WRX engine in a Firebird?
 

So, I was thinking of pulling the 68 350 and installing a low mile WRX engine in it's place. I have heard, that mounts can be made for the swap. Anyone know who is making them? Thanks.

Mike

What the? Why??? Not like the little 4 banger is all that great. I highly doubt anyone makes mounts, and those will be the very very least of your issues.

A Subaru WRX? They are wide and flat, with the widest dimension at the same level as the crankshaft, so I doubt you could make one fit in a Firebird.

Like Stuart said, even if you can get the past the obvious "why?" question, the WRX motor is a flat 4 "boxer" motor. It is low and wide, even if it would fit between the frame rails, you'd need to remove the cross member to get it low enough.

go for it, do it
what could possibly go wrong?

Ya know, the subaru boxer engine fits..............
under the hood of my subaru ;)

I like subarus very much, I do a lot of winter driving in the mountains and they're great cars. I 've never driven a WRX but I know that they go like stink.

Even cooler than putting a WRX motor in a Firebird would be to put a stout pontiac motor in a WRX or some other kind of Subaru :cool:

WHY!? A turbo boxer engine might be "quick" in a little ass WRX but I'd be willing to bet that a mild 400 Firebird would blow the doors off a WRX. WRXs only ran like 13.8s with all wheel drive. In a much heavier firebird and only using rear wheel drive it wouldn't be very fast at all. Save some time and money and do a 400 swap.

I thought I was going to be the first one to do this. I got a custom fat man subframe made to make it work and modified the trans tunner and floor with the turbo setup it is tuned and the engine dyno/d at 513HP!!!

Good lluck with your project you will have lots to do

:)~~~ hahahahha

Well, it's almost in, and I didn't have to buy the Fat Man anything at all. And, it's because of your build I've fallowed with the same engine. I, decided to go for it anyway. Let me know what your time slip says on the first outing. Thanks friend... Mike. Oh, I do need to get a good tune for it yet. Maybe this next month...

Ill race your turbo WRX firebird with my turbo 455 pontiac anytime you want!LOL

Well see who makes the better engine turbo to turbo.


I have nothing against your build its cool to be different, but you cant beat cubes and turbo with no cubes and turbo! especially in a 67 thru 69 firebird. Christ, I even sell headers for pontiac with a turbo in that body style. It was a no brainer.

Yeah 513 hp at 40,000 rpm and 200 ft/lbs!

Yeah what he said 513 HP and 200 torque.
Well I was kidding about putting the suby in my too.

But ya messing up an old pontiac with one of those over ratted All aluminum LS engines that way lighter than a cast iron pontiac motor, more efficient and better gas mileage with a great EFI system and programmable factory computer causing closer to 50/50 weight distribution in my old 65 Lemans convert I am just about done with setting in place. I agree why do something silly like that?? I will have over 440HP with just a cam. headers and tune. For under 3200 bucks on a motor with 36k miles on it.

Yup what a waste

PS I still like the conventional pontiac power hell I have even built an IA2 for one of my cars. If I was to do it all over again I would buy a mast engine built LS3 for less and have more. Or a GM crate cadillac supercharged engine with a factory rated 550+HP with minor adjustments would be 600hp or more and idle stock and drive smooth unlike a radical conventional pontiac built to get that kind of power.

Just dollars and sense
And what ya want

No one is right and no one is wrong...
Peace

The LS is a great power plant but its still a bastard if you put a chevy in it. "To each his own, I dont throw stone's" is what I always say but I personally like to stick with pontiac power in a pontiac. unless it could have been ordered with chevy power. then its fair game.

You cant make LS power any cheaper than pontiac power if you use your brains.

My engine is a 2 bolt 455 with iron heads and hardly any tricks in the motor. Just good rods and good machine work, Then I bolted on a turbo and make close to 900 HP

sure theres faster LS cars but theres faster pontiac powered cars too.

I think its fine if you LS your car because its your car and you should be happy with it.

same for a WRX firebird. If thats what floats your boat you should do it.

ITS FUNNY CAUSE ITS TRUE!LOLOLOLOL

The one question I have is, how aggressive is the driver going to be with the car when done?


I ask because, around here, there is some fast wrx's but I have never been beat by one yet. They are just crazy, going on the shoulder at 100 plus in traffic ect...
Not just one guy either every kid around here with one seems to think they have the fastest car in town!
There are some very fast cars here in MN and torque is what you want in a street car.

What rear gear?

Anybody else notice this in their towns scene? The wrx guys are really aggressive here and for what-to get beat by an old car?

Why not put a Pontiac 455 in the WRX ? LOL !

Because a 455 would break that WRX in half

We have had alot of WRX guys getting themselves in trouble. However I cant talk I rolled my 69 firebird convertible when I was in highschool. I guess what changes also stays the same,LOL

dont people usually want to replace wrx engines with LS1s? not like the firebird could handle well enough to really benefit from the lower center of gravity of that motor.

the only real reason those motors are good because they are pair up with a cardboard light ass car with a close ratio trans. those motors DONT get out of their own way until about 4200 rpm, the lag is terrible, put than motor in anything heavier like a firebird and any tuned junk yard 455 will have no problem walking you.

+1 stoker crank and a 6spd will get you at least mid 20s in mpgs

have not seen an update Did you ever get the swap done on your firebird?? :)~~~~~~~~