I know there may not be a lot of people on here who will be interested in this for their car, but it will be nice to have more options for people who want more power, and a modern shifting mid-engine transaxle. These pictures are of a 6 speed version, but the 5 speed will use the same adapter plate and flywheel.

That's cool, are you selling the adapter?...daveyboy

the shoe prints on the wall - big distraction : )

Did you have to notch the bellhousing to get the starter to fit?

Andys

Yes

Yes, the plan is to eventually sell an adapter kit.

I wonder what is the torque specs for the boxter 6 speed and what is the first gear ratio? If the boxter 5spd is higher than 300 ft lbs torque rating it may be a worthwhile investment. It costs about 3500 to upgrade a suby 5spd I think to handle 450 ft lbs where the case becomes to weak part. At any rate it is nice to have a alternative as this should also fit the suby 6. What is the distance from the center of the axle to the motor bellhousing flange? The adapter also appears to move the motor further forward which is good I think. Also the tranny looks more robust in the case webbing than a suby tranny.

Great work!!
I guess its time to start looking for a Boxster with a bad engine. How much lighter is the Subaru engine than the 2.7 water cooled boxster engine. I'm guessing that the subaru is at least 200lbs lighter if not more.


Bob

will this use the cable shifter from the Boxster? or a custom setup?

I'm pretty confident I can make the stock Boxster cable shifter system work in a 914, but won't know until I try. Cable length will be the deciding factor. Regardless, there's no reason not to use the shifter itself. It would just be a matter of some custom cables. The first conversion will happen in a Boxster S that will be a track car. As long as all goes well in that car on the track, I will venture out to a 914 chassis.

Hey are you making this adaptor? I am VERY interested. I just took a good look at the boxster cable shifter setup at 20th Street porsche junkyard here in Phoenix. It is a real nice light setup and cables are pretty long stock. I can get the whole setup shifter and all the cables, plus the rear brackets that bolt to the transmission for $150.

I bet this would be a perfect fit for my subie 6.

So i have a few questions.
1. clutch, how is this setup?
2. flywheel\pressure plate setup, are you making it?
3. how soon till you get this setup done?
4. Which transmission the 5 or the six speed is better, are they both computer controlled??

thanks man, very interested!!

Oh hey !! I just saw I live right next door to you in Chandler.....Would love to come and see your setup.

Clutch will be stock style Boxster pieces
Flywheel will be completely custom
Should hopefully have the test car running and testing by the end of the summer
6 speed is stronger than the 5 speed but slightly heavier and more expensive. Both use the same adapter plate, clutch and flywheel. Neither are computer controled.

I am making the complete adapter kit and conversion kit myself.

As you already know, the same adapter plate will work for the EJ, EG, and EZ Subaru motors.

If the price is right, I'll be your first buyer for the Complete kit so i can just buy the transmission and bolt that baby in!!

If you need a test subject, my 914 subie 6 is up and screaming around already. I'd be glad to put that adaptor kit through its paces.

I am sure the gear ratios will bring my rpms down quite a but while cruising at 75mph.

Thanks, but I already have a 914 test vehicle that I will be putting the first 5 speed into...

http://www.precisionchassisworks.com/subar...orsche-914.html

Is this your 911 SVX engine swap?

If so, AWESOME craftsmanship!!!

Yes it is. That was a fun car.

New body work mocked-up on test car...

about how much does a boxter trans cost? 5spd or 6spd?

A good 5 speed is about $1500, and a 6 speed is about $2500. I've seen them for less on Ebay, but those are good "retail" prices from reputable salvage yards.

The Boxster 5 speed and the Audi 5 speed model 012 are the same transaxles (same output flanges?). There are some gear ratio variations, but most of the 1.8T Audi's have the same ratio as the Boxster. Only thing you don't get with the Audi transaxle is the cable shift bellcranks and linkage. The Audi stuff can be had for about half the cost of the Boxster.

Andys

I just pulled the stock M96 engine out of the donor Boxster and put it on the scales. The fully dressed engine without flywheel/clutch/pressure plate weighed in at just over 450lbs. STUPID PORSCHE!!!

From the research I've done, the twin cam, turbo 2.5 Subie motor should weight around 320lbs which includes the exhaust manifolds, turbo, intercooler core, PS pump, flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch disc. I haven't weighed the exact engine that will be going into the car because there are still a lot of pieces that need to be fabbed yet, but I predict a 100lb savings with the Subaru motor.

