The Question has come up what engine to put in my car. My car came with a rather hot street race engine that needs rebuilding at least to the heads and well why not just go all the way. Peter Dawes built it in the late 70s so it was a long time ago. It sat for 16 years. I have Carrera tensioners for it but will need some extra parts. The Webbers are seized with the butterflies stuck right now and I am soaking them and they may un stick or not.

So here is the deal.

A very highly state of tune 2.5 S engine maybe putting out 180 HP (my guess) with out a lot of torque or a middle state of tune 3.2 engine when you put in a Steve Wong chip that should put out 230 HP like the car in my garage. My 86 Carrera.

My car 914-6 #41 has a different engine (aluminum cases) from the original and the car has had lots of mods. done to it. After I put the wide body on it is far for being an original 914-6. I am not out to win any contests with this car.

Bob

What to you mean by 2.5S ? there is a configuration called a 2.5 ss (for short stroke) that I have in my car, but am still in the process of tuning. It is a short stroke crank, from a 2.0 or 2.2 with 89 mm or 90 mm pistons and cylinders.
It can be made to scream like a banshee, and that is what I like. A 3.2 would be more of a torque monster, of course.

Michel Richard

Bob- I think it's really going to come down to your budget... what do you want to spend? Best guess is fixing the one you have has to be cheaper than any transplant. If however, you are made of money then get the 3.2, mate it to a 915 & take what you have in her now & shove it into a 550 spyder kit!!

For what my $0.02 are worth, I like both the 2.5 and the 3.2.

For a track car, I would opt for the 2.5. More revs=more speed, and you can't beat the sound of a small displacement 6 at full song.

For a street/track car, I would opt for the 3.2 (and I did). It is a highly reliable engine with a nice fuel injection. Turn the key and go. No tuning, no pops, just a good all around running engine.

For stock 3.2 engines I never advocate a chip that extends the RPM range of the engine. (The 3.2 engines actually have smaller diameter connecting rod bolts that can and do stretch if the RPM's are not kept low) Besides I have seen too many 3.2 engines that were chipped end up going bang.

I like them both, but I prefer the 3.2 for the street.

you don't say how the car will be used, so it's kinda hard to say. does time matter? you can get your 2.5 back on the road by early summer. a 3.2/915 and you're talkin' next year. I'm doing the 3.2/915 thing now. I expect it to be quick, but I'm not interested in the arms race because theres always going to be faster cars out there. a motronic will be a well mannered hop-in-and-drive car, whereas with webers it'll be more crank-crank-crank-cough-cough-sputter-cloud of smoke run crappy for 10 miutes. but there is something about the rawness and sound of them that is great.

I have heard that the 2.5 is the limit in size for historic racing so that could be the reason that displacement is in there since it sounds like it may have been a race car.