Out with the old...in with the new...Britain's Racecar Development, Subaru Engine, Lotus Suspension! Time to go racing! Options

[Britain Smith]

For those who don't know me or the car, I have a '74 914 that is a dedicated AX car. It previously had a high compression 2.7 6-cylinder motor and made 205hp/205ft-lbs at the wheels. This set-up wasn't all that bad considering that it won the 2008 and 2009 914 Shootout events, however the quest for more speed continues.

Here is the car in the 2010 season trim.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/dragracevws.com-364-1291656786.1.jpg)

I have recently sold the 2.7L 6-cylinder engine and all the remaining 914/6 conversion parts. I have used the proceeds to fund the conversion to Subaru power. Now most would say that a Subaru conversion can be done on a budget, however I have found that the money goes flying out the window when doing something like this.

Regarding the engine...logical choice would be to go for a EJ257 2.5L USDM STi engine. However, all the SCCA rules for AX are built around displacement which in turn dictates the minimum weight. Therefore, I have gone with a JDM STi version8 Spec-C engine which is a 2.0L, twin-scroll, hand ported/polished, 8500rpm animal. I will get slightly less hp and torque numbers than the 2.5L, but save 150lbs of weight.

[ottox914]

Not like you need more projects, but...

Ducting the back of the radiator out the hood is a great idea, don't forget to duct, or seal the front of the radiator to the front of the car. It may not seem like it would make a difference, but air WILL take the path of least resistance, and around the top, bottom, and sides of your radiator will be that path. Block off those sides, bottom, and top from the first pics of your post 68. Not just with some sheets of aluminum, but include foam to make it as airtight as you can. This comes from a friend of mine who works for CAT making cooling systems for the big diesel engines, intercoolers, oil coolers for earth moving equipment. In his world, with limited ground speed, the airflow needs to be generated by fan speed, and surprising enough to me, they face bigger challenges keeping the fan noise down to meet sound regulations than they do the engine noise. So making the most of every puff of air moving toward the radiator is important, and loosing any of that cooling breeze makes the system less efficient, louder, and more expensive.