Ok guys It's not my car but I know someone who uses chevette motors and drive trains in their builds .At least its a smallblock chevy with a pebble crusher transmission .I like more cubes and horse power.300 minimum for me.Chevette's used to be cheap .But at least their American' Ford is another ,And they make alot of aftermarket accessories ,Cams ,chains and other performance goodies for ford.In my opinion foreign parts are expensive and I would stick to the basics.
Has anyone considered the 2.9l four used in the Colorado pickups? Same internals as the 4.2l six. DOHC and VVT. Most aere already mated to a 5 speed. Should be cheep from the wreaking yards. Scott M.
The Colorado pickup used a 3.7L five cylinder too, 242 hp & ft/lbs of torque. Most reviews seem to like it in the trucks. It's a shortened version of the "new" 4.2L I-6 introduced a few years ago, variable valve timing and all. I don't know for sure, but believe the 2.9L four is also derived from the new six?
I was looking at 3 64 model Volvos today with 4 speed trans today they are going in the crusher this week they have the dual carbs they would make some cool rod motors.
I am going to be running the 2.5 liter iron duke in my 54 chevy truck just because I want to be able to drive it everyday and not worry as much about gas also and it was already on the S-10 frame I am swapping the body onto... so thats easy did see an edelbrock intake for it to put a 2 barrell holley on it I wouldve liked to have but missed out on it on ebay and cant find where to get another. Also would like to fint the 5 speed to put behind it cause right now it only has the 4.. Aaron Oh yea as far as the Toyota engines are you wanting to stay fuel injected or want to stick with a carb? The best engine toyota has to offer IMO is the 3rz-fe its designed inline rwd came in tacoma pickups and its indestructable and gets decent mileage but they are injected you could fab up a carb setup for it I guess though if you prefer. but yea there is the old 22r's but they dont have as much power as the 3rz there is a 2rz which is just the 2.4 liter version of the 3rz the 3rz is 2.7 liters comes in prerunner and 4x4 tacomas the 2rz came in the little 2wd trucks. I'm a technician at a Toyota Dealer for the past 9 years also so if you want anymore info you can definatly ask me but I'd never put a Toyota motor in my CHEVY!!
Hey Aaron, where you at in SC? I'm near Batesburg-Leesville.... not far from Lexington and Newberry if that helps. I guess you just want a carb? The EFI Iron duke would be a much better daily driver! You'll find that often vehicles with a little extra power get as good or better mileage than one with "just enough". The 2.5L with even the four speed should be good though. The auto is what really hurts power and mileage with the little motor! You'd need a lower geared rear axle for the five speed in order to pull fifth gear, but you still have a better spread of ratios.
I have a Ford Zetec 2 liter in my lakes modified roadster and have been living with it for the last year and I have a few opinions. You can make these little engines make lots of horse power BUT it is at 7000 rpm+ and I can tell you that I drive around mostly in the 2500 to 4000 range, and I am running a 4.86:1 gear in my quick change and my car weights less than 1500 lbs. If you do one and want it to be a nice easy driver then put a small supercharger on it, 5-7 lbs of boost and it will fatten up the hps and torque in the driving range. I paid $750 for my engine, with 20,000 miles on it, $375 for the T5 tranny and $425 for the adaptor from Quad Four Rods to bolt them together. I have abused the Zetec and it just keeps asking for more so it is a tough engine. I would probably go with the Ford Duratec or the Nissan 2.4 motor, I think any increase in displacement will be an improvement. If you go with the T5 trans to go with a 4 cylinder, find one of the Chevy small van units with a 15% overdrive. My T5 has a 21% over drive and it is just to much as the little 2 liter is pretty short on torque in the 2500 rpm range which is 70 mph on my set up if there was a 10% OD it would be perfect! Rex
With the same bell housing pattern as the 3.0 Ranger engine. So 5 speed or auto from a Ranger is an option.
