Why fo the purists not like v8 conversions?

[no substitute]

Originally posted by sundaypunch

Pardon my ignorance, but can you even fit one of these things in the engine compartment? The few pic's I've seen have them in the back seat.

I recall a conversion from years ago, and I'm not certain it was a 911, that involved using a collection of glued together halves of old suitcases to disguise the V-8's intrusion into the back seat.

[H20911]

Do not do it.......porsche people will not like you, and most have never ridden in one.
If you are bold ....(ignorant) and still want to create one. email me and I will tell you all the issues that you will run into.
the costs of doing it right are about
10k=car 74-77(76-77 is better)
5 k =engine
3k= kit
2K =other
here is where the tricky part is.... if you go above 400hp/400tq you will have cooling problems (below the kit radiator will be fine).
also if you go big power you will lunch a 915 box. they are pretty much useless because you will be shifting too fast (and it will not shift fast anyway)
you will need to go to a 930 box shorten it , modify the mount (i have a jig for this), rework the axles, change the t bars front and rear.....etc.
there is way too many things to deal with that you will need to know.
Yes I have more money in the car than if I would have bought a nice SC and upgraded to a 3.2
Keep in mind that I only bought my car (in decent shape) for 7K





email me if you want but keep in mind to do it right they are not as cheap to build as the conversion companies would like you to believe.

[techweenie]

H20911: Looks ike you did it 'right'.

Years ago a mechanic in Northern Cal (Bud Hart) was working on setting up a 928 engine in a 911. I don't know if he ever finished the project.

[H20911]

yeah but I should have just bought a nice SC cab and not delt with a ton of aggravation. it has been a real learning experience.

[Supergranule]

hah, why do purists not like v8 conversions? what does the word purist mean anyway?
about the weight of the flat 6 vs 350: i'm pretty sure(dont' know for a fact, but i've read and heard)the weights usually given for the 350 and most american iron is dry, no water, no oil. also not included is the exhaust and radiators and most likely some other misc. parts.
its probbaly been mentioned before, but dont' forget that the v8s don't come with dry sump. plus al the stuff about conversions being inexpensive ....sure....hahahah! don't forget that the 915 tranny doesn't sit well with gobs of tourqe.
it would make me cringe to see a nice 911 get converted to a v8. if it must be done, please don't do it to an early car. is nothing sacred?

[dickster]

i love v8's (we dont get too many over here due to the cost of running the b*tches) but i read all the muscle car mags 15 years ago. always wanted to have one - you cant beat the sound.

but what nostatic said the engine is the heart of the porsche.

there are plenty of cars out there that i would be happy to own and transplant a v8 into, just not the porsche - it just dont need it.

[A Quiet Boom]

Originally posted by sundaypunch
A V8 in a 911 makes about as much sense as taking an older Harley and dropping a Honda engine in it. If you have to ask why not do it then there is no point in explaining. It's hard to beat a big V8 in the proper car but it is wrong in a 911 on so many levels.

Pardon my ignorance, but can you even fit one of these things in the engine compartment? The few pic's I've seen have them in the back seat.

That's the most sensible answer I've ever heard. There is a reason that even old Harley's still command decent prices and that none of the Japanese V-twins get the same respect as a real Harley or custom built chopper, the heart of those bikes will always be the engine, just like a 911.

Back to the weight issue, two days ago I weighed my brother's 3.2 dry for shipping, it came in at 450LBS about the same as a smallblock Ford but with a lower CG.

Smallblock Fords happen to be my favorite engines of all time and I still wouldn't put one in my 911. The 911 engine is my second favorite and I'd never put it into a Mustang, get the idea?

[moazam]

Looking at the subject heading of this thread, I'd just like to point out something very basic..

It's not just "purists" that don't like V8 conversions. What you have here on this board are *not* purists for the most part.

The point is, it's just that sensible people dont like V8 conversions in a Porsche 911. It doesnt make sense from a driving, engineering, or financial perspective.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with a V8 in the right Porsche...just go buy yourself a fat Porsche 928.

[Doug Steinel]

Qiet Boom

did that 450 lbs include the exahust and induction system?

[k9handler]

did somebody mention a camaro and a mullet?

[sundaypunch]

Originally posted by moazam
It's not just "purists" that don't like V8 conversions. What you have here on this board are *not* purists for the most part.

That is the truth. Most of the people here that cringe at a V8 conversion would have no problem taking a nice early car and putting flares on it, swapping the 2.something liter for a 3.6, adding spoilers and so on. The purists haven't replied, they are recovering from the seizures they experienced when they saw this subject come up

[Tooth911]

Its a very bad idea!!!!! lets all wait till porsche comes out with a flat 8

[Westy]

I can build you a V-8 that will fray your cuffs with power. I've been doing it for 15 years. The one in my 69 camaro was the sweetest motor I ever built. Man was I proud. Oh,,,,I forgot to tell you something. I sold the Camaro to a kid down the street. Bought my SC last week. Guess what. That V-8 will never compare to my 3.0.

[350HP930]

Wow, the things people will do to have the power of a healthy 930 . . .

[sammyg2]

Good points made so far, yes my conversion was cheap but I'm employed as a mechanical engineer and self proclaimed tinkerer and at the time I was running a large mechanical repair and machine shop, maybe that helped
If someone has to pay retail for everything and pay someone else to put it together, nothing is cheap no matter what way you go, especially a conversion.

Techweenie, I understand your intent when you talk about weight distribution with a V8, but have you ever driven a Porsche with a V8 at the limit?
I have. I can say without a doubt that the theory of a higher CG will throw off the handling is bure BUNK IMO.
Maybe Michael Schumacher could tell the difference, I couldn't.
Same with the added weight. If the suspension is set up right the relatively small changes to the weight distribution are mathematically real but are just about imperceptable in the real world and more than offset by the horsepower and torque increase.

I ran my V8 car at a PCA event on a very tight track with 60 drivers, at least 10 of which were rated as instructors. Lots of highly modified cars and expert drivers.
I finished 7th overall (right behind a real 73 RS) and my driving skills suck The track was very twisty and the only place to really use the horsepower was on the two large sweeper turns. That says something about the handling of the car. In fact the V8 car was several seconds faster around the track than my SC is, and the SC doesn't have all that extra weight bogging it down The V8 car was much more fun on the track, the SC is much more fun on the street.

Again. lets here from the folks who have been there done that with V8 conversions.

[Beethoven]

Yeah, I guess Fenderguy and needcash are avatars of the same person, or at least the same mind.
If nothing else, at least this thread brought about the poignant use of the word 'uncouth'. Way to go, Zeke!

[john70t]

Well, wasen't there a Porsche V-8 TAG racing motor, and doesn't the Cayenne come in V-6 and V-8 wasserpumper?
It's not a horror, but it just seems like something that shouldn't be done to a healthy factory example. dat B y fo G.

Tsk, tsk, gentlemen, such a leading question from someone that doesn't own one.....Pepper is a mild irritant and tasty, whole habeneros are not.

[A Quiet Boom]

Originally posted by Doug Steinel
Qiet Boom

did that 450 lbs include the exahust and induction system?

Yes, it also included the brain and wires. The motor has SSI's and a sport muffler, total weight on a pallet is 488LBS. Pallets are about 30-40 lbs on average.

[maxnine11]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2476705133&category=6472

[Joe Bob]

What a rat.....