993 engine in Boxster?

[JTP]

With many threads on various M96 engine problems and alternative engine conversions to eliminate IMS issues and enhance performance, has anyone tried or thought about installing an air cooled 993 engine into a Boxster? I tried the search on this forum and googled many times but could not find any information about this. With so many engine and transmission configurations available for the 914, with the air cooled 3.6 being one of them, one would think this is a viable option. It would make for a more reliable car, more power and better performance due to lighter weight. No issues with leaking coolant tanks and no radiator hassles.
Maybe I'm way out in left field, I've never done an engine conversion on a Porsche. Aside from emissions problems in states like California, would this work?

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted by JTP

With many threads on various M96 engine problems and alternative engine conversions to eliminate IMS issues and enhance performance, has anyone tried or thought about installing an air cooled 993 engine into a Boxster? I tried the search on this forum and googled many times but could not find any information about this. With so many engine and transmission configurations available for the 914, with the air cooled 3.6 being one of them, one would think this is a viable option. It would make for a more reliable car, more power and better performance due to lighter weight. No issues with leaking coolant tanks and no radiator hassles.
Maybe I'm way out in left field, I've never done an engine conversion on a Porsche. Aside from emissions problems in states like California, would this work?

The very first issue that springs to mind about trying to do that conversion is the fact that there isn't much airflow around the engine in the middle of the car.

I believe that if you attempted that swap, you would cook the engine on the first drive.

BC.

[jmatta]

The very first issue that springs to mind about trying to do that conversion is the fact that there isn't much airflow around the engine in the middle of the car.

I believe that if you attempted that swap, you would cook the engine on the first drive.

It's true, they are called "air cooled" but in reality, the engines are oil cooled. I think a big challenge would be locating the oil coolers/oil tank and running oil lines in place of coolant lines. Not sure about height, but you are correct, 3.6s have been transplanted into 914s so perhaps that would not be an issue.

We need to get Todd Holyoak on this one!

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by jmatta

The very first issue that springs to mind about trying to do that conversion is the fact that there isn't much airflow around the engine in the middle of the car.

I believe that if you attempted that swap, you would cook the engine on the first drive.

It's true, they are called "air cooled" but in reality, the engines are oil cooled. I think a big challenge would be locating the oil coolers/oil tank and running oil lines in place of coolant lines. Not sure about height, but you are correct, 3.6s have been transplanted into 914s so perhaps that would not be an issue.

We need to get Todd Holyoak on this one!

Absolutely not! The engines are AIR AND OIL COOLED...
I have been developing cooling system enhancements for air cooled engines for over a decade and have done several studies on the relationship between oil cooling and air cooling.

You can cool the oil of an air cooled engine all you want and the cylinder head temperatures won't fluctuate more than 5%... You can't cool the oil and expect that to cool the heads..

[JTP]

Packaging and air circulation is somewhat limited in a Boxster but the engine in the 914 and 993 are also tightly packaged. Although the 914 and 911 do have grilled engine lids for air flow, the Boxster could be modified somewhat to accommodate more airflow. Would this conversion be possible, and if so is it worthwhile for someone planning to keep the car for years to come?
If/when my M96 blows up, I would like to transplant something different, either a Raby 3.6/3.8 or a 993 3.6. I'm just exploring the possibilities and gathering information/opinions at this point. I haven't thought into obvious considerations like engine mounting, transmission, shifting mechanism, etc yet.

[Cloudsurfer]

Nevermind that you'd need to fab up mounts for everything, and oh ya, it wouldn't bolt up to the gearbox in your car....

Air cooling issues aside, if you wanted to talk about a completely different Porsche powerplant swap, the more logical choice would be a GT3 engine- split crankcase block, with water cooled top end. Same issues of mounting points and bellhousing still apply, however.