Guys, I'm looking for a good candidate engine that has the look of an Offy 4cyl or a Jag L6, but in something that I can actually afford to use in a regular driver application. Prefer something that is allready used in a rear wheel drive application also. The Olds Quad 4 is not a candidate, as it has too much junk on the front of it, and it cost too much to use in a RWD setup. It needs to be something I can find here in the USA.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Bryan

A Fiat twin cam would fit the low cost option. An Alfa 4 cyl would work, but would be more $$.

The DOHC 1.8 litre Mazda Miata engine (also found in other Mazda series) should be a relatively inexpensive takeout in salvage yards, and parts are readily available. My '94 Miata, with 68,000 miles, has made several trips crosscountry and has been wonderfully reliable.

See

http://members.aol.com/solomiata/MX5Engine.html

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

Thanks, I'll look into those options.

I agree with the choices above. These engines are good runners and look good, too.

I have an October 1999 Copy of Street Rodder with a Fiat-powered lakester on the front cover. The engine, with the aluminum highly polished, is a real jewel!

The information provided above for the Mazda makes them look even more apealing. Parts availability might be better for the Mazdas, too.

Build one, shoot photos of every step you make, then publish it here! I'd love to see a project like that!

4-bangers, forever!

I had a 1993 Pontiac GrandAm GT Coupe with the Quad4 HO motor in it(Stock one year only 185 HP). It had great power to weight ratio.
When I added a bigger throttle body, larger injectors, a K&N snorkle, and a free flowing exhaust system, it made 215 HP at the rear wheels!
It pulled really well in dry weather and during the snow months, I had a devil of a time getting any traction at all.

One our Advertisers (Inliners)takes the Quad4 motor and has an adapter for a north-south configuration. He also supplies dual webers, cams, etc. A turbo version of this would really put the Kabash on those Rice Rocket guys! It has dual overhead cams and 4 valves/cylinders too. Pretty high tech for GM.
I've even been thinking of a supercharged Quad4 for my Lakester project. It could all fit under a small hood. M-M-M-M!

RapRap
1940 ChoppedChevyCoupe

OK, I was going to wait until I was a little further along to start posting pictures of my "New Old Frenchtown Flyer" '40s era dirt track racer with a DOHC inline 8 Duesenberg. Why don't you do what I did - make an aluminum alloy 'DOHC' valve cover that fits over a stock 300 Ford six. That way you can have the look of a classic oldies racing engine with the reliability and ease of maintenance of a modern six.

I will take some photos in a few days to show you what is possible.

I'd like to see that cover when It's done. Sounds like a cool idea.

Tom

The project I've had in mind for quite awhile was to be a '27 Ford turtle deck roadster or a chopped coupe. It is to be a daily driver. An inline 6 is too heavy, too long, and will never get the gas milage that I'm shooting for, hence the cammer 4 banger. It will give me the right look, as well as lighter weight and hopefully close to 30mpg.
My '37 coupe has a 440 in it, and at 10mpg, needless to say, it didn't get driven very much this year.

I'd like to be able to just find a RWD car with the right style of 4 banger, and just take the entire engine and driveline and transplant it into the '27. The Fiat twin cam is looking like a possibility at this point.

You could look for an SR20DET, RB20DET or the like. They were all RWD Factory Nissan Motors.

My initial thought, if you enjoy the 440 and plan to keep it, drive it! No way your gonna save money gas money, by building another car, that happens to get better mpg. You can tell yer old lady that excuse...not gonna fly with a gearhead. (detune, megasquirt efi, gearing changes comes to mind)


With that in mind, your 4banger projec sounds interesting, hope to see it progress on this forum, good luck!

Here you go - just use your imagination a little...

inline 300,
I hear what you are saying, but you kind of miss the point. Milage isn't the driving force behind this project. I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. It's a hobby, so the cost of building the car vs. money saved on gas isn't important to me. It's being able to built it and drive it any old time is what its about for me. Having a hot rod that gets terrific milage is just icing on the cake.
All the things you mention to do to the 440 will not amount to much for milage. Spending a couple grand to get another 2mpg is definitely not worth doing, and it has a 3:23 rearend. I will probably be selling it anyway real soon.

FTF,
Nice job, and judging by the responces from your other postings, it should fool alot of people.
That engine block looks interesting. Is that one of those new "see thru" engines so you can watch the internals work?
Those wooden mounts are pretty swank. The rat rodders will be all over that...

Problem with the more modern engines is that they don't look so much like twin cammers...

The Jag and Offy heads are very much like the fake cover above, The Fiat is not so bad, and also the Alfa.

There was a twin cam Alfa 2.6-litre six built along the same lines, nice sweet sound out of those inline sixes, of course.

If there's a Mercedes 4-cylinder, it might have the right look. And it would be 2-litres or more, so some reasonable grunt would be available.

I'll think on this, there might be something else. And I don't mean a Cosworth Vega either, which had a single cam cover that, again, didn't look like an old time twin cammer.