Can of worms

[ishmeal]

You opened it.

I have a little secret to reveal about my 69 912. First, it was a sad SoCal car, parked and left for dead, w/o title and leins agianst it. So I rescued it.

Next, due to the high volume of 356 owners buying up all the 912 engines, I had to find another engine. I had to choose between the V8, VW type I or IV, or the Subaru. I went for a subaru since it would fit well, boxer engine, cheap + easy to find, lightweight, and makes crazy power for a 4 cyl. I think that it would be closer to a 912 in weight rather than a 911. Only drawback is that it's watercooled, and may never sound like a real porsche. (That's why I'm buying another)

Anyway, I'd like to know what your opinions are of a subaru engine in a porsche. With a WRX engine in the back to propel a lightweight porsche, 220hp or more can easily be attained for a little $. With an STi engine in the back, it would make crazy hp for a little $. Think of your midyear or SC w/220hp.

As the years roll on, and aircooled engine become scarce and tired(who makes aircooled engines anymore), we'll eventually have to resort to another engine source. The subaru engine just seems like a good alternative. An I'm willing to bet that it would cost a lot less $$$ to run a subaru engine vs a porsche engine.

Don't get me wrong, I love porsches (that's why I'm buying one), but for the 912 I rescued, I think this may be a good choice. Give me your thoughts. I already have the engine mounted in the car.

Flamers, you're welcome to torch as well

[Rot 911]

Actually I believe you can still buy aircooled 911 engines from the factory. And I doubt that there will be a shortage of these engines in our life time. I think someone has already done a Subaru-912 (or 911) swap. Not for me, but not my car either.

[KobaltBlau]

We should really require descriptive thread titles.

Have you tried searching on this?

[ishmeal]

Can you actually go in and order a 912 or a 72 911T engine? Cool. How much$?

[ubiquity0]

Not sure about those years, but SC engines are supposedly available.

The cost? I think about $30,000-$40,000

[anthony]

Does it matter? I mean even if you could order a T engine from Porsche nobody would do it because it would cost a fortune. An engine can be rebuilt to better than new specs so I don't understand your problem.

A suburu conversion may the best way to get cheap power but will it make the right sounds and provide the same visceral experience?

You could also find a nice low mileage 3L engine for like $5K. Some people are doing 914 type IV engine conversions into 356es and 912s.

[jpnovak]

Search for "altporsche" user name. Here is one of his threads.

If you already rescued a hulk of a tub then by all means put a motor in that car and drive it. The WRX motors can be had for less than $1000. You will run into major issues with cooling it since the 911/912 tub is not designed for radiators.

porscharu fans only...

Check out the VW sites. I am sure you could get a Type 1 hot rod for a little bit more money and drop it right in. Keep in mind this will require way less fabrication and time to fit up. It will also be cheaper since there will be no adaptors for the tranny. They are very similar to the 356/912 motors. Most people couldn't tell the difference. a 150hp motor in a stripped SWB 912 would fly and have excellent balance. Best of luck with whichever direction you take.

[Emission]

I work for a race team that uses Subaru WRX engines in their cars (www.sakermotorsports.com). They use and tune stock WRX motors to upwards of 500 horsepower.

We are racing a 350-hp (tuned for durability) version at the 25-hour enduro at Thunderhill in December. The engines are very reliable, and easy to get parts for. Tons of aftermarket parts too!

[Dantilla]

If you "rescued" the car from the scrap heap, congrats and do whatever you want.

My '73T was purchased from an insurance auction after an engine fire, so I had no problem modding the car with things like flares and a 3.2.

There will always be others who want to preserve original examples, and original examples will be around longer than you & me. I built the car I want, and it's perfectly okay with me if you do the same.

[kach22i]

A few years ago when my hovercraft was having an temporary problem, I hitched a ride on a Subie powered hovercraft. The head gasket blew on the trip up river, the second time in two years. Those engines can't take constant high rev's is my observation. Then again, I have not rode on a Porsche powered hovercraft either but know they have been used on small helicopters and aircraft.

[ishmeal]

I think of it as following Porsche's lead...the Boxter, 996 & 997 have gone watercooled, why not follow.

The EJ20T engine in the WRX has been tested pretty well in the WRC.

[DavidI]

In my old 912, my mechanic initially put a VW type I 1835cc with dual 40IDF Webers. The flywheel was lightened and it had a Kennedy puck clutch. There was an adapter though and he made some simple motor mounts. It worked very well.

I then considered a Mazda rotary (13B) engine which again we installed with an adapter. We tried a few things to get the radiator to cool, but the last resort was going to be body mods (cutting). I decided against that and reinstalled the 1835. It is a cheap alternative and you can even turbo it for a reasonable price.

Just my $.02.

After all is said and done, it is your car to do with as you wish.

Good luck, David

[Randy Webb]

Some day we will probably be swapping the high-performance hybrid electric engines. I expect the supply of used engines to hold out at least until then.