I thought I read a posting that listed all the different types of 914 conversions done over the years. I saved it but can't find it for some reason.

Anyhow - I remember there being a 914 SHO V6 in the list. Does anyone know who has done one of these - not just thought about it, but actually built one?

I'll go it alone if necessary, but I'd be curious to discuss some approaches with someone who's been there.

TIA,

Oooooooooooo... this is going to be one of my favorites!

Watching with bait breath

I was the President of the SHO Club in Chicago. We hosted the national convention back in 94 I think... anywhoo; this is one of my favorite engines of all time.

At one of the first get togethers in 91 or 2 there was a mid-engined 904 looking thing (but not) that had a SHO motor mated to a 901 so... it's doable Whether it will fit in a teener or not, I don't know.

It's been talked about here in the past but I've never seen one.

DO IT!!!

Maybe Felix's thread is what you were looking for?

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...;hl=SHO++Yamaha

The SHO motor is really really tall. I don't have dimensions, but it's not going to be an easy fit. I don't know if anyone has dry sumped a SHO motor, but that would probably shave quite a bit off the height if you went with an ultra low profile pan.

for us non amuricans, what's a SHO V6 ???

Andy

The Ford SHO was a taurus with a high performance motor built by Yamaha. One of the most beautiful intakes ever on a production car. It is reported to be capable of reving to 10,000 rpms without breaking a sweat. Keeping the belts on would probably be a problem if you had the guts to try

Here's a couple pics to show the height. I doubt a dry sump pan would be enough. It looks like the crankshaft centerline to the top of the intake is too far to fit in a 914 engine bay.

Ford SHO...Taurus. Engine was developed (manufactured?) by Mercury Marine and resembles an outboard motor (on its side). When accelerating, it sounds like a boat going down the street!

i believe it was a ford high performance v6

it was in the sho taurus back in the early 90's

i think that is correct
(if it is, just a warning, im anti ford biased lol)

The SHO motors were built by Yamaha, where as the 405hp corvette ZR1 LT5 was manufactured by Mercury; also a super cool motor. The LT5 is supposed to be one of the most complex automotive engines ever built.

Here's a pic of a SHO motor in an MGB, so anything is possible.

Ahh, yes. You are correct, sir. Having owned both in the (way distant) past, my memory is a little fuzzy.

I stand corrected. (But, the SHO sounded like an outboard, while the ZR1 did not!).

it can't be any taller than a sbc.

SHO = Super High Output. Built for Ford by Yamaha in 3.0 and 3.2, both rated at 220 hp. Nice! Get to work.

In a 914 a chevy 350 measures 20" from the crankshaft centerline to the deck lid. That's just enough room to clear a low profile intake manifold, holley carb and a k&n low profile air cleaner.

It will be interesting to see what the SHO motor measures.

What a beautiful piece of engineering............

IMHO, 220 hp isn't enough of a gain to bother with. Your adding hp but the negitive effect is the high roll center change. I'd do a Subi before a Sho. cool intake though.

Weren't there also SHO V8s, also made by Yamaha?

Ah, yes--here's a reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Yamaha_V8_engine

--DD

Been tried, It is WAY tall (holes in the decklid, big chunk out of the trunk)

They are also electrical NIGHTMARES, the subbie is bad, but the SHO is worse. Fuel tank temp sensor anyone?

BJH

Me too. I have always thought these would be a perfect 914 motor. As said above, once the belt driven things are off they are supposed to be able to clear 9k RPM . The only thing IMHO that would make them a better transplant candidate is if the iron block was aluminum.

As far as power goes, they are supposed to gain a huge amount (20+) of horsepower when the restrictive exhaust is removed and replaced with something else. The other heat thing is that I have heard that the intake manifold is symmetrical so it can be rotated 180 degrees to ease fitment issues.

Damn, that MGC install is KLEEEEN! The SHO engine is a great motor, they really scream.
That said, I would still go with a subie rather than the SHO but as you all know I am a little biased!

Maybe from "behind"

The cool thing about the SHO is how seamless the power transition is between the long and short intakes. Way smooth.

Yamaha wanted to purchase my engine as I put 50k on it every year. In my 3rd year of ownership I had 150k on the engine. This is when I met the head designer at Yamaha and he wanted to purchase the motor. The deal eventually fell through but he sent me one of those Shin Yaka??? detailed cutaway drawings as thanks.

My last boat... The SHO does not sound even close...

Youtube Video link

Just under 8K rpm there... turned 9300 at will when propped right (ran 117MPH and ran out of room)

BJH

No question it is a great motor. But when it is a lot easier to install a 300hp boxer that is lighter and keeps the CG way lower, I can't think of a reason to do it. Except that it hasn't been done yet.... Hmm. Ok, DO IT!

another SHO fan Eric, didn't know you were the club prez

Anyhow, being the son of a Ford Dealer in MI, I drove one of every generation as a demo. Looking back the very first one with a five speed was my favorite.

