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Posts Tagged “

Engine Swap

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choose your eternity

PCH, Fun With Honda Engines Edition: NSX-Powered Legend or Turbo Civic?

The '58 Lincoln put up a good showing, but in the end the Porsche 928 takes the prize, with 56% of you choosing Polyester-Clad White Powder Distributor over Chain-Smoking Rat Pack Player in Monday's Choose Your Eternity poll. But with a Datsun nearly beating a Peugeot last week, not to mention an Acura winning the 24 Hours of LeMons, we felt the need to turn Japanese for today's challenge. As always, the challenge with finding good candidates for Japanese Project Hell is that damned Japanese build quality and reliability, not to mention the ease of finding parts... but we've managed to find a couple of potentially-fast-yet-nightmarish Hondas to make your tools burn right through your flesh!
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5:20 PM on Thu May 15 2008
By Murilee Martin
3,230 views, 55 comments

Latest by CaliforniaCajun: @v250gto: Along with the color of the exhaust headers, I'd say that Turbonated Civic is about 30 highway miles short of dropping some orange-hot exhaust valves. more »

24 hours of lemons

V8olvo Ready To Go!

24 Hours of LeMons race weekend is just about here, and we're heading out to Altamont for the early check-in and tech inspection today. Señor Loverman has applied the all-important V8 emblem to the trunk lid, we've got our checklist all checked, and we're going to be throwing some elbows as we vie for the best pit location. Stay tuned for some live race coverage on Saturday!

10:00 AM on Fri May 9 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,573 views, 40 comments

24 hours of lemons

Broken Engine, Bad Cooling System Dictate Last-Minute V8olvo Thrash

Team Black Metal V8olvo was fortunate enough to get some track time at a Volvo club event at Thunderhill last week, and so we got the car all put together and trailered it on up to Willows. It worked pretty well, with our modified Thunderbird springs and swaybars and 242 Turbo brakes giving the car decent handling and stopping, and while the Ford 302 couldn't keep up with the wild-ass super-boosted turbo four-bangers on the other cars, it was able to get out of its own way. But then the car started running hot...
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Feature

2:20 PM on Thu May 8 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,706 views, 74 comments

Latest by SnowBot: I've heard that you need a bleed valve on a remote rad like that to make sure you get all the air out of the system.. might have been the gremlin in your awesome set up there.. more »

moment of zen

And Now, Your Jalopnik Moment of Zen...

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24 hours of lemons

Real $500 Race Cars Have Manual Transmissions... And Inner-Tube Shifter Boots!

When we started out to build a V8-powered Volvo 244 for the May 10-11 24 Hours of LeMons race, most of the team members assumed we'd be using the good ol' C4 automatic transmission. You know, automatics are way easier to swap, with no troublesome clutch linkage to futz with. But Crew Chief Hellhammer (formerly known as Dave) pointed out that he's built plenty of manual-equipped rods, and then he directed our attention to several Ford V8-compatible T-5 5-speeds (and no C4s) sitting in the weeds behind his shop (he's been working on a '57 Ford project, so his stash-o-parts is heavy on Ford running gear). With our minds filled with images of slushboxes overheating and dying at last year's Altamont race, we decided to go with three pedals instead of two... then held our collective breath when it came time to make it happen for real.
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4:00 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,619 views, 52 comments

Latest by HankelTransform: I know it's not the right year or model, but damn if this isn't a great name for a car: [m.assetbar.com] more »

choose your eternity

PCH, No Escape From Engine-Swapped Porsches Edition: VR6 914 or Corvair 912?

Perhaps you breathed a sigh of relief after Chevy-Powered Porsche Hell was over with, figuring that (with the small-block-motivated 911 winning so decisively) you would be spared the temptation of a hacked-up Porsche sporting a non-Stuttgart engine for quite a while. However Project Car Hell doesn't work that way; just because you were able to walk past the fiery gates once doesn't mean you won't be lured right back in by the same kind of bait! That's why we're returning to Porsche Engine Swap Hell today, this time going for six cylinders instead of eight.
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5:20 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,110 views, 41 comments

Latest by busbodger: I'll take the 912. (I've got to go finish my Corvair implanted VW Westfalia...) more »

junkyard find

Cadillac Northstars Finally Appearing In Self-Service Junkyards

I remember a time in the early 1990s when small-block Chevy HEI distributors finally started showing up in large numbers in the cheap self-service junkyards; those of us driving Chevy-powered heaps could rejoice at being freed from the misery of ignition points for a mere ten bucks. Now that point has been reached with the Cadillac Northstar engine: an aluminum DOHC V8 available for your personal engine swap madness for just $100 complete (on Half Price Day, that is). Here's a '93 Eldorado I found at a local junkyard not long ago. Hmmm... wonder how hard it would be to fit this engine in a Cavalier?

