Newbie with some not so FAQs
 

Whats up guys

Came from the 914club since I just regretably sold my 914/V8 sbc converted car. I was wondering if anyone here has seen or delt with any boxsters that have blown motors. The reason I ask is because the 986 seems to be the proper evolution of the 914. Although I loved my 914, I do miss the creature conforts associated with newer cars and I'm willing to give in some weight/complexity for them. However just like the 914, I am on a budget and cant afford a running 986 compared to one that just needs a motor. I want the same concept as my 914 by putting an LS1 into the boxster. It just seems right :cheers:

"I am on a budget" and "Boxster ownership" do not belong in the same sentence together unless your budget is sizeable or quite expandable... but I do not believe you are using the term in this way. That's how I started and 19 months later and $9k into repairs and upgrades, I'm still spending money on my car to keep it from throwing CE lights and fixing worn parts and stuff that Porsche should have engineered right in the first place (coolant overflow tank, seat belt receptacles, etc.).

You may indeed find one cheap with a blown engine, or just buy one cheap and wait for the engine to blow... cheap boxsters usually enjoy some catastrophic engine failure due to neglect... an RMS leak left unattended, etc.

I bought my 97 for $15k and fortunately, the engine had just been replaced a month earlier by the guy who put it in the Miami auction. The buyer never really looked at the engine and sold it to me without knowing it had a new engine in it, so I lucked out.

Lots of guys are buying 97's and 98's and swapping the 2.5 for 3.4 carrera engines and seeing some very quick times out of the Boxster.

lol I hear ya, I guess its 914 rubbing off on me. I think budget is actually doable with some ingenuity and having access to a welder :D Budget is also the reason why I want the chebby v8 back there instead of a p-motor. Certain things like you stated can be taken care of later, as I'm willing to just drive around with a bare bones boxster with nothing else working besides the v8 and proper suspension. I guess its all relative to what you can live with.

It's an attractive concept. Some other notable Euro cars have succeeded with V8's: AH 3000's were adaptable, Sunbeam Tigers were a star. Jaguar sedans were straightforward. A local guy did a nice V8 insert in a TR4. A neighbor is putting a V8 in an RX-7 body as we speak, can't speak to the end product yet.
BTW I'm not a welder and have no clue if it will work. Have you measured things and looked at the structural elements to see if things are anywhere close to where they need to be? Is the engine bay tall enough to fit the V8, vs. a very flat six?
If it could fit though, it would be a real power increase with no RMS issues.
If you try it, please keep us posted. Good luck.
For the rest of us though, Randall's observation seems to hit the mark.

If you could sqeeze a chevy V8 into a boxster, I think you'd be the first to do it. I've not read about this anywhere on the web as of yet.

It sure would be cheaper, but you have other problems. There's a DME that does all sorts of things that wouldn't be compatible with a Chevy V8. I think you're SOL on this idea. Hence the reason guys are going the Pcar engine route.

Your 914 was bare bones and didn't have nearly the electronic control that the oldest Boxsters seem to possess. Welcome to the new world, Neo!

The v8 is certainly not as wide as the dohc flat 6, but your right about height wise. The thing is though, the 914's 4banger was just a tad bit shorter then a v8 with a carb. Luckily the LS1 isnt as tall due to the efi and maf placement which would be flipped around. I need to locate some measurements for porsche 6, but I'm betting the LS1 can be fitted in there as I've found some LS1s that have been shoehorned to even tighter spaces ala 993s. As for the DME, isnt this just going to be replaced by the LS1 pcm anyway? Oh someone has already came up with the solution for mating an SBC (LT1 this time) to a boxster 5spd and resides in a 914 as we speak. Again my comfort tolerances are alot more different then others so aslong as that motor runs, the suspension works, and the drivers side window is down, I'm all for it :p

With a just a quickie google search, it looks like I can find non OBC cars and the DME looks like all it does is control the motor what nots. I think I can take the same approach as the FD Rx7 guys on how they deal with the ecm issue.

This would be awesome, seems like I have seen a v8 swap done to everything except the boxster. But Id really be suprised if this could be done without major modifications to the chassis. length wise you are very limited... pop the service cover on one and take some measurements... the flat 6 is literally crammed into the car.

Lets hope not, but there probably will have to be some massaging done to get her in there. With the 914s for space, some folks have resorted to banging the firewall a bit to just clear the belt assembly as well as moving the tranny back a few inches. I guess its time to start visiting dealerships with a ruler and tape.

