Subaru engine in a 911

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

My friend has a Subaru SVX, and he was approached by a 911 owner who claimed that the engine, a 240hp flat-six water-cooled boxer engine, can be installed in a 911 quite easily. Has anyone heard about this type of transplant ? I know the purists will scream at me, but he will be selling his car for dirt cheap, the engine does not burn a drop of oil, and 240hp in a 911 SC sounds like a good number to me

Aurel

Victor · 03-25-2003, 07:03 PM

Aurel,

My thoughts are that not only purists will scream at you. I suspect anyone with a brain will too.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

Unless you have a blown motor, you can get 240 HP out of an SC motor probably for the same price... PLUS, then we won't have to put you out for public flogging

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

Victor,

can you elaborate a little bit ?

Aurel

CamB · CamB's Garage

If you are desparate to go Subaru and cheap, my opinion (and no more) is:

- start with a 912
- put in a Japanese domestic market Subaru 2.0l turbo from an STI
- turn up boost.

That way, you get 300hp and less weight at the wrong end. Even better, do it to a karmann ghia and leave the poor Porsche alone!!!!!!

Seriously, it doesn't seem like it is worth it for the power gain. Just bung a Carrera motor back there and sell the SC motor.

Victor · 03-25-2003, 07:18 PM

Sure Aurel,

Well, from my limited knowledge this is an unusual swap and therefore has probably not been done before if at all. You would therefore be at the cutting edge so to speak which would imply a lot of development, design, engineering, approval (I assume you have laws governing this sort of thing in your neck of the woods). Not to mention a whole bunch of trial and error work before the thing is as reliable as the way the Porsche gods made your SC in the first place. If you are going to do a water-cooled engine swap, I would think you would be better off going with something that has done before like a Chev conversion. Have you ever done an engine type swap before? I have been involved in a few and even in cars built on similar platforms (i.e. they are water-cooled and front engined to start with) there are always a million things you haven't thought of.

Of course, I could be wrong, maybe the local Pep Boys stocks a kit for Subaru-911 conversions.

Going through all the effort above and cutting up a (presumably) perfectly good 911SC for an extra few HP just doesn't sound right.

I think you should be asking your friend who said this would be a simple swap to elaborate also.

Hawktel · 03-25-2003, 07:24 PM

If you can pull it off it would be very interesting. I think though, in the end, the cost would be about the same to upgrade to a better porsche engine, as to iron out the suburu installation.

Ed Hachtel

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

Thanks Victor. It was my not my friend, but some 911 owner he met who brought up this Subaru transplant stuff. I was just curious to know if this guy was simply crazy, or if there was some reality behind his claims. Who knows, maybe Subaru engines bolt on directly on 915 transmissions, a well kept secret until now...

. But I would never venture into that myself, the only engine sawp I ever did was on a Peugeot 104...

Aurel

Sniady · 03-25-2003, 08:15 PM

I don't drive a Porsche, but I drive a Alfa Romeo GTV. Many people always want to transplant a different/beefier engine in them. I don't believe in this. STICK WITH A PORSCHE MOTOR. I don't think I should even have to say "it's like putting ***** in a *****"

but to each's own.

Doug Zielke · 03-25-2003, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sniady
I don't drive a Porsche, but I drive a Alfa Romeo GTV. Many people always want to transplant a different/beefier engine in them.

I had a A-R 1750 GTV. A wonderful little car that I wish I had never sold. People who molest them should be horse-whipped.

dickster · 03:12 AM

Quote:

My friend has a Subaru SVX, and he was approached by a 911 owner who claimed that the engine, a 240hp flat-six water-cooled boxer engine

correct me if i'm wrong but its only got 4 cylinders

sorry, i stand corrected!!!

and its a NUTS idea

Roy M · 03-26-2003, 01:46 AM

Sorry Dickster but you are wrong - the SVX was a six - actually a really good car which just didn't catch on!

Leave the SVX as a Subaru and the Porsche as a Porsche - just like their makers intended!

Glasgow 911SC · Glasgow 911SC's Garage

Not a 911 but......

trevorbrady · 03-26-2003, 03:24 AM

http://www.kennedyeng.com

atlporsche · 03-26-2003, 04:30 AM

glad some one put the adapter plate from kennedy up there.

2.5L into 912 has been done...look in the engine swap forum.

2.5L into 914 has been done...there's a website somewhere...

SHO V6 is being contemplated

the ever present V8...

personally I was going to do the turbo scooby, the weight balance would be great, as the EJ subaru blocks only weigh 50lbs more than the 912 motor.

sjd

IMONBOOST · IMONBOOST's Garage

Isn't that what the factory is doing with the 996 and Boxter?

osidak · 03-26-2003, 05:01 AM

Swapping a Subaru flat four into VW Vans is pretty common from what I understand. In those vehicles it makes a lot sense. I love my wifes Subaru but I want my Porsche to have a Porsche engine

dhaines · 03-26-2003, 05:56 AM

A friend is putting one in a 914. The adapters are available.

atlporsche · 03-26-2003, 05:59 AM

I think it'd just rip...I may still do the swap...esp since I'm starting my new job as "Performance Engineer" here at the dealer in atlanta.

sjd

Geary · 03-26-2003, 06:39 AM

As Dr O says, there are plenty of VW Vanagons with both 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder Subaru engine swaps, and those owners will never go back to the underpowered VW engine. Of course, the Vanagons already had the H20 plumbing in place ---