Honda F20C engine swap

[katinc]

Hello I've been looking around on here and I haven't seen anything on this topic yet.. so... here goes. I know the engine will fit. pushes out about 240 Hp and 40 mpg is what we figure. the tranni will fit with slight modification top the "hump" the drive shaft should fit but really isn't that important as I can make it fit... lmao sorta kinda... Question is anyone tried this yet?

[spiderrey]

What is an f20c? Most people just build the fiat motor up. There have been a few swaps though.

[htchevyii]

That's a s2000 motor. There's a Polish guy that swapped one into a 131, several videos of him sliding around on YouTube. Hauls some serious butt! http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1573.0

[spiderrey]

S2000 I know. Thanx

[AndyS]

These cars were not designed to handle that kind of horse power. the stock dif won't hold up--they go out in 125 hP cars. the brakes will need a serious upgrade. the amount of time and money that would need to go into a well engineered S2000 swap is significant. the only thing that set up has going for it is the lack of any low end torque may help keep the dif in one piece for a while if you don't constantly rev it to redline. Under 6000 rpm, that engine makes less power than a built up Fiat 2 liter.

[maytag]

I'm unfamiliar with anyone actually swapping that particular motor into a Spider. But there have been plenty of swaps over the years.
WAAAAAY back in the '80's, I swapped-in a Buick V6. There's a frequent poster here currently who has swapped-in at least one Chevy V6.
Awhile ago, there was a spider listed on craigslist in wyoming with (iirc) a ford V8 in it.

Whatever floats your boat. I won't bother to ask the question "why", because while I don't necessarily understand the attraction now, there was a time when I did.... or I wouldn't have done it.

What I think would make a cool swap would be the Toyota / Lexus 1UZ-FE motor. That's a 32-valve all-aluminum V8. HP was anywhere from 256-300, depending on the donor car. but the cool part about this swap is that it's a 180d/ "flat-plane" crank. To me, the sound of the motor is as important as anything else, and the flat-plane crank allows for some seriously wicked sounds.
just a thought.

[TX82FIAT]

Had an S2000 for a few years. I can see why the guy that put one in his 131 was sliding around. The S2000 slid sround like you would not believe and broke free when shifting very often. Do not shift and hit the gas on an uphill turn at any type of high RPM... Great engine. With that said, the project to put an S2000 engine in one of our spiders is much more involved than changing the transmission tunnel and drive shaft. Differential will need to be changed to a more modern car. Not sure even a 131 differential will last very long at 240 HP and 8000-9000 RPM's. Braking system will need a complete update. Body will need more support as the chassis has some natural flex points. The later spider model rack and pinion steering would help. Height of engine, cooling system, instament panel/gauges and the list would go on as you worked through the details. But forget about all that for a minute.

Would the car be more enjoyable.. Yes!! Uncontrolled bliss. I know my driving tendencies to push things to the limit and I have no doubt that the S2000 engine in a Fiat Spider would eventually result in me wrapped around a tree or in a ditch on the side of the road. In both cases my spider would be broken for pushing it beyond it's engineered limits.

With that said, I'd love to take a spin in a Spider with an S2000 formula 1 type engine one time. Those engines go for about $5,000 in the US!

[digitech]

Personally, I would like to see a miata engine/trans. swapped in.

[maytag]

Personally, I would like to see a miata engine/trans. swapped in.

Okay.... I'll bite;

WHY? What would be the attraction of that swap?

[ga.spyder]

I gotta agree with that...want a Miata just buy one.I can understand that they are bulletproof motors and very dependable,though.There was a guy here that was attempting a rotary motor out of a RX7,into the Spider.That would be interesting!

[DocGraphics]

Go electric!

[TX82FIAT]

Agreed, if i were going to put something in the car other than a lampreti twin cam I'd go electric. it would be unique, inexpensive to do and the engineering would not be that complicated. The hardest part of the electric conversion would be the transmission mounting plate and controller set up. The electric motor would provide strong torque. However, the range of the vehicle and recharge still presents limits. Hard to go on a weekend outing when you have a limited range vehicle.

Still, it would be more fun then a Chevy volt!

[maytag]

what sort of rebates and incentives do you think are available for a home-built EV?

[azruss]

I have always thought this motor would be a great conversion. Would require a complete change clear to the rear tires. while you are at, since this would be such a simple conversion, would be do a front suspension switch as well.
I know arizona is getting very picky with their alt fuel plates and licensing. If it is like anything else out of the ordinary, expect to spend lots of money on engineers.
sounds like a nice project for the idle rich.

[spiderrey]

Personally, I think most swaps would just ruin the car , or change it to something its not, thus ruining it. If you could actually find an engine and trans that fit into the car without tearing it up. And if that powerplant put out about 200 ponies or less, it might work out to be a nice ride. This car wont handle much more. My car with its 2 liter puts put over 150 Im told. It is a blast to drive at its limits. A coupe would be a better car for a swap. just my opinion, do what you want.