The Last Engine You'll Ever Need

[77ElCaminoDrift]

I was browsing through a list of GM engines, looking for a potential new candidate for my El Camino, when I stumbled across this interesting commodity. Ideal for cars with A LOT of front end room, in fact, I'd recommend bolting it directly to your driveshaft. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_V-3420 Awesome, yes?

[Scott]

LOL! That would be like Jay Leno's tank car. Airplane engines are used in some tractor pull rigs. It's freakin scary to watch!

Actually, I have always wanted to ask, from what I heard from people's reviews and exclamations, The LS1 is a classic choice for motor transplants out there.

Is it really that legendary of an engine?

Originally Posted by atlantian

Actually, I have always wanted to ask, from what I heard from people's reviews and exclamations, The LS1 is a classic choice for motor transplants out there.

Is it really that legendary of an engine?

No, it became the "classic choice" because everyone who has gone that route is mistaken. ;-)

[akuma S14]

I dunno about all that. Todd Ho has a FC3S with an LS1 and it kicks a$$. Gobbs of torque, great power, cheap mods, and about the same weight as a KA24/13b/whatever other japanese engine you want to throw into the mix.

[Soldat]

Originally Posted by atlantian

Actually, I have always wanted to ask, from what I heard from people's reviews and exclamations, The LS1 is a classic choice for motor transplants out there.

Is it really that legendary of an engine?

I wouldn't say "legendary" by any means. It hasn't been around long enough to be called that.

As Akuma said, the thing about is LS-1's is that they make lots of power, even in a "factory warranty" configuration, have a ton of aftermarket performance options and give you all of the benefits of a fuel-injected motor for relatively cheap. I've seen LS-1's in Muscle cars, third gen Camaro's, sand-cars, trucks, S13's, S14's, RX-7's . . .

Originally Posted by akuma S14

I dunno about all that. Todd Ho has a FC3S with an LS1 and it kicks a$$. Gobbs of torque, great power, cheap mods, and about the same weight as a KA24/13b/whatever other japanese engine you want to throw into the mix.

I never thought that a 5.7 liter engine would be as light as a 1.3 liter rotary engine.

I was considering this engine because there is a kit out there to fit the LS-1 into the car I want.

Soldat, is the LS-1 mechanically fuel injected or electronically fuel injected?

Originally Posted by atlantian

Soldat, is the LS-1 mechanically fuel injected or electronically fuel injected?

please stop, you are making me piss my pants here.

Right, sorry, it's too new to be mechanically fuel injected.

[eomund240]

Haha The allison's are awsome. I've had the fortune to see one on a drag vehicle. One of the loudest things I've ever heard too. Absolutely exilerating.

^ Dude, If it's FI it CAN'T be 'mechanically' fuel injected. Machanical fuel pumps are for carburetors. They only produce about 4psi. Mechanical Fuel Injection just doesn't make sence. It's either carbed or Electronic Fuel Injection or EFI.

That's why daron is laughing.

[Soldat]

Originally Posted by 77ElCaminoDrift

I was browsing through a list of GM engines, looking for a potential new candidate for my El Camino, when I stumbled across this interesting commodity. Ideal for cars with A LOT of front end room, in fact, I'd recommend bolting it directly to your driveshaft. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_V-3420 Awesome, yes?

Back on topic, I always loved it when people put ridiculously huge motors in tiny cars. I remember seeing a video on YouTube of a guy who'd shoehorned a blown big block chevy into the front of a Honda CR-X. He had to completely destroy the entire chassis in order to fit the motor in front and the massive tires in back. It was really goofy looking and completely ridiculous, but there was just something about it that was awesome. It just proves that for some people, there's no such thing as too much.

Then there's those guys putting Suzuki GSX-R motors in Smart's . . .

[Soldat]

Originally Posted by eomund240

Haha The allison's are awsome. I've had the fortune to see one on a drag vehicle. One of the loudest things I've ever heard too. Absolutely exilerating.

^ Dude, If it's FI it CAN'T be 'mechanically' fuel injected. Machanical fuel pumps are for carburetors. They only produce about 4psi. Mechanical Fuel Injection just doesn't make sence. It's either carbed or Electronic Fuel Injection or EFI.

That's why daron is laughing.

Actually, first generation Corvettes had a mechanical fuel injection system on them. My dad put one on his El Camino when he was a kid.

I am not looking to intall a turbocharger or a supercharger on it so the issue of forced induction is not prevailant.

And by the way, I think you have it wrong, since carburetors are just fuel input device that lets passing air draw petrol out of the carburetor by differential pressure. They have nothing to do with a syringe that squirts fuel into the engine.

Mechanical fuel injection that I am thinking about is the same thing as electronic fuel injectors, but the valves of the fuel injectors are controlled by cranks that are in time with the valve opening and closing. I just like mechanics over electronics.

