So what advantages, besides rear mount cooler, small /6 conversions offer? Options

[Tdskip]

Yeah, back to looking at 2.2 and 2.4 engines while day dreaming. Not sure it is relational...

Just curious If there are any significant handling/weight advantages. I don’t think so, so does it come down to aesthetics of how the engine spin and sound?

I will duck and cover now...

[mepstein]

Mag cases are lighter
Smaller engines have a different sound
No oil cooler needed on the mild builds
Easier on the trans and less conversion parts needed.

I drove a narrow body 6 with a 160ish hp engine and custom gears. It had some glass lids, bumpers, some other light weight stuff and sticky tires. It was a blast!

[horizontally-opposed]

Mag cases are lighter
Smaller engines have a different sound
No oil cooler needed on the mild builds
Easier on the trans and less conversion parts needed.

I drove a narrow body 6 with a 160ish hp engine and custom gears. It had some glass lids, bumpers, some other light weight stuff and sticky tires. It was a blast!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

x10

Have driven all sorts of conversions over the years, and a really well done 3.2 or 3.6 (or 3.8) can be really nice, but there's something about a mag case 2.0 or 2.2. Sounds, the way it spins, all that. I've got a 2.2 making 169 hp at the wheels, or 160~ at the wheels with the factory airbox in place, and have little interest in more power. 190-200 is a pretty nice sweet spot in a narrow 914—not fast by modern standards but not slow, either, and more importantly satisfyingly powerful and fun. The little 2.2 is surprisingly torquey, too, as it has Solex cams. Sometimes, it's hard to believe the midrange torque is from just 2.2 liters. Has 2.7/3.0 driveability with 2.2 revviness and sounds. Downside is no 911S 2.2 rush from 6000-7200 rpm—it pulls "just okay" up there. I'd have a tough time trading the midrange drivability for the top-end rush, but I do think about it from time to time. So far, no need for an external cooler, though I am thinking about one mounted at the back of the car for "that time I needed an oil cooler after all."

If I was going to go longer stroke, I'd probably want to have something bigger than a 2.4 but the most fun 914 I ever drove was a GT-bodied car with a 2.2S w/MFI, short gears, and a diff. It was a hoot—everything felt "right."

To each their own...I can see where a 3.2 Motronic is deeply appealing, too.

[roblav1]

I've had many 911 engined cars... the most boring were a 3.2 and a 964 3.6. The most fun were a 2.2S MFI and a 2.7RS with Webers. Lightweight, the sound, the smell, the feel!

Mag cases are lighter
Smaller engines have a different sound
No oil cooler needed on the mild builds
Easier on the trans and less conversion parts needed.

I drove a narrow body 6 with a 160ish hp engine and custom gears. It had some glass lids, bumpers, some other light weight stuff and sticky tires. It was a blast!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

x10

Have driven all sorts of conversions over the years, and a really well done 3.2 or 3.6 (or 3.8) can be really nice, but there's something about a mag case 2.0 or 2.2. Sounds, the way it spins, all that. I've got a 2.2 making 169 hp at the wheels, or 160~ at the wheels with the factory airbag in place, and have little interest in more power. It is surprisingly torquey, too, as it has Solex cams. Downside is no 911S 2.2 rush from 5000-6000 rpm on up to redline. So far, no need for an external cooler, though I am thinking about one mounted at the back of the car for "that time I needed an oil cooler after all."

If I was going to go longer stroke, I'd probably want to have something bigger than a 2.4 but the most fun 914 I ever drove was a GT-bodied car with a 2.2S w/MFI, short gears, and a diff. It was a hoot—everything felt "right."

To each their own...I can see where a 3.2 Motronic is deeply appealing, too.