944 with a rx8 renisis engine... genius or madness?

[Cyprus944]

hi everyone, decided to breath a new life into my 944 as 944 engine kaput but have a rx8 engine to put in, i carnt bring myself to selling the 944 as its just a superb looking car but for me to get another engine would cost a fortune due to the duty i would have to pay, so ive bit the bullet on this and puttong myself well in the deep end with this transformation what makes it more interesting is im mechanically inept!!!!!!!!!!!! any advice and help in my quest would be very helpful.

thanks all.

cyprus944

[mollytherocker]

I would lay off the ouzo for a while if I were you.

[pauljmcnulty]

Get a bank loan and leave it to a specialist, cyprus.

[mollytherocker]

pauljmcnulty said:

Get a bank loan and leave it to a specialist, cyprus.

Now that is well below the belt! Red card!

[phelix]

Ignoring the Cyprus quips for a moment - paying someone else (who may well not have done it before) an hourly rate to do an engine conversion is a step towards bankruptcy.

[mollytherocker]

phelix said:

Ignoring the Cyprus quips for a moment - paying someone else (who may well not have done it before) an hourly rate to do an engine conversion is a step towards bankruptcy.

This is going well.....

Edited by mollytherocker on Wednesday 27th March 21:24

[Cyprus944]

Cyprus944 said:

hi everyone, decided to breath a new life into my 944 as 944 engine kaput but have a rx8 engine to put in, i carnt bring myself to selling the 944 as its just a superb looking car but for me to get another engine would cost a fortune due to the duty i would have to pay, so ive bit the bullet on this and puttong myself well in the deep end with this transformation what makes it more interesting is im mechanically inept!!!!!!!!!!!! any advice and help in my quest would be very helpful.

thanks all.

cyprus944

I'm English not cypiot so I don't mind the jibes about the situation over here, I'm more concerned about my project( selfish.. Yes)

[mollytherocker]

Ok, serious then.

What's wrong with the engine? Can it not be rebuilt? Surely the best option?

Putting a wankel engine in it will surely be a HUGE and expensive project?

[tr7v8]

Cheapest option is to rebuild or replace what you have. Good s/h lump would be most cost effective. The rotary is going to be a lot of effort & will still have gearing issues which with a transaxle are not cheap to fix. The other option is a V8 swap such as Lexus, LSx or SBC. Kits are around with lots of info.

[Cyprus944]

mollytherocker said:

Ok, serious then.

What's wrong with the engine? Can it not be rebuilt? Surely the best option?

Putting a wankel engine in it will surely be a HUGE and expensive project?

I agree on a huge project but the change over I should be ok with as I own a fabricating business plus I sublet land to a couple of mechanics who are ( Surprisinly ) eager to help and assist free of charge, the Porsche engine... The aluminium casings for the piston rings are shattered, piston in pieces comrod shot to bit plus other stuff and I'm upfor the challenge/frustration of this. Will upload pics in the morning. Cheers for the responses and advice that is mentally logged.

[thegoose]

I think it sounds like a great idea *in principle*. I had a 2.5 Lux engine rebuilt about 9 years ago and it cost around £3000 to do it properly (and that was starting with 2 broken engines), so with RX8 complete cars costing under half that I can see the attraction in trying it - similar power and high revving engine, maybe lighter too?

I've no idea how you could get it to work with the transaxle, which I'm sure is a very good point.

Also, I had an RX8 once which fouled the plugs (easily done - if you read the manual it says when switching off to rev to 4,000rpm for 20 seconds and switch the ignition off whist still revving it - no-one actually does this though!) and they were accessed by removing the front wheels - on the 944 you may need to allow for access to these (i.e. maybe cut holes in inner wings) or make it very easy to remove the engine if that's going to be necessary to access the plugs.

[DEANO87]

Rotary engines a rubbish gimmick!!! do not fit one in your porsche!!

[mollytherocker]

Here's 2 more options;

1. Sell the car for parts and buy another good one.
2. Buy a rough one, take the engine, then sell it for parts.

Can't see either of these options costing much.

[mollytherocker]

DEANO87 said:

Rotary engines a rubbish gimmick!!! do not fit one in your porsche!!

Not strictly true. Won Le Mans and have you heard one at full chat?

[wtdoom]

sell rotary engine , put money towards 944 re build

[blade7]

pauljmcnulty said:

Get a bank loan and leave it to a specialist, cyprus.

Sarcasm isn't big or funny.

[GC8]

Hot starting is a problem. Had the OP been called Vostock Station 944 then it may have been a good idea...

OP, Ive spent a long time looking into and trying to add a different engine and it really isnt a good idea - and it certainly isnt a solution where cost is your motivation.

[SalesManager]

Take a car with a cast iron pedigree such as a 944 and a install an engine that isn't awesomely powerful or reliable from a eurobox manufacturer and see what you have got.

1 an absolute nightmare to get it to work
2 probably huge expense
3 Something that is unsellable
4 Something that drives like sheeeeet because it was developed with no budget
5 Something that you are unlikely to finish

Do yourself a favour and stop now.

[Raitzi]

I would go for BMW inline 6 for better suiting sound and reliability.

[GC8]

Id go for a replacement 944 engine! Theyre worth next to nothing. No matter what some chancers may ask, you cant give 944 engines away.