Cheap to free is preferred. The car is a home made special powered by a blown up BMC 1275. But now he can't find one and needs something really cheap to free. It's got to be really small. How big is a early Miata? What other in line 4 cylinder is really small and light?
I figure he would have been lucky to make 60-70 hp an in-line transmission would be good. But it too has to be small and light.
Saturn LL0?
Early Miata was 1.6L with dual overhead cams, so maybe Miata isn't the answer in this case.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
What are Saturn demensions and weight? Ignore manifolds.
Fiat twin cam fits pretty well in place of an A series. Should be able to find a rusty 124 Spyder cheap?
The Honda L15A from the Fit is tiny and lightweight (about 220lbs), they use it as a modern replacement for Formula Fords.
In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :
I think I can find one in still usable condition. But how tall and long are they?
I've seen them converted to carbs. Just have to figure out how to get the spark plugs to fire.
In reply to Racingsnake :
Finding one in condition good enough to get running is going to be hard. He can't find a solid BMC A Series and they made a whole lot more of those.
Can old Suzuki/Geo motors be found in your area? As I recall the 4 Cyl block is only 13-14 inches long and a 3 cyl might also fit the power level. Inline trans in the Samurai. Barefootcyborg5000 just got a Samurai, so perhaps he could take measurements for you. Those motors don't need a lot of electronics, either.
red_stapler said:The Honda L15A from the Fit is tiny and lightweight (about 220lbs), they use it as a modern replacement for Formula Fords.
Yes, but likely they aren't going to be free or really cheap. He's retired on a really tiny budget.
matthewmcl said:Can old Suzuki/Geo motors be found in your area? As I recall the 4 Cyl block is only 13-14 inches long and a 3 cyl might also fit the power level. Inline trans in the Samurai. Barefootcyborg5000 just got a Samurai, so perhaps he could take measurements for you. Those motors don't need a lot of electronics, either.
That really sounds like a good option, except for the 3 cylinder part. Not sure how the vintage groups will accept that. I can only ask. Thanks and I'll let you know what they say.
I believe the Saturn LL0 SOHC is just over 200lbs. I do not have dimensions handy. I also do not have first hand experience with it so grains of salt required as always.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
That could be a good choice because I'll bet there are still plenty of engines around.
As usual I can imagine how easy it would be to convert it to SU carbs. I wonder if the stock ECU would just run the sparks?
I think the ease of getting a newer engine approved is dependent on ability to make it look sorta familiar. A couple of SU's should do that.
I bought one for my daughter and it was wonderfully reliable.
Why would you keep the ECU and required bits to make spark happen and then put SU's on the thing? Just get it running with all of the factory stuff, injection included, and send it.
frenchyd said:matthewmcl said:Can old Suzuki/Geo motors be found in your area? As I recall the 4 Cyl block is only 13-14 inches long and a 3 cyl might also fit the power level. Inline trans in the Samurai. Barefootcyborg5000 just got a Samurai, so perhaps he could take measurements for you. Those motors don't need a lot of electronics, either.
That really sounds like a good option, except for the 3 cylinder part. Not sure how the vintage groups will accept that. I can only ask. Thanks and I'll let you know what they say.
Well then, stick to the 4 cylinder models and ignore the 3 cyl ones. No point in aggravating the class to get a lower powered option.
frenchyd said:red_stapler said:The Honda L15A from the Fit is tiny and lightweight (about 220lbs), they use it as a modern replacement for Formula Fords.
Yes, but likely they aren't going to be free or really cheap. He's retired on a really tiny budget.
Free, not quite. But any junkyard one should last him forever and be fairly budget freindly.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:Why would you keep the ECU and required bits to make spark happen and then put SU's on the thing? Just get it running with all of the factory stuff, injection included, and send it.
Vintage racing. He's going to have to make it look vintagish. Keep the engine covered. He's not worried about performance because his old BMC engine had him near the slowest car there.
79rex said:frenchyd said:red_stapler said:The Honda L15A from the Fit is tiny and lightweight (about 220lbs), they use it as a modern replacement for Formula Fords.
Yes, but likely they aren't going to be free or really cheap. He's retired on a really tiny budget.
Free, not quite. But any junkyard one should last him forever and be fairly budget freindly.
He's getting by on a very teeny tiny budget. Even at $100 it likely will take him months to save for it.
He will keep using the vintage Dunlops until they are bald. He gets free entry as an instructor. Camps in his SUV. Eats whatever others share with him. Cuts every corner possible.
I'm about to pull the tiny 4-cyl EM1 out of my 2nd gen Civic. It made 63 HP new, and is complete except for the oil pan and carb, which I already sold. It turns freely; I last had it running about 2 years ago.
I know it's not ideal, but if you can make it to Knoxville, TN, you can have it for free. I have both a 4-speed and 5-speed trans to go with it; you could take either.
What about one of the early Japanese mini-pickups like the LUV? Prolly way too hard to find now...
I tried searching Craigslist and FBM for a Swift with no luck.
In reply to stroker :
Those were my first thoughts too. We're really looking for something under a tarp out back someplace, someone is glad to have hauled off.
I've tried all my contacts and can find plenty of parts, even some BMC parts. Problem is the parts needed, gaskets bearings rings etc would cost too much.
saruken said:I'm about to pull the tiny 4-cyl EM1 out of my 2nd gen Civic. It made 63 HP new, and is complete except for the oil pan and carb, which I already sold. It turns freely; I last had it running about 2 years ago.
I know it's not ideal, but if you can make it to Knoxville, TN, you can have it for free. I have both a 4-speed and 5-speed trans to go with it; you could take either.
That's exactly the sort of thing he's looking for.power is even good. Since it's in-line the tranny's won't work and we'd have to get clever to mate it to a BMC gearbox. But that's doable
but fuel to and from Knoxville?
Thank you for the offer though. .
What part of county? He got a trailer? Watch for damn near anything rusted out looking to get gone. Drag it home, pull motor, dump rest for scrap $ to even up budget.
In reply to johndej :
In looking for a beater dd, around 2 grand, I'm not even finding them. Scrap cars on FB and Craig's, are asking 3k and up. It's downright embarrassing.
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