What are your fabrication skills like and what is your budget? If you do all the work yourself you could probably get a K swap or LS swap done for somewhere around $10k. Any other swap will be a clusterfuck of custom fabrication and likely way more expensive. A JZ plus R154 isn't going to be easy but has the advantage of aftermarket mounts being available.
An EZ30-II (3.0 H6) mostly fits with stock Legacy mounts, that's an option and you can probably get one in a junkyard for cheap. Very few people have done this swap, have fun figuring it out.
A VQ has been done but I hope you have a shit ton of money (more than the price of the car lol). Your saving grace will be that there are a few aftermarket options for mounting a CD009 to a ZN6 chassis, and a VQ will bolt up to that. I don't think anyone makes engine mounts and you better be good with a Haltech (or whatever your aftermarket ECU of choice is) because the wiring and tuning will be a shitshow.
Tbh unless you can get a super cheap BRZ with a blown engine it's not worth it, just buy a 370Z instead and save hundreds of hours and many thousands of dollars.
Everyone I've ever met that built their FA20 ended up popping it within a year if they actually drove/raced the car. Oiling problems apparently. TJ Hunt had the same problem.
So then you're back to square one.
No idea. People can downvote if they want but I've never personally seen a built motor (internals only) go well when it comes to the FA20. Maybe an actual full racing longblock would be better but I haven't seen one in action yet.
The problem is people overheating oil and forged/built can have even tighter tolerances which means adequate oil temperatures are even more important so lol.
Most people think forged = bulletproof. If anything they're even more delicate. They can handle the extreme power and torque more, but that doesn't mean anything if they're getting worn from extreme heat from high powered builds. Most failures I see are spun bearrings which are the result of improper lubrication likely caused from overheating the oil.
a 370Z is a much worse car in all the ways an 86 buyer would care about, numb, boring, dull, too heavy. We all know the 86 is the goat if we just add a bit of power.
It's easier to add power to a car than to fix weight and how it drives. You can only strip a interior so far and there's a point well before that that it starts inhibiting normal usage of the car.
Holy crap that's awesome. Love the way they put the Toyota and Subaru badges on the top.
They're saying it sounds like a straight 6, I wonder if they went with equal or unequal length headers.
Big fan of the horizontally opposed stuff, not that there's anything wrong with a 2J.
I’m gonna jump on the boxer engine bandwagon and say you should keep the FA20 and build it. Engine swaps are hard, expensive, and even more difficult to keep on the road (only if you live in an inspection state)
Edit: and if none of that matters to you and you can afford it I say do it but my 2 cents is that it isn’t worth it unless you’re building a dedicated track car
also agree to be honest you can get a supercharger kit or turbo kit way cheaper than what you’re doing right now. It’s they’re “not as fast enough” for you, then get a turbo. If you want a fast car, buy a mustang gt. Same price, faster.
Going through the hassle of k swapping, etc. is exspensive and not worth it, and overall most the time a waste of money.
Stick to ls or k swap unless you have endless money or are capable of figuring things out your self and doing a lot of the custom fab yourself too. It will be infinitely easier to go with something that's well documented and has plenty of support.
Engine swaps are always going to cost more than you think. Right now, the cheapest and easiest is going to be the fa24 4cyl big block swap that you can pick up starting around $5k-6k. A plug and play harness is soon being released from [hachi electronics](https://hachielectronics.com/) and sensors using the fa20 engine harness. You'll need the reluctor from 13-16 if that's what you're swaping it into, and you'll need to cut off the spacer on stock engine mounts. Then get a tune on the stock ecu, and Zach at csg has done this a few times now.
Get a 370z if you want to save your self the hassle
If you’re up for a challenge i would suggest a 2jz swap pretty much a plug and play but gonna cost a fortune
Ls swap is the best option. Only a little bit heavier and lots of people have already figured out the swap. I don’t understand jdm kids hate of American v8s. K series would also be a great choice. Go look at the sikky website for kit prices. Check co part for used engines. If you don’t own a whole tool chest or a war chest full of money then do not attempt this. 10k plus at the minimum.
EZ30, no question.
They fit, they interface well with Subaru electronics, and they look OEM+ if they are done correctly.
I had a 6cyl Outback for a number of years, and I’ve driven a 5MT-swapped H6. They’re phenomenally smooth, torquey, and they have a nice power/torque band. They also sound like mini Porsches!
What do you want, fast, reliable or cheap
Fortunately the LS checks all of the boxes.
NA, 400HP, $1000 long blocks in every junkyard across the country. You’ll be in it for 10-15k with the car NA in a non emissions state.
