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Engine Swapping for Straight 6 Power

billspohn

Jedi Knight
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Quite possibly not many engine swappers here, but I own both classic and modern sports cars and sometimes the possibilities of re-engining an old sports car with a modern engine come to mind. I have done this in my Jamaican bodied MGA, using a 3.4 GM 60 deg. V6, as have many others into cars like TRs and MGBs.

My candidate is a straight 6, but like nothing I can recall in past practice. I own a BMW Z4MC, and the DOHC 3.2 I6 they come with has 11.5 compression, and puts out 338 bhp at 7900 rpm (and with a stroke about the same as an MGB).

As with any modern engine swap you need to either use the existing engine management system from the modern car (highly recommended) or come up with an after market solution (often harder and more expensive).

This engine comes with a 6 speed manual gearbox and the engine weighs in at around 470 lb (they run a cast iron block for rigidity and an alloy head). They should fit fairly easily into a Healey with a 6, a Triumph TR6, an MGC, and a few others (obviously Jaguars) as well as other marques (which is why I posted in this section).

They don't look like an old style DOHC six because they have a cover that encompasses both cams. They run six individual throttle bodies and a rather nice looking stock tubular exhaust. And they sound better than any V8 and many straight 6s with a real banshee wail at high rpm.

Thought I'd just throw the idea out there for anyone that wanted to double the power of their vintage Jaguar or Healey (and if you want to rush to tell me that an XKE had 265 bhp, when they in fact had about 190 hp net/modern measure, don't bother).

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Interesting Bill, what are you centemplating putting it in and how does it compare size wise?
 
I'd love to see it in a Jag XKE - double the power and way less weight.

But then I'm an iconoclast - I'd love to show up at a Corvette show with a C2 Vette with a 4 cylinder LNF motor in it putting out 450-500 bhp. Bet they'd love a little 4 cylinder that exceeded the output of the V8s they came with (my street Solstice coupe has an LNF that produces 375 bhp and 375 Tq, and gets 30 mpg when your foot isn't planted - very good good mileage when not under boost!

Of course the Corvette guys would likely lynch me.....

As would some of the MG crew for doing this!

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