What Engine Would You Put in This Barn Find Porsche 356?

original 356s are worth so much now, that you'd  need to go original. Leave the watercooling and big power to the GRP shells,

unless you are Grant, who sticks a V8 in the middle


 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

This Emory Motorsports engine.

There seems to be a catch to that.

The Emory-Rothsport  Outlaw-4 engine is only available as standard equipment in every Emory Outlaw, Special or RS we build.

Has anyone here driven one of these?  I did years ago and it was a case of being very disappointed. 

Echoing previous answers; sell it, build a replica.  356 convertible (not a Speedster, I'd want some headroom and a real top) with maybe aircooled VW-based flat-four and try to find a 911 gearbox for it.  Think it could be done for $50k without having to skip too many niceties?  

In reply to NOHOME :

Pretty sure it's a polo motor, Not sure if Rod has exclusive rights, but it's £££££ anyway

dean1484 said:

Has anyone here driven one of these?  I did years ago and it was a case of being very disappointed. 

Never meet your heroes, eh? I know after all the raving I heard on here about how good the 944 is, the time I drove one at an autocross I came away extremely underwhelmed.

Rigante said:

In reply to NOHOME :

Pretty sure it's a polo motor, Not sure if Rod has exclusive rights, but it's £££££ anyway

They are 2 similar motors , but not the same , 

Chuck Beck built the first one for his 550 Spyder , then Dean Polopolus  built his version and Emory built his version , all the same basic idea , use the  Porsche Factory pistons / cylinders , heads , etc in a 4 cyl version  of a 911 motor.  

I think I would put an old bug engine in it until I could find an original.

dean1484 said:

Has anyone here driven one of these?  I did years ago and it was a case of being very disappointed. 

I find that classic cars are a lot like supermodels in that they are best admired as artwork but not used for anything functional. Anything else will lead to disapointment and financial ruin.

NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:

I think I would put an old bug engine in it until I could find an original.

I would do that just to get it back on the road ASAP.

Back in 1994, I bought a Giuletta Spider to restore, and I sold it in 2016 (I think) having not restored it.  Better to have it on the road quickly than make up some elaborate powertrain swap.

I too would slap a VW motor in it to get it running while I searched for a correct engine.

It all comes down to why you're buying the car. If it's for resale (now or later), you have to keep it correct. At that point, you're not really the car's owner, you're just the caretaker for a future owner.

If it's because you want a 356, put whatever you want in it. This was the original concept of the outlaws, I think, but then they turned themselves into a specific style :)

Keith Tanner said:

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

I have a hard time improving on Seth's idea (but the site says it is only available in their outlaw cars).

I'd probably clean it up and put the hottest aircooled Vdub I could find, and just enjoy it. That or a 914 engine.

Kustom Craft Works here in GJ did just that. Built a SoCal bug style 356. 

Kustom Coach Werks.

John Jones. One hell of a hard worker and car builder. He runs a neat business model where he builds every project in real time on his internet forum so the customer can see it all happen with nearly daily updates.

https://kustomcoachwerks.com/

Thanks, I just know them as KCW :) Before working from home, I drove past the shop every day on the way to/from work. For some reason, I've never stopped in but I'm always planning to.  You should see the stuff they have piled up in the lot for future projects.

We used to do regular build diaries on our big customer builds when we were doing those. Customers love it, but it's high effort.

Since I don't have a specific want for a Porsche 356, the "flip it and sell it with a 356 engine or a make-do Bug motor" has definite appeal.

If I were to build it, I'd still go with a Porsche motor... only I'd pull it out of a Cayenne.  Leave the outside exactly as is except for replacing the turn signals, door handles, and what it needs to be functional. Make it a Porsche barn find rat rod. Or use a Honda J series V6 with twin turbos, because blasphemy should never be done halfway.

NickD said:

dean1484 said:

Has anyone here driven one of these?  I did years ago and it was a case of being very disappointed. 

Never meet your heroes, eh? I know after all the raving I heard on here about how good the 944 is, the time I drove one at an autocross I came away extremely underwhelmed.

They suck at an Autocross, get them on track and you'll find they are in their element.  They are underpowered and the engine is a bit, boring, but the chassis nicely balanced and very chuckable.  They regularly compete pretty evenly with the Spec Miata when they are built to Spec944.

Ultimately, they are a product of the eighties and that was just a dark time in the automotive world.

dean1484 said:

Has anyone here driven one of these?  I did years ago and it was a case of being very disappointed. 

Apparently they are no match to a Honda Odyssey.

Old Porsches were amazing at the time they were new. Now, however, they get compared to a much more modern set of cars that skew the bias of what a good 19xx car should drive like. It is important to remember that when you evaluate the cars abilities.

I once ran into a Testarossa while in my Cayman. I would have, just barely, ran right through him with my 30 year newer sports car. Instead I relished the aural candy of a flat 12 Ferrari and a flat 6 Porsche screaming in joy together. It was amazing to hear, must have been quite the sight too.

Technology can't be beat. I mentioned in a thread somewhere about my Datsun being 15-20 seconds a lap faster than a twenties GP Alfa so I'm not surprised a Honda mini van is faster than a 50 year old sports car.

A 356 drives similar to my Datsun 1200; old cars drift from apex to apex, that is the joy of driving them. New cars are soos heavy.

If I drive something that is sticks like glue, my first choice is a single seat race car,  I have my Formula 500.

V10 TDI.  Keep it in the family.

Busa, with stock muffler, because lightweight, then widebody, because 315s, then realize that Busa will not like 315s that much, so, yeah, LS, but no.  Then, realize Factory Five Cobra for less money and still tiny wheelbase, but LS yes and 315s yes. 

Can one prance slowly?  That is the best version of what an old Porsche does.  No gracias.

Let's stop dicking around.  Turbonique. 

In reply to Appleseed :

Ohhh! I REALLY want one of those!. I would not waste it on a 356, though.

I remember reading in a tech question back in the early 80's (magazine, no interwebs to flame the guy) if a guy could bolt the engine out of his stock super bug, into his 356. The answer way yes, it will fit, but use the whole drivetrain, as the 356 would not handle the extra power! No clue if thats correct, but it was the legit reply.

Appleseed said:

Let's stop dicking around.  Turbonique. 

There was a Beetle equipped with one. Like pretty much everything with a Turbonique Drag Axle, it crashed.

Whenever I see a 356 a part of me wants to cry. 15 years ago an employee of mine disassembled one, restored or replaced almost everything....and lost interest before he put it all back together again. He offered it all to me for $6K .

I'd make it more fun via bolt-ons without hacking the thing up. Something like a breathed-on 2.0 from a 914 and some suspension upgrades. Keep as much patina as possible so it has a rat vibe, but only on the surface.