3:00 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,186 views, 58 comments

Latest by Sketch242: @tts10driver: I haven't kept up with the latest developments, but as of a couple of years ago, the easiest way to install it is using the auto trans that came with it. From what I've heard, the PCM will freak more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Chevy-Powered Porsche Edition: 911 or 924?

After all the excitement over the Gay Deep Throated Angry Demon 914rrari this morning, the chorus of demons here in the Hell Garage has begun chanting "Small-Block Porsche! Small-Block Porsche!" It's always best to obey the Hell Garage Demons, lest you find yourself driving a silver 4-year-old Camry or some other reliable boring transporation appliance. You go with one of today's choices and you'll be able to laugh smugly at those sellouts who took the easy road... the days will drag by for them, each a gray replica of the one that preceded it, while you roar around town in your V8-ized Porsche!
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5:20 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,890 views, 72 comments

Latest by 1600mkII: All I needed was to see a small block sitting on a rug in the 911/12's engine bay. Wow! That is SOOO cool! You have nothing to do but start from scratch with an impossible marriage...DA BEST! more »

found on ebay

This 914 Sounds Like "A Gay Deep Throated Angry Demon!"

What we have here is a 1974 Porsche 914 with a Chevy 350 engine and a Ferrari-influenced body kit, sort of a German Malaise version of the Fierrari. The owner needs to sell because he's "just sick," plus he's accepted a lifetime career opportunity in NYC and, you know, "Goodness only knows what insurance would cost and what vandalism it would be subject to there." The disturbing part is this statement: "On the road it sounds like a gay deep throated angry demon!" Yes, that's exactly the sound we're all looking for in a car! Thanks to Yurikaze for the tip! [eBay Motors]


8:00 AM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,185 views, 67 comments

Latest by FuzzyPlushroom: I don't think the owner's just sick. more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Northstar Swap Edition: Toyota MR2 or Pontiac Fiero?

Since yesterday's Packard Straight Eight Swap Edition (which was won by the '37 Pontiac) was so much fun, we're going to stick with Alternative Powerplant Hell for another day. All engine swaps are fun, of course, but the best ones involve stuffing an engine much, much larger than anything the car's designers ever considered. When you accomplish such a swap, you get respect; when you start with the knuckle-shredding, sanity-destroyingly tight engine compartment of a small mid-engined car (say, a Fiero or MR2)... well, that's when folks start treating you with the deference reserved for the truly mad!
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5:20 PM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Murilee Martin
5,022 views, 50 comments

Latest by Turboner: @BillStrong: Do what I did, get a wife who values torque over square footage... Wait, that came out wrong, I've got plenty of square "footage" where it counts! more »

24 hours of lemons

Fixing A Volvo Weakness: Fuel Filler Relocation

While the Black Metal V8olvo crew was working on the rear of the car, we took care of the Number One Priority immediately by installing a Fiero wing. Now, you'd think that such a wing would radiate such an impenetrable aura of cool that no other driver would dare hit our car, but we figured it wouldn't hurt to get some cheap insurance by dealing with one of the most vulnerable points on the Volvo 240 race car: the fuel filler. By all accounts, LeMons Volvos tend to get hit in the right rear, which knocks the fuel filler pipe loose and causes a fuel leak, which makes the guys with the black flags get all upset (and they've got a two-strikes-yer-out policy on fuel leaks). It's an easy fix, though!
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3:00 PM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Murilee Martin
3,002 views, 37 comments

Latest by thatguy01: Charles, isn't "To Do Pile" another genre entirely? more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Packard Eight Swap Edition: 1937 Pontiac Sedan or 1929 Ford Truck

Well, whaddya know- an American Hell Project beat a French one in our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll, with the Malaise Corvette Limo winning by a small- yet significant- margin over the V8-ready Peugeot 404. Unprecedented! We need to honor this tremendous underdog victory by going with an all-American matchup, with a 71-year-old car taking on a 79-year-old truck. Not only that, to honor the amazing Packard Straight Eight we saw in today's Engine of the Day post, each of these projects must be viewed as the potential recipient of a supercharged Packard inline eight engine. So forget those small-block Chevy engines that come with 'em, because the Chevy is just too easy.
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5:20 PM on Thu Apr 17 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,714 views, 30 comments

Latest by FuzzyPlushroom: @grrrr: That's what you get with the Ford... well, minus the suspension, maybe. more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Molten Sulfur Edition: V8 Peugeot 404 or Corvette Limo?

