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I was wondering if anyone ever swapped a GM 215 cubic inch aluminum V-8 in a Festy

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  • I was wondering if anyone ever swapped a GM 215 cubic inch aluminum V-8 in a Festy

    Back in the early 60's GM made a very compact aluminum V8 that was used in the compact lines of Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. It was all of 215 cubic inches and came with a single 2 barrel carb for economy and a 4 barrel carb for performance and a turbo option for even more performance. BTW the Oldsmobile F85 with the turbo option was the first passenger car to use one. These engines were not much heavier then a stock B3 engine. I remember rebuilding one and was surprised by how easily two people could pick it up. As for size I don't imagine it is any bigger then the Ford SHO/Yamaha 3.2. It's probably smaller in most dimensions. I believe if you could find a guy talented enough to put a KLZE in the front of a Festiva (oh yeah they won't fit....LOL) you could find a guy talented (not me BTW) enough to stuff a 215 V8 in the back of a Festiva. Sideways of course. Why? Displacement. 3.5 liters will out pull a 1.6 every time. Sure you can turbo the 1.6 and get it to match the horsepower of the ancient 3.5 but in the real world the bigger engine makes more power at the rpms where you spend most of your time. Kind of like a souped up Harley making good power @ 4,000 RPMs vs. a crotch rocket making a gazillion horsepower @ 12k RPM. The other reason for swapping in a the 215 V8? Sound. I have yet to hear any 4 cylinder sound as nice as a V8. Coming from a small car is a plus. Nothing like the sound of an Ac Cobra or Sunbeam Tiger or even a Daimler SP 250 with it's tiny 2.5 liter V8. And BTW I am no fan of the Festivas with Chevy 350's in them. Too much motor in my opinion. One more plus is the fact that these engines are carbureted. No ECU's and wiring to dog you down. On the down side they are kinda hard to find. GM made them for only 3 years I believe. They sold the rights to the British Leyland/Rover who used the same basic design for over 30 years. Triumph put them in the TR8 models and MG put them in some of the MGB GT's and Rover used them in the Land Rovers. I remember seeing TVR's at Road America with the 3.5 engines and headers. They about shook the ground when they went by. A 215 even ran at Indianapolis in the 60's. The only stock block among the field of Offenhausers.
    '88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
    '93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
    '91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.

  • #2
    A small v8 in the back sounds nice. A guy is trying to sell his rwd h22 (4cyl) festiva. Thats that a simple rwd setup with a fun little 4 banger in it. On the autocross track he was spinning like no other. The festiva just doesnt have the weight to run a big o motor.

    Carlos has a 700+hp festiva. His issue is traction. Hard to get that much power to the ground in this car.
    1990 (LUCIFER 2.0) fully built BP+T with E153, Fueltech FT500, traction control with hopes of 600hp (i drank to much of the KOOL-AID)
    1990 OverKILL BP+T, evo ecu system, coilovers, aspire brakes, full advanced suspension, Garrett! The Autocross toy!
    1989 (BRITSTIVA 1.0) B6T and sold
    19?? 150$ burnout car SOLD
    1991 (STRESS RELIEF)SOLD

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    • #3
      I think someone should bring a mid engine festiva out here, and we'll compare lap times to a FWD festiva with the same HP level. I'm pretty sure mid engine is not an improvement. I've compared a FWD festiva to a lot of mid engine cars and have yet to find one that comes close (HP to HP).
      Driving for me is neither a right nor a privilege. Driving is my passion, as it was for the people who invented the automobile, the people who paved the first roads and the people who continue to improve the automobile. Please respect this passion.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Advancedynamix View Post
        I think someone should bring a mid engine festiva out here, and we'll compare lap times to a FWD festiva with the same HP level. I'm pretty sure mid engine is not an improvement. I've compared a FWD festiva to a lot of mid engine cars and have yet to find one that comes close (HP to HP).

        I agree Charlie. I was thinking more along the lines of a street car that makes power all across the board and sounds as mean as an old 327 Chevy and would also have a koolness factor that would be priceless. Would it be worth the effort? Of course not. Not if you are after the fastest lap times. As for cost. I found a 215 motor here locally for $100. I know finding the motor is a far cry from putting it in and making things work. Just was curious if any one had done such a swap.
        '88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
        '93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
        '91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by mikemounlio View Post
          A small v8 in the back sounds nice. A guy is trying to sell his rwd h22 (4cyl) festiva. Thats that a simple rwd setup with a fun little 4 banger in it. On the autocross track he was spinning like no other. The festiva just doesnt have the weight to run a big o motor.

          Carlos has a 700+hp festiva. His issue is traction. Hard to get that much power to the ground in this car.
          Mike, I never seen a 4 cylinder rwd Festiva. I am assuming it is front/inline engine. When you say "big motor" I agree. A belly button (350 Chevy) is in my opinion too big for a Festiva. The aluminum 3.5 / 215 engine weighs about the same as the stock B3. Physically it is quite compact. They fit in an MGB body. That being said I do not consider the 3.5 to big a big motor. As for Carlos and his 700 hp. That's good for Carlos. If I wanted to shred tires I would go that route. I am more interested in the low end that 3.5 liters will give you compared to 1.6 liters of turbocharged fury. That being said, I am still slowly getting the B6T in the '93 body. When it is running reliably, I have the '91 daily driver to play with. I may not have the talent to put a 215 in it but am fortunate to know some smart fabricators. I paint for them, they fabricate for me. It works out well....
          '88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
          '93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
          '91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.

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          • #6
            I would think a Fiero V6 GM 2.8Litre engine could be wedged in transversely.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Rick the Quick View Post
              Mike, I never seen a 4 cylinder rwd Festiva. I am assuming it is front/inline engine.
              Do you have facebook messenger? I could send you the link if so. It looks interesting.




              Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

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              • #8
                After living with a 2.8 V6 in a Citation X-11 for over 300K miles, I had enough of them. A darn good motor BTW. Again, I like the 3.5 liters of the aluminum V8 vs. the 2.8 of the V6. But now that you mention it the 2.8 grew up to a 3.4 and I here they made some hot versions of it. Also at the risk of sounding childish the V8's can sound like no other engines. It doesn't make them better or faster but yes sound is a part of the over all picture to me. I hear enough of the 4 cylinders tuners around here at night especially summertime with the windows open. I find some of them to be rather annoying. The occasional sound of an old school v8 running through the gears is music to my ears.
                '88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
                '93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
                '91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.

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                • #9
                  Hey Ryan, thanks for the posting. It looks interesting. No I don't do FaceBook. I have an account (mistake) that I have not used in years. Just not my style.
                  '88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
                  '93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
                  '91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Rick the Quick View Post
                    Hey Ryan, thanks for the posting. It looks interesting. No I don't do FaceBook. I have an account (mistake) that I have not used in years. Just not my style.
                    Right on, it just cant be shared outside of facebook unfortunatly.

                    Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

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