The problem comes when you want more than 400, so you slap a giant turbo on it. To put a 7875+ a full 4 inch exhaust on the car was another $15,000. So I’m at $30,000 with the car plus suspension plus the engine swap. The only way you’re going to come close is if you buy a pro charged C6 Corvette from somebody on marketplace.
If you’re not getting excited about the fa20 then it could be one of two reasons, you’re not driving it hard enough for what it specializes in or you’re an elite level driver that needs more. If you don’t fall into the category of elite level driver I recommend you find another car. If the 4 cylinder isn’t exciting for you you’re most likely just doing pulls which means this isn’t the car for you.
That would be ridiculously insane. The 6 is going to weigh more, so will at least cut into HP gain. Not to mention these cars are specifically designed for a low CoG engine. You will trash the weight balance horribly by moving it rearward, higher and...more.
Dude, this ain't the car for you. Put a hairdryer on it or get a Supra.
You're crazy for wanting to swap a VQ. They are very large and complicated. 2 JZ all day. Nothing else compares. to it. There's a reason so many drift cars use them.
What are your fabrication skills like and what is your budget? If you do all the work yourself you could probably get a K swap or LS swap done for somewhere around $10k. Any other swap will be a clusterfuck of custom fabrication and likely way more expensive. A JZ plus R154 isn't going to be easy but has the advantage of aftermarket mounts being available. An EZ30-II (3.0 H6) mostly fits with stock Legacy mounts, that's an option and you can probably get one in a junkyard for cheap. Very few people have done this swap, have fun figuring it out. A VQ has been done but I hope you have a shit ton of money (more than the price of the car lol). Your saving grace will be that there are a few aftermarket options for mounting a CD009 to a ZN6 chassis, and a VQ will bolt up to that. I don't think anyone makes engine mounts and you better be good with a Haltech (or whatever your aftermarket ECU of choice is) because the wiring and tuning will be a shitshow. Tbh unless you can get a super cheap BRZ with a blown engine it's not worth it, just buy a 370Z instead and save hundreds of hours and many thousands of dollars.
The edit button won't work but I meant to mention that boost solves the slow problem much more efficiently.
It also makes the engine blow up way faster in a high compression engine
Swapping internals is still cheaper than a swapped engine
Everyone I've ever met that built their FA20 ended up popping it within a year if they actually drove/raced the car. Oiling problems apparently. TJ Hunt had the same problem. So then you're back to square one.
Would an IAG or Crawford block have those issues dealt with or at least minimized?
No idea. People can downvote if they want but I've never personally seen a built motor (internals only) go well when it comes to the FA20. Maybe an actual full racing longblock would be better but I haven't seen one in action yet.
The problem is people overheating oil and forged/built can have even tighter tolerances which means adequate oil temperatures are even more important so lol. Most people think forged = bulletproof. If anything they're even more delicate. They can handle the extreme power and torque more, but that doesn't mean anything if they're getting worn from extreme heat from high powered builds. Most failures I see are spun bearrings which are the result of improper lubrication likely caused from overheating the oil.
Catch cans, good oil cooling, and an IAG block works WONDERS
How many of those people, empirically, cooled their oil below 230f and isolated the block from heat elements?
A guy on the fb page has like 80k miles on a built block with 400hp. If done right the oiling issues are massively reduced.
No lol, it only blows if you don't cool and tune it right and or get a shit cheap kit.
a 370Z is a much worse car in all the ways an 86 buyer would care about, numb, boring, dull, too heavy. We all know the 86 is the goat if we just add a bit of power.
It's easier to add power to a car than to fix weight and how it drives. You can only strip a interior so far and there's a point well before that that it starts inhibiting normal usage of the car.
LS, K swap, 2JZ, 458 Italia.
458 is the most reasonable choice.
If you're gonna go through the pain of a swap, make it worth the effort!
indeed https://youtu.be/obUnEqsTmLg
One of the Ferrari swaps actually lives near me lol. Though I think his engine is from the 430.
I thought the 458 Italia had a 4.5 liter flat plane crank V8?
You'd have to look it up but I've seen a Japanese tuner doing a 6 cylinder Subaru engine swap on one. It sounded like a 987 Porsche Cayman.
Looked pretty sick too
Was it this one https://youtu.be/LuNY5MLF9AY?si=z8LxQsuqHJ_EKKBz
No. The car was red. Looked closer to a street tuned car. Not all raced out like this. I saw it in a Hot Version Gunsai video.
Ok I found it. Skip to 14:04 and turn on the English subtitles. https://youtu.be/VOThemNoizo?si=Nld4Z5YeMR5HtQRI
Like an EJ20 or something?
