Heretical Motor Swaps

Am I the only one who thinks you could massively improve a lot of the prestige marque cars with motor swaps? You could even keep it to torque motors in the torquey cars and zingers in the zingy cars.

Examples:

1. Ferrari 512 TR/Testarossa with a 4g63T. The custom header and intake, if properly designed, would easily bump a late model 4g63 up to the same 360 ish hp from the original flat 12, it would certainly cut hundreds of pounds out of the curb weight, massively improve reliability and probably double the fuel economy. And imagine the size of the diffuser you could run with all that extra room.

2. Jaguar XJS with a VG30T. Again, it would be child's play to exceed factory power, hundreds of pounds weight savings plus lots of extra room for access. Fuel economy/reliability/cost all improve.

3. Early Viper with an LSX. For benefits see above.

4. Big block C3 Vette with a 1JZGTE. Probably wouldn't save much weight, but everything else would improve AND you could immediately banish the gold chain crowd when you opened the hood.

5. Mid 90s Mercedes SL600 with a BlueTech Deisel V6. Chip it and you'd have the same HP, tons more torque, triple the mileage and better chassis dynamics.

6. Ferrari 348 with an Acura Legend derived V6.

7. Lamborghini anything with an RB26DETT.

The thing is, you could keep it in house for similar results with a lot fewer headaches on some of them...

Jag: swap in the current XFR supercharged v8.

Viper: 6.1L Hemi V8. Lighter, similar power.

Vette: LSx

Anything is going to be a pain on a Ferrari or Lambo, but part of the mystique of them is in their engine notes, and the swaps you're proposing is going to kill those engine notes.

Wasn't there a thread on here on an eBay car that was a real Ferrari 308 with a Fiero drive train? That was funny.

Personally, I'm putting a Scion xA 1NZFE engine and the trans in a Europa.

Maybe a Lotus Esprit with a GNX engine......that was on Ebay recently.

Scardeal:

The Viper, eh, touche. But with the Jag, that's an apples to stellar cores type comparison. The engine management systems between the new 5.0 and old V12 share, if I'm guessing correctly, nothing. Also, you can get a vg30T for 400 bucks, the Jag is more like 30 grand for a motor. And with the Vette, you are correct, but I still think it would be awesome to piss off the gold chainers, paint the 1JZGTE blue and call it the "Blue Flame II."

Dr. Hess, I salute you.

TJ, I don't know if its really possible to commit engine swap heresy on a Lotus. They've used engines from practically everyone.

I agree not heretical.

One of my favorite swaps was a guy who put an 850cc NBMC A-series engine from a Mini into a CRX as a swipe at all the people that swap honda engines into their Minis. Funny as hell. Made the car worse in every way. Not sure if that's heretical or not.

How about swapping a stovebolt 6 into a BMW. Doesn't improve the car though so doesn't fit with your intial post.

I love the LSx into SN95 Mustang Cobra swap.

I like the idea of a turbo rotory powered Chevrolet Monza.

I would like to see a turbo 420A powered Jetta GLI

And a turbo VR6 powered SRT4

Jaguar xk120 with bmw s38

The thing that actually got this started in my mind was thinking about why I dismiss cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis as mere silliness. They're sort of Rube Goldberg machines.

Ferrari says to its engineers "I want 360 hp from my engine" and they respond by making a monstrosity with 48 or 40 valves (F355 or 512TR), four camshafts, no parts sharing with anything, sky high cost, small displacement, poor reliability and appalling economy.

Lamborghini says "give me 550 hp" and their engineers come back with a massive weight, huge dimensions, 48 valves, four cams, basic design from 1965, no torque and a maximum of 9 mpg to go with crap reliability and the need to share oil with the transmission.

Compare the Ferrari with a Mitsubishi motor of the same vintage. The 4g63 makes more torque, nearly as much horsepower, weighs much less, needs only 4 cylinders, 16 valves and two cams, is vastly more efficient, packages so much better it's actually kind of funny and can be had for very little money.

