Engine Swap/Conversions FAQ Options

[lapuwali]

What conversions have been done?

In many ways, the 914 has traditionally been a hot rodder's car. The chassis is far more capable than any of the engines the factory provided, and for many years, the cars have been inexpensive used. This has lead to a wild array of engine combinations, spawning an entire cottage industry in creating 914 "hybrids".

The most commonly done are Six conversions (911 engine) and Chevy V8s, though Subaru fours are gaining fast in popularity. The Mazda rotary, Chevy V6, Buick V6, and Nissan V6 have also been done more than a few times. The Porsche 928 V8 has been done at least twice, but is very difficult and requires a huge effort to make work. The earliest known swap was a Wankel rotary, which was presented as a gift to Felix Wankel himself.

914club member neo914-6 maintains a list of all known engine conversions.

What about other Porsche engines?

The 944 engine has been mentioned, but it's not known if anyone has managed to make it work. This engine is very long, and won't fit without heavy modifications to the firewall.

Will I kill the transaxle?

The 914 transaxle has been known to hold together up to around 200ft/lbs of torque. It's basically torque that kills transaxles, not so much horsepower. Certainly, the factory themselves used the 901 (the 911 gearbox the 914 gearbox is based on) on race engines up over 200hp. There are also billet intermediate plates (which hold the major bearings) that help a bit more. Both the 915 and the 930 Porsche transaxles have been adapted to the 914 to handle more power. Both are fairly expensive to buy and convert. WEVO makes a shift linkage conversion for the 915 for a very high price. Cable shifters have been fabricated for both. The four-speed 930 seems to be able to handle even a pretty hot V8 without blowing up.

Are there any suppliers of kits and parts?

Yes. Kennedy Engineered Products (aka KEP) provide adapter plates to bolt a wide variety of engines to the 914 transaxle. They also supply flywheels and clutches. They can be found here.

Renegade Hybrids specializes in conversions for several Porsche models. They provide a drop-in radiator kit for any water-cooled engine swap into a 914 that's generally regarded as the best available. They also provide complete kits for Chevy V8 and Subaru installations into a 914.