The LS1 is very light and with the FI, fairly low. I think you could get that bad boy n there.

350HP and 375 Ft lbs of torque-2002 spec.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The LS1 fits in the 944 and the 911.

See renegade hybrids.com

Can someone please tell me why you would put an American engine a PORSCHE? The 914 with the Volkswagen engine was one thing,it was not 100% true Porsche. Putting a v8 in a Boxster isn't what Porsche is about. Porsche has used smaller engines and created amazing out put out of them,they are the whores of engines. Why would you want to mess with that? Keep it in the family,put a 3.4 in there. If you put in the American engine you would also as well lose the Porsche whine,there is no substitute.

if joe dirt wants a LS1 or a 350 in his boxster, let him. who are you to tell him what he should park in front of his trailer home. .......i think i just used my first warning.

Oh you are in such big trouble now... :eek:

"Can someone please tell me why you would put an American engine a PORSCHE? The 914 with the Volkswagen engine was one thing,it was not 100% true Porsche. Putting a v8 in a Boxster isn't what Porsche is about. Porsche has used smaller engines and created amazing out put out of them,they are the whores of engines. Why would you want to mess with that? Keep it in the family,put a 3.4 in there. If you put in the American engine you would also as well lose the Porsche whine,there is no substitute."

See thats the thing, I dont posses this brand loyalty thing at all..One thing to consider is that yes they are smaller displacement but I'm willing to bet the LS1 might almost weigh just the same, is way cheaper to mod and helluva alot more responsive and not to mention more reliable. I just dont see any advantages other then keeping the "purists" happy by swapping another p-motor in there that cost more in basically everything, isnt as responsive, etc etc. I'll let the purists have the whine, I like being dirty :D

"if joe dirt wants a LS1 or a 350 in his boxster, let him. who are you to tell him what he should park in front of his trailer home. .......i think i just used my first warning."

I'll tell you this, when I get it done I'll drive around in a mullet just to show ppl that you can redneck anything including a porsche even if you are asian ;)

i guess my post was more to entertain myself and not really to insult you. glad to see you have a sense of humor too.

Thats exactly what I'm talkin about :cheers: . Mid engine, rwd, under 3000lbs with that kinda power = goodbye 997. I wonder what it would be like with a proper heads and cam combo at around 450rwhp :cool:

Oh yeah I know about renegade. Its just the 986 platform has everything better to offer. Well maybe not engine bay space but cant win them all.

You saying the 3.4 engine is as responsive?

No see the bottom of the paragraph. I stated it its not as responsive.

Sounds like an intruiging project. I wouldn't want to actually own one myself, but then what was the Cobra but a Brit roadster with a V8 stuffed in it.
Just don't expect to be welcomed with open arms by the PCA crowd. Or any crowd that wears collared shirts, for that matter.

That would be a monster. I don't know which would be more impressive - the V8 Boxster or an Asian with a mullet. Either way, I support this project.

I remember seeing a company in Canada that shoved 5.0 V8s in Miatas. I can't imagine...

Sorry, but IMHO, the ls1 and the ls2 is simply a much better engine that any normally aspirated Porsche now being produced. Cheaper, more power, more topque, more durable, on and on.

Bring the conversion kit on, I am ready!

This topic reminds me of a Car and Driver review of the then new supercharged MR2. They summed it up in one statement:

"Too much engine for its chassy"

Frankly, this only made me want to trade in my 1986 MR2 for it as soon as possible but the wife vetoed the idea as it came forth from my lips. I didn't even get to finish the thought!

if u did actually fabricate all the parts to relocated things and connect things, then you would have to start a new business. people w blown p-engines would be your target.

still think its a stupid white trash idea

I love this forum and I get a kick out of all the upgrades, mods, and design effects people attach to their Boxsters. In any case, I have driven a Mustang convertible for the past 4 years before I bought a "bargain" Porsche Boxster. It's a '97, great condition and an "every-day driver". My goal is to keep it completely stock, drive it conservatively (to a point) and hopefully recoup enough of my investment to move up to a newer Boxster in about 18 months. For us old guys who historically have been intrigued by "Muscle Cars" the Boxster is a real eye opener. The response, handling, and even the acceleration on a 2.5 is quite different from an American sportscar. This is a Classic vehicle. For those of us who drive the old ones, hang in there..they are still truly Porsche's and worthy of the nameplate. As Randall states, be prepared for expenses. But if the car was well maintained, documented, and passes a PPI, you can still get a lot of car for the money. I don't sweat the maintenance too much since my Box is paid for. Big advantage due to the age of the car when I purchased it. Stuff goes wrong on 9 year old sportscars..I am prepared to deal with it! The key thing is to preserve the Porsche mistique, reputation, and desireability. Hold up the resale values and unique magic that surrounds the namebrand. I have No regrets for buying an "old one!"