Rex, you just need more rear end gear, enough to bring it up to about 3000 rpm @ 70 in fifth... or just don't use fifth. The small motors need more rpm, hence more gear. Or go down in tire size. I'm sure you've seen gear calculators, but I use the ones at www.4lo.com -- mainly because it's easy to remember the URL. There's a lot of fine tuning that can be done with tire size. The 4lo calcs are geared towards trucks, but you can ignore the LT in front of the metric tire diameter calculator and just put a 1 (1:1) in the transfer case blank on the gear calc. I have a little of the same problem with my car. OD is 0.70 with my early Jeep AW-4. About mid 91 they changed to a 0.75 OD. Makes a difference! With a 3.55 rear axle and 26" tires (215/65R15) my big six (4.6L EFI, stroked Jeep 4.0L) runs 62 mph @ 2000 rpm. It has the torque low down to pull the 3300-3400 63 Rambler Classic wagon in OD at 1200 rpm before it starts to strain a bit, 1500+ is no problem at all. But it uses a noticeable amount of gas below 2000 rpm! I tried a 3.08 gear at first, 1950 rpm @ 70 mph. When I switched to 3.55 gears (stock for a 4.0L Cherokee w/AW-4) gas mileage came up 2 mpg! I could run 60 series tires and probably improved a bit more, especially around town and below 65 mph (most driving!), but bought 65s just 3-4 months ago. Should have checked the gear calc first!! That would have brought speed down to 60 mph @ 2000 rpm, which would have made a noticeable difference around town and through country roads, which I have a lot of way out in the country in SC! Mileage would have come up 1-2 mpg and I could run 55 in OD (1822 rpm) easier. Can't run much faster on some of these country roads, and others you shouldn't! Nothing like flying over a hill and looking up the ass of a big ol' combine you can't see around to pass even if on a long enough section of straight road!!
I might get flamed for this, but since we're discussing ricers.I though about building a modified and running a turbo'ed hayabuse motor. It's a easy 225 hp at low boost. Also it would make a lot more room in the cockpit. I would use the busa tranny so no tranny hump. Very indestructable, small and light. My only concern would be the extra weight of a car chassis on the transmission. I guess if they can hold up to 300 hp low 8 second passes they should be pretty strong. Mat
Good point, I would think has to be some kind of reverser to put in the drive line. Maybe something on the rear end just a thought,.
The only reason I even thought to bring it up is I have a '87 VFR700 engine that I'd love to put in a little bellytanker or other tiny rod. You could use a hefty starter motor mounted to the rear differential. Have the bendix engage a chain-driven sprocket on the rear yoke. Thinking out loud......
That's actually a really good idea. The funny thing is I have thought about this for a few months and never thought about reverse. It would be light enough might have to get out and push. Mat
I like the Iron Duke,made here,and there's lots of speed equipment available for it. Lots of midgets are still running them, and pretty trick stuff is around for reasonable money. plus , to me using old American race car stuff is traditional, even if it's a little new for the purists.
The bike engine isn't far fetched, the mini early model modifieds run them! A simple double chain wrapped around the drive sprocket onto another sprocket welded/bolted to a shaft would work, with a U-joint on the short shaft. Bike engines are real torquey, so you'd need some serious rear gear! Of course a shaft drive bike might be easier. I've got a Honda V-twin 500, forget the model, but it's mounted sideways, not like a Harley, and has shaft drive. I've been thinking of making something similar to an old Morgan three wheel cycle car with it, using an old VW Bug front axle. That should carry the motor in front like the Morgan with most of the passenger weight on the rear tire. I was thinking just cut the bike frame off and use the rear half, making some kind of carrier for the drive shaft at the rear. Then run a solid shaft from the motor to the swingarm shaft. Plywood and fiberglass body. I don't have a title for the bike though, so it would take a bit of work to get inspected and titled.
hey Hugh I've googled around for some performance stuff for the iron duke without luck could you help me out maybe point me in a direction??
You didn't mention what car you are putting it in. If its a 50's lead sled you'll be way under powered.If its a street rod and not a daily driver, you may consider a sbc or sbf V8. Its just more fun when you put your foot in it.
