1G 1.8 to 6g72 swap brainstorming

[Redrocketlaser]

So my car is a 91 laser base 1.8, and I’ve been looking into what it would take to stick the n/a 6g72(dohc or sohc) in my car. The only reason I’m considering this engine is because I know whether I did 6g72 or 4g63 I’ll need a parts car to do it. Fwd turbo 1g parts cars are pretty hard to come by in my area unless your willing to drive 4hrs one way, which Im not . Stealths/3000gts however pop up for sale all the time around here.
I also think the 6g72 will clear my cars flat hood as well so that’s another plus.
Does anyone have any links to a build thread for a 6g72 1g? I know people have done them but I can’t find anything other than a few unfinished threads.
Im curious about what parts from what car to use for the following:

Mounts
Axles
Transmission(saw something about a k210 Hyundai trans being ideal due to spline count but only saw that from one source)
Radiator

I assume the wiring would just be the engine harness + ecu from the 3000gt, im curious if any of it actually plugs up on the 1g chassis.

If I do get to do the swap it’ll be pretty far down the line, I gotta get my house paid off before I dump any significant money into this car. Just wondering if anyone had any insight on the subject.

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[BLACK'98DSM]

That's a good idea - and I'm sure you aren't the first. I doubt you'll find a functioning example though. There's many hurdles to jump. I half way finished a 6G73 swap in a 2G before letting everything go. It's far easier in a 2GNT than a 1GNT because at least the engine mounts line up. Be ready for tons of fabrication to make that work. I'd still recommend a 4G63T swap for you. The 6G engines are nice for naturally aspirated power, but you really have no limits with the 4G63T and the engine at least bolts in directly.

 

[Redrocketlaser]

That's a good idea - and I'm sure you aren't the first. I doubt you'll find a functioning example though. There's many hurdles to jump. I half way finished a 6G73 swap in a 2G before letting everything go. It's far easier in a 2GNT than a 1GNT because at least the engine mounts line up. Be ready for tons of fabrication to make that work. I'd still recommend a 4G63T swap for you. The 6G engines are nice for naturally aspirated power, but you really have no limits with the 4G63T and the engine at least bolts in directly.

Was that 2G that you started the swap on originally nt(420a)? If so that puts the serpentine belts on the passenger side of the car, and I assume the 6g73 you put in also had passenger side serpentine belts, which I imagine makes all the mounts line up(or close to it)

The 6g72 Im considering would have to be from a stealth/3000gt so that the serpentine belts would be on the driver side like the 1g +2g turbo, and it looks like the mounts are in the same if not close to the same spots as they are on 1g.
Im not 100% because I don’t have the engine in front of me but from what I can see online the mounting points look to be the same.

 

[curt-s]

That's one heavy engine. Servicing the backside is already a PITA on an engine bay designed to fit it, not sure what the 1g will be like.

 

[Redrocketlaser]

That's one heavy engine. Servicing the backside is already a PITA on an engine bay designed to fit it, not sure what the 1g will be like.

From what I can see in this pic( one of the only ones I could find) it does fit. But like you said, servicing the back side of the engine will be a pita. Doable though. I’ve worked on a few cars that required removal of the upper intake plenum to access the rear plugs + coils and it’s not the worst thing in the world.

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[BLACK'98DSM]

There were multiple variations of those engines. I see now that you're inquiring specifically about the DOHC variation. Which is indeed oriented opposite of the SOHC variation, far more similar to the 4G engines. The SOHC variations were standard equipped in the same family of Mopar vehicles as the 2G DSM, meaning the subframes and suspension setup were quite similar and made that swap easy.

The 2G that I started with was originally a 420A powerplant, which is why I chose it. Only one transmission mount needed to be replaced, everything else dropped in. The hang up for me was wanting a manual transmission and never getting the parts to make that work.

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While information on your exact swap is limited, it can happen. There is plenty of technical information about that drivetrain on the 3KGT forums and I've even come across forums specifically for the 6G engines. Without speaking to someone who has performed the swap, you're pretty much left with physically attaining the parts and going down a checklist to see what fits and what needs modification or replacement. I was very limited on information with my project, but I chose very similar platforms to begin with. One thing you'll find is that all of the older Mopars and Mitsubishis had a lot in common. There are probably multiple candidates for transmissions, axles and drivetrain mounts if you need to change those.

Here's a 2G with a DOHC 6G swap that I saw at the local junkyard a couple of years ago. This was originally a 420A car, so the fabrication to make this engine fit was ass backwards. And it was obviously done in a backyard somewhere. This should be encouraging though. That engine is probably far closer to fitting in your car than in a 2GNT. This one was fully wired up, mounted up and even the shifter was functional. I'm convinced that the engine at least ran, and may have been driven. Unfortunately the car was destined for scrap though with the lackluster craftsmanship and body work.

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Ultimately, you CAN do it. You won't have anyone to hold your hand and walk you through the steps, but if you want it you can build it. If piss poor people are doing these swaps in a dusty backyard, that's just further encouragement for you. I wish I had more application specific info to share with you, but hopefully you're enlightened and encouraged to some degree.

 

[97egl]

From what I can see in this pic( one of the only ones I could find) it does fit. But like you said, servicing the back side of the engine will be a pita. Doable though. I’ve worked on a few cars that required removal of the upper intake plenum to access the rear plugs + coils and it’s not the worst thing in the world.

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Just an observation. The mounts I can see are not actually bolted in in this picture. The engine appears to be rolled back so I wouldn't read too much into this picture altho it is probably the only one you'll find.

Anything can be done but the largest hurdle in my experience with FWD engine swaps is always getting axles that work.
For you this should actually be fairly easy. The N/A 3000GT trans (F5M33) is the "same" as the FWD turbo 4g63 other than having a different bell housing so in theory you should be able to use that transmission and then use DSM fwd axles. Do be aware that 1g cars had 2 different axles spline sizes. 90-92 was smaller and 93-94 was larger. I am unsure if the 3000gt trans was this way or not.

 

[Redrocketlaser]

Yeah I noticed the front mount wasn’t bolted and really close to the rad, and the empty bolt holes on the driver mount, probably rolled back like you said.