What really interests me about this type of swap is the torque that a Ls1 would add to the Box. This low rpm, low speed umph is a dimension of the driving that the Box lacks.

Together with the LS1's light weight, I think the result would be stunning. Low speed grunt, top speed thrills.

the boxster is one of the best handling sports cars in the world. im sure you know that porsche tunes the handling so much that even the wrong tires throw everything off. after putting in a different engine that doesnt have its mass at the bottom like a flat 6, do you really think its gonna handle like a porsche. if you just want low end grunt buy a camaro.

by the time you fabricate the pieces to mount the engine and relocate some of its components, change the suspension components, cornerweight the car, etc....you have a very expensive car. a corvette or a used 911 start looking pretty good. you could get a nice c5 vette for less money than this monstrosity would cost. the c5 vette is pretty well balanced. it was a successful race car.

if i can remember a few years ago someone in germany had a bi motor boxster made, it could have been gemballa but i am not so sure!

as for the Cobra any one that i have seen, regardless of this wonderful V8 you are all drooling over was fairly crap, lots of speed in a straight line, when it manage to go, but forget about corners, one of our member as a beautiful silver car with blue pipes and tubes and all, it looks good but what a hip of ****************e on the road!

Check out www.renegade-hybrids.com. These handle quite well thanks.

If we are speaking about the original Cobra, we are talking about 1960s technology. Having said that, it was very very fast and handled very well FOR ITS TIME.

If we are talking the Cobra kit cars, we they are kit cars.

Nuff said.

Actually, here is the link!

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/944/944.html

"Engine
Any 283-350 Chevy small block V-8 will work, but the “F body” LT-1 is arguably the best motor for this application. These Chevy V-8 engines generally produce 250 horsepower and above, with streetable performance levels approaching 500 horsepower. The advantage of choosing the V-8 over the V-6 is a smoother running engine with less vibration and greater power. To further the advantages, the LT-1's out of a Camaro or Firebird actually have a compact enough fuel injection system and serpentine belt assembly that they fit under the stock hood without the use of a hood scoop. The installation of a V-8 engine results in some additional weight to the front of the vehicle. To compensate for the added weight, we recommend the use of heavier springs: 250 lbs. for the V-8.

Weight Distribution
Contrary to popular opinion, the superb handling characteristics of the 944 are not decreased by the addition of the V-8 powerplant. In normally aspirated versions of the 944, the weight distribution changes less than two percent. In the turbo cars, the change is less than 1.5 percent. A typical characteristic of a stock 944 is a slight "push" or understeer during acceleration. We have found that with the added weight of the V-8, the "push" condition actually diminishes. Furthermore, the more manageable torque and predictable horsepower allows the driver to easily transfer weight from front to rear allowing for increased car control. Quite simply it is much more fun to drive a converted 944."

Brucee

don't you have to pass a car with the local autorities if you change engine, and what happens with the insurance company?

in Europe you are not allowed to do something like that and just drive it, here the MOT is very strict and there is no way you would get insured except if it is granted after mechanical checks by the governement road and vehicle department

Each state has its own regs.

In CA, you have to put the same or newer engine in the car. I THINK that if one put a 98 LS1 in a 97 Boxster, you would be OK, but I would have to check that.

that seems to make sense, i fought your regulations were more strict, on the matter of the V8 anyway will it be easy enough to couple it with a Box gearbox?
engine swapping alone is not that simple to make a car work i guess

ok. im trying to be open minded here.

think about the service openings in a boxster. what are you gonna be able to access from there. ok now you wanna change plugs, change plug wires, head gasket etc. these things are serviced from underneath the boxster. if you have a v8 in there thats out the window. seems like you would have to remove the engine for basic service.

Lets see here...

