Solarian

...which you guys will probably say "wtf?! HELL NO!"

I've seen it done before in the UK--a Subaru engine dropped into a 70’s VW Beetle. I'm not sure how it was done, what was used (I know for sure that it was turboed, but not sure if it was a very old rebuilt engine or not), or what type of modifications, if any, were required.

So my question to the guru mechanics here is how can this be done? What type of engine would actually fit? Can I order old rebuilt Subaru engines or have one built locally? I have an old 71 bug that I'm restoring, and I'm actually considering doing a conversion. Any insight you guys might have would be awesome.



[edit] Found some pictures for you guys:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/204970.jpg <---2.5 engine, but what year?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/78456.jpg <---WRX powered (w/ turbo)

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/66140.jpg <---Subaru 1600cc Double carb. 90HP

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/60349.jpg <---2.0 turbo modified, aprox. 260 hp (this is the one I was talking about above)



Kind of cool that a few old bugs and busses are being powered by Subaru huh?

Smooth_Ej20

its not far-fetched at all. Ive seen plenty of VW bugs with porsche motors in them..mainly falt-6's so a flat-4 is totally do-able. You would have to run straight stand-alone engine management cause you're never gonna be able to wire it using factory equipment. the really tricky part is going to be finidng a tranny to mate to make it RWD....AWD aint gonna happen unless you own the color blue or something. All in all its not a bad idea.

gpatmac

iTrader: (3)

I'd imagine that only if someone on this board has actually done it will you find the answer on here.

I'd imagine that it comes down to plain old measuring it yourself, then figuring out, based on where all of the reinforcements are underneath an Impreza, and then blueprinting what supports would need to be added.

As far as mating the output shaft and the engine to a transfer, I guess that's where the real ingenuity comes into play. You could call Jesse James.

Seriously, wherever you got those photos might be a good place to start. Email the guy who owns the website where you got them.

jdepould

iTrader: (2)

seinfeld drove a porsche-powered VW Bus cross country.

Impooter

its also pretty common for VW vanagon owners to do impreza or SVX engine swaps...hell i dont blame them for knowing a good engine when they see one..

BeE_JiZZeLs

iTrader: (73)

Should work, but u'd need to make custom mounts and minor trimming of the vw's rear apron...

I spit out a tranny w/ only dual carbs, so a stock or rebuilt tranny (unless beefed up) wont hold up...

An ej20t into a pre 68 bug or ghia is a future project my dad and I plan on doing for ma lil bro...

Seems like alotta iclubbers owned air-cooled vdubs before; I did, and sold it for $3700 and used that for a down on my wrx wagon...

I'd buy another bug, if it was an oval in a heartbeat.. even if it wasn't running. Parts are HELLA cheap and they're relatively easy to work on... All u need is a lil patience when dialing in ur carb(s)

Solarian

Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like it might be more trouble than its worth for a guy like me. I don't have the shop experience or the cash for a shop to do such a customized job. Plus, I'm a big fan of NOT destroying old VWs (or any older car for that matter) by cutting into the body. I think it would just be smarter to buy a Subaru, hahah.

On the Porsche motors in VWs subject, there barely is no difference at all, unless you swap an air-cooled engine out with a later water-cooled. Porsche = VW, they are almost identical in terms of older cars. The only difference is that Porsche's typically use larger fans, larger carbs, and a few other larger components, but it's still the same ol VW engine. As a mater of fact, you can get a VW engine faster, cooler, stronger, and cheaper if you go with a VW engine. Hell, my buddy use to run 10 second 1/4 miles with a tweaked out 1914, whereas Porsche engine’s usually are above 2200 size engines and still run at the same speed on the tracks.

BeE_JiZZeLs - Right on man, what year did you have? Yeah, it's amazing how cheap bugs can be. Standard daily driver engines run about $1000 and last forever, if you're patient, careful with it, and keep it running tip top all the time. You could probably find an oval under $500 in crappy condition, but you figure that it would cost maybe $6000 at most to bring it back to life and lookin good…then turn around and sell it for $20,000! Hell, the demand for old buses are so high right now that rusted out 70’s models are going for above $8,000…amazing.


Thanks again for the thoughts guys!