But How? Russian Mechanics Convert Subaru Boxer Engine Into Inline-Four

If an engine has four cylinders, they are most likely arranged in-line; Unless of course it was made by this engine. SubaruCertainly. The boxer-four is second only to all-wheel drive as a Subaru calling card. But crazy Russians Garage 54 Laughing at the status quo, they decided to convert the Subaru boxer-four into an inline-four.

These are the same YouTubers who tried to do this starting a diesel engine with gasolineand produced a V16 from chainsaw engines, but this project was much more technically challenging. It started by splitting a boxer engine in half and placing the two banks of cylinders vertically side by side. The water pump was connected to a bank of cylinders from the factory, so the bank became the front of the new inline-four. This rerouting also meant a timing belt. toyota 1JZ fits perfectly.

The juxtaposition of two previously opposed cylinder banks made the engine twice as long as the original boxer four, so a second engine was used to provide a crankcase and this was welded to one of the first engine. Similarly, cylinder heads are made from a pair of stock heads welded together.

The same procedure was followed for the rotating parts. The camshafts are made from two factory cams welded end to end and routed to maintain stock timing. The crankshaft is made of two factory cranks connected by custom-made lugs. Sounds simple enough, but assembly was a bit tricky because, unlike a traditional inline-four, there was nothing to secure the crankshaft while the upper and lower ends were assembled.

The cut-and-sew design also means that instead of one oil pan at the bottom of the engine, the inline-four engine has two oil pans on each side. Getting this to work, along with the intake and exhaust manifolds, plumbing and pulleys, is the work of a future video. But the engine is fully assembled and spinning, which is a huge achievement in itself.

Subaru fans may ask why you’d chop up one of these unusual boxer engines to make the type of engine that powers nearly every car in a typical office parking lot. The answer lies in not thinking about it too much.