What engine swap for a Challenge-priced Boxster?

Before any of you start chanting LS, let me explain a little:

I am building my dream Porsche, which is a 911-powered Boxster. My original plan was to put a 3.4 in my 1997 model car, but, I've realized, as I've been collecting the parts to do this, that upgrading to a newer model and a 3.6L swap is within my reach because there are far more 3.6L 996s at the salvage auctions that I haunt than there are 99-00 3.4 996s (to put a 996 engine in a pre-2000 Boxster, one must use only the 99-00 3.4L 996 engine for electronic compatibility. Add to the equation how cheap 200-03 Boxsters have become and continuing the '97 build stops making sense. To finance the whole shooting match, I've been buying other Boxsters and parting them out. I know I can sell my fully-upgraded '97 2.5L engine and the engine from the newer Boxster more easily and for more money than I'd get for my whole, running, '97 Boxster. Doing this will leave me with an engine-less '97 Boxster (as well as the 911-powered Boxster I daydream about). The question then becomes what to do with the engine-less (and therefore worthless) 97? I'm thinking I'll shove some sort of Audi engine - or a Wankel in it and bring it to Gainesville for the Challenge. Ideas?

WRX/STI?

It's water cooled, right?

A real oddball suggestion, find a Ford Duratec 2.5l V6. Use it.

Why? Some of the engineering of that engine was contracted to Porsche Engineering.

I want an engine that's practically free when I buy a running donor car to get it. If it weren't for the cost, the WRX/STI engine would be ideal. They are far from cheap, that's why I'm looking at Audis. There's an A6 with a 2.7 twin turbo that runs but sucks in every other imaginable way for $500 locally

Electric motor from a tesla...

In reply to pimpm3:

wouldn't last 200 miles. Tesla's have the reliability of a Fiat combined with the engineering of a rubber band.

If it didn't cost so much to make power with them, I'd put a 914/Type 4 VW engine in it and lose the radiators and probably 300lb of coolant and plumbing. But, 90hp just isn't going to cut it.

pkingham wrote: WRX/STI?

While this would seem like the obvious answer, if it was easy, the swap would have been perfected by now. If I recall correctly, the Subaru starter mounts to the transmission and the Porsche starter mounts to the engine, so when you mate a Subaru engine to a Porsche transaxle, there's no place for the starter to go.

Or something like that...

what was the initial purchase price of the 97?

In reply to Woody:

That's what I read, too. Sounds like a bigger engineering project than I want to take on. Audis intrigue me because the engines will physically bolt up to the existing transmission (itself a VW Passat/FWD A4 unit), which kind of leads me to the 1.8 turbo.

I thinks the Audi is the way to go. You can get complete cars for next to nothing, sell a few parts off and scrap the rest. That the engine could bolt up to the grand, it really hits the easy. Tutor.

In reply to bluej:

$4400, in 2008. I've got probably $7000 in it now, with all the upgrades. If it someday becomes a Challenge car, I'll assign it FMV at that time

I know the internet makes it a joke - but I'd be calling up Renegade and stuffing an LS in there. It's popular for a reason, and they really really work. Why deal with Subaru reliability?

alfadriver wrote: It's water cooled, right? A real oddball suggestion, find a Ford Duratec 2.5l V6. Use it. Why? Some of the engineering of that engine was contracted to Porsche Engineering.

Following similar logic, the Volvo Whiteblock was also graced with some Porsche Engineering. Available in turbo and non, inline 4, 5, and 6 cylinders.

bigdaddylee82 wrote:

alfadriver wrote: It's water cooled, right? A real oddball suggestion, find a Ford Duratec 2.5l V6. Use it. Why? Some of the engineering of that engine was contracted to Porsche Engineering.

Following similar logic, the Volvo Whiteblock was also graced with some Porsche Engineering. Available in turbo and non, inline 4, ,5, and 6 cylinders.

That sound would make a LOT of people double take any P car.

Let Porsche engineers do the hard part for you. Part out this Boxster too and buy a 996 with the engine that you want. Add fuel. Drive.

Oldsmobile Toronado with a Big Block setup.... That should be near free right?

alfadriver wrote: It's water cooled, right? A real oddball suggestion, find a Ford Duratec 2.5l V6. Use it. Why? Some of the engineering of that engine was contracted to Porsche Engineering.

No. Had this turd in my contour. I blew my engine and so did many others. Stay away.

Woody wrote: Let Porsche engineers do the hard part for you. Part out this Boxster too and buy a 996 with the engine that you want. Add fuel. Drive.

In reply to Woody:

Because I want what I want. I've driven a 3.6-swapped 986 with the RoW M030 suspension that my car has, and it was my idea of Porsche bliss. I also delight in being the only Boxster owner I've ever met who doesn't wish they had a Cayman or some version of a 911. I love 986 Boxsters. And, to paraphrase Peter Egan, a car isn't truly mine until I've bled on it while wrenching on it.

What about a 3UZ-FE? 300hp/300tq, available in cars that can part out for a profit. Adapting the engine to the transaxle will be a challenge but what won't be!

3 liter Vulcan V6 from a Taurus? I'm sure you could find one cheap. Not sure if they bolt up to a stick shift tho.

M030 wrote:

Woody wrote: Let Porsche engineers do the hard part for you. Part out this Boxster too and buy a 996 with the engine that you want. Add fuel. Drive.

In reply to Woody: Because I want what I want. I've driven a 3.6-swapped 986 with the RoW M030 suspension that my car has, and it was my idea of Porsche bliss. I also delight in being the only Boxster owner I've ever met who doesn't wish they had a Cayman or some version of a 911. I love 986 Boxsters. And, to paraphrase Peter Egan, a car isn't truly mine until I've bled on it while wrenching on it.

Fair enough. Can I get a ride in it when you're done?

Ease of install and availability of a 1.8T makes the most sense. 200+HP with just a chip and the stock internals supposedly take 350 HP if you want to go big boost.

"Fair enough. Can I get a ride in it when you're done?"

In reply to Woody:

You can count on it!

What about a Subaru flat 6?

And since nobody else has said it yet... LSx variant?