3L swap

[Steve@TF]

i did a 3L with svt cams. if i had to do it again, i would just do a straight up 3L. also, now Nautilus Performance apparently makes custom made fuel rails (if they'll apply in your build). that was one of the biggest pains about doing my 3L.

its soooooo worth it though man. like a whole new car. i added all the other goodies at the same time; headers, high flow cat, cat back exhaust. it felt WAY faster than a mazdaspeed6 i test drove. it just screams up to the redline!

and if you can afford it, get a quaife or torsen while youre at it because youre newfound power could quite possible rip your diff apart :kaboom:

 

[loc0gring0]

3l you can do them yourself for around 300 buxs best bang for the bux

 

[Ryan]

3l you can do them yourself for around 300 buxs best bang for the bux

Really? 300 buxs? C'mon now.

 

[brapple]

Really? 300 buxs? C'mon now.

well you can get a decent engine for $300. port out the heads and drop in. so only a few hundred more for some other things like gaskets, fuilds, etc

 

[Ryan]

well you can get a decent engine for $300. port out the heads and drop in. so only a few hundred more for some other things like gaskets, fuilds, etc

So you ain't doing it for 300! I love my contour guys, but the majority of them don't even know how to search let alone complete a 3.0L swap for 300 bucks!

 

[scottydsntknow]

One thing I am wondering is why so many ppl are against doing the hybrid. It seems over at Contour.org that everyone is afraid to pull heads off a car. I'd much rather take an hour to pull the SVT heads/cams off the 2.5 and bolt them onto a 3.L shortbock with ARP studs than spend hours port matching heads that are ON the motor, risking shavings getting in there and causing all kinds of havoc. Then you can also just bolt everything else right back on if I'm reading right. I'm sure there are SOME things different like cutting tabs off the block but that's minor and done in a few minutes with a cutoff wheel or a good grinder.

I still can't post at contour.org because they are taking FOREVER to activate my account and I'm still learning but it seems like alot of people make it into more trouble than it should be. I guess they just want the 3L heads with the CSVT intake but hell, just pull the heads off the motor and do it that way or stick with the full 3L swap. I've seen some scary things happen when even tiny metal shavings get into engines and would never risk it personally.

When I get a new house with a garage one of the first things I want to do is to find a good 3L motor and put it on a stand in the corner. Then just have it, a clutch and a quaife ready to go at the first sign of trouble. With the quaife that's like $1500 of stuff for a completely new drivetrain if that.

I obviously still have to research what else I need which is probably nitnoid stuff like injectors, accessory brackets, and other small mods to make it all work but compared to some swaps out there this one is pretty damn cheap and easy from what I've seen. I just need the car to last in its current state for 2 years or so and since this motor has 21k on it that should be doable I hope lol.

 

[Ryan]

The hybrid was the first way to do it. The 2.5L heads didn't have oil drainbacks that the 3.0L heads do. Thats the first thing, since one theory of the lack of oiling on the 2.5L was that the oil was not getting back to the crankcase fast enough.

Second, IIRC the 3.0L has bigger intake/exhaust valves another bonus.

Third, the hybrid raises the c/r to ~11.25. Some like that, I did.

Now as people/community has learned the full 3.0L has become 'the way'.

BTW, I went the hybrid route 4 years ago now, but my plan was nitrous so I wanted the additional C/R.

 

[00SVTC]

The hybrid was the first way to do it. The 2.5L heads didn't have oil drainbacks that the 3.0L heads do. Thats the first thing, since one theory of the lack of oiling on the 2.5L was that the oil was not getting back to the crankcase fast enough.

Second, IIRC the 3.0L has bigger intake/exhaust valves another bonus.

Third, the hybrid raises the c/r to ~11.25. Some like that, I did.

Now as people/community has learned the full 3.0L has become 'the way'.

BTW, I went the hybrid route 4 years ago now, but my plan was nitrous so I wanted the additional C/R.

lots of good points. the valve size is key. if you want to do a hybrid, the common accepted thought is that the heads should be sent to the machine shop and the 3L valves put in. a basic hybrid and a basic port matched 3L will usually put similar numbers down, but the 3L heads supposedly flow more so it has more potential once you start heavy modifications, and if you are going forced induction, you dont want the compression

 

[scottydsntknow]

Ah, the oil drainbacks are the biggie for me. I guess a home porting with greasy rags stuffed in the ports would be pretty safe or you just use the 3L intake. I'm still leery on home porting but I have awhile to think about it since the 2.5L in the one I just got was fully rebuilt 20k ago.

 

[Ryan]

All depends on the route you want. Some guys do/did a full 3.0L swap with the SVT UIM/LIM intake manifold. IIRC though intake ports on teh heads needed to be port matched to the LIM. Others did the full 3.0L to include the UIM/LIM. Personally, I never like the 3.0L intakes since they were designed more for low-mid range power.

 

[brapple]

the hybrid was the first way to build 3L's. it works but building a ported 3L is quick and easier, plus it saves some money. I have seen an engines ported in less then 2.5 hours. this includes some finish sanding after working the port out.

its all about what you want to build. a hybrid is not a great idea for the NPG turbo kit that I am running because of the higher compression. so the best way to go was a ported 3L because I don't care for the 3L plastic intake.

 

[scottydsntknow]

One thing I'm wondering, has anyone ever tried to do a motor swap with the V8 SHO motor? Its got the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the Duratec although people who've tried to swap the Contour manual transmission into a V8 SHO to make a 5 speed have had issues with the axles being too close to the pan. Not sure if it would be an issue on the contour though. Interesting to think about...

 

[Ryan]

The V8 SHO motor is basically the 2.5L with two more cylinders. the 2.5L is already stuffed in there, unless you are a master fabricator it ain't happening

 

[quadracer_87]

so basicly if i am looking into doing a swap the best way to go about it would be to do a ported 3L and find all the threads about it on ceg and read them all to find out what all i need. thanks for the imput and help. if i have any questions i'll be sure to ask.

 

[Ryan]

so basicly if i am looking into doing a swap the best way to go about it would be to do a ported 3L and find all the threads about it on ceg and read them all to find out what all i need. thanks for the imput and help. if i have any questions i'll be sure to ask.

Yes and check out NECO as well, they have some great information as well. :dw:

 

[contourspd98]

so basicly if i am looking into doing a swap the best way to go about it would be to do a ported 3L and find all the threads about it on ceg and read them all to find out what all i need. thanks for the imput and help. if i have any questions i'll be sure to ask.

If you do decide to go with the ported 3L, look up bugzuki on CEG and buy the plates from him. They will give you a guide as to how much needs to be cut on the intake ports to match the SVT LIM. You can get both plates for $25.

Read this thread if you haven't already. It will give you most of the information that you need to know for a ported 3L swap

Pwntbywombat 3L Build Thread - CEG Forums