Motor swap

[Bob Harriman]

I'm throwing around swapping out my 912 1600 for a flat 6. Which motor is the most common for this swap? Although I would like to,,,I'm not looking for something too expensive with big HP. Frankly, just looking for a HP bump and the sound

[Richy]

Wow , an ambitious project . A '69 or earlier would have a matching clutch and carburetors so no additional fuel lines to instal .

[raspritz]

Hi Bob,
As you may recall from the 912 forum, I did this when the engine on my 912 racecar blew. It is a much bigger and more expensive project than most realize. Generally speaking, for a street car it may well be more realistic and cost-effective to simply sell the 912 and put the proceeds towards an original 911.
Rich

[Jerry L]

There is always the Polo or Willhoit options for more HP, may be nearing similar $ & less time.
I have a rebuilt 69 E Short block stashed away if you decide to jump off that slippery slope, was thinking about it for a project then got the 71 after selling heads & webers from it when I only had a couple 912's. Now an insurance policy on the 71 but thinking about moving it out.
Have fun with your decision making Bob!

[Richy]

I have to agree with raspritz . I think financially you will be upside down with the 912 . And if you choose the Polo or Willhoit option you could spend more money than a 911 trade .

[Bob Harriman]

Thanks guys. A polo or Willhoit is too much. Ascertaining a 911 financially may be more feasible in comparison to the polo and willhoit but my 912 is a pristine outlaw looking for a heart transplant. My 1600 is in great shape, runs great and was built by Andial. I'll never find a 911 as nicely set up and in the condition the 912 is for an affordable price. I'm kinda screwed. Love my car but never was my goal to buy a 912. Came across it 25 years ago in a garage of a client I was doing concrete work for. We traded the work (3500.00) for the car. Engine was leaned out and blew a week after taking ownership of it. My HS baseball coach had a 912 coupe and I was constantly on his ass that it is a girls 911 because our next door neighbor had a burgundy 911S. I was under the impression engine swap was a fairly easy task since they're virtually the same cars.

[Richy]

Fairly easy is a relative term , and you may think the swap was " fairly easy ", but I think most would not . The big items would be the engine mounts and the oil tank ,if this seems easy , go for it .

[Chris Pomares]

The POLO still requires all the same parts as a 6 conversion. Plus modified engine tin, fan shroud, engine mount, exhaust, etc. Plus I feel the 65 to late 68 912 gearing A, F, M, S, X is poorly matched for an engine with much more torque. If I had a late 68 or 69 912 901 I would replace the A gear with a B and take the 6:29 out and put a 7:31 in. I run C, GA, N, V, ZD, 7:31, and Wavetrac as I couldn't find a B 1st at the time. As Bob points out it's expensive. I did it because it had never been done before and the idea of about 80 pounds or so less weight behind the rear axle just made sense to me. Maybe a type 4 engine from FAT or another source could give the car more grunt at a more modest price.
Bob's car is stunning.

[raspritz]

Engine mounts (a big job, not a simple swap), oil tank, new rebuilt engine, carbs, dizzy, engine tin, gearset, speedo, tach, heat exchangers, exhaust system, and no end of small things. Realistically, you are looking at $15,000 or probably more, and you'll wind up with an outlaw with zero collector value. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't; there are a zillion nice cars out there. With all respect, Bob, it simply does not make sense unless you are looking for a major, expensive new hobby.

Rich

[frederik]

Given that a full engine rebuild is around $20k including labor, I wouldn't think you can pick up a rebuilt engine for less than that. So the $15k above seems very optimistic.