[eomund240]

Mechanical fuel injection was used with engines made by the likes of 1950s GM and Mopar high performance vehicles, 1960s Corvettes, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, but fell out of favor with perfection of electronic fuel injection. A lot of the old American systems were unreliable, and many owners switched them out for carburetors.

Hmm, learn something new everyday. Doesn't seem have been that common and in this instance, didn't last all that long.

Back on topic,

People will do anything.

I personally would not place such a large engine in a front engined cars, particularly a front engined front wheel drive. There was a trend back not long ago where people placed the H series engine from the Honda Prelude into Honda Civics. They ended up with cars with "overload" understeer.

But I like rear wheel drive and I like midship formats better anyways.

[eomund240]

Look at the rear tires

Okay, it's a rear wheel drive, and looking at the size, I assume that the car is built as a drag car. But for a road racing car, I would not get a heavy engine in the front of the car.

On engine transplants what about the F20C engine from one of the older s2000 models? I wonder how much it is to aquire one and fit that into a 911 SC. It has decent power, and it's engine redline is as high as one found in a race car. Or is the F22C1 better, dispite it's lower, eight thousand rpm redline?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuTtLYhFJT4

I chuckled when Wakisiaka, driving the older F20C powered S2000 tried out braking Keiichi (at 4:10) but Keiichi caught up and over took him anyways. I guess the newer F22C1 is better.

Wait, nevermind, the F20C powered S2000 got a faster best lap time by 0.09 of a second on the third lap.

[Soldat]

Originally Posted by eomund240

Hmm, learn something new everyday. Doesn't seem have been that common and in this instance, didn't last all that long.

Back on topic,

People will do anything.

They definitely were not very common, but I do remember my dad saying that he really liked the Rochester system that he had on his El Camino. I can't imagine them being as "tweakable" as a standard carb though.

That's not the car I was talking about, the one I saw had a big blower sticking out of the top. Same concept, though.

Big motor + small car = Go Fast . . . really fast.


/Edit - Finally found it:

A big engine fitted into a front engine car only makes it fast in a straight line right? because it doesn't look like it would be able to match up to many stock sports cars in a road race.

You can fit a big engine into a MID or REAR engine formatted car, that would be a plus from every angle, except for the raised curb weight.

So do you think that the F20C or the F22C is good for transplants?

[akuma S14]

f20 in a porsche? ferdinand would be rolling over dead. How about EJ20? at least it is a boxer engine.

And yes the LS1 is almost the same weight as 13b. 13b is not very light at all, compact but heavy.

[Soldat]

Originally Posted by atlantian

A big engine fitted into a front engine car only makes it fast in a straight line right? because it doesn't look like it would be able to match up to many stock sports cars in a road race.

You can fit a big engine into a MID or REAR engine formatted car, that would be a plus from every angle, except for the raised curb weight.

Yes, a car like that Honda with the big block in it would be completely useless for anything other than drag racing. But if you're building a drag car, that's ok. You would never do something like that if you were going to build a car for another type of racing just as there are many things you would never do to a drag car that work really well in other disciplines.


You're missing the point, though. This isn't a discussion on MR vs FR or good ideas for motor swaps. I posted it just because it's funny, just like the OP. No one in their right mind would take a collectors item like the Allison V-3420 and spends tens of thousands of dollars carving up a car to fit it into. It was a joke.

[eomund240]

^ Normal cars no, but speed demons and drag cars, sometimes yes.


It's a rare and beautiful site when it happens though.

[Soldat]

Like I said, no one in their "right mind". But as you know, there's afine line between genius and madness.

You're right, that's a beautiful sight.

That is really an amazing sight. They used a Fiat?

Originally Posted by akuma S14

f20 in a porsche? ferdinand would be rolling over dead. How about EJ20? at least it is a boxer engine.

I have considered an STi engine, but I am not really looking at an engine boosted up by a turbocharger. I want a high revving race engine. How would Mr.Porsche be laughing? I basically want to build myself a mini GT3 RS on a budget. Putting a 250 bhp 153 pound-feet engine revving to nine thousand rpm would seem appropriate. It is more powerful and more fuel efficient then the original engine, and higher revving then any other production car. And I think it was rated the most powerful in power per liter of displacement of any car under a hundred thousand dollars. That means it even beats the modern Carrera and Carrera S.

The STi only revs to under seven thousand rpm.

and fuel consumption comparison:
17/23 mpg sti
18/24 mpg s2000

The LS1:
15/20 mph Pontiac GTO
17/25 mpg Corvetter C5

There is already a kit for the ls-1 to fit into a first generation 911. But it sounds so much more appealing to have a mini GT3 RS or a Carrera GTR Cup car. The Honda F engine seems like a better choice because the LS-1 is 5.7 producing 300, and is pretty heavy and doesn't rev that high.