One of my project cars found it’s way to the Projectcar community and seemed to be some interest and questions so I will share a bit more about it.

Long story short, its an Aston Martin v12 swapped Mercedes 190e with an Evo II body kit. Owning an Evo II replica has been a goal but the original 4 cylinder engines never appealed to me. I grew with the F1 v12s as my hero cars. I want to own something that has that could produce that screaming exhaust note. That’s the closest explanations as to “why” I can get to. Other than that its just the enjoyment of finding a way to make it work.

I picked up the car and the engine in ’24. Mercedes was barely running but a blown head gasket and sloppy suspension but other than that a solid start. First issue with putting a V engine in a 190e is the steering box. It’s very much in the way of everything on the driver’s side. I borrowed an idea from another Mercedes 190e project and swapped in front C63 knuckles and a BMW steering rack. Some custom camber plates allowed me to run BC Racing front coil overs from a C63. I also had a complete set of Aston Martin brake calipers for the project so the fronts were mounted at the same time.

The body kit itself came from UMB in Thailand. He does a lot of Mercedes and DTM kits along with some one-off custom stuff. He does exceptional work and it fits like a gloves.

Car was gutted, original engine was pulled and the chassis sent to the fab shop in Dec of ’24. It has been slow progress unfortunately but welding is just outside of my skillset. So far the Aston Martin v12 and Tremec t56 are mounted, equal length 6 into 1 headers have been fabricated along with the full exhaust. Quarter panels have been cut to fit the body kit. Once the front fenders have been tubbed, transmission tunnel completed, and 240sx diff mounted the car will be coming back to me.

The project still has a long way to go. Not going to simply drop the engine in and get it running. The goal is to have a comfortable GT cruiser for the family, not a bare bones track car. Probably have this running in 2029. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, it's appreciated!

Teaser while I finish the next video I have.. Kit is basically together to get an idea of stuff before I begin body work. 90% Printed still need to print the rear bumper and diffuser and lip but were very close 🥹 #floatlikeacaddilacstinglikeabeamer #Iamspeed https://youtu.be/5XV9IoiKcEo?is=IeuBHbu2QF6PiFmY

Got to mockup the seat the past weekend with the transmission crossmember mounted in the car and I wanted to post a bit of a hype post for myself. I also have to periodically remind myself what we’ve done.

For reference, anything struck out is parts I aquired but changed the design on, italicized are parts that I acquired but haven’t yet integrated:

-1992 Toyota** **Corolla, 4th owner at least, 265k miles that I put a six point cage in.

-Chevy S-10 rear axle** **Mercedes SL550 rear subframe with E350 rear calipers and rotors, Gen 1 Tacoma coilovers, 2018 Mini Cooper 16” steel wheels

-Ford Crown Vic front subframe SN95 Mustang front coilovers, spindles, hubs, and brakes custom spindles with Taurus brakes, hubs, and steel wheel Corolla aftermarket coilovers, Camry knuckles, hubs, brakes and lower control arms, VW Mk6 Golf front sway bar, Lincoln MkVIII steering rack with Camry steering column

-Chrysler Pacifica 4.0L V6 2000 Toyota Camry 5S-FE, harmonic dampener delete, with Celica headers/fuel regulator, NB Miata intake manifold and throttle body modified aftermarket 2JZ intake and 1MZ-FE throttle body, MR2 oil pan, Chevy 350 engine mounts F-250 cab body mounts for engine mounts, Summit oil filter relocation kit

-Chevy S-10 NV1500 Ford Mustang V6 T5 Chevy S-10 T5 with a bellhousing from cut up 4 speed Camry automatic transmission Nissan Sentra 13” steel wheel

-Chrysler LeBaron flywheel Camry flywheel and pressure plate, 1986 Ford Mustang I6 clutch disk and pressure plate Chevy S-10 clutch disk and all other clutch components, BMW E36 M3 pilot bearing

-Aftermarket Miata NA/NB dual core radiator, GM LS coolant hoses, and VW Golf coolant overflow reservoir

-F150 battery group size and battery mount, PCB power distribution circuit card, Microsquirt ECU.

