Greetings,
I have read a lot of posts and this Camaro forum has members that offer a great deal of expertise to other members. I recently subscribed to ask everyone's opinion on a possible engine swap I am considering.. In my MGA is a 4 cylinder engine putting out about 70 HP from a cast iron block weighing about 450 lbs. There are owners that have squeezed an aluminum V8 Skylark / Oldsmobile or Rover V8 into the engine bay. This may still be a long shot consideration, but I am focusing on the space available and the idea of replacing the existing anemic British 1622 CC engine with a low mileage 2.0 liter Camaro engine circa 2020 or newer.

I have a need to increase the horsepower in the MGA, and the 2.0 liter turbo being aluminum block / heads at 275 HP would fit, and would be close to equal the existing weight, but with the 275 HP would most likely rip the stock wheel hubs away from the spoke rims.
I know a lot of the posts describe modifications to add horsepower. But I can save a lot of plumbing and reduce Horsepower by removing the turbo and run a tuned header exhaust.

If I end up with 150 to 200 HP, I think I can train my foot to be easy on the stock rear axle and spoke wheels. The sound would be there, getting off the line, front and rear weight and balance, would not change.

What other engine options should I consider. What considerations should I make for removing the turbo? Will this need software upgrades to the CPU?

I look forward to your knowledge, opinions. or constructive criticism, or suggestions for powering my MGA. hot rod.

Thank you,
Jonathan Laskos,

 

I am not familiar with the 2.0 and the tech required to get it working in a swap. Most modern motors are a pain to swap since you need the factory computer and that factory computer is wired into all the systems in the car. The factory computer needs "jail broke" You have to use the stock computer because Variable valve timing and a couple of other advanced features. As a general rule un-turboing an engine that was designed to be turbo charged does not work well. When the factory turbo's an engine they will make the engine very low compression so they can take full advantage of it. If you pull the turbo the engine becomes very in efficient. It will get terrible MPG and it will be a dog after 2000 RPMs.

With just about all swaps aftermarket support and knowing people that have done it makes the process much easier. Example the LS1 has so much support its now if you can do it, it's what parts do I want to buy vs make and what level of quality do I want. Even after that there will be choices of which name brand and research on which one works the best over time. Again just using the LS as an example you could just say I will do all the mechanical and let shop XYZ do the fuel and electrical. There are just so many options because of the aftermarket. The LS is so popular because it is only 460-ish lbs fully dressed.

In most swap cases newer is not better. Before I picked an engine I would look around. The first one that comes to mind is the Eco tech 2.2-2.4 that would have been in a Pontiac Solstice/Saturn SKY. They came with 5 speeds manuals and non-turbo is around 180 hp. If budget is an issue you could find a low mile ecotech and back it up with the 5 speed out of a 4th gen camaro. I believe that will all bolt together but I am not sure about the clutch. The Ecotec is a common swap motor. I do not personally know anyone that has done it but I think it is common in the miata world. Because the swaps are so common you can get the factory computer unlocked and striped down, You may even find some that sells them online ready to go. Same with wiring harnesses. In my personal opinion I would be tempted to do a 3800 V6/5 speed swap but you are right about the rear and wheels. I am sure there are a lot of option from Japan or even Germany. I do have a friend who put a VW engine in a S10 pick up.
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Thank you for the advice Gorn, I will look into the LS for width, depth, and the transmission, and how to get plumb the exhaust. I prefer to stay with GM, so I will consider the Pontiac.
The initial plan with the 4 cylinder, was considering a complete donor car for the Camaro engine trans CPU, wiring etc.
I will need to create some mock ups of the engine and trans for positioning, verify weight and balance and the exhaust.
Thanks again,.
Jonathan Laskos

 

There are others that have done newer MGs but with a base hp of 300 hp. the V8 will have a lot of torque. I think you would need a completely redesign rear suspension with a new rear. IMO you are going to have a lot of custom fabrication work, you can buy foam mockup LS1 motors from Summit. and the resale on them is good once you are done with it. I will agree that getting the engine in the right place is important but make sure the car does not twist the first time you get tractions. Don't laugh, back in the day I did alignment on cars and I have seen a few second gen camaros and C3 Vetts twisted and had to go to the frame machine before they could be aligned.

I did like you eco 4 cylinder Idea. Those are not bad motors. The non-turbo does have aftermarket support and they can hold up to 300hp on their stock bottom ends. I just though it may be easier is you backed up a few years in tech.

 

the 2.0 turbo ecotec swaps are actually starting to become common now, I auto-x with a guy who has done one and with very simple modifications, has made 400whp/400wtq!

he also has it in a bug eye sprite, which makes it even more fun. The hardest part for you is going to be deciding on what trans you want to run (he used a t-10) and then deciding if you plan to leave the motor stock or not. He ended up using a modified version of the stock engine harness to run everything and it it runs quite well! If you have any specific questions, I talk to him daily via group chat, I can ask him