Easiest fuel injection 4 cylinder engine to swap into any car?

Racebrick said:

Streetwiseguy said:

Volvo B230 with LH2.2.  Harness is laid over the body harness, and is very easy to remove.

Edit: from a 240, 85 to 88.  740 is more integrated, later is more integrated.

This true, but the newer harnesses are better. I know it depends on climate, but around me any lh 2.2 car will need a new harness, or a lot of work. This combo is also good for 200hp without even really trying, and really is bulletproof in the hands of an operator with some brains.

Harness issue is true.  

Ford 2.3 Lima. The engine harness is already mostly standalone and the t5 that comes with it works well. They are tuneable and have a solid aftermarket 

Keith Tanner said:

Mechanical injection diesel :) Seriously, you give it a fuel line and a starter. Done.

The question of a standalone ECU is important. Everyone thinks that's the easy button, but it's a whole range of other challenges. Remember that you are now responsible for every aspect of the engine's operation, and all the hard stuff is usually ignored by forum tuners. WOT is easy, cold start and idle control is hard.

So I would suggest that a pre-OBD-II engine with a fairly discrete engine management setup would be a good choice. Of course, all of these are at least 24 years old. Or a post-OBD-II that has the ability to be tweaked by the builder. The GM PCMs for the LS engines are in teh latter category. I know those aren't fours, but that's an example.

The Mazda BP engine looks good in a vintage platform, but it's a bit of work to isolate the ECU from the rest of the wiring harness.

I came here to say Cummins 4BT

As someone who's only done an LS swap in a Chevy before, I'm definitely no expert. But in my mind there are 3 things that make or break a swap, assuming the engine physically fits in the car. 
1. electronics (ease of standalone wiring and tuning)

2. Engine and transmission mounts. Many platforms have bolt in swap mounts available  

3. transmission availability. You obviously don't want to have to spend $2k on a fancy t56 to get manual and rwd.

Do you have a chassis in mind?

I'd be looking for longitudinal engines that were offered in RWD vehicles from the factory. That'll be much easier to source transmissions, manifolds, etc vs something that was only offered in a transverse layout. That saves time and money.

Minitrucks seem like a great option as they're usually cheap and plentiful. Miatas, 240s, solstice/sky, Foxbody/MN12 Fords seem viable too.

Maybe this is way too simplistic, but...the one you are most familiar with?

Personally I know Toyota 4A-GEs pretty darn well, and I've owned one or more for most of the last 25 years, so that would be the easy button for me. I also live near the infamous Oldeskewltoy, which puts another vote in the 4AG column for me. YMMV, but there's a lot to be said for prior experience. If you haven't messed around with any particular RWD four bangers, having a buddy who has or living near a specialist you can lean on could also give one platform or another an edge.

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

Where do you even find a rear drive 4AG and/or transmission?

As much as I love the 4G63, it's not exactly the best suited swap candidate for RWD applications. It can be done, biggest challenges are manifolds and thermostat housing relocation, and transmission options (there aren't many without custom bell housing adapters).

https://projectzerog.com/

Probably any EcoTec variant, there is a reason why they're very popular in the sand rail community for swaps.  They came in longitudinal and transverse applications, so finding a trans for either should be pretty simple.

This company offers a wiring harness for just ECM control:

https://affordable-fuel-injection.com/product/ecotec-harnesses-and-pcm/

Here is some inspiration:

http://www.speedhunters.com/2016/09/datsun-time-attacker-gm-ecotec-power/

Keith Tanner said:

Mechanical injection diesel :) Seriously, you give it a fuel line and a starter. Done.

The question of a standalone ECU is important. Everyone thinks that's the easy button, but it's a whole range of other challenges. Remember that you are now responsible for every aspect of the engine's operation, and all the hard stuff is usually ignored by forum tuners. WOT is easy, cold start and idle control is hard.

So I would suggest that a pre-OBD-II engine with a fairly discrete engine management setup would be a good choice. Of course, all of these are at least 24 years old. Or a post-OBD-II that has the ability to be tweaked by the builder. The GM PCMs for the LS engines are in teh latter category. I know those aren't fours, but that's an example.

The Mazda BP engine looks good in a vintage platform, but it's a bit of work to isolate the ECU from the rest of the wiring harness.

I just witnessed such a swap on the weekend. A 70s El Camino rolled in and did not sound at all right for the image it projects, so I asked. Sure as E36 M3 it had a 4 cylinder mechanical fuel injected engine. It looked stupid simple and required like no electrical support. It was not fast, but he had over 200k on it since he bough it.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

My point exactly. I've got a fair few parts on the shelf, and a dozen or so local friends to turn to, as well as a dozen or so online communities I frequent that are all RWD 4A-G specific...and as I said in my earlier post, it all depends on what you have and what you are familiar with. My familiarty with the 4A-G might not do jack diddly for you, but then again, your familiarity with whatever you tend to run doesn't do much for me...so there isn't any one "easiest" platform.