4 cylinder engine/tranny choice

[krispykang]

So far, I like

1.6L from Toyota Echo, Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent w/ 5 speed (~100hp)
2.2L Ecotec w/ 5 speed (~150hp)

I'm budgeting for $2000 for engine, tranny and accessories. Do you think it's reasonable?

What's your pick and what's your budget?

[KB58]

You need to balance cost, desired power, availability, ungradability, physical size, and weight.

How you proportion the above only you can decide!

[carguy123]

From what I've seen you should have no trouble finding the engine/tranny and accessories for less than $2,000.

When looking for an engine keep in mind physical dimensions and weights. Some of the engines are just HUGE when compared others. Let's say you have a choice of 2 engines that both produce 120 hp but one weighs 50-100# heavier then the lighter engine would not only give better straight line performance but also better handling.

Now getting accurate data is the hard part.

[horizenjob]

Hi CarGuy, just got thru reading your long engine thread on the DRM pages. Did you consider Subaru for a transaxle ( with another engine ) for longitudinal engine mounting?

I'd like to see one of your cars set up with a Formula Ford power train. WOuld a low heigh engine be a help in your car or is that just an issue with the front engine Locosts?

[striker2]

How about a Zetec with a 98+ MTX75 cable shifted instead of the earlier rod shift). once you upgrade the differential to either a quaife or torsen it will handle 400+ HP. This is what im planning on doing.

[carguy123]

Hi CarGuy, just got thru reading your long engine thread on the DRM pages. Did you consider Subaru for a transaxle ( with another engine ) for longitudinal engine mounting?

I'd like to see one of your cars set up with a Formula Ford power train. WOuld a low heigh engine be a help in your car or is that just an issue with the front engine Locosts?

We were looking for something that could be assembled easily and cheaply so we didn't/haven't considered b*stard combinations.

But with that said I REALLY want a longitudinal engine. But I want to get several transverse engines built and then build a longitudinal set up to see if this is another of those areas where the "figures and theoretical" don't translate as well to the real world as they do on paper.

Formula Ford engines fit. I have someone who is presently interested in the FF set up. Now as to whether he will still be interested in a year is another story altogether.

Another engine I really like is a rotary, but how do you get it mounted cheaply, easily and effectively? Personal preferences only go so far.

As far as height of engine it most definitely helps to have a lower profile. Other than the driver the engine is the heaviest single element of the car. But once again practicality wins out over technicality. You have to work with what you can get. So we have looked for the proper power, lowest weight (both total and up high), availability and price point in an attempt to make the best compromise we can make.

I know that numerous engines will make it into the car. Only time will tell the most (cost) effective combos.

[Philippe]

I'm budgeting for $2000 for engine, tranny and accessories. Do you think it's reasonable?

What's your pick and what's your budget?[/quote]

I am trying to find words that will be useful to you. You are considering bhp and $$$ but not the state in which the machinery is. How old is it, how many miles, how was it maintained. What are your expectations in terms of durability and reliability?

Depending on the answers $ 2000 may be plenty or it may fall short....badly!

My first build is a 1993 VW turbo diesel locost. I spent about $ 3000. 00 to get the engine remanufactured, $ 900 on a rebuilt injection pump, and a $ 900 on a rebuilt turbo. Plus another $ 1500 on "details". Why? I had no reasons to trust the donor, that's why.

My second build (probably a la Bala based Porsche 550) is being designed around a 1998 Mazda Protégé Z5. A good little transaxle mill. I spotted the donor car on a recycling yard. It looked almost new...except the trunk that had been flatened. I checked the owner's maintenance book. All looked in order. The car looked like an insurance write-off and I was ready to take my chances, that is not to rebuild the engine nor the transmission. In this case, I have got my powerplant for $600.00.

Hope this is of some use to you.

Philippe.

[zetec7]

I spent about 2 large for my (very) low mileage 2-liter Zetec ($650), Ford T-5 ($150) trans and dual 45DCOE Webers/manifold ($1200...ouch!). Since then, of course, I've added an 8-lb. Fidanza alloy flywheel, the Quad4rods.com bellhousing, and a quad4rods 2D OBD1 ignition...which adds probably another thousand. Still to come - a concentric hydraulic release bearing (around $200).

If you got a motor + all ancillaries, you could do it for quite a bit less, IMHO, and I believe that 2 grand or less is quite attainable for a low-miles engine/trans combo. As for my pick...see the above!

[krispykang]

I'm leaning towards Toyota's 1.5 1NZ-FE.

- it's pretty light (185lbs)
- 106 hp should be enough to propel sub 1500lb car
- there seems to be a lot of information about it on the web.
- in Vancouver, BC, there are so many echoes and yarises; availability of used parts should be plenty
- cheap; I saw one listed around $650 w/ tranny w/o ECU

Now only if I can find exact dimensions for my SolidWorks model.

[JSullivan]

Is that weight including the transmission? And all accessories, and fluids? That's almost bike engine light!

[SkinnyG]

I picked up a 2005 Duratec for $150 at the local Pick-N-Pull. Now to find a W58 tranny to adapt....

[horizenjob]

SkinnyG, were you able to bring that home the way you lug your race tires around on the seven or do you stoop to driving some kind of practical vehicle to the yard?

Did you go for the 2.0 or 2.3?

[SkinnyG]

Sadly, the hardest part was lifting the engine out of the wheel barrow and into the back of my Nissan Hardbody myself - I foolishly left the canopy on when I went to the yard. So yeah, I sold the Sinister Sentra for the Hideous Hardbody. Sometimes practicality wins out.

But then, by removing the passenger-side arm rest I can fit both my kids' baby seats in the (standard size) cab.

I got the 2.0 to stay D/Mod legal.

G

[krispykang]

> Is that weight including the transmission? And all accessories, and fluids? That's almost bike engine light!

No. Just the engine. I wish there was a website with weight and dimension of different power trains.

[rust_bucket]

Is that weight including the transmission? And all accessories, and fluids? That's almost bike engine light!

1500 lbs is more than reasonable... BEC's if done well can be less than 1000 lbs. I've ridden in one that was around 950 lbs.

I'm running Miata gear and anticipate being around 1300 lbs wet sans driver.
I'd guess a (small) japanese milled middy could easily hit 1200 lbs.