'83 Porsche 944 Engine Swap

[manatte1]

I have the subject car looking to due an engine swap. I have heard of a LS swap, but is there another reliable Porsche engine with more power and does not require changing the timing belt every 45,000 miles.

[PHillary]

Originally Posted by manatte1

I have the subject car looking to due an engine swap. I have heard of a LS swap, but is there another reliable Porsche engine with more power and does not require changing the timing belt every 45,000 miles.

I wish Lol!!! but to be honest if I had it to do over I would've did the swap from the get go...I wanted to be all true to PORSCHE and have a matching numbers car with a redid engine...I did and 12K and 3,000 miles later if I had it to do over I would've went down the LS road... Much more reliable engine and more bang for ya buck!

[v2rocket_aka944]

a timing belt takes 2 hours every 3-5 years and costs $200 - that's a pretty poor trade off for a $10k LS swap.

[IdahoDoug]

manatte,

I've been a serious hobby wrencher for 40 years and have had a number of like minded buddies as you can imagine. The guys that have done a swap often swear they'll never do that again as they happily wave good bye as the car is driven away - sold to another dreamer. You'll read about people on the forums who have done them and they're just like all of us in that they want others to appreciate what they've done and how cool it is and all. But the dirty truth of it is, off the forum they're dealing with a constant train of problems that pop up, things that don't work (tach, oil pressure, etc, etc), electrical gremlins that strand them at the beach, etc.

If it's simply something you want to do, then you may have the right attitude and should. But if you're hoping to have a more powerful version of the current car and expect it to be something you'll drive and enjoy - forget it. It will be a constant source of annoyance with a few bright spots...

[911tracker85]

I just finished rebuilding the engine in my 86 951, modified and probably pushing about 300 hp/tq. just got it to fire up yesterday. have one minor issue to fix and it will hit the road. it has been my DE/street car for several years.

but I have succumbed to the allure of an LS swap .... for my 78 911. it started as an SC and was converted to a 930 about 30 yrs ago. I have been working on it as a background project for 6 yrs. the 3.3 930 motor needed a full rebuild. now have the car stripped to the tub ready for paint. and after disassembling the 930 motor, discussing what was needed (rebuild/machine work) and cost and I decided to go with an LS when the car is ready for an engine. having a completely new wiring harness made for the car.

[Chalt]

The weird part to me about LS Swaps on a 1980s 944 is that mostly people drive them because they love the nostalgic car that it is. When you do the engine swap it's never going to be that nostalgic car again. It's a Frankenstein. It might be a very beautiful and unique creation. And if that does it for you, I get that, I do.

For me, if I want a P-Car with 3x the power of a stock 944 NA, I'd sell the NA, buy a 951 and build it up or get a different P-Car that has the power level you want in stock trim.

I'm not a purist – I don't have a concours car. I have no problems with mods that keep the spirit of the car the same. But for me, if I put a non-Porsche engine in my Porsche, I feel like it won't be a Porsche anymore. I don't think it's snobby and I don't care if other people do it – it's just not what I'd want.

Reinventing the wheel can be a fun and expensive puzzle, but it's not the bed of roses you're imagining.

Of course my opinions are just that, one man's convictions. People will do what they want to.

[Chalt]

Originally Posted by v2rocket_aka944

a timing belt takes 2 hours every 3-5 years and costs $200 - that's a pretty poor trade off for a $10k ls swap.

+1

[9FF]

The need for speed eh! I’ll save you all the hassle, give you back your weekends and time you would have lost with your family and friends, and provide you with much more enjoyment and reliability.

Go buy a 2013 AMG C63, take the badges off and your sleeper will burn over 99% of the cars you will see on any given day. Bolt-on some Eurocharged or RennTech tuner bits and that number is 99.9%. Bonus: Still cheaper than an LS swap and it’s 100% Stuttgart.

[Ernie944]

Lol,why not buy a 968 work the supension & be done with,no LSD swap no turbo hassle ,a chip with the air boxe mode & the rigth suspension set will give you a hanfull to drive....Look at my garage ...DREAM my ex 968 .... ,& tell me what you think about it

[kolll]

Originally Posted by Chalt

The weird part to me about LS Swaps on a 1980s 944 is that mostly people drive them because they love the nostalgic car that it is. When you do the engine swap it's never going to be that nostalgic car again. It's a Frankenstein. It might be a very beautiful and unique creation. And if that does it for you, I get that, I do.

For me, if I want a P-Car with 3x the power of a stock 944 NA, I'd sell the NA, buy a 951 and build it up or get a different P-Car that has the power level you want in stock trim.

I'm not a purist – I don't have a concours car. I have no problems with mods that keep the spirit of the car the same. But for me, if I put a non-Porsche engine in my Porsche, I feel like it won't be a Porsche anymore. I don't think it's snobby and I don't care if other people do it – it's just not what I'd want.

Reinventing the wheel can be a fun and expensive puzzle, but it's not the bed of roses you're imagining.

Of course my opinions are just that, one man's convictions. People will do what they want to.

men, you are right

[SilverLined]

The LS route is tried and true, but it's a German car, right? Axis power only

Audi 1.8T is a solid option, with tons of aftermarket support. A VW/Audi inline 5 would also be cool, and there's a current build on YT to check out.

Maybe more interestingly, a bolt-on Honda K motor can make 250HP, naturally aspirated, and would probably weigh a good bit less than the Porsche mill. They're literally everywhere, and cheap. If you wanted boost, that path has been beaten pretty thoroughly, as well. Or you could pick from myriad other JDM options. SR20 perhaps?

There's lots of information and builds documented out there. Don't let naysayers scare you; if you want to make it work, it's doable. Start with the LS swap and look into how they do things, and then go from there!

[jjeffries]

I'm in agreement with those who think this is a bad idea, although the argument is even older than that as to which oil we should use.

All those XJ6's that received a SBC conversion were still unreliable, heart-breaking, sink-holes because they were still ... XJ6's (I was born in England, so I'm allowed this candor about cars from that sceptered isle) ... still filled with Lucas relays and leaking pipes, built by hostile workers managed by fearful, broke management. An early, Series 1 XJ6 is an incredibly beautiful car, but "it is what its is".

I do admire those who can pull off this kind of job, if they can make it "fully sorted" ... Rebel made an intoxicating promo vide for their 996/997 LS conversion, a car blitzing across the desert, power sliding in the sands, a/c blasting and all gauges working. Hmmmm, start searching for that 996 with a blown IMS ... "buy the kit" ... pick up a few bits here and there, a couple of weekends' worth of genial garage fun, then, Bob's Your Uncle, you have a wondercar! Maybe that's the most appealing of the lot.

I simply lack the patience, stick-to-it-ness or even resources to make something like that happen. But to those who do ... best wishes.

John

[v2rocket_aka944]

I like the swap, it's a fine idea and a lot of fun when done.
But you do it because you just want a V8 944; not to avoid trivial 944 engine maintenance.

[PHillary]

See this post on a K24 engine swap:

https://944hybrids.forumotion.com/t3607-honda-k24-swap?utm_campaign=popular&utm_medium=topic&utm_source=newsletter