Has anyone ever seen a swap where someone put another manufacturer's engine into a Subaru? I can find lots of Subaru engines in VWs but not other engines in a Subaru. "Why?" you ask. In South America they run a class of rally car called "Maxi Rally" where they basically use any B-segment body shell, 2.4 Honda engine and rally grade Subaru drive trains. It got my imagination going about Kia Rios, Hyundai Accents, Chevy Sparks or Sonics, etc as a 4wd rally car.
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/threads/2005-subaru-legacy-3-8-turbo-the-buckaru.391159/
http://www.v8wrx.com
The only interesting Subaru swap I saw was the diesel Subaru rally car.
well, not a honda 2.4 but i had a v8 wrx. it was...interesting.
someone has to have made an adapter plate to put an LS in one of them...
patgizz wrote: i had a v8 wrx. it was...interesting.
Define "interesting": Was it "eye-opening wonderful and some poo may have come out," or was it "eye-wattering, white-knuckled, and we-shall-not-speak-of-these-things-again" ?
It was mostly "this required too much cutting and while peoples heads explode at the sound, this would probably be more fun with the turbo boxer in it" interesting. I ended up keeping engine and letting car go to someone else
BRZ/GT86/FR-S has a few different V8 swaps... 2.4L & 3.0L Synergy motors, 4.0L 1UZFE, 5.0L Coyote, 5.7L LS motor...and, oh yeah, TRD NASCAR motor.
Vracer111 wrote: BRZ/GT86/FR-S has a few different V8 swaps... 2.4L & 3.0L Synergy motors, 4.0L 1UZFE, 5.0L Coyote, 5.7L LS motor...and, oh yeah, TRD NASCAR motor.
Don't forget IS-F 5.0L V8, BEAMS 3SGTE, SR20DET, and 2JZ.
I've also seen RWD 2JZ swapped WRXs. My view on engine swapped Subarus though is the same as non-rotary RX7s. You are taking away a key defining aspect of that vehicle, the part that makes that vehicle what it is. If you're going to toss that out, why not start with something else?
In reply to NickD:
I share your sentiment, but I would also say that Subaru makes not just an great engine, but an incredible shell as well.
I had a WRX parts car which had been in a bad wreck. It barrel rolled 4 times, then twisted and went end over end 3 more times, landing on it's roof. There was not a single body panel on that car that wasn't destroyed. The amazing thing was that all 4 doors still opened and closed. Th driver walked away.
I was pretty happy having my kids drive Subarus after seeing that.
So, perhaps there are applications where you want that carcass with a different engine (though I can't imagine why).
In reply to NickD:
It's only a thought exercise ,but it' wasn't intended to be "what engine can I put in a Subaru" despite my poor choice of title. I'm more interested in bolting a different engine to the Subaru transmission. I'm thinking that, like the Max Rally cars, you could build a 4wd Kia/Hyundai/Nissan/Scion/whatever rally car utilizing the fairly common Subaru drive train and suspension components and some other manufacturer's engine. Any North American rally will be dominated by Subarus on the entry list, followed by a variety of older iron.Some non-Subaru newer stuff would add some interest, at least to me. That was the whole reason for the Max Rally concept being proposed to the FIA.
This is the only thread I've seen about this topic so I get the feeling that most people do not wish to transplant a different engine into their Subaru, eh?
Turbo Buick link is dead now, Here’s a live one
Using the stock Subaru trans and hanging a V8 off the front of it would create the fabulous weight distribution of an 80's Audi 5000, and make the crank pulley into the front bumper.
I think ive seen ecotec to Subaru trans adapter's but I don't know if they keep the AWD component or not. I think they were used for sand buggy type vehicles.
Here is a link with lots of options for adapters for Subaru transmissions.
The ask is because I don't mind a lot of work ONCE, but I detest maintenance, such as Subaru head gaskets. Some day I will have time to do one or the other and I'd rather one-and-done, is all. No power increase necessary
Years back there was a guy who swapped a 13B into a 3 door Subaru RX, keeping the close dual range transmission. (You could effectively split gears, switching from 3.7 to 4.3 effective final drive) He needed a second radiator to keep it cool.
The car came up for sale on the late 90s but I didn't have the money for it ($1800?)
Turns out the car has/had a webpage!
http://cp_www.tripod.com/rotary/pg04.htm
1000cc Honda V-twin sport bike engine into an awd Justy?
Sure why not.
DeadSkunk said:I can find lots of Subaru engines in VWs but not other engines in a Subaru.
Someone should swap a VW into a Subaru, just for the heck of it. 
stuart in mn said:DeadSkunk said:I can find lots of Subaru engines in VWs but not other engines in a Subaru.
Someone should swap a VW into a Subaru, just for the heck of it.
One of my weirder ideas was an ACVW engine, maybe a Type 4, into a GC shell. Would have preferred a Fox to keep it all VW, but Subarus handle a lot better. I bet the engine would love being in the wind instead of behind it. Adjusting valves would be a pain, but imagine doing carb/timing adjustments on an ACVW engine without the exhaust blowing into your clothes!
If you squint and look at the Subaru EA engines, they look like ACVW engines with water jackets, kind of like the wasserboxer that VW should have built, especially the pushrod models (pre-EA82).
Frighteningly, searching for images of EA81 engines gets a lot of aviation websites. These engines were not exactly powerful. I think the final incarnation as used in the DL Hatchback (still had torsion bars!) made 71hp, which was probably optimistic.
Foreshadowing the FA/FB engines' multilayered cylinder head design, the EA82 engine converted this setup to OHC by using roughly the same cylinder heads, with a cam tray that bolted to the head, with a valve cover over that. I have kinda wondered if one could convert an ACVW to OHC with EA82 parts. Not sure if there would be any benefit besides teh lulz, but when has that ever stopped anyone?
I'm (slowly, halfassedly) working on one right now. VW ALH TDI into a Forester.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/subaru-wrx-tdi/177266/page1/
There are other swaps out there too. Honda K-series is a thing, and I can understand the appeal of power potential and aftermarket support. At some point when chasing big power numbers the Subaru boxer becomes a money pit with a short lit fuse.
I bet you could even get the K-series to clear the hood if you used a clocked adapter and custom oil pan instead of mounting it straight up.
Good info!
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
A "blast from the past"! My brothers creation from many years ago. We were into "all things rotary" back in the 80's/90's and he thought up this creation. Wasn't too difficult beyond having Kennedy Engineering build the adapter plate/clutch set-up.
I'd like to see the new flat 4 motor out of a wrecked 718 Boxster/Cayman S into something. The motors go for a pittance in the yards because people only care about Porsche flat 6s evidently.
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