LT-1 V8 engine swap

[blease]

Anyone got any experience of driving a 944 with a chevy LT-1 V8 engine conversion?

 

[Guest]

There are several over on Rennlist that have them. Post your question there under the 924/31/44/51/68 forum. A conversion builder is also on the list.

 

[GDA]

I have bought a crashed damaged 87 car to do this very conversion.

try

http://www.560sec.com/bulletinboard/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=6f42e8ebeea2755afa2993861fd689ea

for really good info, or

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/ and http://www.pors-chev.com/

curious to know if any one else one here is doing this?

Gareth

 

[Diver944]

I know through Pistonheads of at least one other conversion in the UK, but I don't think it's as popular over here as in the US simply because of parts availabilty for the US engines. It has always appealed to me to buy an old LUX with knackered engine, drop in a small block chevy (5.7 litres) mildly tune to 350bhp and have all that power/ torque and an exhaust note to die for. Renegade seem to indicate it only weighs 30 kilos more than the 944 lump so would not upset the weight balance either []

 

[carlmthompson]

How about this one with a Good Ol' British Rover V8 (Yes I know it's technically an American engine!)

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=105&i=7895

Plenty of these about for really cheap (and probably a few tuned ones from knackered TVR's and Range Rovers!)

Apparently 10Kg lighter than the 2.5 block, so a good excuse as well!

 

[sawood12]

Wouldn't it make sense to put a 928 V8 in there or is it too big?

 

[Fen]

Much too big. It's effectively 2 944 engines sharing a crank and there's not a lot of room left over from the one that was in there originally.

 

[944Turbo]

If you got creative with the intake and dumped the brake servo it might fit, the inner wings are fairly symetrical and the current engine only leans over because its half a vee.
I think a yank or rover V8 would be the cheaper option though.
Tony

 

[mik_ok]

If you are gonna do this I'd go with a rover (Buick) v8.

- Loads about in the UK.

- Loads of reputable tuners about in the UK.

- Very Compact & Light. (even outside of the UK []

- Sounds ****ing awesome. I could sit & blip the throttle on my mate's TVR Chimaera all day long.....

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: mik_ok

If you are gonna do this I'd go with a rover (Buick) v8.

- Loads about in the UK.

- Loads of reputable tuners about in the UK.

- Very Compact & Light. (even outside of the UK []

- Sounds ****ing awesome. I could sit & blip the throttle on my mate's TVR Chimaera all day long.....

I agree Mik, if my engine went pop and i had the money to do it then i think a rover V8. Go all the way and do a 5.0l one with 320bhp. As people have said, the conversion can end up slightly less than the weight of the standard engine.

Would have to figure out how to fit twin exhausts out either side []

Wonder if there is room for a 5.0l + supercharger []

 

[GDA]

realistically tho, the rover v8 is NOT cheap compared to a chevy v8, if you try to get 350bhp out of it, say.

You can get an engine on ebay from the US for around $750, about £400. Then around £550 to ship to UK. This comes with around 310BHP/330lbft. For another grand, you can have in excess of 450bhp, normally aspirated.

Havent seen a rover v8 (or TVR derivative) to do that for that money. but would love to be proved wrong.

Gareth

 

[John Sims]

realistically tho, the rover v8 is NOT cheap

I would agree. Finding a good Rover V8 now is more difficult than you would think, and in stock form it isn't that powerfull. It has shed loads of torque without a doubt but, in the wet, an engine with great waves of low down torque can be a problem with a manual box. It just don't move 'cos of the wheel spin.

There is little to beat the sound of a V8 - except a V10 - but is it the right sound for a 944?[8|]

 

[mik_ok]

Blimey - hadn't realised how cheap those chevy lumps are! [8D] More to ship than to buy....

And as much power in std form as a fairly heavily tuned Rover V8 ~ can't argue with that.

Right sound for a 944? Obviously from a purist sense the answer has to be "no", but given the music they make I think I'd be able to tolerate it. []

 

[Fen]

Good sound for a 944 cab, at least you'd get to hear it while you drive.

 

[Chris Preston]

You'd also be able to watch the fuel guage going down as you drove, as I used to when I had a V8 Range Rover, [&:]
There were some people who put seriously tuned V8's, with superchargers in some cases, into Range Rovers, but I seem to think these cost ridiculous sums of money, certainly well in excess of what any resultant vehicle would be worth. I also shudder to think what the insurance would be like.

 

[GDA]

if I was worried about fuel economy and insurance I would drive a 2CV, or a diesel.

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