Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Do engine swaps really need to be that complicated?


Recommended Posts

Let's just say that the engine to be swapped in (doesn't matter what kind) has an output shaped liked figure A. The Subaru transmission input is B. Couldn't you cut a peice of metal that was A on one side and B on the other to connect them?

 

untitled.jpg?t=1164165381

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a "bell housing"?:confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The corvair engine spins counter-clockwise iirc. It'd be hard to mate that to a Subaru tranny.

 

Sako: I have no idea what you're saying. The bell housing is the round part on the backside of the motor and front of the tranny that the flywheel and clutch/torque converter is housed. The largest difficulty mating up an engine to tranny is getting the two bell housings to bolt up. Then you have to find a clutch/flywheel combo that works. This can be easy, or very hard to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Subaru's don't really have a bell housing in the traditional sense... makes it alot harder to mate something else to their tranny. Normally the transmission just has a flat front with a splined shaft sticking out of it. Then the engine has a flat back on it, with the crankshaft flange about flush with the back of the engine. In between goes this bell shaped thing, that the clutch is in, and it bolts onto the engine on the large side, and on the small side, which is really just a circle for the tranny input shaft to stick through. If you are sticking a different tranny on an engine, not to hard -- just use the correct bell housing for the engine, and make sure the circle is centered on the input shaft, and drill the 6 or 8 bolt holes that hold the bell housing to the transmission to fit.

 

Compare that to subaru's, which have part of what would be the bell housing built into the tranny case, and this mates to a very small additional part of it that bolts to the back of the engine. You could still make an adaptor using the same principle, but it would be bizzare shaped plate, that would bolt the other engine on one side, and to the thin subaru "bell housing" on the other side, which is in turn bolted to the subaru transmission that has the rest of the bell housing. But it would a pretty difficult pattern, compared to the normal ones, which at worst has to bolt a bell housing with a 6 bolt circle, to a transmission with a 8 bolt circle or something like that. I still intent to tackle it eventually, but it's a little harder...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The corvair engine spins counter-clockwise iirc. It'd be hard to mate that to a Subaru tranny.

 

I think you are right...

 

Interestingly enough, my uncle recently took over rent payments on a warehouse full of mostly datsun stuff.. with alot of corvair stuff, and a few subaru items in it as well. I dont know which motors might be there, but if anyones up for a corvair swap, LEMME KNOW!! :lol:

 

allright, enough sarcasm (unless, of course, anyone wants to do it.. )

 

alfa romeo also made a boxer, but the cost of swapping an alfa boxer in would be absurd, and its more comparable to a VW motor than anything else. I think a porsche engine would be the dream (non-fuji) choice... I cant recall any other manufacturers that made anything as modern as an ea-81/2..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

why put anything non-subaru in??

most people go with subaru for 2 reasons..

boxer engines

symmetrical AWD/4WD.

 

anything else is just uncivilized..

 

I agree, you remove the engine and tranny and you don't have much.

I have thought of swapping an Isuzu 2.6L and rwd 5-speed into one(since I have it), but whats the point? It would be RWD only, way loose in the rear, too heavy in the front, have to destroy the tranny hump to get it in, re-engineer the front suspension to carry the cast iron block, etc, etc.

 

I would like to have a small turbo diesel in my hatch, that would be awesome! The only problem I can see, is the gear ratios of the tranny. A diesel likes low rpm, 3000 rpm max. Our little subies really don't do much UNTILL 3000 RPM. That or find higher ratios for the diffs.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A diesel likes low rpm, 3000 rpm max. Our little subies really don't do much UNTILL 3000 RPM. That or find higher ratios for the diffs.....

A little bit of a problem, but the older VW rabbit diesels happily rev to 5,000rpm at least. The newer ones use a longer stroke, so they are redlined at 4,500 I think. But they're certainly not like the diesels in full size pickups.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The corvair engine spins counter-clockwise iirc. It'd be hard to mate that to a Subaru tranny.

5 reverse, 1 forward!!! ahahaha

 

The alfa 1.7L flat 4's could get upto 200hp on standard head gaskets IIRC. But it would be a bit of work making one of those fit, I've already looked into it.

 

Really the only reason to put anything non-subaru in a subaru is for diesel. But I'd only go to this much work if I was also goin to put a t-case in at the same time. Best diesel to put in I reckon is a 1.9L TDi VW Golf engine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 reverse, 1 forward!!! ahahaha

 

The alfa 1.7L flat 4's could get upto 200hp on standard head gaskets IIRC. But it would be a bit of work making one of those fit, I've already looked into it.

 

Really the only reason to put anything non-subaru in a subaru is for diesel. But I'd only go to this much work if I was also goin to put a t-case in at the same time. Best diesel to put in I reckon is a 1.9L TDi VW Golf engine.

 

Actually the corvair is easy to reverse. Use a reverse ground camshaft.

 

nipper

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...