Russian bloggers from the "Garage 54" project, known for their unconventional experiments with automotive technology, have turned a standard Subaru 4-cylinder boxer engine into an inline engine. The American publication The Drive drew attention to this development and appreciated its uniqueness.
The idea of the project is simple only at first glance. The bloggers took a Subaru boxer engine and cut it in half. Then the cylinder blocks were turned and installed vertically next to each other, turning the structure into an inline one. The side with the water pump was chosen as the front, and the timing belt was borrowed from a Toyota 1JZ engine.
However, the difficulties did not end there. Due to the increased length of the unit, the engineers needed a second donor engine. The crankcase of the second engine was welded to the first, and the cylinder head was welded from two standard elements. The crankshaft was assembled from two shafts with homemade mounts. The camshafts were also made from two connected parts, preserving the original valve timing.
As a result, the design turned out to be unusual in every sense. Instead of one oil pan, the engine has two, located on the sides. At the same time, the intake, exhaust, and lubrication systems have not yet been completed. Nevertheless, the engine is already fully assembled and able to rotate.
Subaru fans may ask: why cut up one of these unique boxer engines to make an engine that sits under the hood of almost every car in the office parking lot? The answer is simple: don't think too much about it.
The creators plan to refine the unit in the next stages. "Garage 54" is known for its bold experiments — previously, the bloggers filled engines with rocket fuel and other exotic liquids, and also created an "eternal" engine with water supply from the exhaust. The project with an inline engine from a Subaru boxer engine is most likely waiting for bench tests — if, of course, the design can withstand them.
