The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → Engine suggestion? 2' cube
Still gathering info. If you had a 2 foot cube in which to jam an engine, and needed it to be rear wheel drive, what would you choose? I need to spend some time at a pull-a-part with a tape measure, but I'm thinking an early minitruck drivetrain at first guess.
Suggestions?
Flat four from a Subi?
I hated my Spitfire engine, but you could easily fit two of them in that space.
Height is the killer (as learned from trying to find an engine to fit in the space of a Spitfire engine). If you can add a few inches to the height, the length and width are very easily attainable from a plethora of modern engines.
If you can fudge on the height, look at a Miata drivetrain.
Datsun 1200.
Metro grafted onto a inline trans.
Fiat.
As phil says, A series ~ a Spitwad might be long.
Rotary.
any bike motor.
boxer engines and push rod engines tend to be compact
Motorcycle engine
Mazda rotary
Coventry Climax (budget buster, but I don't think it would get any laps)
Just about any sub-2-liter pushrod (or flathead) four-cylinder should work.
Rotary!
Bike motor
heavily modded Briggs & Stratton
V4 Saab (Ford 1500-1700, tractor motor)
Like mike said, V4 ford, 1.7L installed in US SAAB cars, 71-74. Can use SAAB FWD transaxle, or use ford RWD transmissions from 1970's V6 capri/pinto or V6 Ranger truck.
Saturn 1.9 SOHC or DOHC, All Aloony-um, 125 hp, plentiful, might be a little tall
why not just get a big straight 8 and have it extend over the bumper?
like i always say: there is no problem in Lemons, more horsepower cant fix.
Pratt & Whitney 
Pratt & Whitney
Well if you're going Pratt and Whitney go for the 3350.
No sense in doing it half azzed!.
That or a nice Rolls Royce Merlin..
Now marine engines! there are some sweethearts there.. Actually in that space you could put a 200 HP Johnson V4!
KLR650 single cylinder - 36hp!
Two Subaru flat 4's mounted on top of each other, with a gearbox from a pull'n tractor should work!!
i like the heavily modified Briggs & Stratton idea!
you could probably get a Kohler 24hp lawn tractor engine and soop that puppy up to like 60hp with some cheater go-kart racing tricks. when i raced they were testbedding this "Tecumseh Star" motor that was basically an 11hp tiller motor running straight methanol and fed under pressure from an external electric fuel pump. the sucker was crazy fast and sounded like a Harley on LSD.
If they're getting 5hp Briggs & Strattons up around 50hp on methanol, you oughta be able to get a 20 horse up to 100hp on gas. It might even last more than one lap!
Rotary is the only answer. Even a BMC A-Series is pushing two feet tall.
Water-cooled two stroke! The Quadzilla markets completely gone to hell.
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → Engine suggestion? 2' cube