Installing Fuel Efficient Engines (3-cyl) into Beautiful Classic Cars
 

Installing Fuel Efficient Engines (3-cyl) into Beautiful Classic Cars

Could I put a tiny 3 cylinder Geo Metro engine into a classic car, or even a muscle car? Can't we balance fuel economy and hideousness? Look like a lion and whisper like a... walrus? I just spent 10 minutes looking for an alphabetical list of animals and trying to find something that would work with roar or sing. Roar like a... rabbit? Sing like a... seahorse? Sting like a butterfly and float like a bee?

Anyway, thoughts? And feel free to add more analogies. There must be a goldmine. I would just love to see the completely baffled expressions on people's faces when they admire the beauty of this car, and then have it start up, in all of its baby pigeon chirping glory. Maybe you could add a false engine soundtrack or muffler or what have you. But I would glory in that 3 cylinder squealing.

My first thought was Lincvolt:
LincVolt - Repowering the American Dream - Fueled by Design
Lincvolt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lincvolt

Depends on what you see as a classic car ;)
Old European classics are quite light and could be powered by a more modern 1L engine.
If you're talking about classic US battleships, you'll likely overload the li'l engine.

Someone recently put a Metro engine in an MX5 - it could just as well have been in a classic 50s-60s roadster.

They are resurrecting LincVolt! :eek: For the longest time I could find nothing about what was happening with it.

if you indeed are talking about classic muscle cars, you'd likely get lower mpg from a 1L engine rather than a larger modern 4cyl, or my preference, a v6. inline 5?

For the amount of time a classic muscle car spends on the road, Sunday drives with the top down, cruise night at the local Dairy Queen, Father's Day car show, etc. I'm not sure an engine swap would be worth the trouble. You should consider the devaluing of said classic, as well, should a guy ever want to sell it. I'm afraid a 'matching numbers' 1969 302cu in Z28 Camero, all original except for the G10 engine swap, would not get much auction action.

You effort might have a better ROI if you consider modding your 'daily donkey' as affectionately call my commuter.

YOU can do whatever YOU want !! Assuming enough skill or funds.
However, a car that is so underpowered that it can't accelerate into traffic
is an accident waiting to happen.

If you throw a turbo and an intercooler into the Metro engine, just like the new Euro-spec Ford 1.0L Ecoboost, you might be able to barely move a Mustang, a Maverick, a Chevy Nova or anything which was once fitted either with the GM Iron Duke or the Ford Georgia OHC engines...