More curious than anything else. Has any put a L28 Turbo motor in a 164? Both are straight sixes. Might be an imaginative swap. Many more power goodies for the Datsun/Nissan motor, although Marcos did race the B30.

Just some thoughts.

ben

I've seen quite a few converted ones here in Thailand.
One had a RD28 Nissan diesel...
One had a 1g-ge 2 litre inline 6 toyota 160hp
One with a 1g-gte twin turbo toyota inline 6... 220hp
One with a 1jz-ge 2.5l inline6 toyota crown engine.
I've been in only one though... it was the 2.5l one... The engine was so smooth, you didn't even know it was running unless you touch the hood. And it was pretty quick, actually, we were going over 200 on the highway, he unlocked the ECU... and the speedo was off gauge.
Folks here convert all their 2xx 7xx 9xx to the Toyota crown engines... easy fit, cheap parts... and POWER! (the 2.5l turbo has 280hp on it...) But the fit into the 164 wasn't as easy as the other series... cause of the crossmember spacing.

How about some real engine compartment jewelry? A Jaguar XK engine with 3 Webers!

Admittedly neither cheap or practical. But the way it looks!

Look around enough, and I bet you can find an XK engine for nothing or next to it... what with so many silly folks removing them and installing ugly V8s... Of course, you know me. I like Jags. Even have thought of replacing the stock flathad 6 in my '51 Dodge power wagon with an XK unit.

Wouldn't the folks at the Jag concours love to see that one pull up... :-)

-Matt

The XK engine is a thing of beauty, but it's also really tall. Would the pan clear the crossmember without raising the motor mounts (which would substantially raise the CG of the car)? How much vertical room is there under the hood of a 164?

Incidentally, I got to drive a friend's XK-150 about a year ago. By the time I got the balky gearshift into 4th and had time to look at the speedo, it read 85 mph, which was a complete surprise. Talk about effortless torque...

8^)

Yea... the XK is pretty tall, but I bet it could be shoehorned into a Volvo. They did use 'em through the '70s and '80s in the XJ6 sedans, which are as low or lower than a 164... Have to find a later one with the right sump I would expect.

And yes, the effortless torque is very nice. Even in the rather low power early versions such as mine, which is a 3.4 from 1953. Only 160hp.

-matt

Just happened to see this eBay auction for an XK engine.

No clearance for a crossmember whatsoever, and they say it weighs 650 lbs!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33615&item=2436224683

I'll bet you could find a V-12 pretty easily. With a valve adjustment costing some $200-ish (so I've heard) in labor people probably do a V8 swap just to avoid some routine maintenance like that!

Of course the added weight of the V12 pretty much negated any HP increase - so the V12's just made a neater sound and ate lots more gas.

$200 for a valve adjustment? In a Jag V12? Geez, I wonder if he'd do a six for half the price...? Last I heard, the going rate for a proper valve adjustment in teh 6cyl XK unit was about $600 give or take... Gotta measure, then pull the cams and lifters. Add or remove the appropriate shims. Put it back together, and measure again in hopes that you got it right the first time...which is unlikely so you gotta do it all over again. And again...

I wouldnt' touch a Jag V12 personally... though I doubt they weigh more than the XK engine (V12 all aluminum). But the V12 in the production cars produced zero more power or torque than the best of the XK units (mid-late '60s gold head 4.2 triple carbs as found in the Etypes). Teh 12s are just smoother...

-Matt

...it has all the reliability of a Jaguar!

Certainly Jaguars (and all British cars) have reliability issues, but rarely if ever are they related to the oily bits - the mechanicals are top notch. It's the electrical and hydraulic parts that are iffy. Jaguar was hitting a certain price point, but the cost savings were in the bodies, not in the mechanicals.

Wonder if you could put the turbo on the very sturdy B30.......
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I wonder if the exhaust manifolds are similar enough...