Because my wife has requested that I abandon the project that I was working on for her (and which now resides in the trucks for sale classifieds) I'm now planning a new project.

I would like to ask for suggestions for a suitable modern, available, and inexpensive in-line engine (large horsepower or displacement not needed, although I'd like to turbocharge it just for fun) which can be coupled to a similarly suitable front-wheel-drive transaxle. Both engine and transaxle should be of light weight, and readily available. (Read "readily available" as cheap...)

Ideally, I'd like the transaxle configuration to be like the Dodge Intrepid or Subaru; a fore-and-aft engine arrangement, and could be convinced of the merits of either a manual or automatic. I seem to remember that some of the Cadillacs used a longitudinal transaxle, which could possibly be coupled to one of GM's modern in-lines. I plan on using the FWD spindles, suspension parts and axle shafts, so again, availability is important.

I do like DOHC cross-flow engines, but I just don't know what is currently available. I'm open to all makes.

Ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?

What are you planning on using this in (type, not necessarily exact make / model)?

If you are building a cruiser it would be very different than a sporty car.

Also, if you are planing on it being a front or rear drive (ie mid engine) would help (you'd need a limo with the Vortec L6 mounted longways in the back ).

Biggest bummer about the Caddy front drive longitudinal is they quit using that when they went to overhead cams.

The eralier (500 Cad, 455 Olds) used the TH-425. Brutally strong and equally heavy (have seen sprty cars and cruisers alike use them to good effect).

The later cars used a 'metric' trans, not too sure about what it's based on, it was used behind small block engines (I immagine the later ones were Overdrive).

For front drive manual trannies, I can't think of much aside from the two you mention. The bad news about the Subaru (locally anyway) is the only time I see them, they're broken (someone wanting me to help them swap in a good one).

If it's front drive could you use a 'normal' engine / trans and a T case to a IFS style diff (out of an S10 or a Ranger or something)?


Oh, I just remembered, there's the Audi I5 (5000) I haven't seen one of those as a stick, but they were bulletproof as I recall. They were available turboed from the factory too (early turbo's were a POS, later ones were much better).


Hope something in that babble fest is helpfull.

I'm intimately familiar with the TH-425 as I just got done with a project putting one backwards in the rear seat of a Corvair with a Cad 500.

I'm looking at building a trike; single front motorcycle wheel and a front-wheel-drive setup as the rear. I always wanted to build one, but hated the fact that unlike a motorcycle, you can't lean them. I'm planning to articulate it so that it is leanable, and would have roll cage, seatbelts and such. Hence the desire for a small, light, fore-and-aft transaxle and an in-line engine.

Does the Cad fore-and-aft transaxle use a BOP bellhousing, or something special? Can the Vortec mate with it? Do any of the Mopar in-lines mate with the LHS transaxle? Any other vendors with fore-and-aft transaxles?

the eldorado/toronado is a bop bolt pattern. They are pretty stout. There are a few that have a 4spd, I don't know which. There are adaptor kits at kennedy engineering for the audi trans, which is quite popular in the kit car segment. They will handle 450-475 hp. Avoid the audi automatics, they're crap. If you want to lean it, you might want to go with the audi, as they're cheap, easy to find, and quite a bit narrower and lighter than the caddy. Go to http://www.lambolounge.com and search for 016 audi to see how to set up cable shift linkage.

a 4spd auto.

Ah yes, we have a guy here that's got a 'Vair with a 455 and TH425 in it (Toronado donor), cruises best about 60 (or so he tells me), but gets there in a hurry.

For a trike like you describe I would use an independant rear type I VW transaxle with the diff flipped (so it's mid engine instead of rear). Lots of parts available for that, Kenedy engineering makes an adapter to bolt it to anything you might want (including the Quad 4).

http://www.kennedyeng.com/

Oh, and as much as it might not sound like fun sitting over the engine, evry one of these I have seen that stays rear engine has to have wheelie bars or a caster of some sort (not fun after the first time or two).

