eBay Sleeper: 1979 Chevrolet Malibu with Pontiac GTO 5.7-liter LS1 V8

Now that Pontiac is officially gone, one way of keeping the heritage alive is to salvage whatever parts you can find. We don’t know if that’s what the owner of this 1979 Chevrolet Malibu thought, but, nevertheless, he did swap the original engine with a modern 5.7-liter LS1 V8, sourced from a wrecked GTO, while keeping the styling of the car pretty much stock.

Engine aside, the old-school Malibu has been fitted with a 9-inch Ford locking differential, a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual, various Corvette drive accessories and Edelbrock rear shock absorbers.

The seller claims it's in good condition without any rust, and that it is accompanied by the original engine and transmission, purchase order and receipts for every new part installed.

As far as we can tell from the photographs, the interior is also in good shape, fitted with hard-to-find factory original bucket seats and floor console (according to the owner).

The mileage is listed at 47,656, but it could be what the new engine has clocked up and not the car. In any case, the Malibu seems to have aged well and the bevy of new parts installed should put any reliability-related worries to rest. It should be pretty fast, too.

*The car was listed for sale on eBay for $11,000, but the reserve was not met.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: eBay , Via: Ridelust

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Video: Dacia Logan with Volkswagen 2.8-liter VR6 Engine!

I don’t know if the word Dacia gives James May that fizzing sensation he often talks about, but the Top Gear host seems pretty fond of the Romanian brand. Same goes for low-budget European buyers who see the Renault-era Dacias as well priced models with affordable maintenance costs. One of the Romanian firm's latest cars, the Duster was even nominated for the 2011 COTY award.

However, the brand's models aren't exactly exciting, even more so when it comes to sheer performance with their mundane, small displacement petrol and diesel engines. But as always, for every problem there's a fix. This man's answer was to ditch the Logan sedan's four-cylinder and throw in a 2.8-liter VR6 Volkswagen engine.

Details surrounding the build are pretty scarce right now, as it’s an ongoing project. The owner says that the powerplant churns out 174 hp (most likely stock) and it’s coupled to a VW transmission. Other upgrades include the suspension and brake system.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: 4Tuning , Thanks for the tip Valentin M.!

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________VIDEOS_______________________________

Classic MINI gets a 78-liter V18 Diesel Engine with 12 Turbochargers and 3,500HP... [Take That Veyron]

If you visit this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, make sure you stop by Cummins' stand to check out this one-of-a-kind Austin Mini with a unique engine-swap. In case you didn't notice, there's a colossal engine sitting just behind the passenger compartment on the classic Mini's stretched platform.

Cummins, an independent maker of diesel engines, fitted its biggest powerplant on one of the smallest cars around. The QSK78 diesel engine, which is used to power mining industry dump trucks capable of carrying 360 tonnes, is a 78-liter, 18-cylinder monster with 12 turbochargers producing 3,500HP (take that Veyron) at 1,900 rpm and 10,157 lb-ft / 13,771Nm of peak torque at 1,500 rpm.

Weighing in at over 11 tonnes (24,912 lbs), the V18 unit measures an astonishing 3,327mm (131-in.) in length, 1,633mm (65.5-in.) in width and 2,429mm (95.6-in) in height.

"We never like to let a challenge go by unanswered so we got to thinking maybe we could fit the QSK78 into an original Austin Mini," said Steve Nendick, Cummins' Communications Director. " It proved to be a bit tricky to fit under the bonnet but our engineers came up with a more creative solution. We're certain that the Goodwood crowd will have difficulty believing what they are seeing", he added.

No word from Cummins on whether or not the V18 diesel actually motivates the Mini, but we wouldn't bet on it.

Ferrari 308 GTSi Owner Swaps Maranello's V8 for Pontiac Fierro's V6! [with Video]

We never cease to be amazed by the things some people do to their cars. But while we may turn a blind eye to creations such this Acura/Honda NSX turned into a Ferrari 360-lookalike or this Mazda RX-7-powered BMW E30, there's something fundamentally wrong with swapping the original 214HP 3.0-liter V8 powerhouse of a Ferrari 308 GTSi with the... Pontiac Fiero's, Chevrolet-sourced 140HP 2.8-liter V6 unit.

Even though the seller of the car may have a point or two about the GM engine being easier and significantly less pricey to service and/or fix, if maintenance is an issue, then you probably shouldn't be shopping for a Ferrari in the first place...

Nevertheless, if you're interested in this Magnum PI-made-famous Ferrari model with the Fiero-heart, it's up for sale on eBay, with the highest bid currently set at US$14,901.

Link: eBay

_____________________________________________________________

Lamborghini Gallardo-Based / Powered Ford Mustang is up for Sale!

Remember the custom made Ford Mustang with the Lamborghini Gallardo heart and mechanicals from the 2007 SEMA show? Well, this bizarre mishmash that has been baptized 'The Tractorri' (feel free to call it the Mustardo) has been listed for sale for an undisclosed price on Jameslist.

The Tractorri was built by one John Haugh from Cleveland, Ohio, who spent a whole lot of time and cash to marry the body of a 2007 Ford Mustang coupe to the mechanicals - including the 520HP 5.0-liter V10 engine that's mounted behind the front seats, E-gear sequential automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system- of a Gallardo.

The fabricator even went as far as to create a custom interior that mimics the design of the exotic Lamborghini supercar!

If you're interested for a price quote, check out the site here.

Source: Jameslist , Via: Jalopnik

Seller's Description:

The crown jewel of our private collection: The Tractorri. The short version? This is a body-in-white '07 Mustang shell with the mechanicals from a Lamborghini Gallardo underneath. From the ABS to the AWD to the E-gear transmission everything works.

The long version adds two more Mustangs for parts, thousands of hours of labor and enough one-off parts to make most show cars blush. Oh, and our president drives it around--he put over 1500 miles on it this summer alone! Built and maintained by our own Rick Roush this is a werewolf in wolf's clothing! Check out the pictures for now and we'll have a full description of the build and show history up shortly!