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This was my thought. If it's all about having a Corvette engine and saving money, why own a Porsche at all? Buy a Corvette instead. No assembly required.
Okay, some assembly probably required, it is a Chevy...
I had an LS swapped RX7. Don't be fooled, swapped cars NEVER seamlessly emulate the original "togetherness" of the engineered original setup. It always feels like a "swapped" car. My rx7 had 20,000+ in the LS swap, and it was still a swapped car... felt swapped, and behaved swapped... I wouldn't do it if you love your car the way it is. If it excites you, drives great and makes your heart beat fast just enjoy it. If you just want a V8 something, buy a C5 vette for 11k.
My plan is to keep driving the car and if I have a major engine failure most likley do an LS3 swap. I thought about swapping with my engine running so I could recoup some of the cost. But I really enjoy the engine.. The only reason I would swap is if my engine failed.. For me ill just ride it out doing my maintenance and if something happens ill go LS3..
Almost 2yrs and 10k miles on mine. This car gets so much attention and is a blast to drive. The Sound is like no other. The torque is unbelievable. The positives far outway the negatives in MY opinion. https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...onversion.html
I think that a V8 is going backwards in engineering and what the cars built for is curves, handling and not straight line racing, the power curve for that V8 will be abruptly in your face, not sure how that will work around curves in a Porsche. This is my opinion only.
LS engines are compact and light for the power they make. From what I've read, the dynamics of the car don't change much with the swap.
But as others have said, I vote to keep it all Porsche. If you're that worried, sell the 911 and buy a Vette.
Better yet, go try a Gen 6 Camaro SS. Can be had with a manual, 450hp, awesome chassis. Less than $40k new with a warranty. After having rented a couple of times now I am seriously struggling to avoid trading my 997 for one. Going to try to make 'both at the same time' work somehow.
I think that a V8 is going backwards in engineering and what the cars built for is curves, handling and not straight line racing, the power curve for that V8 will be abruptly in your face, not sure how that will work around curves in a Porsche. This is my opinion only.
I understand this is an opinion, but suggesting that a small-block Chevy is inappropriate for use in a 996 because the M96 takes longer to make power isn't on the list of potential down sides I've come up with for LSx swaps in the past. Choosing an engine because it's too slow to be dangerous seems like less than straightforward reasoning to me, regardless of whether the car is intended to go in lines, around corners, or any combination of the two...
As the keeper of both an LT1-powered Corvette (the old LT1, not the new LT1) AND an M96-powered Porsche, I think the hardest thing to get used to for me would be the drastically different shift points. Going from a 7K RPM redline to 5K eliminates what I consider one of the 996's most enjoyable aspects: the second-gear sweet spot. There aren't many San Diego AX courses I can remember that required more than a few seconds in third gear. Changing to a motor with a 5K RPM redline would require a fairly significant change in driving strategy. The feeling of the car pulling hard all the way to the rev limiter is one of the things I enjoy most with the 996 (and the 986 before it).
My type-1 over-rev count would be sufficient to scare away anyone who might be interested in buying my M96 to fund a preventive swap; I don't think I'm willing to drive the car less vigorously in order to make the M96 worth as much as possible to the next guy. I do like the idea of having money to spend on a new engine, but the idea of my engine being DONE when I'm done with it is also fun to consider.
If you can fabricate you can do this swap easily. I did mine on a 41k mi 03 ims victim and counting the car i did it for less than 15k. And as far as going backwards...dont knock it till you drive it. I have driven both and the smooth idling ls power delivery is best decribed as " the perfect storm of power,torque,gear ratios and a fantastic chassis"
And dont worry only the 996's still in the "wrapper" will go UP in value."......
I did a engine out IMS, AOS, Coils/plugs,
Water pump, belt, thermostat, Tuners DOF
and all water hoses
I'm feeling my car will go 100,000 plus
Just like so many 996's posted on eBay and auto trader
I've been thinking about the 996 LSx swap since before I bought my 99' cab. I haven't done it, but everything I've read seems like it's a reasonable swap. The only negatives that I've found so far appear to be the loss of cruise control and a lower than optimal final drive ratio in the 996 gearbox. Modern LSx engines can redline at around 7k rpm, but the low rpm torque would probably translate to being able to exit some corners in a higher gear at a lower rpm while still accelerating hard. Guys that have ridden 250 and open class motocross bikes will probably relate to the previous sentence (less shifting between corners on the larger displacement open class bike). And there is no weight gain, so there should be no adverse handling issues due to that aspect.
The advice of selling the 996 and buying a Corvette doesn't wash. I've owned Corvettes, and they're a completely different driving experience from the 996. They're a blast, but they are a different animal altogether.
I ended up buying a 996 turbo to keep the cab company and to scratch the horsepower itch, but there's a part of me that still wants to do a swap on the cab. If I can get to Vegas on Friday on the weekend of the Vegas run, I want to swing by Renegade just to do a little more research in person. I'm just thankful that I'm already backlogged in other projects, so there will be no impulse buying while I'm being blinded by their intoxicating V8 bling.
And as far as ruining the value of the 996 for future collectors... who cares? Drive it like you stole it and enjoy it. It's what they were designed to do.
05-30-2017, 05:05 PM
