Different kind of engine swaps

#1
So i've been reading a lot lately about a lot of different engine swaps into crawler's that have sparked my attention, mainly jeep but i've seen them stuffed into other things as well and it got me thinking. I'm sure a 5.3 is easy and really awesome to have under the hood, and it is probably gotten to be pretty cheap to do as well, but i like to be and see different.

What makes a swap worth while for a crawler? Is a low hp, high torque motor good? Is a high revving motor a good swap? Or Is a balanced hp/tq output what your looking for?


Post up your thoughts on the matter and any build's you've ran across that interested you.
 
#2
My interest was started by a thread i saw on JF about a company making a kit to put a VW 1.9 tdi into a Jeep. The thought of a relatively lightweight turbo diesel (300 lbs) that is easily capable of 200hp/320+tq in a Jeep seems pretty awesome. With kit's to make the swap using many jeep transmissions as well as toyota trans i feel like it would make a nice swap. The 1.9 motor likes to be rev'd so it doesn't redline at 3.5k like other diesels are known for. The two motors i looked at were the ALH and BEW, ALH came in 98-03 with 90hp, BEW came in 04-06 at 100hp. With little tweaking i saw guys making a lot more power and getting 50+ mpg in a car.

Threads:
some guy kept being a dick in this one and saying if you waste your money on anything but a 5.3 your dumb, he's a douche so i argued
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/diesel-swap-kit-tjs-available-hpa-motorsports-1130432/

TDIJ on pirate
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1015140
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1018953&highlight=
 
#3
Vetteboy79 on pirate is building this rig now. A YJ on a narrowed explorer frame using the front TTB and a 3.0/3.2l SHO motor. Motor's weighing in between 350-425 iron block, aluminum head yamaha motor that will scream to 8k making factory 220hp/215tq with a large aftermarket support to make the power levels in it go up a good bit. They love to be rev'd and will do so for as long as you can throw it at them. They are a tall motor, and with a flipped intake should fit pretty easily under the hood of a TJ.

Vetteboy's sneak peaks
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14290275&postcount=3776
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14290431&postcount=3777
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14313677&postcount=3838
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14316012&postcount=3840

He's starting a build thread soon so i look forward to seeing it
 

LBarr2002

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#6
It depends on what kind of wheeling you want to do. I personally like a high reving motor for something like my sami, but a little more bottom end would be nice. I like high reving because you can be geared very low but still get decent wheel speed when you wind it up. My dream swap would be either an s2000/Si motor or a turbo ecotec.

The thing about a diesel is you have to plan for it from the beginning. You need much higher overall gearing so you can take advantage of the torque but still have wheel speed. I've seen people with built sami's swap to diesel and it doesn't work because its overgeared.
 
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#7
ive always had a thing for ford so to me its hard to beat a V8/granny low 4spd/205 combo, i mean who needs a diesel and 4:1 case gears when youve got a 6.8:1 1st gear and a tranny/tcase that are damn near indestructable. of a 5.9 cummins never hurt anything tho haha!
 
#8
I get the 5.3 and other LSx motors, badass for sure, but i'd get myself into more trouble with something like that. It's been done plenty of times and for a good reason.

I've always thought a 3rz would be a cool swap into a TJ because they put out good numbers, are lightweight and plentiful.

Theres a guy on JF, red_smoke is his name i think who has a Cummins b3.3 which is an industrial motor that he swapped in and turned the fuel up some. Running with a TJ 6-spd (cant remember the name off the top of my head) and 231 with 4.10s and 37" km2's. He lives in indiana and wheels same type stuff we do. He seems to love it, happens to work for cummins so that 10k new price tag for it wasn't so bad. I think it is a decent motor, better choice then a 4BT, but it doesn't liked to be rev'd from what i understand being an industrial application.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f22/lil-green-bean-1290765/

The Ecotec are badass motors. Light, putting out good numbers, with lots of potential and aftermarket. I believe Deano said that Evan maybe sold his 3800 SC for an Ecotec to put in his buggy. They're is a supercharged version too which would make it a lot more fun.
Yager's build of a Ecotec into a TJ
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=853567&highlight=

Timmay from LII put a turbo 2.3l from a merkur XR4TI into his TJ race rig. He got it to put out 300hp easily and it sounds badass, which is what really matters. Think he swapped it out for a v8 though, 331 stroker, i'm not sure of his reasoning though.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=929232&highlight=
 

LBarr2002

LIFETIME
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#10
The earlier cobalt SS, sky, and solstace gxp were I think 200 hp supercharged. I drove a cobalt SS with that motor and it was quick and pulled hard right off the bottom. They required premium.

