Boxster engine in a 911?

[Porschephile]

I'm just curious and have no intention of doing this but would like to know anyway... what is the difference between a boxster engine and that from a 911 (minus the difference in displacement). Would a Boxster engine be a decent source of power for a transplant into an older vehicle? Again, just curious.

Thanks,

-Matt

[techweenie]

I tried to talk my mechanic into this, since it's so much cheaper to buy a used Boxster engine than to build an equivalent 911 engine to that horsepower level.

He said he would never tackle that kind of job, and he's a very good mechanic with extensive knowledge of early 911s and Boxsters.

The Boxster ECU is tied in with lots of other car functions and just that part would be a challenge. Then, you'd have the problem of incorporating (very large) radiators into the front of a 911.

It would make a hell of a car, but the cost of being the first guy to do it would be stunning.

[thrown_hammer]

Matt,
Do a search. But the short answer is no. Boxsters are water cooled so all the plumbing and radiators would be a hassle and a bad idea in a 911.(at least that would be a bad idea in a real 911. ie pre 1999)

[Porsche_monkey]

So a liquid cooled engine could never run in a 911? Hmm.

[Randy Webb]

I thought someone _had_ done a 996 transplant.... wasn't there a post here about it?

[Az911]

Originally posted by PBH
So a liquid cooled engine could never run in a 911? Hmm.

It can and has been done by Kelly Moss Motorsports. Unless you are doing something crazy like putting a GT3RS motor in a 993 it's not worth the cost.

[stlrj]

If watercooled Subaru and Chevy V8 transplants are done on air cooled 911's then why not a Boxter or 996?

It's possible that the Porsche engine would not be very cost effective.

http://www.holdbrookmotorsport.com/

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by PBH
So a liquid cooled engine could never run in a 911? Hmm.

I think you are missing the point.

To use a later motor in an early body you need to make room for the radiator(s) and overcome various electronic hassles. The initial cost of the Boxster motor could easily be only half the cost of the finished project.

I bet a 996 motor in an early car would make an awesome combination once someone else has done the R&D to make it affordable. With the PMS oiling mod it might make a nice track car too.
-Chris

Isn't TRE working on a 996 transplant right now?

[Porsche_monkey]

Originally posted by PBH
So a liquid cooled engine could never run in a 911? Hmm.

My point was there are lots out there (V8's).

'Not worth it' is a personal decision. My 911 is 'not worth it', a Prius would also get me from point A to point B. I would love to do the Boxster engine just for the satisfaction of taking on and completing a difficult job.

[skinnerd]

I'm thinking a Boxter engine transplant into a 914 could be interesting....

[masraum]

The radiators aren't the only problem. Yes, there are lots of V-8's, but they are probably very, very simple V-8's that don't need much more than power, not computerized V-8's with ABS, wheel speed sensors, computerized dashes.

Everyone seems to be latching on to one part of the whole.

Yes, water cooled can be done in a 911 but because of several different difficulties a boxster engine would not work out to be cost effective.

If it was just water cooled it might not be too bad, if it was just tied to a messy computer/electrical system it might not be too bad, but with both of those things combined it'll be quite expensive, when you could much more easily and probably cheaply put in an air cooled 3.6 or a water cooled chevy and be done with it.

[Steve W]

It would be a lot cheaper just to buy a used 996 - you can pick those up in the low 30s.

[masraum]

If you are going to take on a difficult job that is going to cost a ton of money you might as well go with something that's going to give you something when you're done like a 996 motor or a twin turbo motor or something. If you are just looking for the satisfaction of something difficult, hey you could always drop a Cummins diesel in the thing, that would be difficult.

It's not just that the price would be hard to justify, but the performance wouldn't be there either. Boxsters aren't pumping out that much power yet.

[Shuie]

I thought they were too wide to fit in the engine bay without removing or extensively modifying that section of a 911 or a 914.

Anything can be done. I wouldnt want to be one of the first people to try this conversion. Sure would be nice if someone could figure out how to do it cost effectively.

I think a better project would be to find a boxster with a blown motor and swap in a big nasty air cooled engine into it

[Porsche_monkey]

Ever seen the Boxster engine bay?

[masraum]

Looks can be deceiving. It could be really tight, but the engine itself could be wider than your normal air-cooled 911. Someone should get out the article in Excellence about the Ruf R3400, the Boxster with the 996 motor. That article may say if there are any size problems.

[techweenie]

"Ever seen the Boxster engine bay?"

I've owned two and never bothered to look in there.

The power and driveability of the Boxster engine is impressive as hell, by the way.

[Shuie]

Honestly, I wouldnt even know how to look into the Boxster engine bay. Im completely ignorant about the cars. Im pretty sure that I read here that the engine definitely cannot be swapped into a 914 or a 911 without serious modification due to its shear width. Check this out, from the teener forum.

edit:

Ok, I should never say something cant be done. I would do this in a 914 in a second if soemone could map out the conversion or make it reasonable

http://www.914club.com/bbs2/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=1314&st=0&hl=boxster+engine+swap
http://www.914freunde.de/914freunde/Oberbayern/Hansi.htm

[Porschephile]

Thanks everyone who replied... this is quite an interesting thread.

-Matt