Conceptual, unusual engine swaps... (Mercruiser, anyone?)

[Jim Prower]

Been wondering on something for a little while, now, and perhaps you've seen a comment about this in the "Engine transplants that should be done" thread...

But I'm wondering what it might take to convert a boat engine...particularly a racing boat engine...to automotive use. For that matter, of the 500+ cubic inch, sterndrive variety. I'm not sure how offshore water and, say, a dragstrip launch compare. That, and, of course, bellhousing/tailshaft work...

What about other stuff? Just for grins, something like an aircraft engine, a Lycoming IO360 or something.

 

[Eric.]

I know that swapping in Mercury boat motors is possible in a Fiero. How or any other details, no idea...

 

[Joey D]

Aren't most boat engines from cars any ways? It seems like most of the people I know with boats have Chevy small or big blocks in them.

 

[Jim Prower]

There are two manufacturers (Mercruiser/Mercury Racing and Volvo Penta) that make inboard, sterndrive pleasure boat engines strictly from non-automotive blocks.

 

[Roo]

There's Practical Performance Car's Rover SD1 with a 27 litre Merlin engine. I've got some (not very good) pictures of it somewhere.

 

[JCE]

The majority of the Marine engines around here that are V6's or V8's are simply small block Chevy's. The 4.3L or the 5.0L variety are what is most common around here. The differences are simply the accessories and intake that I am aware of.

 

[Giygas]

There's this guy who owns a Mazda Miata with a V12 from a Jag.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=280291

 

[JCE]

Awsome actually. I love V12's being put into random cars. Anyone want to drop a BMW V12 in the boot of my Focus?

 

[zed300]

Marine engine run certain camshaft angles, to produce a most of their torque in the bottom of the rev range and then according to the proposed speed of the craft the torque is almost set to peak there.
Also there are numerous other parts to change from these engines, as they have a pump and cambers on the exhaust headers for cooling. The heads may need to be re-machined as some welsh plugs may have been removed for some pipe work in place for marine application too.

Apart from this it should no other differences.

 

[Jim Prower]

Marine engine run certain camshaft angles, to produce a most of their torque in the bottom of the rev range and then according to the proposed speed of the craft the torque is almost set to peak there.
Also there are numerous other parts to change from these engines, as they have a pump and cambers on the exhaust headers for cooling. The heads may need to be re-machined as some welsh plugs may have been removed for some pipe work in place for marine application too.

Apart from this it should no other differences.

huh. The one I was thinking about using most was Mercury Racing's new twin-turbo 1300/1350. and the application....well...

Let's call it a "Paper Project."

 

[Murcie_LP640]

The powerboats (you know, the one's that are actually used for awesome racing....and occasionally fatal crashes) have different classes with different power outputs. Every single one uses a small-block Chevy.

And aircraft engines have been used too. The Mystery Machine is the world's fastest jet van which clocked on last memory over 210mph on a mile I believe. Jet turbine in a Hi-Ace kgo.

 

[Boz Mon]

Im pretty sure that boat engines spin the opposite direction of their car engine counterparts. A buddy of mine needed a starter for his boat which had a ford 351 in it, he got it from napa as a car part and it spun the engine backwards and filled it with water.

 

[Jim Prower]

That would only mean the marine conversion for a 351 Ford would spin in reverse...not necessarily a Mercruiser. and, if a Mercury Racing 1300 DOES spin backwards...well, you're gonna be doing lots of custom work anyway...

 

[Boz Mon]

Fari enough Jim. I also just remembered that my car collector neighbor has a ZR-1 Corvette, I think its the C4 model? Anyway, he claims that it has a mercury made engine in that. I'm not sure about the validity of this though.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Yeah Mercury built the ZR-1 motors as far as I've ever heard.

 

[Eric.]

Mercury just assembled them though. Its still a GM engine but tuned up by Lotus.

 

[Balocco]

If the engine itself wasn't bigger than most cars, I'd do everything in my power to put a Napier Deltic in, well, it doesn't matter, since it'll have a Napier Deltic in it.

The Napier Deltic is a 12 cylinder engine, with the cylinders arranged in three banks of four. The thing that makes the Deltic so awesome, though, is how the cylinders are arranged. The three banks form a triangle with a crankshaft in each of the corners, with a piston going into each end of the cylinder.

Here's a gif so you can see how awesome it is.

 

[Boz Mon]

How in the world would you get the 3 separate crankshafts into 1 output shaft to turn a driveshaft?

 

[Balocco]

How in the world would you get the 3 separate crankshafts into 1 output shaft to turn a driveshaft?

Like this:

It's not a Napier, but it's a deltic, and it works the same way. I'm assuming this one is from a small boat, the Napiers were massive and powered battleships and such.

Also, deltic engines are two stroke, which is also cool.

 

[Jim Prower]

Aye. the Deltics are some of the BEST sounding diesel engines ever, if not THE best. (Detroit 6-/ 12V-71s are right up there, too. Puzzles me why their cousin EMD 567s and 645s sound so...bland.)

However, they're typically HUGE. I don't think you could get one in a car. They're Locomotive engines. One possibility, though would be to stuff it in a specially modified box trailer and use an electric generator to drive the wheels on a large OTR truck/lorry.

 

[Balocco]

Aye. the Deltics are some of the BEST sounding diesel engines ever, if not THE best. (Detroit 6-/ 12V-71s are right up there, too. Puzzles me why their cousin EMD 567s and 645s sound so...bland.)

However, they're typically HUGE. I don't think you could get one in a car. They're Locomotive engines. One possibility, though would be to stuff it in a specially modified box trailer and use an electric generator to drive the wheels on a large OTR truck/lorry.

There have been some smaller deltics that aren't THAT massive, that are about the size of a medium chest freezer, that are used for powering machines in small factories, so you could fit one of those in, easy.

If they were able to fit the engine out of a zeppelin into a car like Count Zborowski did with the first Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, you could shove a small deltic in.

 

[mafia_boy]

Here's something that's very unusual. S13 Silvia with a Subaru EJ20T motor.

 

[Eric.]

That's strange. I wonder what made him want that one. I guess he gains a lower center of gravity, but parts (replacement and aftermarket), reliability (?), both probably went down from a usual SR or RB swap.

 

[mafia_boy]

That's strange. I wonder what made him want that one.

Probably price....it's nearly double the price of an EJ20T to get an SR20DET-RWD version.

I guess he gains a lower center of gravity, but parts (replacement and aftermarket), reliability (?), both probably went down from a usual SR or RB swap.

If anything, it's more reliable with the EJ compared to an SR. Parts are plentiful thanks to our Australian aftermarket (we have MRT & TRP who make parts for the US market) not to mention the JDM aftermarket. Also, Subie's aren't really rare over here so wrecking yards have a couple of WRX's laying about all the time thanks to tools who think their Petter Solberg and end up crashing their car, not to mention the many stolen and ram raid used WRX's, and then the engine importers have bucketload's of the EJ20 motors.