>My question is, other than possible height issues (too tall for the engine >lid) - why are American engines not used more widely in swaps? > >American engines have so much power, and are so cheap. Big engines for $350 >available in every state and community. American engines have VERY LOW specific power outputs. A hot 5.4liter smallblock with 300hp? A 2.0 Subaru turbo does this. US engines need huge capacity to rate the same horsepower as small engines from Japan or Europe. What big engines have is TORQUE. Also these US engines are iron, and cause handling problems. They cause severe understeer at lower cormnering speeds, and at the limit they act as a massive pendulum and cause the vehicle to snap into vicious oversteer (particularly in the wet). This is partly why I ditched my Caravelle's Holden 3.8 V6 in favor of the Subaru EG33, which also develops 80hp more than the Holden... >I know that Kennedy Engineering makes transmition adapter plates for them - >so at least they can be linked into the drivetrain. Huge torque destroys transmissions... -- Andrew Grebneff 165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand <andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz> Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.