I remember a Lotus S1 with a SHO swap, I thought that was a very cool swap.

Ferg

That was mine. It was VERY fast. I hit "over" 145mph coming back from Flint to Lansing one night. For some reason it easily walked all over the other SHO's, even chipped and Borla examples (many caravans to Detroit, Atlanta, etc.). It ws the first SHO at the dealership in Arlington Heights. Came with a leather drivers seat... weird.

The Indiana State Police couldn't catch me once. I slowed to 90 out of respect for the MSP (mom worked there) and it took him 4 miles into Michigan before I even saw the lights to pull over... he was kinda mad. ($50.00 fine and plea in abeyence)

I had a 93 Auto as well... not nearly as fun.

My all time favorite SHO mechanic went to a Ford dealer in MI... GR I think. Mike something...??

One of the Grassroots 2007 challenge cars was a SHO 914~

From grm forum

dem boyz be bout haf crazy!

back when ford was developing the motor it would puke out the alternator guts spinning it so fast and the only way they could granade it at high rpms was to run it dry. i remember driving it when it first hit the showroom, that thing pulled (smooth as silk) all the way thru the band

insanely beautiful intake, it has 2 powdercoated sets of intake runners... one for bottom end than switches over for upper rpm

GO 4 IT!

I need to get one of those SHO things and get rid of my doggy daily driver ... Can you believe that my daily driver is uses a quart of oil every 2500 miles and it only has 315,000 miles! In addition, it only has a measily 256 horsepower (wouldn't you expect more from a 3.5 liter engine back in 1987?).

Where do you get one of those SHO things?

Eddie

i use to own a ford - i mean knew a guy that owned a ford festiva - yeah - that's it

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/789789

jay leno has a sho powered ford festiva

The SHO's were assembled in the Atlanta Ford plant. One day I say in the local paper a crate motor with an independant wireing harness and computer. A friend bought it ( he had 2 sho sedans) and installed it in a 4 door Jag. He told me the rev limiter was set at 8000 but Yamaha said it could go to12000.

There was one at the Shelby convention last summer at Miller.

Here's a part of an article about the 3.0L SHO engine. Note it indicates this is a compact V6 engine.

In the mid 1980s, Ford Motor Company worked with Yamaha Motor Corporation to develop a compact 60° DOHC V6 engine for transverse application. This engine intended was to power a mid-engine sports car, but that project (known internally as GN34) was cancelled. Instead, Ford decided to place the engine, dubbed the Super High Output (or SHO) into the front wheel drive Ford Taurus sedan.

The SHO engines share a common bell housing pattern with the following Ford engines: the 2.3/2.5 L FWD HSC I4, the 3.0L FWD/RWD Vulcan V6, and the 3.8 FWD Canadian Essex V6.

Due to the engine's unusual and aesthetically pleasing appearance as well as its compatibility with common Ford RWD transmissions, such as the AOD and T-5, it is sometimes transplanted into other vehicles. The distinctive intake manifold is bilaterally symmetrical, so it can be rotated 180 degrees (making it face "backwards" on the engine, relative to its original installation orientation) to ease the engine's transition from transverse to longitudinal mounting.

It sure would be nice to find a source of detailed info like cross-sections, cut-aways, etc. It would make these custom applications less like trail & error.

ENjoy!

And what would that be? The "doggy daily driver" that is?

I do like those SHO motors. 'Specially with a 5 speed. Years ago when they were still recent, I did a test drive with one up I-70 into the mountains. Fuchin screamin all the way... almost got a ticket. I considered buying an SHO a few years back for a DD.

I believe those are called SHOguns.

I had SHO(s) as daily drivers for 8 years. Proof that you can easily fall in love with an engine.

Since there was so much interest as to the fit of the SHO V6, I'll copy my engine bay posts from my progress thread over here. I've been getting measurements for the transmission and the cross-section of the engine bay. From this I feel I can get a good idea of engine fit. I've entered all the data into CAD and here is what I have so far.



The different colors should be obvious as to what they represent with the exception of the two blue lines. Those are the front-to-back limits of the SHO V6 engine relative to the forward face of the tranny - or in this case the adapter plate in front of the tranny. The upper part of the heads/intake over-hangs to the rear. I don't have the various heights yet.

I have a local contact that I'll be following up with to get some accurate dimensions of the engine. Once these are plugged in and I do a back view, I'll have a decent idea of what interferences I may have.

Keep you posted.

OK,

First let me say a big THANK YOU to Tom ( a local SHO rail owner) for allowing me access to his shop to get the necessary dimensions. Tom's been using SHO motors in his rails for years and has amassed a great deal of data and insight into these engines - including turbos & super-chargers.

Here's how it came out. The engine of choice for a longitudinal mount would be the 3.2L used in the automatics. One main reason is that the 3.2 has a single auto-tensioning serpentine belt, whereas the 3.0L has two and require manual adjustment and more space.

