Thursday Twister: Engine Swap

For this week's Thursday Twister, I'm going to go to one of my favorite subjects -- swaps...no, not wife swaps, that is just plain nasty, ENGINE SWAPS!  Help find the best swapped beasts around.

Repeat Offender: 1973 Toyota Celica With Honda F20C Inline-4

This 1973 Toyota Celica with Honda S2000 engine/transmission is back for sale (now covered in purple wrap) here on eBay bidding at $13,500 with a few hours to go.

17k: Ready for Tofu and Touge: 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S, Honda F20C swap

Tofu comes from breaking down soybeans and fortifying them with water and a firming coagulant before being pressed into cubes. On its own, it's a bland protein substitute that only takes on a flavor when other spices are added. Likewise, this AE86 Corolla was completely gutted, rebuilt, and marinated with stronger pieces – Honda's infamous inline-four with just 3,000 miles – resulting in a nearly quadrilateral figure that takes on the manic nature of the 9,000-rpm screamer under the hood. Find this 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S with F20C powertrain in Mountain View, CA for $16,500 via craigslist. 

20k: F20C Powered: 1972 Datsun 510 Sedan

The Datsun 510 (known as the Bluebird outside the US & Canada) was the Japanese equivalent of the BMW 2002 from parent company Nissan.  Like the 2002, they were built by the boatload, rusted instantly when exposed to moisture and languished in a price range that put them just inches from the crusher for decades. However, recently they have seen some price appreciation and even versions with unoriginal power-trains see some love.  Find this 1972 Datsun 510 Sedan with F20C engine offered for $21,00 in Irvine, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Brian.

20k: Best Swap Ever: 1973 Volvo 1800ES with Honda F20C S2000 Engine

Wondering what happened to the screaming F20C engine and 6-spd gearbox from our last V8 swapped S2000 feature? We have the answer! Well, probably not the exact same drivetrain, but you get the idea. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Volvo's fuel injected B20E engine which came stock in the 1800ES shooting brake, but what if you want a bit more oomph than ~125hp can provide? There's always turbocharging, increased displacement, nitrous, individual throttle bodies, headers, etc. Then of course you could do an engine swap. We've seen V8s in these cars before, but an extremely light and high powered Honda 4-cylinder is completely counter to the cast iron pushrod tractor engine that the car was born with. But so what? The F20C is an awesome piece of F1-inspired engineering that revs to 9000 rpm and makes 240hp out of 2.0 liters - an incredible naturally aspirated specific power of 120bhp/L (Ferarri 458 Italia and Porsche GT3 territory). Find this 1973 Volvo 1800ES with S2000 drivetrain swap here on craigslist in Vallejo, CA for $20k.