The later models were 260 hp turbo motors, and ran on 87 octane. You could get a dealer installed remap and injectors that put them close to 300 hp on 93 octane still under warranty ;)
 
#11
For transmission, i'd almost 100% want to run an ax15/dana 300 behind whatever. I like manual and they are cheap enough to find and ppl have put them behind 5.3's and other motors with success. Although not the strongest, it would be my choice. They also are easily adapted to a wide array of motors sharing most of it's parts with a toyota r151. Depending on the swap though, i might would just keep the AX5 i have just because i have a brand new one.

I love turbochargers. No matter what it's on, i like making power from otherwise wasted energy. The turbocharging of the 2.5l has been done by few and seems pretty easy to get some power out of it. Same with the 4.0, The #1 thing that makes or breaks a turbo'd motor on these engines is the standalone (i think thats what i'm thinking of) it seems people either battle not having it, or dropping the coin to pay for it and they're turbo motor runs smooth. 2.5 making i think over 200hp (which again seems weird to think thats a lot) running 10lbs of boost, with the 4.0 making a good bit more. Theres several builds of stroker 4.0l turbo builds that make a very respectable power. But people debate that turbo'ing a rock rig is stupid for how the power is put out.

Chris durham runs the pt cruiser turbo 2.4l in his blue TJ with at TF904 and from what i've seen, it does very well. Being able to load up the torque converter and spool it up seems to help it.
Here's a fella thats doing it now in his TJ
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f22/srt4-engine-going-our-1997-jeep-wrangler-1360390/
 
#13
I have seen tons of swaps online, and done some research myself.
Turbo the 2.5, or 4.0 is a good option. You just have to make sure that you have a turbo that starts spooling low RPM range.
My personal favorite is the cummins 4bt swap. I have seen a few DD rigs done as well as some rock buggies. It's a heavy beast, with moderate HP increase, and huge TQ increase for a DD. Not to mention the reported 30+ MPG reports of DD rigs.
You always have the option of a GM crate. You can get a 300HP long block for $2000. Not a bad deal at all.
I have been thinking about a buggy, and wish I had the funds. I was thinking something wild like a mid, or rear engine modified rail buggy design! I want to build a 2seat cockpit style buggy, mid engine, twin dual directional transfer case, with 4 wheel full hydro steer.
 
#14
I am a fan of the 3800 Buick motor for sure, but my favorite motor swap has got to be jt's hyabusa motor in his Sami. Shits sick, and a way better use for the motor than the bike it came from.

The tdi motors are pretty sweet, but I think they would be more suited to a rig that sees more street time than Offroad. I like to have lots of wheel speed, out west may not be as bad.
 
#16
what kinda of motor was in that CJ-5 at the offroad festival with the ag tires on it? it looked like some type of air cooled vw or porche motor but it was water cooled. it was def some type of pancake/horizontal cylinder engine.
 
#17
I am a fan of the 3800 Buick motor for sure, but my favorite motor swap has got to be jt's hyabusa motor in his Sami. Shits sick, and a way better use for the motor than the bike it came from.

The tdi motors are pretty sweet, but I think they would be more suited to a rig that sees more street time than Offroad. I like to have lots of wheel speed, out west may not be as bad.
I saw that guy at Morris Mtn. and he stayed at about 11,000 rpm. Crazy!
 
#20
The more i read about the Ecotec the more i like it. The LSJ is the supercharged 2.0 motors put down 250hp and close to that in torque, with bigger numbers easily reached. L61 is the 2.2l n/a motor that put down 150ish hp with close to torque, both are all aluminum. You can scoop the ecotec motors for around $700 with all the accessories, supercharged motors go for a little bit more and theres a turbo version that go for a good bit more. From what i've read, a l61/ax15/231 or 300 combo would all weigh in around 500lbs which is about the weight of a 5.3 motor alone. Not the power of a v8, but damn a lightweight motor with a good bit of potential would be cool

Yager's thread all about Ecotec
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=956020

Hotrod calls the Ecotec the small block 4-cylinder
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0907_gm_ecotec_bolt_ons/viewall.html

Cheap megasquirt info
http://www.ecotecforum.com/forums/s...rested-in-Megasquirting-Your-Ecotec-Look-Here
 
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