Motor swap..
 

First off I just recently bought a SVX off a board member that needs a transmission. He was nice enough to include the major pieces for the 5MT swap. After browsing this board for a couple of days I came to the conclusion that the manual transmission swap is the way to go but the power upgrades available are limited. Turbo'ing or supercharging the car is a major undertaking that requires quite a bit of fabrication. This got me wondering.

Has anyone looked into swapping in a complete wrx or sti drivetrain? Not just the transmission but the motor as well. Seems like with the engine not being as long you would be able to move the radiator back some and get a nice sized FMIC in front of it. A used shortblock from an STI can be bought pretty cheap and I already have an extra set of heads off a WRX. This would be the exact same setup I am running in my WRX and it is putting down 347whp and 387tq. You can even buy a complete EJ207 with turbo for the cost of the FAT turbo kit.

I know that the wiring will be a pain and that the crossmember will need to be modified or built from scratch. But even having to deal with these issues seems easier/cheaper than the options of adding forced induction to the EG33. As a side benifit it would also remove quite a bit of weight from the car.


edited: fixed the whp I originally quoted the std correction value of 356 for my hp instead of the sae corrected value of 347.

Good idea but.. the SVX is a cow. The low end torque the EG33 lays out makes up for it's lack of turbo. I mean, it is not fast but it is quick enough. The STi swap would be cool but I don't think the hassle would be worth it, but that is just me

Tom

Sounds like a grand idea. But remember part of this cars soul is the EG33. An STied SVX would be sweet to see.

I've been thinking of an STi 2.5L drivetrain swap for some time. Should be straightforward except for the wiring.

I say go for it. :D

5 years ago they said it was ridiculous to even think about swapping in a 5 speed. Huck proved that wrong. Now they are all over.

If you have the time and access to parts then do it. We'll be watching eagerly.

That would be very interesting. :)

An engine swop would be even more work. especially when we now have a complete supercharger kit available from LAN. The reason engine swops are easy (and I hesitate to say easy, because it's still a lot of work) on the hondas and the 240sx are because they have become so common that aftermarket companys are make all the necassary adapters for it. Trying to splice together the wiring harrness to but in a different engine will drive you mad.

I'm not saying you cant, I'm just saying it's even more work and money then what your looking at you modd the EG33.

Yeah low end torque might kinda suck.. nothing a little nitrous can't fix though.

You won't have to worry about low end torque as long as you have a 5/6MT or a high stall TC.

This is something I was planning for my next SVX, but probably a couple years down the road.

I think that the 2.5L STi motor has pretty decent torque off boost.

this is the setup I am running in my WRX. I am pretty happy with the low end torque.

http://65.6.129.58/wrx/images/dyno7.jpg

Plenty of people have swapped the WRX engine into older RS's. I know the wiring will be an issue. But I think that will be the only major one. It's not like I am trying to put a v8 in the car. Looking at where the motor mounts are on the EG33 they appear to be in the same place as the 2.5l or 2.0. If thats the case then it should drop right in. I'll find out for sure when I pull the motor this week. I'd do it tonight but the Notre Dame game is on.

Man, it must feel like you're getting shot out of a canon when that thing goes on boost. Yeah, wiring should be your only challenge. Were you planning on running an air conditioner system? That might also take a bit of effort to get working properly.

One really nice thing about the 4 cyl motors is that they weigh over 100 lbs less than the EG33. The 5MT tranny is also about 100 lbs less than the 4EAT. The weight distribution will be much nicer. You'll have to install some different suspension springs. With stock springs, the front of the car will probably sit a full inch higher with an EJ205 and a 5MT.

This is going to be awesome. You are breaking excellent ground here. With the engine and tranny swap you should weigh pretty close to a stock Sti.

This car used to be Porter's on this board. The car already has a very nice suspension and brake setup. This frees up the money for the engine since everything else is covered. It also helps that I have access to a blown WRX motor so I can go ahead and use that for a test fit.