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Wanting more horse power

5K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  2013GV 
#1 ·
I have a 86 samurai on 32's and need more hp. I have a good running 302 I could put in it or would you go with a different engine I don't want to alter the look of the front end so I need some help on what to do
 
#2 ·
A 302 what? Ford? Chevy?

A huge consideration is driveline strength. A 302 V8 of any kind is likely to make more torque than the stock trans or transfer can reliably take.

Personally, I would be looking at Suzuki-based engines.
 
#3 ·
Something else worth consideration would be the wicked addition of front end weight. X2 on looking toward Suzy engines for the very light weight and pretty easy conversion.

I was talking to a guy that had the GM V6 in his and he had nothing but regret as it did so much damage to it's handling on and off road.

You could convert to a 1.6L depending on what your purpose for the vehicle is, theres also a guy out there building the 1.3L up to around 100hp. The names escape me at the moment but they are easy to Google and plenty of information on it.

Mines a 1.6 16v, leaps and bounds better than the 1.3 but I have a bit of added weight and 35" and it's still adequate.
 
#4 · (Edited)
This subject has been beat to death.
IMHO: any v-8 is over kill in a Samurai. To heavy , long , Impractical.
Most V-6 conversions are just as bad.
The Suzuki alternatives are a good solution . But have issues as well.
Stress cracks in the blocks are probably the most common. As well as availability.
The Toyota 22-R is to long.
The 2 TC Toyota is a good alternative. Strong , plentifully and fair output.
I opted for the Datsun L-20B . AT 110 hp x 125lbs of torque bone stock. It is a great engine family to use in the Zuke.
Mine is just at 150 hp and 175 lbs.
I have posted threads here and on other Zuke sights detailing the conversion.Shouldn't be to hard to find....

 
#5 ·
I would guess the smallest and lightest V8 option to possibly be one from a Rover. It's an all-aluminum pushrod V8 originally based on a 1960s Buick design. I think a longblock weighs about 320lbs, which is still somewhere around double the weight of a G13. Ford 302s are ~460lbs and GM products are substantially more.
 
#6 · (Edited)
The GM/Rover V8s were common for projects, I think the most common variant is a 215cid but memory serving is very distant. I dont know how easy those will be to find or how cheap they can be had.

The L20B option would be my choice if not a Suzy.
 
#7 ·
The Rover V8 began life as the Buick 215, an all-aluminium engine introduced in 1960 for the 1961 US model year. The compact engine was light, at just 144 kg (318 lb), and capable of high power outputs: the most powerful Buick version of this engine rated 149 kW (200 hp), and the very similar Oldsmobile "Jetfire" turbocharged version made 215 hp (both numbers SAE gross). Based on sales volume and press reports, the engine was a success. Buick produced 376,799 cars with this engine in just three years. A comparable number of Oldsmobile 215 engines were produced. In addition, some Pontiac models were fitted with the Buick 215, leading to the nickname "BOP 215" for the engine (BOP standing for Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac). The aluminium engine was relatively expensive to produce, however, and it suffered problems with oil and coolant sealing, as well as with radiator clogging from use of antifreeze incompatible with aluminium. As a result, GM ceased production of the all-aluminium engine after 1963, although Buick retained a similar iron engine (1964–1980), as well as a V6 derivative (1962–2008) which proved to have a very long and successful life.[clarification needed]
In January 1964 Rover gave American operations head J. Bruce McWilliams permission to investigate the possible purchase of an American V8 engine for Rover cars. It is usually said that McWilliams first saw the Buick V8 at the works of Mercury Marine, where he was discussing the sale of Rover gas turbines and diesel engines to the company (Mercury did indeed use the Land Rover 2.25 litre diesel engine in marinised form). However, it is likely that McWilliams was aware of the Buick engine before this. In any case, McWilliams realised that the lightweight Buick V8 would be ideal for smaller British cars (indeed, it weighed less than many straight-4 engines it would replace). McWilliams and William Martin-Hurst began an aggressive campaign to convince GM to sell the tooling, which they finally agreed to do in January 1965. Retiring Buick engineer Joe Turlay moved to the UK to act as a consultant.
The Rover V8 has long been a relatively common engine for kit car and hot rod use in Britain, much as the Chevrolet small-block V8 is for American builders (though many British hot rods have traditionally used four cylinder engines, like the Ford Pinto and Crossflow units). Even in the US there is a strong contingent of builders who select the Buick or Rover aluminium V8 engine for use in small sporty cars like the MGB and the Chevy Vega. Note also that the 1964 Buick iron-block 4,920 cc (300 cu in) engine had aluminium cylinder heads and a longer stroke crankshaft, which with minor modifications can be used with the Buick 215 or Rover engine blocks to produce a high-output, very light weight V8 with displacement of up to about 300 cubic inches. The 300 crank in the 215 block yields 4,260 cc (260 cu in).
The British made engines were run on two SU carburettors (14 years), then two Stromberg carburettors (2–3 years), Bosch L-Jetronic (7–8 years, aka Lucas 4CU Flapper), then Hitachi Hotwire (5 years, aka Lucas 14CUX), then the GEMS system (many years) and finally Bosch Motronics for 2 years. The engine is still cast now (2011), in an improved version, by Coscast in Birmingham, UK.
As well as appearing in Rover cars, the engine was widely sold by Rover to small car builders, and has appeared in a wide variety of vehicles. Rover V8s feature in some models from Morgan, TVR, Triumph, Land Rover and MG, among many others.
The demise of the MG Rover Group in 2005 led to a halt in production of the famed name "Rover V8" after 40 years. The last Rover to have a real Rover V8 was the Rover SD1 Vitesse which was replaced by the Rover 827 Vitesse with a 2.7 litre Honda V6 unit, The Rover V8 remained with Land Rover when it was sold to Ford by BMW. Although Land Rover has switched to the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine for new applications, they wanted production of the engine to continue, and they arranged for production to restart in Weston-super-Mare under MCT, an engineering and manufacturing company. MCT will continue limited production of the engine for the foreseeable future, supplying engines for aftermarket and replacement use.[3]