Compare the Lamborghini V12s to the top of the line Chevy Small Blocks. Basically the same power but the Chevy weighs much less, needs only a third of the valves and a quarter of the cams, packages much easier, comes close to tripling the fuel economy, is more reliable and can be had for a small fraction of the cost.

It seems to me like a lot of what goes into supercars isn't really about making them better, it's about making them dumber for marketing purposes.

TJ wrote: I agree not heretical. One of my favorite swaps was a guy who put an 850cc NBMC A-series engine from a Mini into a CRX as a swipe at all the people that swap honda engines into their Minis. Funny as hell. Made the car worse in every way. Not sure if that's heretical or not. How about swapping a stovebolt 6 into a BMW. Doesn't improve the car though so doesn't fit with your intial post.

Haha on the Morris motor in a Honda. Bet he's the only guy around with that swap.

MrBenjamonkey wrote: Scardeal: And with the Vette, you are correct, but I still think it would be awesome to piss off the gold chainers, paint the 1JZGTE blue and call it the "Blue Flame II."

Plus, I'm not sure if it'd fit, but I'd rather it be the GM 4.2L I6 as a "Blue Flame II".

My buddy's father has a C3 and I tried to talk him into a straight six. The hood was so long (trust me, it would fit) and it would be so cool. But alas, the gentleman in question has a handlebar mustache, a large collection of CB radio equipment, and gold bedazzled belt buckles, so my idea fell on deaf ears.

Given the current Lotus association with Toyota, I would consider a Scion swap into a Europa to be far from heretical. More like 'appropriate'.

A Ford/GM/Mopar into an opposing Ford/GM/Mopar chassis: heretical.

German car w/ Japanese engine: heretical

I remember seeing the 850 powered Honda. More funny than heretical.

This Europa (Dr.Linda's S2) will get Boost on that 1NZFE, making it a Megasquirted 1NZFTE. Should be interesting.

My other Europa (Dr.Hess' TCS) will get a 2ZZGE. Haven't decided on the transmission/layout yet. I'm not sure the Renault box can take a 2ZZGE.

Ian F wrote: German car w/ Japanese engine: heretical

How about Japanese car w/German or British engine. I'm thinking BMW or Jag I-6 in a 240Z

These engine swaps aren't "sacrilegious," they're "born again."

CLH wrote:

Ian F wrote: German car w/ Japanese engine: heretical

How about Japanese car w/German or British engine. I'm thinking BMW or Jag I-6 in a 240Z

There was an FB with a BMW 6 a few years ago at the Challenge. Lost a wheel on the auto-x.

MrBenjamonkey wrote: 3. Early Viper with an LSX. For benefits see above. 6. Ferrari 348 with an Acura Legend derived V6.

I know for a fact that 3. was done in Australia. 6. has been done with a small block as well but not a legend v6.

wearymicrobe wrote:

MrBenjamonkey wrote: 3. Early Viper with an LSX. For benefits see above. 6. Ferrari 348 with an Acura Legend derived V6.

I know for a fact that 3. was done in Australia. 6. has been done with a small block as well but not a legend v6.

Legend V6 almost equals NSX, btw. Very similar engines.

I think if you're going to do something heretical, it better have a big dollop of extra power with it.

I would take a brand new RX8 and dump a Toyota 3tc and a gigantic turbo.

The idea of a modern car with an old school insane-O gross motor tickles my funny parts.

scardeal wrote: I think if you're going to do something heretical, it better have a big dollop of extra power with it.

How about the same power and half the weight?

http://motorgeek.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34509&start=0

http://jalopnik.com/5602946/whats-the-all+time-strangest-engine-swap

http://jalopnik.com/5604250/ten-crazy-engine-swaps/gallery/

You're welcome.

In reply to turboswede:

To call that Radial powered goggomobile terrifying seems somehow an understatement.

The only heretical motor swap is swapping in anything other than a rotary in an RX7

Everything else is acceptable.

In fact swapping out the 1.6 boinger from a Miata and replacing with a rotary makes it mo' better.