engine weight

I got rid of the 1800 fiat engine I had sitting around yesterday. For E36 M3s and giggles, I threw it on the scale to find it's weight.. I was quite surprised that the short block was just under 200 pounds with the head weighting in at another 50.

I had been considering dropping a Nissan VQ engine into spider, but had been concerned about dropping a ton of weight into the nose of that car. According to the geeks at the VQ swap site, the fully dressed aluminum vq35 weighs in at just over 300 pounds.

I am pretty sure I can find a way to lose another 50 pounds off the nose of my fiat to make it work. I already have glassfibre fenders, and I am going to make a C/F hood, lower valance, and wiper panel...

Engine weight is a mix of optimism, stretched truths, selective omissions, and outright lies. The trouble is that few people post exactly what's included - and what isn't - when they weigh an engine. I've seen quotes of 300lb V8s... could be, but that's leaving out a lot of pieces that, oh by the way, are absolutely necessary for operation... but I'm ranting.

On your Fiat engine, the weight seems about right. A Honda K24 engine complete with starter, alternator and exhaust is just over 300lbs. If you add those three items above you'll be getting closer.

kb58 wrote: Engine weight is a mix of optimism, stretched truths, selective omissions, and outright lies. The trouble is that few people post exactly what's included - and what isn't - when they weigh an engine. I've seen quotes of 300lb V8s... could be, but that's leaving out a lot of pieces that, oh by the way, are absolutely necessary for operation... but I'm ranting.

hardly truer words have been typed on the internet

SBF with aluminum heads, starter, and flywheel is getting into the mid 300s if it has no accessories

mazda 12a rotary with transmission, flywheel, clutch, starter, intake, carb, alternator, coil packs, all required wiring, homemade exhaust header, as pulled from a running car (eg, I could have started the motor on the scales if I hooked up 12V) was 375lbs.

aussiesmg wrote: SBF with aluminum heads, starter, and flywheel is getting into the mid 300s if it has no accessories

Really? The best interwebs figures I could find for an all aluminium LS motor with essential running gear were in the mid-400s so the cast iron has to be 60 or so more on top of that I'd think. How does the Ford manage to be so light?

SBF's aren't necessarily light. The 351W we killed at Lemons weighed in around 525 pounds.

nocones wrote: mazda 12a rotary with transmission, flywheel, clutch, starter, intake, carb, alternator, coil packs, all required wiring, homemade exhaust header, as pulled from a running car (eg, I could have started the motor on the scales if I hooked up 12V) was 375lbs.

Yeah don't forget the tranny as part of the entire package. That's almost always left out but since tranny weight is all over the place, too, it's just as important.

Then there's the even bigger picture of including the rear axle (when comparing to front-engine setups.) Consider a 450lb complete V8, a 120lb tranny, and a 130lb rear axle assembly, that's 700lbs total. A FWD setup on the other hand has neither rear axle tube nor driveshaft. A turbo 4-cyl FWD assembly will be right around 450lbs. That can be a big deal when building a 1400lb car.

My complete drivetrain from a Honda K24A1 engine is 403lbs. Figure 50lbs for the turbo and there you have it.

http://www.team.net/sol/tech/engine.html

Aluminum headed 302s are in the 460 range, iron headed are more like 500.

kb58 wrote: My complete drivetrain from aHonda K24A1 engine is 403lbs. Figure 50lbs for the turbo and there you have it.

I do have the stock RX-7 tank diff, so add 70lbs to that and you have my complete "drivetrain" at 445lbs.. Although lighter diffs can be had, and the rotary flywheel weights about 25lbs, so I could probably get it down to ~400lbs.

walterj wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: SBF with aluminum heads, starter, and flywheel is getting into the mid 300s if it has no accessories

Really? The best interwebs figures I could find for an all aluminium LS motor with essential running gear were in the mid-400s so the cast iron has to be 60 or so more on top of that I'd think. How does the Ford manage to be so light?

.

The reason I built a lightweight 5.0 for my 1st Gen Rx7 is exactly that, my 7 with full interior is within 20lbs of what it was with a rotary in it, less A/C, power steer and the battery relocated to the rear.

The heads save about 50lb, the starter another 12, flywheel about 12, aluminum valve train and so on. Before you know it I am close to 100lb under the stock 450lb weight. In my case I then removed the non engine parts including the AC, Power Steer, add aluminum radiator and electric fan and relocate the battery.

Now look at 3 X the horsepower and 4 x the torque.

http://www.strokerengine.com/EngineWeights.html

LS engines are close to the weight of the 5.0 in stock form as the 5.0 is smaller, they are 18" wide. The down side is the Ford will make less power but still way more than a rotary can, even a PP unless it is a turboed rotary, in which case the weigh goes up again.

The smaller size makes it an easier installation into small/sports cars.

My engine does sit somewhat further forward though due to the crossmember and double sump pan of the Ford. This small loss I can live with...

curtis73 wrote: http://www.team.net/sol/tech/engine.html Aluminum headed 302s are in the 460 range, iron headed are more like 500.

Your own link states the 5.0 is "a bit lighter" than the 460lb 5.0, this is with iron heads....

For the best of both... put LS1 heads on the Windsor. Sounds crazy, but its actually been done several times. The bore spacing is spot on, and even the water passages and head bolt holes are really close. The Heads bolt on by just enlarging the bolt holes a bit.

http://forums.stangnet.com/730454-ls1-heads-ford.html

aussiesmg wrote:

curtis73 wrote: http://www.team.net/sol/tech/engine.html Aluminum headed 302s are in the 460 range, iron headed are more like 500.

Your own link states the 5.0 is "a bit lighter" than the 460lb 5.0, this is with iron heads....

Sorry... must have misread.

A dry 350 SBC longblock in the shipping crate with the box, straps and labels weigh exactly 412#. I had one shipped to me fed ex. The longblock included the iron heads and normal sized oil pan/pump. It did not have the flexplate, intake, carb, ditributor, water pump, balancer, pulleys brackets or alternator. Crate and shipping material was easily 30#.

FWIW, a typical 010 block weighs 168#, the lightest is the 817 block at 157# and the 61-63 283 block weighs the most at 180#. Factory cast iron heads are 96#. Yes, I have personally weighed all of these items.

Internal part weight and block material make the weight vary alot. Some of the SBC sprint car engines in this area are 365# complete with pump, not including the oil tank, My SCB with stock rotating assemble with alum heads, Vic Jr. intake, Moros waterpump and HEI distributor is 485#.