Loads of horsepower aond torque are fun, and I've considered making some changes to my car, although I aleady have the B20 (and an automatic). Frankly, I like the way the car drives and handles too much to REALLY want to change things.

Perhaps if the engine should die, I'd take the Buick aluminum V8 from my Dad's old P1800s. But then, it would verly likely exceed 200 MPH and the car just isn't built to handle at those speeds. Between the boxy body and the marginal brakes, I'd be sure to be over my head a lot!

Would anyone be interested in seeing pics of the engine conversion he did back in the late 1970's? I need to go see him in a few days, so it wouldn't be a problem.

You have to admit that a 170HP large displacement V8 (very low state of tune) will still be qualitatively different than a 170HP B20 (pretty well modified). Just an entirely different torque curve. And I thiink many of the folks doing this want a car that isn't just quick, but downright seriously scary fast. More of a weekend toy than transportation.

The appeal of the 'ricer' motors is twofold, as I see it.

1) Cost - some of these motors have been produced in massive numbers in more recent decades, and they are easy and cheap to obtain from a junkyard in nice, low mileage condition. Like the ubiquitous Mustang 5.0 drivetrains - lots of Mustangs die quick deaths and leave behind 25K mile drivetrains that can be bought complete for less than a decent rebuild of a B20.

2) Some of the engines represent build levels that just simply can't be obtained with a B20 - at least not without spending astronomical amounts of money on custom built race parts on something that would more resemble a Nasa prototype than a motor you could drive for 100K miles. An example would be the Honda S2000 engine and drivetrain, available for about $5k (engine, 6 speed RWD trans, ecu). That gets you a 2 liter normally aspirated motor that revs to 8900 rpm and has 240 hp, probably well over what even the most highly tuned B20 motors running on race fuel ever get - and the Honda engine can do that for 100K+ miles. I think you'd spend well over $5k getting 240 HP out of a B20 (even pressurized), excluding a quickie boosted to heck B20 that will only last a few weeks. And a 6 speed manual too - all without weighing the nose down. SR20DET's are similar - a factory boosted engine made in large volumes, cheaply obtainable, easily tweaked into silly HP numbers.

Of course, that all being said, I'm still certainly not jumping onto the engine swap bandwagon. I've just spent a fair amount of coin rebuilding my PV's B20. The PV is a light car - much lighter than the 1800 and 122, and far lighter than the 140 and 240. Unless you are drag racing people (at a strip, come on people!) for money a warmed up B20 makes for a very quick PV.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

I concur. I think a lot of the appeal(V6 or V8) has to do with either wanting to replicate youthful association with more powerful american cars, or on the other end wanting to adapt more efficient/cleaner(?)state-of-the-art internal combustion technology. I think the B18/B20 is a wonderfully resilient, easily maintained, and modifieable engine, and with a an M41, quite economical. I'm just looking for something that's reliable, fun to drive, and easy to work on myself. This powertrain in either a PV or 122 is all I need.

A short story:
I live in NYC. I'm now 55. One night couple of years ago, I'm driving down a street in lower Manhattan in my red (matte finish if you know what I mean) 67 122. I pull up to a stop light to the right of a new SUV with 4 or 5 kids inside. I can feel the SUV's bass, but their windows are rolled up.
A kid in the passenger seat looks over and sees me and rolls down his window and jokingly asks, "Hey, man, is that your FIRST car?"
The light turned green and as I put it in first, I turned to the kid and said, "No, it's my second car" and drove off. Like you said, I'll still be driving this long after that SUV has become something else

Since 1976 when I put back together a 444 with B18 and Dtype OD, it's been that and this 122.