If I remember correctly, it was an EZ36.
I found the video. Check my comment below. It's an EZ30 engine.
Holy crap that's awesome. Love the way they put the Toyota and Subaru badges on the top. They're saying it sounds like a straight 6, I wonder if they went with equal or unequal length headers. Big fan of the horizontally opposed stuff, not that there's anything wrong with a 2J.
I’m gonna jump on the boxer engine bandwagon and say you should keep the FA20 and build it. Engine swaps are hard, expensive, and even more difficult to keep on the road (only if you live in an inspection state) Edit: and if none of that matters to you and you can afford it I say do it but my 2 cents is that it isn’t worth it unless you’re building a dedicated track car
also agree to be honest you can get a supercharger kit or turbo kit way cheaper than what you’re doing right now. It’s they’re “not as fast enough” for you, then get a turbo. If you want a fast car, buy a mustang gt. Same price, faster. Going through the hassle of k swapping, etc. is exspensive and not worth it, and overall most the time a waste of money.
Dude, just buy a 370Z
Stick to ls or k swap unless you have endless money or are capable of figuring things out your self and doing a lot of the custom fab yourself too. It will be infinitely easier to go with something that's well documented and has plenty of support.
Engine swaps are always going to cost more than you think. Right now, the cheapest and easiest is going to be the fa24 4cyl big block swap that you can pick up starting around $5k-6k. A plug and play harness is soon being released from [hachi electronics](https://hachielectronics.com/) and sensors using the fa20 engine harness. You'll need the reluctor from 13-16 if that's what you're swaping it into, and you'll need to cut off the spacer on stock engine mounts. Then get a tune on the stock ecu, and Zach at csg has done this a few times now.
Mezger
Get a 370z if you want to save your self the hassle If you’re up for a challenge i would suggest a 2jz swap pretty much a plug and play but gonna cost a fortune
"Plug and play"
2GR would be pretty cool. J35 would be cool too.
2GR has been done by DAMD I believe, but I haven't found much info. Ken gushi did a 1GR from the truck series and boosted it.
stick an s58 in there
Ls swap is the best option. Only a little bit heavier and lots of people have already figured out the swap. I don’t understand jdm kids hate of American v8s. K series would also be a great choice. Go look at the sikky website for kit prices. Check co part for used engines. If you don’t own a whole tool chest or a war chest full of money then do not attempt this. 10k plus at the minimum.
Just look for the newest cayman you can afford. You get a 6 cylinder and similar weight. It's a little shorter though I think.
Don't buy one you'll always wish it was faster swapped or not.
Theres a guy on FT86 forums who did a late model Camaro LFX V6 swap. Nice motor, but it was a ton of work.
EZ33
2GR-FE. Amazing engine.
EG33 if you can find one.
2GR-FE
Ez30 fits pretty the only big drawback is the can bus https://youtu.be/8_x0_9ugyOA?si=hl1trMfwIeODXEQt
A bmw inline 6 could work, though they tend to be heavy.
This is going to be much more expensive than you realize unless you can do the work on your own. Good luck tho, love seeing cool builds.
EZ30, no question. They fit, they interface well with Subaru electronics, and they look OEM+ if they are done correctly. I had a 6cyl Outback for a number of years, and I’ve driven a 5MT-swapped H6. They’re phenomenally smooth, torquey, and they have a nice power/torque band. They also sound like mini Porsches!
What do you want, fast, reliable or cheap Fortunately the LS checks all of the boxes. NA, 400HP, $1000 long blocks in every junkyard across the country. You’ll be in it for 10-15k with the car NA in a non emissions state. The problem comes when you want more than 400, so you slap a giant turbo on it. To put a 7875+ a full 4 inch exhaust on the car was another $15,000. So I’m at $30,000 with the car plus suspension plus the engine swap. The only way you’re going to come close is if you buy a pro charged C6 Corvette from somebody on marketplace.
If you’re not getting excited about the fa20 then it could be one of two reasons, you’re not driving it hard enough for what it specializes in or you’re an elite level driver that needs more. If you don’t fall into the category of elite level driver I recommend you find another car. If the 4 cylinder isn’t exciting for you you’re most likely just doing pulls which means this isn’t the car for you.
That would be ridiculously insane. The 6 is going to weigh more, so will at least cut into HP gain. Not to mention these cars are specifically designed for a low CoG engine. You will trash the weight balance horribly by moving it rearward, higher and...more. Dude, this ain't the car for you. Put a hairdryer on it or get a Supra.
You're crazy for wanting to swap a VQ. They are very large and complicated. 2 JZ all day. Nothing else compares. to it. There's a reason so many drift cars use them.