I think because of the weight of the 914 the highest axle ratio offered will be the best for the 914 application. Also if the first gear in the six speed is as low as the sti 6 spd it will be pretty much usless except for towing in the 914.

The gear ratios between the STI and Boxster 6 speeds are very similar, but the Boxster final drive is 3.44:1 and the STi's is 3:90. I think it will be just fine

I agree, it sounds like the boxter gearing is better for the 914 than the sti tranny for a 300hp or better motor, I'm not sure how heavy the boxter body you are using is though for the first application. Will the boxter clutch and ppl handle 350-400 ft lbs?

Is part of the plan to put Subaru engines in all those early Boxsters that had their motors go crispy? If so you got a PLAN dude! And I'm in line for one myself.

I have a 49K mile 6 Speed Boxster S tranny for sale.. 2250.00 takes it. Came from a car that was parted out due to IMS failure.

This is EXACTLY the plan! I think VERY soon there will be a TON of these early Boxsters in the $3000-$4000 range with bad engines. I want to be ready when it happens...

Test fit the engine today to see how it fits. It's almost like it was meant to be. It almost looks like the turbo might be able to fit in the stock location on the engine, although that's not what I will be doing on this car. There is almost 6 inches between the crank pulley and the engine bulkhead which is WAY more than the stock M96 engine.

Next is motor mount fabrication.








A stock Boxster S weighs in at about 2940lbs. The test car will weigh about 2300lbs with a full cage and track prepped. The classes I'm planning on running it in at first is NASA's TTS and ST1 so I will be limited to a power-to-weight ration of no less than 8.7:1.... so about 280ish to the wheels.

Actually you can find them already, so I believe you've got this one by the tail.

There's irony here. Poor Jake. Lately I've noticed that in forums where he used to spend a lot of time talking up T4 conversions, Shoptalkforums, Spyderclub, etc. the Subaru conversions have taken over. Not so many T4's any more, they're just too expensive. So Jake shifted to Boxster motors, which are a problem. Now you come along developing a way to put Subaru motors in Boxsters, too, again because the Porsche motors are so much more expensive. Subaru's are going in to everything, and seem to be following Jake around. No wonder he's so annoyed.

A stock 2.5 04 sti is about 240-260hp at the 4 wheels so a 2wd version probably is about 280. The boxter looks like a better fit for the suby waterpumper and all the suspension is much newer and later technology. I have a boxter cable shifter though and the mr2 shifter seems like a much cleaner mechanism to me. Course the stock shifter already works and plastic doesn't rust.

Actually Jake would probably make a great suby motor builder. Everyone knows it takes close attention to detail to build a good motor and the suby does have some challenges if it is entended to be a performance motor at 7k. The stock turbo motors pretty much run out of steam at 6500.

The donor car I'm using was bought for $3500 (for a 2000 "S")because it had a bad engine that was mixing coolant and oil. I've seen 2.5 cars go as cheap as $2500 with bad engines

He's said he'd rather be shot in the head.

It doesn't bother me a bit. The Boxster is just another car and the Suby conversion just makes sense.. Our aircooled backlogs are just as strong as they were in 2000, I might lose two sales a year to the Suby conversion for a 914, and that's fine because those people aren't looking for what we create anyway.

In the M96 world our work is to support shops, sell information and create engine solutions. We are not building high numbers of the engines and don't want to.

The Suby might be growing but we have grown 400% here in 7 years and it shows zero signs of slowing down.. During this horrible economy I have added employees and added TWO more buildings, both of which are paid for. If even 1/2 of all Boxsters were converted to suby power there would be more M96 busines than we could ever want.

BTW- We haven't shifted any focus, we have just expanded. The same people are working in the airccoled division that have been there for years. I added space, added capability and much more defined spaces to carry out work with the Boxster and 996 engines.

FWIW I did a suby conversion into a sandrail in 1994, it took about 6 months to finish and I took it to Glamis in April of 1995 for the first time. Been there and dome that with a 2.5 even before ole DB Cooper.

Don't know about that, Jake, I started with a VW Manx at Pismo in 1968. And if I'm not mistaken that was before you were born.

