5 Cool alternative engines for project cars

We love swapping engines in our cars. But what do you do when "everyone" has seen Barras in Bugattis, Novis in Nissans, and LS V8s in everything? Well, you look at some forgotten gems...  

3-cylinder: Ford EcoBoost "Dragon"

We have done a lot with three-cylinder engines on the show over the years, and while people tend to sleep on them in favour of swapping in a larger four-cylinder, there is real charm and fun to a hard-revving three-pot. Ford's turbocharged DOHC EcoBoost three-pot unit has been available since 2009, with the post-2013 998cc (codenamed "Fox") produced between 74kW and 103kW. 

The real sauce is the 2017-on update to this engine, codenamed "Dragon". Now boasting 1497cc and 150kW this new-gen three-cylinder boasts both port-injection and direct-injection fuelling, while the block and cylinder head are now both aluminium. As these engines are offered in late-model small Ford vehicles, like the popular Fiesta, they're common and would provide an epic upgrade for an older FWD vehicle.

4-cylinder: Toyota 2TR-FE

This twin-cam 2.7-litre four-cylinder replaced the storied 3RZ-FE in-line four-cylinder in Toyota's commercial range. The 3RZ is renowned for being a large-capacity four-cylinder that took boost on board like MOOG takes tofu kebabs, but the 2TR is the new evolution of this platform.

Producing either 118kW (single VVTi) or 120kW (dual-VVTi) in naturally aspirated form, they're sold in rear-drive format and pack a boost-friendly 9.6:1 comp (single VVTi) or 10.2:1 (dual VVTi). The great news is because they're sold in Toyota commercial vehicles like the HiAce, Coaster bus, Hilux, and Surf, they're everywhere and not going to break your bank.

5-cylinder: Volvo B5234

If you're a fan of Audi rally cars from the early 80s, or you want to emulate the soundtrack of your local real estate agent in his RS3, then you should look into swapping one of Volvo's epic B52-series 5-bangers into your ride. Volvo sold their DOHC turbocharged 5-cylinder B5-series engines (also known as the "whiteblock"), in a range of capacities and power levels (147kW-184kW) through the years, but I singled out the 2.3-litre B5234 here because it has more cubes than the smaller variants but doesn't seem to suffer split bores under increased boost pressure like larger capacity variants. 

They were also used in some Ford models as a Duratec Turbo, but the Volvo variants are most easily found and normally for spare change. There are complexities if you're going to swap one into a RWD car, mainly around engine mounting and customising a sump. Because these engines were FWD they don't have a "hump" on the sump and therefore you'll need to budget for oil pan customisation if you want one in a rear-driver. 

6-cylinder: BMW M30B35

There are stacks of awesome 6-pot engines, and I nearly ran with the Toyota 3.5-litre 2GR-FE V6, but my love for 80s BMWs won out and I had to throw in an old, rattly NA single-cam otherwise known as the M30. Made between 1968-1995, these old M30 donkeys were available in a range of capacities, but it's the '88-'94 3.5-litre M30B35 that is the one to retrofit into classic rides as they have rude charm, great aftermarket support, and are silly strong.

While they typically only made between 155-162kW in aspirated BMW did release a couple of turbocharged examples called the M102 and M106, though these are rarer than chickens with lips. Today it's easy to add forged pistons and rods, head studs, a good ECU, bus turbo, and E85, to make tyre-obliterating power, while retaining the classic BMW straight-6 howl. The side-benefit is these monsters will bolt into a huge number of classic BMs.   

V8: Mercedes M119

This is an odd ball option, but we're spoilt for choice when it comes to awesome bent-eight engines to put in project cars: you can have Nissan VK-series, Toyota UZs, LS, Ford Modular, Audi 4.2L, BMW S65, Hellcat Hemis, Ford Godzillas and dozens of others. Outside of Europe, however, few people understand how awesome the Mercedes M119 is. 

An evolution of the legendary M117 single-cam V8 that ran from 1971-1991 and came in 4.5L-5.5L capacities, the M119 actually debuted in 1989 and offered 4.2-litre, 5.0-litre and 6.0-litre sizes that produced up to 280kW in production models. However, the infamous 400km/h Sauber C9 Group C sports racing car made over 700kW with a twin-turbo set-up that retained factory block, crank and head castings. In short, the 5.0L M119 can be built into an absolute powerhouse and, as they came in a huge range of late-80s and 90s Mercs, they're widely available.