High output Type IV or Subaru Options

[TonyAKAVW]

There has been a lot of talk recently about affordable engine upgrades for the 914, namely larger displacement Type IV engines and Subaru conversions.

It looks as though a Type IV with 125 HP will cost about $5000 to do. It also looks like a Subaru conversion, using the Renegade kit (or a DIY conversion) will run somewhere around the same price for 165-180 HP (or more with a turbo engine).

So the poll question is if you had $5000 to spend on an upgrade for your 914, would you rather have a Type IV or a Subaru conversion?

As far as I know, no one yet offers a complete drop-in solution for the Subaru conversion, whereas a Type IV can be purchased and dropped in with little effort.

-Tony

[McMark]

I think the time it takes to do an engine swap starts when you confidently decide to do the swap to the point that you can daily drive it. I think this is a valid way to judge conversion time because all of the time you spending figuring out the details of a conversion is time that you wouldn't have to spend if you were doing a Type IV. So that extra time spent planning is an investment in the swap. You must consider all investments, both time and money.

Trekkor, you had a huge advantage over a Subaru because the swap you did has been done so many times before and so many parts are commercially available. Many of these Subaru swaps are breaking completely new ground.