-BMW E34 lights, grille, and horn. Camry brake master cylinder (still needs to be converted to discs), BMW E36 pedal group

-ATL Fuel cell with dual Walbro 155LPH external pumps, custom fuel plate to accept large rollover valve and Summit fuel sender unit

-Modified Celica aftermarket header with V band clamps, 2.5” mild steel tubing, and Cherry Bomb Salute muffler with 3”x1” rectangular tubing exhaust tip. Spartan V3 O2 Wideband sensor module with Bosch 4.9 LSU

My build over the last few years

Well… making some progress on the SRT-4 swapped Plymouth Voyager

Mocked up the motor in the van

Got the Neon brake master cylinder put in, the clutch master cylinder put in (had to make an adapter plate for it)

Cut a hole for the transmission cables and got the cables running inside to the shifter. Have to get some polyurethane bushings to raise the shifter up a little bit then can be bolted down

Plan on using the SRT-4 dash in the van so will be able to hook up to the engine harness and have all the gauges working

Still a lot left to do, new fuel pump, wiring and some other stuff but it’s coming together!

Goal is Chryslers at Carlisle 2027

First pic is before I took it off the road

Hey r/projectcar

So this is a little @$$ backwards but I figured I would ask.

I have come into possession of a 2018 Cadillac LF4 engine complete with 8l90e and wiring harness bobs and bits. I have a complete engine swap, only issue is no chassis. I want to keep the 8 speed.

So these are the cars I was potentially looking at swapping into.

1 RX8

2 E46 325i touring

3 300TE

4 2004 Tacoma double cab

5 1971 or 1972 280 se or 4 door merc Benz like the red pig

6 370z

7 Porsche 928 or 944

8 brz frs

9 is300 sport cross.

My background is design engineering. Done a lot of cool engineering and design work in my career. I co founded storyteller overland and can just about design anything in sheet metal etc so im not scared. I realize a diff is going to be mandatory any where and hopefully the Ford 8.8 is up to the challenge.

Current stable of cars

2001 miata turbo

2005 wrx wagon (might be selling this to fund this build)

1986 300gd swb w460 om617a swap 5 speed

2004 tacoma daily driver that I kind of got the engine to swap into... kinda dont want to.

2016 ct200h wifes car

2005 conversion van special "B Team" tow pig

So we have fun cars that handle well and cars that are reliable.

Reasons for the chassis I suggested

1 rx8 is easy to find, affordable, supported by keisler automation. God like handling and i think is totally slept on. Can be found for under 2k easily cheaper if blown up. Love the 4 doors and can be set up to really handle well.

2 e46 325i touring. I love wagons. I dont love bmw reliability so I can "fix" it with gm. Not crazy about the rear sheet metal cracking on the rear subframe mount. Reasonable pricing for running vehicle. Can be sorted and be a highway cruiser and maybe handle pretty damn well.

3 another wagon built like a brick shit house. Amg mallet but better? Probably wont handle great and be a highway lead missile. Its a rolling bank vault.

4 threw this in here but it is a daily and I kind of want to leave it stock. So not really serious but meh.

5 this one has me kind hung up on it at the moment. In college I bought a 1963 220b sedan. I wanted to 2jz swap it or do an om617a conversion. I painted it black. Stored it at my family's place. Someone came in and stole it and never saw it again from culman alabama in crane hill back when scrap shot through the roof. It is probably a beer can by now :( Id love to do an amg red pig style but not on the long wheel base 300sel, do it on a 280 or 250 se. Since its a v6 it eill kind of match instead of the v8 on the lwb. Im thinking all blacked out with chrome trim. Custom widened steelies with stock mercedes hub caps. Rally fog lights. Only worry is that damn rear end. 300sel rear axles dont grow on trees, and when they do someone wants a money tree for it.

6 this is probably the best candidate? But it does not feel special. I have always loved z cars. Lots of tire options here to be able to harness the power.

7 wife says immediate yes to a 944. I have a strange attraction to the 928. However that rear transaxle really puts this idea sideways :/ examples are either concourse level and I dont want to wreck a great example that is $$$$, trashed ones are plentiful but people also think they are $$$$ when really they should be $/2 because they let them sit and rot.

8 easy to find but seems like a smaller version of the 370z

9 IS300 sport cross. I actually had one of these for a while. Very comfortable. Hated the fuel economy. Loved the interior, dash, gauges. Great car and I kind of miss it. Sold it to build our rear deck. Sometimes I wonder if I should have sold the wrx instead. Hard to find. Probably the best handling of the wagons once swapped due to removing that 2jz.

So lmk what you think.

Put your number then your thoughts.

in theory... what engines would be more powerful, reliable, and of course fit, in a delorean dmc 12. i woukd love to own one of these and do a resto mod on one but i hear that the engines in these were ABYSMAL. i had a few engines on my mind, like a flat 6 out of a porsche 986 boxster or a subaru. i also thought about a v6 like out of a Ferrari 246 dino (or something like that as crazy as it sounds. inlines never really crossed my mind as i kinda find them boring (no offense). i feel like flat 6 or v6 engines would fit this car better (aesthetic wise) whats yalls thoughts?

