ENGINE SWAP

[Pininluv]

Hey Experts,

I just quenched a 20 year obsession with an '84 Pinin Spider. I'm looking for a daily driver and while I know its sacrilege to discuss taking out the Italian heart but with roughly $2K in engine working coming down soon I'm tempted to swap for a reliable performance Toyota or Honda option and have been beginning to explore S2000 engines.

My priority is reliability then performance with a swap that is as painless as possible.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance...

[narfire]

Personally, I'd stick to the Fiat engine. The FI engine can be modified a bit or alot. Myself and I believe a few others have added head work, different cams (Mark's 274 FI cams) adjustable cam wheels , oversized pistons, headers, lightened flywheel and have been happy with the results. For added zip I believe there are after market FI systems out there as well.
Upgraded ignition helps as well.
The Honda S2000 has a great engine and the car comes with the "modern" braking systems and is engineered to all work together
http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/SEO/SEOLandin ... &mdl=s2000

For what I have in my Fiat, I could have bought a lower priced S2000 and had the 2-240hp.
Whatever the choice...enjoy the transformation.
Chris

[TX82FIAT]

This topic comes up a lot on the forum and I'm sure you can research it with more diligence. The S2000 is a great engine. I had the unfortunate pleasure of breaking an S2000 in two when i ditched it. There is a ton of engineering that will need to be done for any alternative engine that you want to put into the car. The level of engineering will vary based on the engine size and horse power.

The cost to buy an alternative engine to put in a Fiat spider is the tip of the financial iceberg IMHO.

Brakes - Differentail - Transmission - Trans tunnel - Cross Member and engine mount modifications - Alternator and elecrtical system modifications - Coling system design - Possible firewall changes - Tachometer/Speedometer adjustment - Added support for Frame/Body Flex and the list goes on as you think through the project as applied to a 30 something year old car.

If you could drop the engine in the car in such a manner that everything else looked stock except what was under the hood at a cost close to a new rebuilt Fiat engine... Then I'd be interested. However, a 2L Fiat Twin Cam with a modern ignition system is a very reliable alternative.

[Pininluv]

Thanks much for the advice guys. Will keep you posted on my moral dilemma...

If you're interested here's a successful S2000 Swap in a 131:

http://www.turbo124.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5768

[fiathead]

I recently finished doing a swap in a BMW E30 to a later M50 4 valve engine. That swap was done with 90% factory parts and was largely a task of finding the right parts to fit. Except for the exhaust, it was all factory. And, it was a pain in the butt. The end results were great, but not worth the money and time put into it. The car runs better now than it ever has in the past, but for the cost of the swap, I could have just bought a nicer car if that's what I was after. After the swap, the car is worth less than if I had just restored what was there. I did mine because I like doing stuff like that.

My point is, if you are going to do an engine swap, do it because you love the challenge of doing it, not because it seems like an easy way to a decent car. If you love that type of work, then go for it and please post pictures. If your goal is not the journey, but the end then save yourself some headaches and either buy a nice Spider or a nice S2000. Either one would be fun on the back roads on a nice summer day.

[131]

If you're interested here's a successful S2000 Swap in a 131

Yep, Walezy is a very talented fabricator, with the facilities and nohow to make a very competitive race car. He'll be the first person to tell you how difficult an undertaking it is and how much work is involved in making his car what it is. It's not simply a 131 that he dropped a jap motor in.

[mgbgtn]

I have a 92 Miata as a daily driver and have found the motor and tranny to be very reliable and responds well to performance boosts. It is a clean looking motor and would make a good fit in the Fiat. If people can fit them in MGBs then they should be lots of room in a 124.

[Redline]

But again, you have to ask why bother? The 1608 in my Coupe puts out the same power as the MX-5 1.6 (ca. 110hp with its twin IDFs), starts perfectly every time, runs smoothly, and returns fuel economy comparable to my old MX-5 (about 10% higher at the most).

I will certainly say that the gearbox in the MX-5 was nice*, but the motor is rather generic. It doesn't really make nice sounds, it just gets the job done.

* Everyone who has driven my Coupe immediately compliments its very mechanical, snickety-snick gear action. Not the rifle-bolt short throws of the MX-5, but very positive and satisfying.