Need some input on engine choice

i say sbc...but i dont care about mileage either.

wait what? the fe3 stronger then a sr20det? that doesnt sound right at all. fe3 kia sportage motor has what 120hp? a old redtop has over 200 stock. plus way more aftermarket parts and it looks cooler lol/

personally best bang for the buck is the 2jz IMO. a twin turbo can be had for like 2k off ebay and they make serious power.

im suprised no one has mentioned a rotory motor. a 13b would be very cool.

but i think as far as easiest and best bang for the buck the kia swap would be ideal. or like mentioned the sbc or 4.3. really none of the options mentioned are bad.

If it was me i'd put an LC Engineering 22r engine good Hp and not to bad of mpg

Rotary is completely out of the question I've seen too many of those blow up at the track and everyone I know that has owned one has a love/hate relationship with it, this is a daily driver it needs to be reliable and rotaries are far from that.

I'm a nissan guy but I'd go ka24 or even rb20 over a sr20 thats just me I was never a fanboy of that engine everyone with a 240sx does that swap and the ka can make just as much power with more torque. 2jz is a badass engine but I couldn't stop at 300hp if I had one of those (who could?) and my build cost would skyrocket lol

If I went fb it wouldn't be the rb20 though :/ I think the rb25 would be a better option. I went sr20 so that it would fit easier then a straight six. And it fits great. But if I would have known the price of a 1jz or a 2jz I would have went with a 2jz for sure.

SR20DET vs FE3 Pictures tell a thousand words (scroll down mid page)


WHYYYYYYYYY is the FE3 so over engineered?
I don't know... it was made in the glory days of 2.0 tourers which I imagine has something to do with it.
They're both sweet engines and the SR is WAAY easier (well depending on what you're doing) and has WAAY more A/M parts and will do everything that you want it to do in a ute.

But a FE3 is Mazda (but just made by Kia years later).
Kia -> We need a sweet 2.0 engine, hey Mazda made an awesome one back in the late 80's/90's... lets use that nearly 10 years after it was designed because it is awesome

I'm a nissan guy at heart so I'd def stick in the nissan family I actually had a vq35 I was planning on swapping into my B but decided to sell it instead, the wiring would've been a nightmare. I'll check out your thread might make me reconsider a sr20, what are they going for these days anyway its been a while since I've looked

Something no one has mentioned here........the rear end and transmission.
If I were to do a V8 swap in one of these trucks, the stock trans ain't gonna bolt up, so I would use a overdrive auto trans and go with a different rear altogether, with high 2's on the ratio........you'll get some decent mileage while having the torque to turn those gears plenty easily! It'll be quicker than stock trim for sure and it may even get better than stock mpg's!

Rear end is a given I knew that would need upgrading. If I went fe3 I did the miata trans swap already I'm thinking that would handle 300hp just fine.

The vq35 would actually be an awesome swap!