So you're all annoyed for some other reason?

about jake already. You're reading annoyance where others might not. To me it looks like he is happy with where his busoness is going; and wishes the original poster similar success. If anything I would guess he is annoyed that you are hijacking a thread to try and provoke him.


Let's have some more pics on topic; this is one bad ass project and I want to see more!

Nothing is currently annoying me, not even DB.. That's because I expect this behavior from him and was absolutely awaiting the post he made since I saw the first posting of this thread. It's just what he does and that's fine by me.

I am perfectly happy! I can work on the property where I grew up, shoot my rifle or shotgun out my office window or go fishing at my pond that's 200 yards from my shop. I can work on whatever I want to whenever I want to do it all while working with a great group of employees.

BTW My reference to doing it before DB wasn't talking about playing on the sand, but rather utilizing the Subaru engine to take the place of the VW engine. Nothing wrong with the Suby at all, some people might be surprised with what I have been working with as an addition over the past few years too:-)

Those who come our way even for an enquiry are looking to us for a reason and that's not primarily the cost of admission.

I do wish this project luck and might even do a few of the swaps myself, Blake and I had this idea two years ago but my goal was to support the M96 engine because I like Porsches and I like working with engines that were originally plagued with issues.

There will always be a big enough following to purchase what we create at the low volumes that we want to service.

Now, Lets stay on topic and don't hijack this thread.
To the original poster: email me, I'd like to help you:-)

Wow, could I be mistaken? Jake, I'm used to hearing you call my car a piece of junkyard shit and worse (in your forums for example, a pretty vigorous condemnation of Subaru conversions: 914 Watercooled Bastardization). You seemed pretty annoyed then, but if that's all past and my car is acceptable now then apologies are in order. But I admit it's gone on for so long already that I'm skeptical.

This isn't a hijack, not at all. Jake's acknowledgment that this could be another reasonable solution for the poor Boxster owners left stranded by Porsche is a major endorsement. Write that down and quote it. I know this is one of the smartest and most creative solutions I've seen, and I'm rooting for it to turn out well because I want one for myself. Oh, I said that already.


Edit: Good idea Jim! There's now a Sandbox thread for Raby Related comments. Please don't pollute this thread, precisionchassis has too cool a thing going on. I keep going through those photos, which are incredible, and can't wait for more. Tempted to get a Boxster and just follow along.

.

the sandbox exists for a reason.

that said - i am digging the idea of a boxster with a suby engine : ))



more pics and details pls.

jim

sans the bickering. this is good stuff; let's keep moving forward!

Love to see the work you are doing with the adapter plate. I am sure it will be getting plenty of use once finished. Both for the Boxter & our 914's. Do you have any interest in doing a plate for the 1.9 TDI motor?

I was under the impression that the VW TDI motors were a direct bolt-on for the 5 speed Boxster tranny... No?

no idea if it is a direct fit, but a question that is almost more important is will the gearing work for you? remember a TDI is going to have a completely different powerband, would suck to go thru all that trouble and expense and have something you don't want to drive due to poor gear ratios

If I were to send you a solidworks drawing of an engine, could you see how well it would match up to the Boxster S six speed?

Sure, the e-mail address is precisionchassis@gmail.com

Thank you! e-mail sent.

Prototype motor mount/cradle is finished. It mounts using factory hardware locations, and requires no chassis modification or welding. The bottom of the cradle also acts as a skid plate of sorts since the oil pan sits about a half inch lower than the stock oil pan.

That really does look like it belongs there.

Now, can you make one for 914's

Yeah, the 914 will be next.

Thats right! I'm getting so used to these dang adapter plates with my v8. I seem to think any conversion needs them . The VW motors are very torquey (is that how you spell that ) . So the power band doesn't concern me that much. I think stock HP is like 135-145 I think. Once they are chipped & a few mods I think you can push close to 200hp. But the HP isn't where it is at. The torque is sweet not to mention the gas mileage .

Okay back to the suby motor & your adapter plate. Sorry for the slight hijack. Love what you are doing with the Boxter. I've been keeping my eyes open for an older boxter with a bad motor. Mainly to scavenge the tranny & cable shift setup for a 914. Would love to have that mated to my current buick 215 v8 conversion. Be more tempting to just pull the motor & do your Suby conversion. Keep up the good work