Hey, something else I just rememberd, theres a company selling a chain drive diff setup (with axles and hubs, etc) to retrofit a Hyabusa into an Austin Mini.

That would go like a house affire, and be compact too (easy on fuel when you aren't 'on it' as well).

Dude, a mini with a busa motor would so totally rock! With a turbo kit, oooohhh.... imagine all the people that would stare as you passed them on the interstate! Imagine all the money you could make off the ricers! Or at the track off the big block guys! I'm salivating just thinking about it.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLtMh20qIp8


MBHD

That's a different vid than the one I've seen of the Busa powered smart cars (it was titled something like LA underground drifters or something). Still looks good though.

Yeah, a Mini with a turbo Busa is crazy, but the tube frame with the fiberglass shell that looks like a mini, with a turbo Busa is psychotic.

OK, I know this is a wee bit off the thread, but in the old days (read that 1970-71) I used to hang out on Mulholland Drive in L. A. on the section between Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon late at night, which is where most of the road racing crazies used to play. One of the fastest guys up there drove a Mini Cooper with a 1275cc hotted-up motor, and it was SCARY fast, even way back then. Didn't really need a tube frame or turbo. He used to outrun Vettes, Porsches, and pretty much any and everything else, too.

That's not hard to believe, but the point remains, there is a kit, available today, that includes those things (well, okay, I didn't see the turbo in their kit) that will lighten the car to something less than he had, and if you turbo the 'Busa (and some are) you should have roughly half again as much power.

IIRC they make it mid engine at that point too, so it should have better gription (all the better to lay down the power ).

Buy her a Craftsman Tool Box and Invite her to Re-build a Chevy Inline Six Cylinder. You will get to hang out together and she can take the credit. If you put it in a convertable then you can have a mid-life crisis and replace her with a 25 year old.

Rather than looking for a new project, I may indeed go back to working on the turbocharged 292 in the '38 Dodge project. This was to be my wife's truck, and I wanted to do the turbocharged L6 part of it. In this economic climate, the partially completed project isn't terribly likely to be sold out from under me, and I've already got lots of parts. I may just do a spray paint overhaul on the engine and get it running.

The only luck I've ever had getting my wife to use tools is when I handed her the plasma... She cut the truck in half for lengthening and was looking for more things to cut up. Besides, I've already had several mid-life crises; the 25 year olds just don't seem to come around.

I started reading here a couple of years ago before changing jobs and moving, for research when starting the 292 project. I thought was going to be able to get back on and find a buyer for the project and not get sucked back into things, but HA! The bunch of professional bad influences on this board have gotten me fired up again to do a nasty on the six.

Hummmm bunch of professional bad infuences hum so sorry Man NOTTTTTTT LOL good luck with your build.

I have a 455/th425 in my '66 Corvair. The half shaft goes under the engine dead center. It would put the weight way to far back for a trike. My Corvair won't "steer" when WFO in low.

For an "off the wall" tryke idea, find a '61-63 Pontiac Tempest. The engine was mounted up front, transaxle rear with a big torque tube. The torque tube can be shortened, along with the drive shaft. The drawback to it may be the swingaxle, but since many trykes use V-dubs I don't think that is an issue.

The Tempest transaxle is available in auto, 3sp, and 4spd. Both ends of the torque tube have a 4 bolt pattern that appears to be the same, GM manual pattern. This might allow a direct bolt-up from bellhousing to transaxle. It shouldn't be any stretch for a Chev bellhousing to be substituted.

This should allow you to use any engine, installed where you want it, adjusting the distance between the engine and rear axle centerline by sectioning the torque tube and driveshaft. You'd also have the choice of auto or stick.

You would probably be interested in the TH 425 set up I did for my Corvair. I took the differential off the transmission, and built an adapter to use a TH 400 tail shaft housing. I got a custom rear end with an offset pumpkin using reverse rotation gears, put the engine/transaxle in the car backwards and connected the two with a 10 - 1/2" driveshaft. This moved the engine/transaxle forward enough to balance nicely. It really handled and felt good, even when going sideways under acceleration.