kwikperf.com Blog

Some people talk about engine swaps.  Some people talk about engine conversions.

Is there a difference?  Does it make a difference?

Some people say that an engine swap would be simply exchanging one engine for another or perhaps another one of the same family.  Say, replacing a 305 Chevy with a 350.

And those people would say that an engine conversion would be replacing the 305 Chevy with a 302 Ford.  (Me?  I’d say that was just wrong.)

So, what about replacing the 305 with a big block Chevy, say a 454?  Swap or conversion?

Well, here at KWiK Performance, we don’t get too hung up about terminology.  We generally use the term “swap” to mean exchanging an engine that has some significant difference from the original.  And probably takes some fabrication and special parts to make it fit.

Although, we have had some spirited discussion about whether the brackets we make to go between the frame and the power plant are “motor mounts” or “engine mounts”.

One side says motors run off electricity and cars have engines.  Then I remind them about those two-wheeled vehicles called “motorcycles”.  But, we’ll save that for another time.

Mainly what we like to do here at KWiK Performance is create stuff that hasn’t been done before or at least do something in a new way.  Like my current project.  It’s an engine swap or conversion.  I’m putting a 5.3 liter Chevy V-8 in a 1987 535iS BMW.  Just to see if it can be done and done successfully.

By “successfully”, I mean the car will start, run, drive and generally operate just like any factory stock BMW but with a little more oomph.  And a little more reliability.  And a little less money for parts.

I chose the 5.3 out of a GMC Envoy (same as Chevy Trailblazer) because it only weighs about 60 pounds more than the 3.5 liter BMW 6 cylinder.  It has a reputation for plenty of power, good fuel economy and longevity. 

I chose the car because I had it.  I’ve owned it for more than 10 years and other than the trashed automatic transmission, the rest of the car is great shape, having suffered very little from its 220,000 miles.  It rides and handles like a, well, like a BMW.  It has room for 4 people, plenty of trunk space and only weighs about 3200 pounds or about the same as today’s 3 series BMW.

More later,

Wayne

Big engines in small cars.  Seems like a recipie for a lot of fun.

And I confess, it’s a subject that grabbed my attention at an early age.  The very first car magazine I ever bought with my own money featured a bunch of cars, mostly early Fords, with Cadillac V-8 engines.

Now, I’m going to show my age.  The magazine was “Rod & Custom”.  The issue was January, 1957.  (I still have the magazine.)

Since then, I’ve performed several engine swaps.  Small block V-8 Mopars in a 1934 Plymouth and a 1941 Chrysler.  Small block Chevy’s in a whole bunch of cars and trucks.  And now, I’m swapping a 5.3 liter, all-aluminum, Gen IV, Chevy into a 1987 BMW 535iS.

Once again, a relatively large engine (5.3 vs. 3.5) into a smaller car (3200 lbs. vs. the 4400 lbs. of the donor Trailblazer).

Why do we do that?  Partly, just to see if we can, partly to save a car I really like, and partly to have a car that goes as well as it handles.

Pictures and progress report to follow.

Wayne (also known as the Head Geezer at 1GeezersGarage.com)