Newbie with some not so FAQs - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

boostiality · 03-29-2006, 07:52 AM

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

RandallNeighbour · 03-29-2006, 09:19 AM

"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.

boostiality · 03-29-2006, 10:09 AM

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

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.

limoncello · 03-29-2006, 11:01 AM

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.

RandallNeighbour · 03-29-2006, 11:02 AM

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!

boostiality · 03-29-2006, 11:39 AM

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

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.

ephidaboost · 03-29-2006, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boostiality

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

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.

boostiality · 03-29-2006, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ephidaboost

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.

Brucelee · 03-29-2006, 07:01 PM

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!

Brucelee · 03-29-2006, 07:02 PM

The LS1 fits in the 944 and the 911.

See renegade hybrids.com

boostiality · 03-29-2006, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

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!

Thats exactly what I'm talkin about

. 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

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.