What is your FAVORITE 4 cyl for a HotRod project? MPG-HP !

BTTT for all of the Newbies.

 

A sports bike engine in a very light car would be cool. They are powerfull, wind like crazy, come with a sequential six speed and weight next to nothing. Some guys with lotus seven clones use them with good results.

The only negative points are that you'd have to keep a hood on it cause they look like crap and you'd need to figure out a way to install a reverse gear. They weren't intended to be economic on fuel neither.

 

Haven't seen anyone mention the Mercruiser 3.0L. Plenty of torque, adequate availabilty in the boat yards, and Chevy bellhousings witll bolt right up. Clifford used to list some induction & other stuff to fit it but I don't know if they still carry any.

 

That's about right. I calculate that as 147HP; 756 watts = 1 HP
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower1.htm

 

Ahhh... Boat yards -- hadn't thought about that.

I also have to agree with the Pinto/Ranger folks.
That Ranger motor is very solid, really takes a beating -- and the newer ones have two plugs per cylinder.

And the Quad-4 sure does have that Offy flavor to it. But that front timing chain deal is kind of a PITA to work with. Even if you're careful you can strip out a thread or stud. IF they ever come out with a cogged timing belt conversion for it (like someone did for the Ford 427 SOHC) then I'd be interested.

I also kind of like the VW water-cooled 4-banger. Very, very easy to work on. I'm thinking of an early 80s GTI motor.

Surprised I didn't see anyone touting the wonders of the stock Model A motor. Did I miss it?

For me, I'll probably go with my Ford 390 FE, but these 4-bangers are tempting. The light weight gives you a better change at getting your weight under 1500# so you can run fenderless with zero hassles ever.

 

Well my top idea has been mentioned, the quad 4. I hear the will bolt to the trans from I think the 2.8 s-10 with minor mods. There was a cool bucket, turboed etc. in Hotrod awhile back. Obscenely fast for what it was.

I guess I'm kinda sick, cause I have pictured a track t with most of the choices, either pinto motor, 22r, rotary etc.

The one thing I was thinking of I havent seen mentioned was the Toyota 3TC, its a pushrod Hemi, in around 80 or 81 Corollas.

I guess I like nearly any internal combustion engine.

Randy

 

I always had a soft spot for those bulletproof little 1600 cc Toyota Hemi 4's from the early seventies.
Big, clean, Hemi style Aluminium valve cover made it a good looker as well.

I tried to kill a couple of those in winter beaters...not a wimper from either, so I know they're tough as nails! LoL

Yeah! 3TC! Thats the one! Lasted into the eighties? Not surprised!

 

Surprised I didn't see anyone touting the wonders of the stock Model A motor. Did I miss it?


I'll tout 'em big time but for maximum funkiness and trad coolness but not power or mileage especially. They would however not be slugs in very light T style cars or modifieds. Plenty of torque there--upwards of 150lb.ft. with mild modding---and at very low revs. That's as much if not more torque than many smaller 4-bangers. After all early Ford bangers are huge for 4-cyl. engines---200cu.in. In an under 1500lb. car you wouldn't be embarrasing yourself at stop lights and a top speed of 70-80 is not unreasonable. I doubt that mileage would be much to talk about though.

 

Mine is a 2.6 litre air-cooled Porsche/VW type 4...why carry extra weight?

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

My buddy Garry Carter in San Antonio runs a Pinto in his 28/29 rooadster pickup (with Jag suspension) and a Mazda in his modified.

I'm building an Olds 215 all aluminum V8 for mt Lakes Style T project.

 

i say olds quad 4. there was a guy in missouri with one in a a modified. it was a real bitchin car. he had a horizontally mounted vertex mag, sidedraft carbs and a bunch of home made stuff.
Zor

 

My bud has a Shay.It's a '29 replica car.Pinto drive-train & suspension. 35 M.P.G.!!! And he didn't spend $20,000 for a pretty cool little rod!

 

That is one weird looking motor...would like to see one run though.

 

It is exactly half a 389. You can bolt on any Pontiac speed parts on top. Many 60's -70's racers ran them with Super Duty and Ram Air heads. Now you can get big port aluminum heads for them.

You need an adapter for a modern trans, or use an early bellhousing and any stick.

Somewhere there are old drag motors with custom cranks collecting dust, somewhere...

The stockers are still out there and cheap.

What's cooler than a Pontiac?

Not you. Not in New York.

 

I think the Offy is the premier choice for any 'banger project, but if you can't get an Offy, the next-best thing is a Cozzie...

That's short for Cosworth. I built BDAs and BDBs (and some newer YACs) for racing, and they made good power (300-350 hp) with outstanding durability. Parts are out there and they can be civilized for street use. They sound mighty nasty and back it up with 10,000 rpm power.

Maybe some of our UK HAMB'rs have some connections on parts, but I know they are here in the States too. Prices and knowledge are regional. Lots in SoCal when I was working there and I've not looked for any since.

Sure would be badass in a 'bucket or A-bone...


Scotch~!

 

I got a 4 tech out of my old S-10 that I've been saveing. Lots of speed aprts for 'em around. Granted speed is a relative term here. Face it if anyone ever builds a 375/400 hp banger its gulp gas and probably want to puke its internals out.

