bcdavis

People put too much stock in brand names, and in keeping things one way...
That kind of attitude is why the 911 guys do not like watercooled cars.
Watercooled is not a *real* Porsche... BS!
They are all just cars.
Porsche, Chevy, Datsun, etc...

Yes, some manufacturers do certain things better than others.
And some cars work best with their original components.

But if people want to experiment, and make improvements, then go for it.

If you want a classic car, and want it to remain stock, get something much older,
and keep it as a museum piece, and a piece of history... Buy a 1979 928, and
restore it...

But most of our cars are not that old.
And they are, for the most part, not owned by collectors, but by people who drive them every day.

So if we can increase power, or improve handling, by adding Eibach springs, or a
Vortech supercharger, or an Ott X-over, then go for it! It makes the car faster, handle better, etc...
Why keep things that make the car slower? Why not add things that make it better, and
update it so it is a more viable daily driver? If your engine blows up, and you have a shell
of a really well-built car, with great suspension, I see no problem with putting an engine
in that car, that works... Yes, it would be ideal if people could put another 928 engine in
there, so it matches the design of the car. But if you want to put something else in the
engine compartment, and increase torque, and make rebuilding and upgrading easier,
then why not? Once you have the motor mounts, and wiring, and adapters, you can
always drop in the latest, greatest, most high-tech engine that Chevy has to offer...
The good thing, is that unlike Porsche, Chevy still supports and develops their
small block 350 V8's. You can still buy them new, out of the crate, with a lot of
horsepower, and cheap and easy repairs...

And if it dies in 5-10 years, you can take it out, and bolt in the next generation
American V8...

Sure, it would be great if we could all afford to drop in brand new Cayenne engines.
But financially, it isn't going to happen for most of us who might be faced with a
blown engine, or one with a thrown timing belt, and bent valves, etc...

Yes, I think a used 928 engine is the best option.
But I also see the long-term value of a conversion.

Jim V

You'd think we were discussing the moral implications of stemcell research or human cloning or somesuch.

Get a grip, they're just cars, BFD if someone don't want the engine that came in it.

Wooooo it's not a "real Porsche" so the earth is gonna stop spinning; or what?

martin D

Gee, I hope none of you anti-Chevy transplant guys have Auto's, after all you would not want a non Porsche gearbox in your car would you, that would make it a non-Porsche, oh.... its allright because Porsche did it !
I would hazard a guess that ALL manufactures have used other manufactures engines & g/box's at some point because it is CONVENIENT & COST-EFFECTIVE, the same reason some people put Chevys in 928's. Keeping 928's on the road is more important than what engine is in it, If you work it out probably 99% of 928's left still have a Porsche V8 in them.

DG84S

If you own it, you owe no one an explanation about what you do with it! Porsche is a brand, it ain't a religion. It's Ok with me if you want to be buried in your 928. It ought to be OK with you if I decide to turn mine into a planter.

Steve J.

There are some legalities involved. The replacement engine has to meet or exceed the EPA requirements of the original engine. An older engine may be installed in a newer chassis if all emission control systems and devices are connected, including the exhaust system and catalytic converter, and the resulting engine-chassis configuration conforms to the engine configuration of the model year of the chassis or newer. It is illegal for anyone to change a vehicle into an older configuration. A single exhaust system may not be replaced with dual exhaust unless the vehicle's manufacturer certified an identical engine-chassis configuration for that model year of vehicle or newer that includes such an exhaust configuration.

bcdavis

Generally, you would not want to install an old engine in a 928.
You would want to install a new one...

As long as the engine is newer, and as long as it has all it's required smog gear, you are set...

Whatever is newer, the car or the engine, determines the smog requirements.

So if you are putting an engine in a 1979 928, you would need to put something newer
than a 1979 engine in it. So any 80's-90's era Corvette engine would pass smog.
As would any new crate engine, or any new LT-1, LS-6, etc...

