Wacky idea, but has anyone put a big block Chevy/GM engine into a 505 V6?

[paraic]

As the subject states..

Not sure if this is even feasible but I would be curious to know what it would take. By big block engine I would mean somethign like my Buick Lesabre 2003 has - a 3.8L V6.

I'm totally out of my depth here but still would like some thoughts on the subject.

thanks

Paraic

[N9TE]

Engine swaps have been considered, but no one in the US has done one. Someone in Malaysia or Thailand put a SR20DET into a 505. I guess if you have a favorite engine, that would be a personal choice. The only engine a truly love are the inline sixes from Toyota, but I don't love Toyota parts prices and it's too long for an easy fit. Other turbo engines have their flaws. V6s are just a crime against nature and v8 are somewhat out-of-step with the character of the car.

An idea engine would be modern, not-especially rare, available in turbo form, North-South, found in cars you can find everyday.

That's a tall order for me and eliminates most engines. Hondas (almost all FWD), 944 (too rare), Subaru - too funky. I've though of most engines and most are not right for the 505.

I guess we'll have to think about these things 'cause in 10 years all the parts will be gone.

[jenyus]

an audi s4 twin turbo 2.7 v6 would be a cool swap

[Bean]

BMW's new I4 turbo in the new 328, the I4 turbo in the Genesis coupe, and I4 turbo from the Solstace/Skye GM cars would be neat.

I also don't think N9T** parts will be a game stopper. Custom parts are pricey, but technology and costs for building one off parts is getting cheaper all the time.

Modern T25 turbo, stand alone ECU's, and custom internals will modernize the N9T tremendously. Pretty sure it will be cheaper in the long run than a swap, but a swap would still be cool. SRT6.4L V8 would be my choice though.

Rabin

[Bean]

BTW - there's one Aussie SR20DET car, another in progress, as well as the V8 504 down there as well. Twin turbo PRV would also rival V8 power, but not sure how long the BA10/5 or the diff would last. If swapping a motor you'd have to swap the entire drivetrain for the car to be done "right".

Pretty sure if 89505V6 (Bob) can find the time and money his 505 V6 will get a C5 Corvette power and drivetrain to match the C5 wheels he fitted to his car.

Anything can be done with enough time, money and resourses - but to do a V8 swap right you'd need a donor car. I'd guess $3-4K to do it with an older 5L Mustang, $10K+ with anything GM LS powered - and that would be with all your own labour and fabrication tools.

TONS of work and money anyway you look at it. Hoping the N9T mods I'm doing will make it plenty fast and still be as efficent as stock when just crusing.

Rabin

[norcal505]

There are actually like 10 or so Nissan swapped 505's I can think of, off the top of my head.

Those cars are *really* plentiful in Indonesia, and in the rest of Southeast Asia.

Swapped cars are cool. I'd love to have a crazy sleeper 505 just to screw with ricers' heads.

[Bean]

If I went through the effort of a swap it'd be for a lightweight stupid powerful v8 w/6sp manual. Dodge first, LS3 a close second...

Way too much work until my kids are much older - then who knows what will be available. GM's new direct injection LT1 looks awesome...

Rabin

[bryancohnracing]

A friend and I looked hard and long at taking one of my old parts car 505's and building it into a LeMons/Chump Car racer with a small block Chevy, T5 5 spd and diff from a Vette with custom axles. The holes are big enough to fit those parts, they don't cost much on the used/junk yard market. Biggest cost was custom axles. My friend can weld and between us we have enough scrap steel and ally to build s small ship.

In the end we lost interest due to other interests. Does that even make sense?

[paraic]

Would a Honda S2000 engine (240BHP) be a good candidate? Its only a 2L but pack a nice punch and is a very lightweight engine. Does it have enough torque though?

[N9TE]

With that kind of engine, you're going to need all the ECUs - a whole donor car. It puts out 153 ft lbs of torque. Not much. It was designed for high revving with a 9000 redline and getting it's 240HP at 8300 RPM. As great of an engine it is, I wouldn't put it in a 505.

