Bwkirk posted:Thanks everyone. It's a consideration...the motor and transaxle for an air cooled motor will cost me about $9K total so a Subaru set up sounds like $2-$4K more. So not much more really. Now I'm trying to determine the advantages to Subaru power versus air cooled. I supposed the biggest benefit is reliability.
I'm the resident air-cooled retrogrouch, so you'd think I'd try to talk you into going with a nice, tasty Type 1
... but I'm not going to do that. The Subaru platform is not perfect. There are some problems with any "boxer" engine configuration, be it air-cooled VW or Porsche, or watercooled Porsche or Subaru. They have a tendency to use oil- some more, some less. This is a function of the engine layout. Guys hope that by going with the Subaru platform that they will get 100% bulletproof reliability. The engines are much more robust than a Type 1, but they are still installed in hand-built cars, and are adapted to the application. Nothing custom is fool-proof.
But if you are the kind of guy who would pay somebody to do the work, then I'd recommend going with the Subaru. It's heavier and more complex, but there is an advantage besides reliability, and that is torque.
The engines most builders are putting in these cars now are EJ25 2.5L motors, and they have the advantage of modern combustion chambers, a robust bottom end, and better cooling characteristics (which allows higher compression ratios). This yields a torquier powerband with more "driveability" with a 4 speed transaxle.
I just ran in the mountains with a mix of air-cooled and water-cooled cars. I like some of the advantages of my air-cooled mill-- I like the weight advantage, and the retro-vibe of the package. I can guarantee that my engine makes as much or more HP as a lightly chipped EJ25. But I can also guarantee that I've got 2+ times as much in the engine as a Subaru, and it'll last about 1/2 as long. I love working on this car, and I still got off 10 hours late for the trip because of the king of all plugged idle jets.
For gearheads, I'd say that there's something to talk about regarding the various available engines (Type 1, Type 4, Porsche 6, Subaru). For everybody else- it's a no-brainer.
Get the Subaru.