-Ronzi
The car will see track time but it is never going to compete in anything due to the fact that it would be stuck in unlimited class (ala all out race cars) in any sanctioning body which this car certainly is not. Besides I dont think people buy or modify cars to make others happy, especially PCA or this collared shirt crowd you speak off.

-Dr. Kill
I wonder what people will be intrigued in more, the lopey v8 thats coming out of a stock looking boxster or the mullet sporting asian driver :cool:

-RandallNeighbour
I bet porsche never envisioned that 20 years after the 914, enthusiast would be putting all sorts of p-motors, v6s, v8s etc into a chassis and aswell as the transmission that were originally designated for less then 100hp all the while being VERY competetive in any of the sanctioning bodys This just goes show how overly engineered the cars are in the fact that even with the extra power the chassis took it like a champ. The funny thing was that the 914 was made over 30 years ago, so you can imagine just what the boxster chassis can do given the right circumstances.

-rdancd816
I hope I dont come off as some muscle car nut which I'm certainly not. Muscle cars have their place, just not in my garage and this porsche is not going to be in that sterotype either. What I want is an all around performer and not some drag car.

-Finallygottaporsche
The bang for the buck for both the c5 or any of the 911s is just not happening for me when compared to the ls1/boxster combo. The FD rx7 guys have been doing this and the same principal can be applied here. I dont see whats the point of spending more for a lesser car, especially here in socal where 911s and c5s are almost just as numerous as hondas/toyotas. What other mid engine rwd car, that will probably weigh lighter then the CGT, do you see thats as good as this platform for this price? As for working on them, its not like the things are easy to work on as they are now so I'll bite the bullet.


-olly986
On paper alone it looks like it wont drastically change the handling which is what I'm going for. Google the LS1 and you'll see what I mean. As for the emissions thing, the law here in cali states that you can use any motor aslong as its from a newer car along with its stock emissions devices. Someones already mated an LT1 to a boxster 5spd and the LS1 is basically about the same bolt pattern. I think he quoted somewhere under a grand to get it done (thats along with the clutch/pressure plate, etc )

I don't live to far from Pomona :barf: (yeah, I know, I'm not that excited about that fact either) - anyway, I passed by that area on the I-10 and believe it or not, saw an asian with a super tight mohawk/mullet driving a hot 78 Camaro with the back end jacked up atleast 4 feet. Ironic thing, it had a center exhaust and a Japatucky personalized license plate, wshiwasabox - :eek:

I think this whole thread is a scam by a schlitz drinking, luke duke loving Hemi hopper who's just trying to get a rise out of a bunch of guys who appreciate true automotive engineering and drive real cars! :cheers: :D :cheers: :D

Yeah well we cant all have fate smile upon us now can we? Your more then welcome to come see it when I have the appropraite funds to do it since your near. Besides, quote any one of my reponses where I got out of line inorder to get a rise out of people. Theres already enough sterotypes about boxster owners that I'm not even going to get into, so I would suggests not fueling them even more.

Btw, heres my recently sold 914
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...iality/914.jpg

With matching Corvette 283
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../popengine.jpg

I'm just not quite sure how an LS1 would fit. The motor and tras are quite long, I'm wondering how you would fit the rear end assembly in there as well. The drive shaft would be 3" long at best if it would all fit together. The boxster is basically like a FWD motor in the middle of the car, ie no rear end no drive shaft, just motor trans to a set of half shafts right out of the diff located inside the trans like a FWD car.

There really isn't much length to play with, I can see the motor and trans fitting in but the rear end would probablly touch the transmission not even allowing for a drive shaft to be fitted, there just isn't that much room for a long motor/rear end setup like that.

Why is everyone so down on this guy’s idea? No, it is not something that I would do, but I am all for innovation and creativity as long as it isn’t practiced on my car. It’s not like he voiced an opinion on concealed weapons carrying :D .

I don’t imagine the engine is going to be a perfect swap with no other mods required. This isn’t a two hour job, nor will it be cheap, but it can be done. Anything can be done.

This guy obviously has an interesting hobby and his own niche going on. He already did this successfully with a 914 and wants to take it to the next level of complexity, creativity, and performance.

Boostiality, you are breaking new ground here so it appears that there is little our forum can offer you in terms of direct experience with a similar project, but many of these guys (not me) do know quite a bit and will be able to provide you with great insight to specific challenges that you will face along the way.

Go for it man. Good luck, and please keep us posted.