LS V8 swap into a Boxster S

[outsidetheboxster]

So I got a little creative today and got past my fear of making that huge V-8 fit. I just could not envision all of that actually working out, so I made a fake engine block out of plywood so I could maneuver it into place without fear of life and limb. I priced mock up blocks and they didn't exactly fit my budget I wanted to spend. As I said, spend smartly. That's my new motto!

Pics don't do it justice but what I did was hold cardboard against the bellhousing end, hit around the perimeter with a rubber mallet to trace the outline. I then transferred that to plywood and got to work on the rest.

I wound up with a block (without oil pan), removable heads (including enough height to include the coils), a fake round crank pulley shape of the correct depth and diameter (cardboard and packing tape) and it was light enough to set in place and move around with temporary props to hold it in place. Seems simple enough but kinda a pain to build.

The result of a few hours work is beyond cool and very much a relief! I believe the engine will fit without nearly as much cutting as some folks suggest so long as I can find a front crank pulley for either a Corvette, CTS-V, or a G8. Anyone have something laying around their shop they will part with?

I did find out the son of a guy I buy electrical parts from has an oil pan that may work they need to unload due to job loss. He was going to use it in a 350-Z LS conversion.

I'll see about flushing the cooling passages tomorrow and let you know how that goes.

Talk to you tomorrow!

[xoo00oox]

Really cool project! I happy to watch from the sidelines. I replaced my 2.5 with a 1.8t and and thrilled with it. keep the updates coming.

Andrew-

[outsidetheboxster]

Flushing the water passages and radiators clean and free of milkshake residue went pretty well.

Used a 30 gallon drum, a submersible pump with a 2" outlet, a second pump with a hose bib fitting for the heater core and lines, a 25' garden hose, several pipe clamps of various sizes, electrical tape, and of course duct tape! (actually Gorilla tape, incredible stuff and highly recommended for your tool boxes just in case)

Added Super Clean to HOT water and turned the pumps on. Then shut them off and tightened the clamps and moved the drum to catch most of the mess. THEN was able to re-start the pumps and fill everything with solution without it spraying all over the place. Shut the pumps off to allow things to loosen up and gave it about 10 minutes to soak, repeat. Eventually got clear water coming out. :dance:

Next step was connect the trusty shop vac and let it run until everything was sucked dry. My shop is only heated as needed and we are supposed to be below freezing and possibly have the first snow of the season this weekend. Don't want to lose anything to solid water. Porsche parts are expensive!

Got on eBay and ordered a Davies Craig 8650 remote water pump kit for an LS, with a 150LPH pump and controller. And now another 2 week wait for that from Australia.

No huge news other than finding the remote pump kit. I'll let you know how that hooks up and include pics. Expecting the adapter plate and flywheel soon so you may see that and test fitting to the engine bay first. I get to see the oil pan tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by outsidetheboxster

Flushing the water passages and radiators clean and free of milkshake residue went pretty well.

Used a 30 gallon drum, a submersible pump with a 2" outlet, a second pump with a hose bib fitting for the heater core and lines, a 25' garden hose, several pipe clamps of various sizes, electrical tape, and of course duct tape! (actually Gorilla tape, incredible stuff and highly recommended for your tool boxes just in case)

Added Super Clean to HOT water and turned the pumps on. Then shut them off and tightened the clamps and moved the drum to catch most of the mess. THEN was able to re-start the pumps and fill everything with solution without it spraying all over the place. Shut the pumps off to allow things to loosen up and gave it about 10 minutes to soak, repeat. Eventually got clear water coming out. :dance:

Next step was connect the trusty shop vac and let it run until everything was sucked dry. My shop is only heated as needed and we are supposed to be below freezing and possibly have the first snow of the season this weekend. Don't want to lose anything to solid water. Porsche parts are expensive!

Got on eBay and ordered a Davies Craig 8650 remote water pump kit for an LS, with a 150LPH pump and controller. And now another 2 week wait for that from Australia.

No huge news other than finding the remote pump kit. I'll let you know how that hooks up and include pics. Expecting the adapter plate and flywheel soon so you may see that and test fitting to the engine bay first. I get to see the oil pan tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Awesome! Glad the submersible pump idea worked!

Looking forward to reading more as you progress!