There are some interesting suggestions here. It should be mentioned that I am on a holographic budget, so I tend to exclude anything that requires expensive parts. I can handle fabrication, exhaust, plumbing, wiring, etc., but I can't grind my own cams, for example.
The Rotrex is probably out. Something about the exponential boost curve of a mechanically driven centrifugal blower rubs me the wrong way. And it's not a junkyard/fleabay part AFAIK. 1NZ and G16 swaps are probably out, too, but for different reasons. I'm not sure a 1NZ would solve any problems, especially considering this is an air-conditioned road car rather than a featherweight track rat, and a G16 is ... well ... I, uh ... what is a G16, anyway?
<Googles it>
No. I'm not finding one of those on Craigslist for pocket money, and have negative interest in anything that new. Too much rocket science for this old dropout.
K series Honder is a no. It just doesn't feel right. Doesn't seem special. Might be faster than Felicia on a Friday night, but it feels like the "LS swap it LOL" of little cars. I guess the same can be said of 2ARs. Apparently they can be made fast. That's cool, but there's no appeal there for some intangible reason.
Kamasutra whutnow? I already have a VF1100S sitting unloved on the wrong side of the garage wall. Dumb, yes, and I certainly appreciate that, but not better.
The VW 07k might be worth discussing. Transmissions are a consideration. The gear ratios in the current C50 aren't inspiring, so if the transmission gets swapped out, we'd want better ratios as part of the deal. And better noises. What kind of crazy-nanners RPM can the stock assembly tolerate? Is an interesting power curve just a cam and ITB swap away? I've also thought a little about naturally aspirated Volvo fives, but have no idea how they compare to the VW in terms of potential spiciness and enjoyable gear ratios.
The GR series V6 thing has been considered. It could be done. I'm not sure I need or want that much power. There may be a 2.5 liter variant. I've also thought about the smaller JDM 2.5 liter version of the MZ series six, as well as the Mazda K series. Hell, even a silly 1.8 liter K8 could be fun if it can be crammed and ITBd to ~200 hp and will survive on the far side of eight grand.
I do want quick revs, snappy response, a broad rev range, and captivating sounds. The 7A-GE is about 8/10 there. The 7A bottom end apparently highlights the flow restrictions of the head, and they want bigger cams than equivalent 4As. I do have bottom-of-the-page cams on the shelf, awaiting ambition and effort, and probably also requiring the aforementioned pistons and rods to make the poor old dear survive at the RPM necessary to take advantage of the cams. Slippery slope.
And if bigger cams go in, will it still be happy with turbos? Yes, turbos. Plural. This is a dumb idea fair. I have an RHB5 from an EA82T and have many times considered adding a second in the form of parallel twins. It's not a bad match, on paper. If that is a bridge too far for even this crowd, an appropriate single turbo could be considered. I even have enough junk laying around to fake a pretty good W2A intercooler setup. Never mind the fact that not a lot of people have fresh EA82T turbos just sitting around. Apparently I am still living in 1994.
Or we could slap an Eaton M62 or M90 on. They don't care about cams. But they also don't do anything to quiet the brutally blatty exhaust note that the AW11 and its abbreviated exhaust system tends to create. Turbos do. But turbos are harder to plumb and there are heat issues and what about the drainback and so on. Back and forth I go between the two.
Management is another issue. I'm assuming any kind of swap would be easier to run on MegaSquirt than an OEM ECU and a thousand dollars worth of harness from Hackenslash Racing.
I dunno. So many bad ideas, so little time.