Take a look at the final best-fit I can come up with.
Magenta - engine bay and body parts.
Red - 901 Tranny
Green - 24" dia wheel/tire
Blue - engine outline



Here's a few things I have to consider:

1. The centerline for the crank is just below the seam where the oil pan and block mate. This leaves the stock oil pan in place with no mods and out of harms way.
2. The 901 transaxle will need to be brought foward and down 1" in each direction. Its likely this will move backward as the adapter plate and clutch may require more depth than I allowed.
3. The angled part of the trunk will have to be removed and re-aligned up to match the adjacent vertical wall. That way an extra rib can be added to the trunk and it can still be sealed properly, with space for luggage.
4. The firewall at the seats will have to be modified. I don't mind eliminating this as I was going to do a custom back-pad anyway, and I never have my seat all the way back.
5. The center section of the forward part of the trunk lid will have to be cut to accommodate the intake & throttle body. The TB can be rotated vertically and air could be fed via a custom ram scoop. I'd even considering adjusting the engine height upward slightly so that the intake manifold can be exposed.
6. THe only other BIG downer on the whole deal is the weight. Fully dressed, this engine comes in at 500 lbs. That is first hand info, not second hand speculation.

Now the tough part. Do I proceed?

Pretty Please?

Here is Jay's ShoGun. #3 of seven, made by Chuck Beck. Jay's has nitrious.

T.C.

Click to view attachment

Well its obvious I wouldn't be the first, as there is a link further up by Dino. The guy doing this one appears to have it installed transversely.

So I might be the first if I go longitudinal. The real killer for me is the weight. Any idea what some of the V8 engine weigh in at?

Still undecided.

I'd estimate an iron headed carbed SBC at around 550 lbs and an aluminum headed SBC around 500 lbs

An LS series all aluminum motor down around 450 lbs

I think the 500lbs estimate might be a little heavy for the SHO motor, but it's no light weight. It's all iron and has a pretty substantial top end.

The neat things about a SHO conversion would definitely be the rev range and it should get pretty good fuel economy. From a financial standpoint it should be able to work pretty well with the 914 trans, so that's a bonus.

I read the Buick/Rover 215 with aluminum heads weights 318lbs. Seems like a good choice for the v8 route.
But then you wouldn't have the one-of-a-kind we want to see you build.

If anyone here is wanting one, I know where a complete SHO for something like $500, located in FL.

how about a ford engine, using transverse mounting, with ford 5 speed, in a 914? oh, and turbo'd.

=)

http://www.engineconversions.org/showthread.php?p=131

Yeh, I saw that link previously. It looks like a nice car, way to much hacking for my taste. If this were to be a strictly track car I'd have no problem doing the SHO and related hacking.

Not sure who was originally interested in the SHO 914 but here is a head start

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/car/707505340.html

Daron

vince in Oceanside CA

Thanks Darron, I will check it out.

The Craigs list posting actually looked promising and for a very reasonable price. I initially sent an email and got no response, so I called the number provided and spoke with Ryan. This was an older father-son project that had been shelved for a looonnngg time, but he had all the parts needed to complete the conversion except the ECU and engine wiring harness. Here are the pics:

Ryan indicated that he recalled they moved the engine/tranny backwards about seven inches to clear the firewall. You can see from the first pic that they needed to cut deep into the rear trunk to do this. I was planning a different approach that took some of that from the cockpit (since I can spare it) and less from the trunk.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

The parts on the rear of the engine, like the coil pack, can be relocated also to reduce its length. That only leaves the throttle-body sticking out, and the MAF sensor can be located along the intake tubing.

Now that I've figured out how to address the intake I'm going to commit to doing the SHO 3.2 V6. Although I may not end up being the first - I'm convinced this will make a very cool 914 conversion.

I forgot to mention that I left messages and sent emails indicating my interest to put a deposit on the car, but never heard anything back. So I'm assuming its sold or the owner changed his mind.

the engine is coming along. Tom's been a big help getting things squared away. We've got a good block, crank, rods, pistons, heads, intake, etc.
I've started cleaning and will begin prepping for paint. This engine is going in a 914 that will be an orange. Here's one of the colors I like - Signal Orange, the other is Tangerine.
Click to view attachment

There are two complimentary colors on the car. When racing the GT's the factory would color code the bumpers so that each car could be identified easier when viewed head-on. I plan to apply this to my car and use yellow and red for the two halve-colors on the front & rear bumpers. These are the same colors I'll use for the engine.

Here's a quick image my son modified for me to illustrate. The block and oil pan will also be yellow to match the intake.
Click to view attachment

I wanted to avoid black since the engine cover is a black mesh. This way colors will be more apparent behind the black grill.

Actual pics to come once I get things painted and together.

Enjoy!

I forgot about this thread, and I hate to leave them unfinished. Here is latest pics of almost finished SHO engine for my 914.





Aside from the obvious color, many parts have been polished (not chromed).

aside from a subaru or subaru turbo conversion - anyone thinking about doing a conversion needs a ride in a sbc conversion - before thinking either of these two are not beyond adequate : )