Lfx v6?

[AWDBOB]

Who's going to be the first?

As light (or lighter) than an M20, 3.6L, 323hp, revs high so it'll cater nicely to our light chassis, headers merged in cylinder head so exhaust will be easy, looks like a front sump pan, easily accessible/cheap, etc. It's a narrow V6 so booster clearance may not even be an issue.

Miata and RX8 guys are all over it, but I haven't seen anyone talking about it for the E30. Seems like a great candidate for our cars if you want 300+hp in a nice, light affordable package.

They have RWD and FWD variants. The FWD can be converted into a rwd from the change of an intake manifold, tstat housing and fuel line.

I donno, seems like a winner if the wiring isn't too bad. It's direct injection so you'd likely have to run a catch can to avoid carbon buildup, but that's a given.

There is a ton of info in this thread:

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=610911

http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-engines/lfx/

[Blake B]

The exhaust setup on this is VERY intriguing.. almost looks like you could bolt a turbo directly to the head (with an adapter). But also makes NA header routing a cinch. HMM.. i might have to table my current 5cyl swap plans..

[wworm]

I stumbled on a greek(?) guy who did this swap in his miata a bit ago, I was thinking about it for an e30. Idk, it definitely seems great on paper, but with such an old car with such simple suspension it makes more sense to get something with more character to match the silliness of the e30 chassis. In a track built miata? This makes perfect sense.

Call me an old fart but I like ticky valves lol

[AWDBOB]

The exhaust setup on this is VERY intriguing.. almost looks like you could bolt a turbo directly to the head (with an adapter). But also makes NA header routing a cinch. HMM.. i might have to table my current 5cyl swap plans..

Yup, seems like you could even snag the V8roadsters downpipes and modify them to fit for next to nothing.

I stumbled on a greek(?) guy who did this swap in his miata a bit ago, I was thinking about it for an e30. Idk, it definitely seems great on paper, but with such an old car with such simple suspension it makes more sense to get something with more character to match the silliness of the e30 chassis. In a track built miata? This makes perfect sense.

Call me an old fart but I like ticky valves lol

I'm with you, to a point, though. I've always wanted a 300whp range, lightweight, v8 type of E30 build. BUT tickey valves in v8 trim isn't the same character that the E30 calls for. It turns it into muscle car (if not done carefully), which the E30 is not. If I'm building an E30 for character, I'm not necessarily building for power, so there is an immediate compromise there.

If an LFX swap kit were made I think it would actually be a really efficient way to get over the E30 swap hurdles (brakes, exhaust, oil pan/subframe) all the meanwhile bolting in something that makes almost 300whp with a tune and exhaust work that's easily accessible, cheap to find parts for, etc etc. To me (and probably not to others) this falls into a similar category to a K or F series engine swap and is a much better option on many different levels.

Ultimately given my attention span I will never swap anything, but I wanted to see if the R3V gang had any builds on the horizon I was unaware of.

And yup, that greek dude's Miata is pretty nuts!

[wworm]

I'm with you, to a point, though. I've always wanted a 300whp range, lightweight, v8 type of E30 build. BUT tickey valves in v8 trim isn't the same character that the E30 calls for. It turns it into muscle car (if not done carefully), which the E30 is not. If I'm building an E30 for character, I'm not necessarily building for power, so there is an immediate compromise there.

If an LFX swap kit were made I think it would actually be a really efficient way to get over the E30 swap hurdles (brakes, exhaust, oil pan/subframe) all the meanwhile bolting in something that makes almost 300whp with a tune and exhaust work that's easily accessible, cheap to find parts for, etc etc. To me (and probably not to others) this falls into a similar category to a K or F series engine swap and is a much better option on many different levels.

Ultimately given my attention span I will never swap anything, but I wanted to see if the R3V gang had any builds on the horizon I was unaware of.

alright I'm convinced...I also like that it makes more torque than a k or f swap.

v6 sounds would be super rad/weird coming from an e30

[Anthony B]

They use these in the Aussie commadore & they are timing chain destroying machine, the old Buick 3.8 “L67” would platform out as a better option, final derivative of it was an alloy 3.8

[varg]

Not going to be any easier than a V8 swap, the width makes brakes a problem, the sump is an issue, exhaust routing will probably foul on the steering rack. I'm not seeing a (useful) weight figure anywhere for the M20 comparison you make, OP. Only the "Engine Mass (kg/lbs) engine plant as shipped weight: 157 / 345 (estimate)" on the GM page, and that's about as useless as an engine weight figure gets since it says nothing about what state the engine is in and finishes it off with (estimate). Did anyone weigh it in that long thread? Slightly off topic but V6 camaros sound absolutely terrible.

[AWDBOB]

Well that about sums it up. Good to know re: timing chains.

[gnmzl]

Been following an e21 build with an LFX since the guy started it over on stanceworks.
I admit, I thought about it briefly, but finding that motor for a good price on my side of the pond is unobtainium. Otherwise would have probably given it a try.

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?102392-Dlux-BMW-E21-build

Tons of good info, also on oil pans and catch can solutions.
IMO, he did a great job and I admire him for doing that. Check out the fab skills, too.

[howelll]

I'm currently working on doing this swap. Just started gathering parts and I dont think it will take much more than a m50 swap. There's alot if good info out there in the miata, rx8, and frs communities. So far I have a mv1 gearbox, the motor itself, and a front sump oil pan. The mv1, mv5, mv7 gearboxes use a 96mm guibo just like the late e30 and also the same style of shifter. The lfx is a narrow engine so I dont think there will be any problems fitting it. When things start moving I will create a thread with all the info.

[Blake B]

Please do, this is intriguing.