Engine swap brainstorm: Saab 96

"Someone Else's Projects" (someoneelsesproject) 11/06/2013 at 15:07 • Filed to: None

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Ever since I first drove this car, my least favorite thing about it has been the Ford V4 engine. It has a throaty idle and is pretty robust so far, but it doesn't have much power and runs out of breath very quickly. As a result I've been pondering an engine swap, but because of the short and narrow engine bay, good options are limited.

Two options that people have done in the past are Ford V6 and Saab turbo-4 swaps. Both of them mess up the car's already front-heavy weight distribution, adding about 100 lb each over the stock 200-lb engine, and require moving things around the engine bay to cram them in. I've accepted the need for fabbing up adapters for the motor mounts and flywheel, but I'd rather not cut into the body in order to fit the new motor. As a result, anything longer than three cylinders and wider than a V engine are out, eliminating all straight 4s and flat engines (VW or Subaru). I'm also in no position to DIY this swap, so I'd have to checkbook the installation, and that means keeping the price of the engine as low as practical. This means finding a junkyard engine, preferably one that isn't crazy rare. As the car itself only weighs 2000 lb, the new engine doesn't have to be very powerful; 100hp would be plenty, and more would be great, so long as the torque doesn't overwhelm the typically fragile Saab transmission

The Criteria

To sum up, the candidate engine must be :

no longer than 3 cylinders, and not be horizontally opposed

reasonably common in junkyards

as close to 200 lb dry as possible or lighter

I've come up with the following candidates:

Mazda rotary (13B or Renesis)

This would be ideal; they're common enough, full of character, and since the Saab already has a longitudinal layout there wouldn't be any transaxle worries. Cost of engine might be high, plus refurb and maintenance.

Mazda K8 V6

This is the tiny V6 found in the MX-3, and is probably pretty rare. I can't find any specs on the weight though, and seeing as it's DOHC it might be a good deal bigger on the outside than the original Ford engine.

Suzuki/Geo turbo 3-cylinder

Rarity might be even more of a problem with this engine.

Yamaha motorcycle V4

Same layout as the stock Ford engine, but modern and more powerful. There must be enough crashed motorcycles around to make this a viable option.

Triumph motorcycle straight-3

Mostly for the lulz. Historical shoutout too, seeing as the Saab straight-4 turbo was developed from a Triumph car engine.

Snowmobile engine

I know that some modern ones have four-stroke engines instead of the two-stroke engines they used to have, but have no idea what's common. Again, a crashed one would make for a tidy donor.

My questions to the Oppo brain trust:

Am I missing any candidates?

What options do I have in the snowmobile world?

Your boy, BJR > Someone Else's Projects 11/06/2013 at 15:11

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Yamaha would be cool.

Chase > Someone Else's Projects 11/06/2013 at 15:13

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Given that the Sonett owes many of its components to the 96, i would assume that the Ford Taunus V4 would fit. not used in cars so much, but still used in industrial applications i believe (generators and such)

Someone Else's Projects > Chase 11/06/2013 at 15:14

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Oops, I forgot to mention that the Taunus V4 is what's in there right now.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Someone Else's Projects 11/06/2013 at 15:15

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I know a guy that stuck a Hayabusa 1.3L motor in a Sonett III, tubbed the rear end and made it RWD.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Someone Else's Projects 11/06/2013 at 15:16

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A Triumph triple would be excellent, but I reckon it'd swap your issues. It'd be more sluggish lower down, but would absolutely zing along at the higher revs.

It does seem like the ideal candidate for that Ford 3-cylinder Ecoboost engine though...

Someone Else's Projects > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/06/2013 at 15:19

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That would be an interesting return of character to the old peaky three-stroke. And boy would that 3-cyl Ecoboost be be perfect, especially the version that was in the Formula Ford that Chris Harris drove. It would definitely be my cost-no-object choice.

A3R0 > Someone Else's Projects 11/06/2013 at 15:21

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2 STROKE 96 ENGINE!

Otherwise Porsche or maybe hayabusa if you want an absolute pocket rocket.

First generation VW bug engine?Porsche engine from 356?

If you put the 2 stroke in I'll find a way to give you a trillion
Oppo points.

Bluecold > Someone Else's Projects 11/07/2013 at 04:05

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New camshafts and whatnot can't 'fix' the Ford v4?

Either way, Lancia also made a V4, but the only one that's near your power requirements is the 1.6HF, only fitted to the Fulvia Fanalone and that one is rare and expensive. The less powerful 1.3's max out at about 80-90hp. The 1.3 HF is again rare and expensive. Still. A Saab with a Lancia motor is very cool.