You would only run into trouble if you tried to put an engine older than 1979 in the car...
Then you would have to meet the smog requirements of the 928 engine, with an old v8,
which would be quite tough... So as long as you keep the engine newer than the car,
you should be ok...

pvoth

put 1000 dollars in your porsche motor.....yawn
put 1000 dollars in a chevy and hold on to your ***

i love my 928 no better road in the world

but i have a 62 nova with a small block chevy......worked
it will smoke the tires big time at 40 mph...........scary really
put higher gears in it and it will do 200mph too

why do the owners on 32 fords put in small block chevys.....
cause fords cost more to build



i had a 914 with a 2.0 liter motor...
all the 911 dudes treated me like crap
cause I a drove a VW....the title said porsche...
put us on a autocross track I win....hmmmm

we need to quit being pompous and stuck up because we own p-cars
hell mine came from a junk yard almost went for scrap and its a special
economics as they are .........put a small block chevy and blowem all away and dont open the hood...
its the car not the motor

come on people...beauty is in the eye of the beholder
stop the madness

pvoth

my car has a mercedes tranny........what shall we do?...........

V-Fib

Steve J., Do those regs still apply to an "emissions exempt" vehicle in Texas? Hope not, the 79 has no emissions equipment left. When I install the Euro S and headers, I'm going to go with true dual exhaust and stay emission equipment free.



Anthony Tate
79/928 Silver Metallic

H2

I have a great shape stock '85 928..(I'm **** about its upkeep and love it). However, if given the opportunity to buy a 928 with a good Chevy Engine in it I'd seriously consider it...on the following conditions: 1) Overall car is in great shape (in/out/elec. hookups, drivetrain), 2) the conversion is solid and not done by some wannabe mechanic using parts that ALMOST work well, 3) and it's priced accordingly...that is...cheaper than the regular stock 928. I appreciate street-rods and the 928 would be a cool 'rod.

Harvey

MikeN

You guys kill me........thinking that anything that is added or changed on a 928 is an improvement.......far from the truth.

I have driven an Eibach/Bilstein equiped car and prefer my stock GT with sport shock option better. The ride is better and it has 95% of the handling........so what does that mean??? Same for the supercharger thing......I have seen many great success stories, and many dissappointments from the installs........indeed there are some owners/cars on this list that have "de-supercharged" a car due to too many problems that they don't want to deal with.......what does that mean......they aren't
"true" 928 men/women???

Some of you are forgetting that there are just as many owners out there who value originality as others value speed....no matter what the car is and no matter if it's collectable or not. Just because you make a car faster does not mean you made it better........

I like my GT just the way it came from the factory.......so much so that the only things not original on the car is the battery, tires, and other maintenance items........so what does that mean???.....I'm not a true 928 lover?......far from it......I'm on my third one now. When my two previous versions were sold they both brought more money then I bought them for.......why??, they were near perfect original examples of the breed.

So if modifications / engine swaps are your bag, great have at it........no problem here, but don't even say that these mods make a better car.......that is purely subjective.......it may make it a tenth or two faster or a bit louder......but not necessarily better.

H2

I value originality a lot and have a 928 that has largely become a garage queen. I would however, also like a car that looks and acts like a 928 but has an engine that is assured to drive me across country without throwing a timing belt, etc...and one that I can pick parts up for in Resume Speed, Kansas. The TB is the Achilles Heel of the 928 it would appear....along with the associated engine electrical gremlins...computer brains, etc.

Also, there's a heck of a lot of $3K-$4K 928s out there that would be great candidates for conversion.

I know some guys have Porvettes and are ashamed to admit it but maybe they need to offer it to me for a good price and I might take it off their hands. The Porvette that sold for $9,000 recently sold higher than I thought it should though considering the prejudiced resale values you generally see. And, you'd need to make sure the conversion was built solid.

Heck, maybe a new gendre of Porvettes will start up? Wouldn't be bad for the big three either I suspect. And out orginals should always be worth more. This topic has generated so much response that one has to wonder if there's fear associated with a street-rodded-928.

Harvey

martin D

......Then

MikeN
So which one is it, scrap it or put a non P engine in it ?

Also, so your GT is not a factory improvement on the stock S4 ?, for people who wanted more performance from a S4 ?

bcdavis

I'm not saying people "should" modify their cars.
If you love it stock, keep it stock.

I'm just annoyed that so many people seem to think it is a "crime" against "Porsche" to modify their designs at all...

drnick

im painting my 928 and thinking about a lamborghini colour... i didnt untill now realise that i would in fact be changing my cars brand! and thats allright by me as ive allways wanted a lambo.