If I ever decide to build a trak T or the like that's what I'll use. Pushrod mill, cross flow head. The klinker on any of these banger powered rods is you got to build light, I'm thinking around 1500 lbs wet. Otherwise you miss out on the hot part of hotrod.

I got a friend that just built and installed a banger out of a T-Bird TC in a pinto wagon. Yea I know that's OT. But my point is that he's knockin down about 30-32 on the highway and that at 80+ mph.

My next choice would be that same mill.

 

As far as rotary hotrods:

This is gonna sound weird but the first cool traditional rod I saw was at a small carshow in south jersey when I was like 13. It was a ratty jalopy T bucket made out of the front part of a touring and an A bed. It was made out of almost entirely early ford stuff , even big ford drums. The only thing that wasn't traditional was the motor. And it just happened to be mazda rotary... It was really cool and i've been thinking of building a car like it ever since.. Actually one of the cars that got me into traditional cars (as weird as it sounds). I wonder what ever happened to that thing - any jersey folks seen it?

I bought an early t cowl for 5 bucks a few months ago and have been saving it for something cool and low buck after my 27 is finished.. If my family's junkie comes accross a running mazda in the meantime I might just do it.

BTW - all you folks talking about toyota xyz's and mitsubishi rgb75's are scaring me ... almost sounds like we're on an import site

 

I wondered if anyone would mention these. Forget the stock driveline (a flexible shaft to a reversed Corvair transaxle), but if I could pull 18-20 MPG out of a 4000-lb Catalina with a 389/hydro, one of these in a light car aught to do 25-30 without too much trouble. That's what I'd go with if I was going to build one... parts shouldn't be bad either, the same as 389/400 for the most part. They aren't too hard to find and usually cheap when you do find 'em. Probably could make your own intake and run about anything you want - 4bbl, dual 2-bbls, side-draft carbs, whatever.


The only catch is going to be transmission - I would suspect that if anything they use the same bolt pattern as a '61-'64 V8, which means either find a Bonneville for a decent hydro, run a stick with a '58-'64 bell, or spend the bucks for the adaptor kit available for 61-64 V8 to late trans.

They did make these for one year with a 326 V8 on the same "rope" drive, if you want to build something really weird they might stand up on the street. Better weight distribution with the transaxle, and independent rear suspension to boot. Only limit is the length of the driveshaft, I doubt you can shorten one, but the car is only 112" wheelbase to begin with. There was a guy to Skyline Raceway (near Cortland NY) running one in the 4-cyl street stocks a few years ago with some success (enough that one of the papers ran an article on it).

 

Glad SOMEBODY had the balls to say it!

Having said that, if I had to put a 4 in it, I'd vote for a Riley 4 Port. At least it would look fast.

 

The 27 T runs a Quad4 and it is hot. I burned my leg on the exhaust.

The 32 coupe is also Quad 4 powered.

Nice rides

 

The new GM "world" engine is the 2.2L four ECOTEC motor. It will be the new "smallblock". The stock crank and block was made to be rodded.

 

Anybody ever do a stinky diesel? Years ago there was an A with a MB in it up in the Boston area.

 

Hell

I can't afford one a them Punto motors

But I got an extra HAL with the Miller So it'll get used somewere
Might put it in one of my wife's Fiats

Run on Alki so I'm not worried about gas prices

 

I'm in the final stages of a 26T Track Roadster w/ '83 2.3 TurboCoupe engine /T5 Trans powertrain. They came with 165 HP and with a few tweaks(fuel ,boost,cam,...etc ) and a basic Ford parts mix & match ,250-275 HP is easy to get. My project is around 1600#'s , so 6-8#'s /HP should make a pretty decent combo...besides there's something about a 4-banger in a Track T that just looks right...!!! Stay tuned...

 

My buddy is building a 27 Track-T using a 20R Toyota engine. Not drivable yet, so he doesn't know how its going to work out. He had a Celica years ago with one and it ran strong and was pretty much bullet proof.

 

How about it new guys ?

 

I've got a 1991 Dakota with the 2.5L and 5 speed that was going to go in my 1960 Morris Minor, but haven't had time or space to do anything yet with that. I had a Shelby Charger with the 2.2L and put dual 40mm webers, hooker header, and Lunati cam in it -- that would scream. It could definitely keep pace with the stock turbo 4's. (Boosted though, it was a loosing battle). There were a few guys playing with putting the later model 16 valve heads (Neon DOHC) on the old 2.2/2.5 engines. The new Jeep Libert 2.4 has a engine/tranny going the right direction . . . don't know about the tranny selections though. There was a guy making tranny adapters for the 2.2/2.5 engines to go to the 727/904 auto trannies. There's a lot of cool things out there for the Dodge engines too . . . especially now that Mopars are cool. Go figure?!

 

Hmmm. Old school I would go with a Riley 4 port or some of the ohv 4 conversions that 4bangersforever have done. New school banger i tend to like the quad 4's. You can get some power out of them and dress them up preety nice. I have seen some that look like offy's. There are some obscure 4's out there (old racers/weird euro stuff) too but if you can afford them then you shouldn't be worrying about gas prices.