An origanal 215 Buic is a rair bird today.
At 200hp. it looks good on paper but at 5-6000 rpm red line a well built 4 banger will out perform it . The Datsun will tirn 8000 rpm's all day long.
Don't get me wrong, If one has to have a V-8, it is probubly the best candidate for the swap.
Jegs and other hipro parts supliers still cover the 215 prety well.
Tranny options are prety good. And the low torque of the engine won't require you to spend tons on an Atlas or D-300 T-case.
 
#8 ·
what do you want the extra hp for, off-road or on-road? if the former, i'd toss the suz motor and put a small lightweight turbo diesel into it. if the latter, why not fit a supercharger, kits can be made to fit. then you can use all the revs instead of only about 4700 of them!!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Diesels require BIG gear changes. And while they sound cool and make big torque gains over the Zuke motor. Cost will come into play at some point.
Supercharging an engine with a well documented week bottom end is just plain foolish.
The red line on the STOCK Datsun engine is 7200rpm. Mine pulls hard clear through 8000 rpm for sustained runs, and occasionally sees 10,000.
Why the engine change you ask?
I now have better torque (twice ) , power (twice) , economy , reliability . Due to the iron block I have a better heater, much better power band etc.
I can run 31" tires with stock gearing, 33's with 4.6:1 gears. And can run down the freeway in the fast lane while on my way to the mountains......
Look if you're into keeping You're Zuke stock-ish. Good for you. I se no problem with that.
But any mods done beyond stock in suspension and tire size are going to require an injection of both hp and torque.
While the 8 valve and the 16 valve Zuke motors are fine. For the same $ there are other
and IMHO better solutions.
 
#13 ·
The best and cheapest way to uprate a V8 rover engine is bin the SU's / Strombergs and forget about a Holley 4 barrel but instead fit a Weber from the old V6 Ford essex engines fitted to the Granada/ capri , you carefully use the original V8 rover 3528cc (215ci) inlet manifold and cut off the square part the original su / Stromberg carbs fitted on and the hole left with very little work fits a carefully alloy welded Weber block , the twin choke Weber transforms the car with its accelerator jets and it's far more responsive , a thermostat of 82c fit for reasonable coolant temp regarding power , ensure an air filter is large as possible , never run without one the bores wear quick you lose low down power and risk fire ! Standard cam is best for low down torque , ( incidentally we used to switch the distributor it sounds crazy but nethertheless to the old weighted points system , change bottom gear on this to change ! Reason was it's easier to ensure with careful oiling the engine runs better advance thru the range and it performs better! I think the latter electronic system runs to far retarded thru the range for emissions and knock problems in hotter climates? Anyway the carb change pays dividens is cheap and works superb on the V8 ( remember the Weber off the V6 essex not off the pinto or Kent as they are progressive I.e dont both open together ! Xxx
 
#14 ·
why are you responding to a topic over 6 years old? the original poster hasn't been on here for 4 years.
 
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