and again I hate calling these Chevy, as there are almost no Chevy parts in a Chevy based race motor.

Just to be aware of -

The engine in this car is likely to be at least 200 lbs lighter than the stock motor - this has a very bad effect on the handling (don't go into a cloverleaf too fast it will scare the begeebies out of you) - this is fixed by adding that heavy 6-71 blower!!!

The GM power steering pump is not that great Porsche variable pump - it takes the feel away from the car - this and the combined weight difference above does take away some of the driving experience of the 928 (character).

To add an A/C unit is easy - the stock GM unit fit right in.

If you decide to do a Chevy from stock it will end up far more expensive than you think - even if you do the work yourself.

Our yellow 928 we bought in rough shape for $6,600 it was black with a good interior, no exhaust system, and theengine electics were not yet hooked up... the engine was rough - it was not put together right. That said adding the Ferrari Fly Yellow paint and putting the Blower Motor in was fairly cheap - it handles great - is scary quick - the power pulses run through you like a Harley and it gets thumbs up everywhere - but again someone else - like this car spent the big bucks for the conversion.

We enjoy these cars - they are great boy toys.

Rick H

The_Remora

Nice cars Rick!

Tony

yeah...beacuse of all the room they have to work in there! If we even had half of that extra space

mj1pate

I've seen Alfa GTVs stuffed with Detroit V8s too. I've never understood this concept in anything but a track car. Installing an American v8 into a Porsche street car chassis suggests that there is something irreconcilably deficient about the Porsche power plant, which isn't correct. If someone is compelled to do something like this, then that's fine. But newcomers should understand that the car's value has a similar, reduced worth as an antique with modern replacement parts. I think a tuned, restored GTO would be a lot more interesting.

Mike

Jim bailey - 928 International

Actually there is ....." irreconcilably deficient about the Porsche power plant, which isn't correct." When they were available a NEW GTS engine cost over $30,000 as I recall and THAT is the issue... new all alloy ZO6 Chevy 427 dry sump engine 505 hp( 600 hp with cam and headers) is about $13,000.

FBIII

I think more and more of this is going to occur as early inexpensive 928's crop up with engine issues. You have a platform already designed to house a V8, with great brakes, suspension design and balance. There are a lot of creative wrench turners with all sorts of engines squirreled away in their garages just itching for another project. I have a 454 1/4 inch stroker in pieces that I have often thought about fitting in a 928. It would be a viperesque torque monster.

evozine

Summary on Engine Swaps:
I agree with the previous poster, engine swaps are generally a good idea for track cars, speciality project cars, and they can also work well for daily drivers. However I personally might have concerns with swapping a 928 because I want the benefit of the Porsche sound, feel and advanced engineering associated with Porsche's original design.

http://www.evozine.com/jag/
JAGUAR:
In the 80's there were lots of folks converting old Jaguar sedans with GM powerplants. I bought a Jaguar 71 XJ6 a few years back, and I do enjoy the reliability and power of the GM power plant. The jag swap completed by the previous owner provided an inexpensive improvement to the original underpowered, XJ6 engine. I rebuilt my jaguar with mostly junk yard parts. I regularly see newly arrived 1970's- 80's XJ6 jaguars in the local junkyards because owners can't handle the original XJ6's engine maintenance.

LASTLY,
I am curious if we will see more of the swapped 928's. If the prices of the late 70's cars continue to drop to ultimate lows, I expect that more people will do the low cost route of putting some other type of engine in to avoid the cost of original Porsche components/labor.

Malibu310

I think the character of a car is more based upon issues outside the engine, the look, the feel, the handling, etc. Putting a motor 200 lbs lighter than the one you take out does have an effect on the handling, of course I could have put a 540 cu in or more big block and that would have been a smarter choice. Of the cars I owned, I dont think the engine really made that much difference meaning if the 300 HP came from Chevy, Ford, or Porsche. The power band is much different. Snce I drive mostly in the city that 0-40 MPH punch will afect my typical driving provile far more than 60-100 mph where the 928 really comes to life.

A case in point is that my Aston has a Ford engine in it - I don't give a rip, didn't spend that money for the engine which is at best OK, but the look, feel, handling, and sound of the car far outweighs the fact it's a Ford based engine.

That means I needed to search more for low end torque than high end power and that's where the swap does really well. Another thing about the 6-71 - it destroys the view forward - can't imagine why it's street legal, but it is. Nothing is as cool as driving looking at he linkage and belt moving - super cool but you really need to be careful driving it in traffic and congested areas... especially with pedestrians near by.

Rick H

dr bob

For a very reliable and easily-serviceable daily driver, one could do a lot worse than this car. If you want to get the weight closer to "correct", move battery to the front. That should just about take care of it, along with the required-in-soCal air conditioning compressor and plumbing.

The engine bay pic makes it look like this car was widened by a foot. You can stand in there next to the rocker covers. Add the roll cage that Jim B mentioned last week, add a few tubes (yeah right...) and here's an awesome ORR car. It would need new tires, though.

Tom. M

Im with most here that say they don't mind the conversion..except for the carb....just a way to make it cheap. Find a fuel injected motor (there are many out there in the junk yards)..and add that. I wonder if all the interior gauges work etc. The motor transplant is only half the job...keep the interior functions working..then yes..it would be a good conversion.

later,
Tom
89GT
82 Track car in progress

Malibu310

As far as the guages - the tach is a bit problematic if you have a dual coil setup on the later model 928's - we finally found a converter mechanism - I also added to both cars pillar guages as I did not fully trust that the Chevy based motors would read correctly on the Porsche Guages, but they seem to be accurate. I also agree there is something that was not right when I had the carb based engine - had I not owned five 928's before and knew deeply how they should feel I would not have known the difference, but it really bothered me. Again the blower motor runs just as smooth if not smoother than an EFI engine with the dual carb setup.

Rick H

Panzer9

I kinda dig it- Porsche should have made our S-4 motors push 400 HP from the beginning. Then we we all wouldn't be looking for the extra power in the form of a SC- which unduly stresses the motor IMO. Swapping out foreign motors w/ American V-8's is pretty cool- It worked well for Carroll Shelby. A/C Cobra, Sunbeam Tiger, Jenson Interceptor, etc.