I'll tell you what...I'll GIVE you a Chev 2.5 with a 5 speed, EFI and all the harnesses, just so you don't put a Toyota in it, OK?
I agree -- a light vehicle like a T-based car or even A-based would be great with a 2.0+ four, anything heavier like an old 50s-60s truck might not be too much fun. The 62 with five speed should be okay as long as the axle is geared right -- might need a little more gear with the heavier, less aerodynamic body, or just shorter tires. Using the full frame and drivetrain does take a lot of guess work out though! A lot of power can be a lot of fun as long as it isn't TOO much. Yes, you can have "too much power". When I was in Delaware I stopped by "Rams Rod Shop" at least once a week. One day he's working on a fiberglass 32 coupe with a blown 350 (as in blower on top). The right front fender and suspension is trashed, and the frame is bent a bit up there. The owner hit a guard rail on the interstate, a nice straight section of road too. A friend had asked if it would break the tires loose going down the road, and a discussion ensued. The owner got curious on the way home, and punched it while doing about 60-65. It broke loose. 14" wide tires on the back and a posi. Got sideways before he knew it and ended up on a median rail. The guy had never been on a drag strip or drove hard, just wanted the blower because it looked cool. Way too much power for the car (and driver)!! I don't put a posi in a real daily driver any more. I can handle it, but when both wheels break loose a car goes sideways. With one spinning the other tends to hold the car in place. If you're not going to be racing there's no need for a posi (limited slip). Heck, an air or manual locker would be better for a street/strip car -- only locks when you want it to.
Takes a while to find some of this stuff, Pontiac put out a book in the eighties, copies are on ebay from time to time, and also parts, I usually look for Pontiac super duty stuff, and most times there are a few things. Have to keep at it though. Also Open Wheel Market Place has a section for midget parts which has some good hardcore things. The Badger midget site also has a classified section that is pretty good. Google up Pontiac super duty also.
thanks, the unintended benefit was that the 62 floor was completely rotted and now its all replaced with the S10 floor. Steering column even lines up close in angle and centering. The weight difference between the two trucks was less than 300 lbs, and the 1/2 ton fullsize frame and 235 six were most of the heft. In the s10 the interior and safety items added the most weight. I have roughly figured the combination should be lighter wight than the s10. It wont be a speed demon, but thats not really the point of the truck anyway. It will look like an oldie moldy and drive like a 98 with creature conforts like power steering and AC. It's not your "traditional" definition of traditional, but the spirit is intact, taking a vehicle designed for one purpose and modifying it with readily available parts to be capable of another purpose.
It's being done, very popular with the Lotus 7 clone crowd. There's even a forum: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/bike-engined-cars/. Reverse is indeed a perennial problem, but there seem to be lots of ways around it. I've also got a recurrent idea for an Austin-Sevenesque special powered by a bike engine. There are some cool engines out there, a surprising number of them satisfyingly free of electronics.
I'd say a Nissan KA24E (SOHC) or a KA24DE (DOHC) Both are 2.4L The SOHC is about 140hp, the DOHC is 155hp/165 ft/lbs The SOHC has a sidedraft Weber manifold available. Bullet proof engines, Iron Block, Aluminum head.. My '98 Nissan Frontier Daily driver has 255,000 miles on it and a 5 speed.. all I've had to do is change a water pump about 6 months ago.. and oil changes... but I'm biased, I have a KA24DE project motor that needs a car to put it in... as seen in my Avatar...
On the bike engined cars I'd say reverse isn't a problem... it's not on my bike! So you'll have to get out and push instead of simply back pedaling. If you ever tried to back pedal a big bike far or up a slight incline you know it's safer/faster to get off and push anyway! Has to be a light car to be powered by a bike engine. If it's open like a Lotus Seven clone, either get out and push or carry a walking stick with a rubber end and "back paddle" from the driver's seat! That's what I plan on for reverse in my mythical Morgan clone (or rather modeled after a Morgan)... assuming I ever build it. Gotta get that old bike running first! Think it might need coils.. and it's WAY on the back burner!!
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