The Best Engine Swap Cars
Horsepower Specs Blog
Horsepower By Drivetrain
If your classic needs more motorvation, or it is just time to replace the anemic factory engine with something fresh, take a look into a performance engine swap. For many enthusiasts, this route has been tried many times before, and you can benefit from their experience. While “best” engine swap will always be debatable, here are a few solid contenders for easiest, cheapest, most do-able engine swaps.
Mazda RX7 -> LSx
The RX7 FD looks fantastic, weighs well under 3,000 pounds, and drives like a vastly more expensive car. Unfortunately, rotary engines aren’t known for their longevity. When the apex seals let go again, chunk those 1.3 liters of weirdness for more power and reliability. The LSx has been around since 1997, can achieve 30+ mpg, weighs about the same as a Wankel motor, and starts at 50 more horsepower than the RX7 had. Drop-in kits exist, making this a fairly easy swap.
3rd Gen Camaro -> Big Block Chevy
Why this generation Camaro? Well, earlier generations were designed to handle a big block, but they were also 500 to 700 pounds heavier. The fourth gen Camaro was somewhat light-ish, but aerodynamics demanded a long sloped windshield, placing the engine almost under the dashboard. The third gen Camaro could be under 3,000 pounds in street trim (with a 4 or 6 under the hood), and no annoying cowl in the way, just a big open engine bay waiting for 572 cubic inches of Chevy power. Drop-in kits are sold online, and the basic truck 454s are dirt cheap. If you are looking for a dedicated drag racer, this one will be hard to beat.
Ford Festiva -> B6T
Right, so this is an econobox that looks like a roller-skate and has all the class of a dumpster fire. Still, the Festiva has one thing going for it. Weight, or actually lack of it. A factory Festiva weighs just 1,700 pounds, and it’s possible to strip it down to 1,500 even as a street car. The 1.3L hamster wheel only made 63 horsepower back in the day, but fortunately any Mazda B series engine is almost a drop in. Look to the B6T from an early ‘90s Mercury Capri for 132 horsepower. Not a lot, but more than twice the factory amount, and enough for a hilariously quick and ugly little car.
Mustang SN95 & New Edge -> Modular 5.4L
The modular Mustangs of the ‘90s don’t get much respect. They are heavier than the Fox chassis, and don’t take to mods as well, but also don’t have the factory power and handling of the most recent models. Stroker kits are ridiculously expensive for a 4.6L, so why not spend a few hundred at the wrecking yard and pick up a stout 5.4L? Check the F-series, and Expedition, and try to get a 2000 or later for the better heads. 330 horsepower and boatloads of torque makes a modern Mustang fun.
Mazda Miata -> Ford 302
Sure, the LSx is all the rage right now, and has mostly supplanted the heavier and less powerful Ford “five-oh,” but there are a few reasons to keep the ol’ 302 in mind. The V8 isn’t all that powerful, at only 215 horsepower, but it more than doubles the factory Miata’s torque. Yes, it does add a few hundred pounds to the car, and has a slight negative effect on handling, but these are more than balanced out by the massive aftermarket support and drop-in kits. Finish this swap and you won’t have spent much, but you’ll have a super lightweight Mustang equivalent that’s faster and handles better.
Honda CRX -> Honda B18b
The ‘80s CRX is the pinnacle of lightweight Honda fandom, and its B-series engines offer a lot of variety for not much money or Band-Aids. If you are looking to improve the 91 horsepower from the factory, it’s probably cheaper to rip that 1.5 liter lump out and replace with something decent. The 142 horsepower B18b can be found in any low rent version of the Integra, and now it is all over eBay for the price of a pack of beer. For even more fun (and more cash), look into the B18c1 from USDM Integra GS-R. 170 horsepower ought to make that roller-skate move.
MGB -> GM 3.4
Classic MGBs from the ‘70s are still plentiful today, and they all look great. When their owners are able to get them running. British manufacturing being what it was back then (and owners looking for more than 100 horsepower) leads many to look into engine swaps. Oddly, the best choice here is not a fire breathing V8. Although those can be done, after a cost/benefit analysis you will likely choose the GM 3.4 liter V6. It weighs almost the same as factory, but provides a 60% increase in hp and almost double the torque. It sells for about $100 on eBay, and drop-in kits make it a cinch. For the most fun results, get the V8 T-5 transmission with its better gearing, and swap on an S-10 bell housing and flywheel, as they are both lighter than Camaro pieces.
S-10/Sonoma -> Chevy small block
The Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma aren’t the highest quality trucks around, but there was somewhere around a million made every year, and they are practically free now. The best version offered a 4.3 liter V6 making a pathetic 160 to 195 horsepower, depending on year and trim. The great thing about this engine is its bolt pattern and mounts, which are the same as a Chevy 350 or other small blot. That makes this swap possibly the easiest to accomplish on this list, as it’s almost a remove and replace (with something better) job. The large truck engine bay makes the work easy, and nearly any newer V8 will offer a 100 horsepower gain. While you mileage will still suck, you didn’t buy this truck for the mileage anyway.
While an engine swap is always a good amount of work, with some reading and planning, you can get it done in about a weekend. With just a little bit of work, and a fairly small cash outlay, you can radically transform your vehicle. Let us know if you have finished an engine swap, and any advice you have for our readers.