[andrethx]

weighing in late on this topic -- koll's right, a v8 doesn't really fit the character of the 505. but as many have noted (chiefly rabin), if you're going to go to all of the trouble of an engine swap, you might as well go all out and put in a v8.

jalopnik did a question of the day not too long ago regarding the best crate motors, and the GM LSX came out on top. specifically, they picked the eRod LS3. personally, i had more respect for eRod before he dated madonna.

if you like reading about engine swaps, you should check out LS1tech.com. my favorite part of the site is the conversions and hybrids section of the forum; people will put LSX engines in anything.

andré

[N9TE]

One option might be the toyota v8 they put in the LS400. 260hp, 4.0L. Smooth as glass. DOHC and pretty good on gas. LS400s get good MPG for a 3650 car. Seeing the 505 is 600 lbs lighter, this could be a decent swap.

[norcal505]

2jz would be pretty smart. the F20c's are pretty sick too.

F20C's are growing in popularity for BMW swaps.

Shouldn't be any harder to stuff it in the gigantic bay of a 505

[paraic]

One other option I was considering was a v8 from an e34 530 or 540. The auto box on those was a zf also - not sure how compatible those boxes were. the 540 4.0L was pretty sharp and decent on fuel also.

Any thoughts on that one

Paraic

[anj]

My choice is a v6 6spd from a G37s Nissan. Around 300 HP and are used in the Renault Safrane which used to be powered by the 24 valve PRV.

Arun

[JunktionFET]

If I were to swap a non-Peugeot heart into a 505, I'd pick something from Honda's lineup. Big surprise. Given the character of the 505, it would have to be a V6. Though all of the J series V6s are transverse mounted, there are at least two S2000s out there with custom swapped J series V6s, mounted longitudinally. The J series seems to be Honda's go-to engine nowadays, as it's in their minivans, cars, SUVs, and the Ridgeline pickup. A special reduced capacity twin-turbo version of it was in their LeMans ARX-03b car.

Honda's older C series V6 is actually pretty similar to the PRV--It is a low profile 90 degree design and was mounted longitudinally in the 2nd and 3rd generation Legend (1991-2004). Weirdly these as well as the Vigor are considered front-mid engine cars because the engine sits mostly behind the front axle and the front wheels are driven through a separate differential mounted to the front of the engine's oil pan. The transmission sits in the spot you'd expect to see for a RWD car, with a short driveshaft supplying power to the differential. Seems like that design could be easily adapted to a RWD design like the 505. However, the C series engines are dated and there isn't a lot of aftermarket support for them, barring the NSX's special versions of course.

[Bean]

The BMW is an interesting one - I discovered that the rear bearing ID on the BMW swing arms is the same ID as the 505 rear swing arms (505 bearings are bigger though). I bought the 540i rear hub stubs that fit in the 540i rear bearings with thoughts of using the bolt flange some how, but it ended up being easier to just weld the Pug flanges up and redrill... Still have the stubs - figured they might come in handy if the diff and axles don't last behind the modded N9TEA.

That said - it would take little work to fit the BMW stubs into the rear trailing arms of the 504, axles possibly shortened, and the BMW diff and entire driveline could then be used.

Not like I thought about it much... Biggest issue would be wiring the beast, but if you got a donor car - it'd be doable with a LOT of work.

Flip side is that with the same amount of work or less - you could swap in something with a bigger aftermarket, that would make more power, cheaper purchase, cheaper parts availability, and kits and support for engine swapping. Chev engines likely lead in support, but I've been a Mopar guy and the Chrysler connection via the N9T makes it a little cooler to think about using the SRT V8's. They may not have the following the LS motors do - but the same swap kits are available, and they still make great HP with a strong aftermarket.

Never thought about the Nissan V6's much - gorgeous engines and with boost - they're insane.

Rabin

[anj]

Another suggestion is the V8 from the Q45 , 280 HP mated to a T5 transmission.

Arun