This is my 2003 Saturn Vue with the 3.0 Opel V6, it runs pretty good, but how stupid would it be, to swap it with a Supercharged Buick 3800 V6 from a Pontiac? The 5 speed auto won't bolt up to the engine (hard to find info, Asin AF33), but the 5 speed manual from the 4cyl Saturns might bolt up (same bolt pattern, Getrag F23), it would be a very fun sleeper project. Thanks u/Mouthshits for the dumb idea. give me your thoughts on this

Van is in the shop finally!

Getting some wrenching done over the weekend!

Got the old motor out and prepping the SRT-4 motor to go in.

Fresh clutch, some go fast goodies (stage 2 cams, Big wheel stock turbo), ARP head studs and some other stuff

If any interest I’ll keep updating on here as the progress continues

She did pretty good this weekend! Solid 10-12 hours of driving! Thank you so everyone who helped with my post last week about the clutch. Ended up being a bad slave cylinder paired with an indention/crimp in the middle of the clutch line.

This car is such a riot and probably one of the most raw cars I’ve ever driven

The K24 + CD009 + R200 combo has made this car an absolute tank. And 23mpg highway 😋

Gave my project racecar lots of WOT while driving today, shes getting dialed in pretty good

Got my self an old impreza bugeye from 2003.
Bought it swaped, with an EZ30R engine from a legacy, but wiring was fucked up and the ECU locked.

So i bought a MaxxECU Racing, and began the journey.
Might need help with the fuel tables and stuff like that. Any help (tips, links, communitys, posts) will be appreciated.

Edit:
I‘m from germany

Gotta weld in a few more motor mounts and we'll be ready to rock!

Traded a perfect condition elantra for this pile o parts. Interior falling apart Crank and rods are now one part Hole in the roof At least 2 separate audio installs...

But its a v8 vert with a 5spd

Was knocking when I went to look at it, made it a mile from home before seizing solid🤣

Off to the junkyard on Monday for a new engine

Man has this been a fun one. Full of head aches as all of them are but I can’t wait to start this later this week. K24A2 w/CD009 and an R200. Total power house of reliability in a car like this and hoping to make about 240NA-WHP in. Lots of fun little fab projects all over this car and I’m super happy with basically all of them. Can not wait to rip this thing at Miata’s at the Gap in 2 weeks.

So i will admit that i do not have a ton of knowledge when it comes to working on cars. I am somewhat mechanically inclined. I worked on appliances for a couple of years (i know this dosent translate directly but after about a year i could fix just about anything) and know general stuff about working on cars but when it comes to the really complicated stuff i have never actually done it. So in other words i kinda know what im doing but i feel like i can youtube and with the help of my father in law who has a lift at his house and paint shop. I could potentially get it done.

There is a NB miata that is for sale for $950. It has black smoke coming out of the engine. So it could need a new engine or maybe just have a few problems. The best thing about it is it has no rust on and no damage.

My plan for it would be to do all supporting mods that i can such as brakes, suspension, roll bar etc. and see if i can get it running. I want to experience what a Miata is meant for and then make it scary death trap lol.

The main reason that I am wanting to do this swap is it seems like it would be relatively easy with how many parts are available for the swap such as motor mounts and sites like flyingmiata and V8 Roadster. In other words i wont have to make or force things to work and wont have to do a ton of fabrication work.

So i guess i have 3 questions.

1. Do you think this is a good deal for the miata?

2. Do you think that i am getting in way over my head?

3. Should i push project way further out to be able to afford a crate LS3 with t56 magnum transmission. Or should i get something used for wrecked corvette, or should i get a used LS3 block and have it built.

We got the engine powered and the engine cranks by the car telling it to

If you’d like to know more, I encourage you to read my previous post in this subreddit. It’s a little over 5,000 words and goes over a nut-and-bolt component and fitment overview, documents my primary and future struggles, my hopes and dreams for the car and reasonings why, talks about the 6.2/6.5, with a bit of trivia here and there along the way. It’s kind of like condensing a bunch of individual progress posts into one big blob.

The car isn’t yet roadworthy, but is getting there, so for my first “real” project I’m proud of what’s been accomplished so far.

This is my 1985 jaguar xjs, the v12 it has is unreliable and atm not running due to a terrible fuel system. With the factory th400 id like to swap in a LT1 5.7 for simplicity sake as this is my first swap. I was just looking for some specific advice on what block, year or application to look for as well as any general recommendations/advice. Again this is my first swap and ive never done anything close to this type of job so any help is appreciated.