The Detroit (well, actually South Bend) machine put up a good fight against the Detroit-powered British Leyland product yesterday, but it's tough to beat a PCH Superpower and thus the voters gave the victory to the V8/IRS MGB-GT in yesterday's poll. But are we giving up on America as a credible PCH contender? Hell no! That's the thinking behind today's Detroit-versus-Paris matchup, and we'll see how things sort out.
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5:20 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,632 views, 67 comments

Latest by HUMONGUS: Don't hate on me, but Corvettes make excellent parts cars--this one is no exception. more »

24 hours of lemons

Another Advantage To Racing A Volvo: Free Parts Car!

Now that the 24 Hours of LeMons shit-talking has begun, I find it necessary to present some more evidence to show that the V8-ified Volvo 240 is Your Best Race Car Value, even though it means giving away some tricks to our real competition (i.e., the other teams driving Swedish steel). You see, some teams are coming up with this crazy talk about how they've got the best bang-for-buck with their Cavaliers or MR2s and such, but are there countless MR2s sitting in back yards, just waiting for some kind, trailer-equipped soul to come haul them away for free? As we've seen, perception of the poor brick-shaped Göteborg machine has gone from beloved daily driver to gas-swilling outcast recently, with local junkyards bursting at the seams with 242s, 244s, and 245s. That means that a Craigslist ad with the headline "DEAD VOLVO WANTED, WILL TOW" gets an immediate response.
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4:00 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,706 views, 34 comments

Latest by Murilee Martin: @chrystlubitshi: At the Thunderhill LeMons, there were many announcements on the PA like "Anyone with an extra 3-series BMW transmission, please go talk to Team Garbooned BMW," and many teams sent guys off on panicky junkyard runs during the race. more »

choose your eternity

Project Car Hell: IRS-ized V8 MGB-GT or 1963 Studebaker Avanti?

The majority of voters felt that an eternity spent wrenching on a pair of Willys Station Wagons would be preferable to eternity spent with a '58 Pontiac/'62 Mercedes-Benz combo, according to last Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll. That's fine, but what if you'd prefer endless toil on a hopeless challenging fast car? Something with light weight, V8 power, and primitive 60s suspension and brake design, perhaps? The red-hot iron gates are opening- come on in!
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5:20 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,422 views, 49 comments

Latest by petersterncan: Picked the Avanti and didn't even have to think about it. more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Superpower Showdown: V12 Jagchero or Electric Renault?

We took a break from the PCH Superpowers and watched the Rotary Honda 600 pound on the Rotary Starlet in yesterday's all-Japanese Choose Your Eternity poll. However, Britain's defeat of Italy last week can mean only one thing: Britain must now take on PCH SuperGigaPower France in an attempt to claim the rusty, oil-leaking PCH Intergalactic Superchampion crown!
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5:30 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,766 views, 71 comments

Latest by bd_juju: @slantsick: @P161911: Thanks, folks.. I knew there must have been some..just couldn't come up with. Scampage? That sounds pretty good... more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Rotary Swap Hell Edition: Honda 600 or Toyota Starlet?

Technically, the Peugeot Mi16 beat the Mercedes-Benz 6.9 in last Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll, but we're talking 327 to 317 votes here. When all is said and done, however, France still needs to take on Britain in a PCH Superpower Challenge... but we're postponing that apocalyptic battle for another day, because tipster EdNiedermeyer sent in a mighty Wankelized contender from not-often-seen-in-PCH Japan (earning a half-credit towards a Project Car Hell Tipster T-shirt in the process), and we've found a Rotarian opponent that stacks up pretty well against it. So throw those pistons in the trash and stagger into the sumo ring to face your 800-pound opponent, because it's Rotary Swap Hell Day!
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5:15 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,371 views, 36 comments

Latest by joneez: The 600. I was gonna put a turboed 1200 Goldwing engine in one of these but this is SOOOO much more over the top! more »

engine swap

One Maddening Problem Solved, 297 To Go!

It seemed like such a great idea a few months ago: Over here, we had a $100 Volvo 244. Over there, a free Ford 302 engine. A little welding, a bit of cutting, some duct tape, and voila! Easy V8 Volvo for the 24 Hours of LeMons, you betcha! Actually, we all knew we were taking on a ridiculously ambitious somewhat challenging project, especially since sweat and ingenuity would have to substitute for dollars in order to get under the $500 budget, but we've got the junkyard scroungers and fabricatin' maniacs to get the job done. Here's one example of the many critical details that must be dealt with when putting together a Frankensteined beast like ours: the throttle linkage.
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4:30 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,100 views, 31 comments

Latest by jnostalgics: @TurboBrick: Ah, as you can see, I'm not well versed in The Hock. 1970 hockey stripes all the way! more »