Stampie wrote: In reply to Dusterbd13: If you're going Cadillac go big. 500 engine with a THM425 trans to kept it mid/rear engined. Don't judge me cause you already said it was a bad idea from the beginning.
I've seen and experienced (as have others who were at the Challenge a few years ago...) what that combination can do in the back of a car (in my case it was a Fiero)- it's... unstable to put it mildly. But also LOTS of fun...
Dusterbd13 wrote:AngryCorvair wrote: It's a throwaway car as-is, so I say not just yes but berkeley yes!It was $50 poorly spent. But gonna be fun! And if i had the scratch right now, ashyuken would have it. 3800 supercharged would be a riot. I thought about a 300m drivetrain to keep it mid engined, but id rather have a useful back seat.
If you're not too far off, I'm willing to negotiate a bit for it to go toward something this fun. And if it doesn't work out on the short term and I don't sell the Riv before the Challenge and thus take it myself, I will also be looking to sell it afterward (or there) as well as it was never intended to be a car to hold and drive on the long term. 
Dusterbd13 wrote: So after the challenge we will be starting on nect years car. 63 corvair 4 door. Its REALLY rusty. Im not sure it's worth saving. Regardless, bear with me. Plan is challenge/utcc/one lap car. The idea: take full 3400 drivetrain and suspension and cradle from a malibu. Stuff in place of the missing corvair drivetrain. Build 2x3 rails going to the front. Add another malibu cradle and suspension up there. Or something like that. Is this mental? Anyone do something like this? Better idea?
This was, in fact, my plan for the GTI that I picked up. 3400, 4T40 (less weight), just make brackets for the original subframe to mount up to and weld the steering shaft to something so it can't turn.
How does the suspension geometry work out when the entire cradle is moved to the rear of the car? I have to think that certain features have been engineered into the design that favour the suspension being at the leading edge of the car where the designers assumed it would stay?
Stuff like camber and castor curves during transition and bushing compliance? What do you set the rear toe to when you do this? Same as if it were still up front?
I have a mental image of a chassis with very playful behavior of trying to kill you when you pushed it around a corner.
In reply to NOHOME:
Well, we do know that it can work- moving the front end of a FWD car to the back was how the Fiero's drivetrain worked (at least until the final year). It can definitely be a handful though- the Caddy 500-powered Fiero I had was a wild one, but that was probably more the 20/80 F/R weight balance than anything else...
NOHOME wrote: I have a mental image of a chassis with very playful behavior of trying to kill you when you pushed it around a corner.
It's a Corvair...
In reply to Ashyukun:
Were a ways out. So dont hold on account of me. We still have to get the car here, after retrieving it from a partially collapsed building in the back of a heavily vegetated lot. And my wife has to find a job.
So, right now we are at planning stage. I want to have a clear idea of where we are headed prior to beginning. Unlike the amc which was more of a ping pong ball in a blender approach.
Ive seen macstrut front ends and suspension used in rear engined builds before. My bet is that it cant be any worse, and if set up correctly would be worlds better than the factory stuff from the corvair. However, you have made we think about torque steer. Would that be an issue since the toe would be fixed?
And stampie, unless you are offering a ridiculously chep caddy setup, it ain't gonna happen. Even then, it probably won't happen due to the goal of retaining the back seat.
Ive found a tbread where a guy used a 3800 supercharged engine and trans, kept the back seat and rear suspension. Which tells me that the 60*v6 will fit even better. Maybe.
Dusterbd13 wrote: So after the challenge we will be starting on nect years car. 63 corvair 4 door.
Heck not even 24hrs of LeMans teams get started that early. Legend has it they start thinking for the next year only after completing each years race.
I know a guy who knows a guy that has a buddy whose friend has a frame somewhere with about a 109" wheelbase, vw transaxle, kennedy adapter, subaru engine, porsche 944 front suspension and rear brakes.
Just saying, easy button.
In reply to Patrick:
I may need your buddy's number...
Cause I like the easy button.
aircooled wrote: Ah, OK. So FWD set in the back seat. Yes, much better. Strangely that is not popular, but there was one guy who put a Northstar V8 in the back of a late (he had to widen the rear)
Which is funny because that is how many factory Mid-engine cars are developed. The X 1/9 and Fiero come to mind. In this instance, I think a fiero might become a good friend right now for all the bits you are going to need to make this work.
Back in my Subaru days, I had a '67 Corvair I almost did something crazy with....
Turns out the dimensions of a Corvair are pretty close to the dimensions of a Subaru SVX. My idea was to weld the body to the SVX pan.
That would make it a front-engine AWD with 230 hp from the stock engine (assuming no power adders)
SVXii are at give away prices, and the engine is stout and reliable. I wouldn't race the stock AT, but I've done a 5 spd conversion, and they are pretty easy.
The car you have may be a good candidate. Let me know if you want to think more about this...
BTW, a SVX Vair could easily be built for under $1K ...
In reply to SVreX:
Thats definitely intriguing. Very much so.....
In reply to Dusterbd13:
The SVX motor is stout- it can easily handle boost.
It's not done very often, because the SVX engine bay is really tight- no room for turbo, manifold, etc. But that should change in the front of a Vair.
...AND, I've never seen an AWD Vair.
I've seen just about everything else done to them, but not AWD.
Hmm....
6 inch wheelbase difference. And im not sure i have nohome talent for this kind of swap.
Dusterbd13 wrote: Hmm.... 6 inch wheelbase difference. And im not sure i have nohome talent for this kind of swap.
Wheelbase stretch is a lot of work that kinda negates the elegance of the chassis swap solution.
The MOLVO would have been a three month project if I had not had to stretch the wheelbase and do a V8 swap.
If Mighty Car Mods can put a WRX engine in the back of a Bug, you should be able to jam one in the rear of the corvair.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hpb2Him9CUo
And dont worry about a lack of talent, that comes with being dumb enough to take the first step and too stubborn to quit.
And beer, there is always beer involved.
In reply to NOHOME:
+1! 
What about the engine rotation problem? The Corvair is a reverse-rotation motor. Changing the Subaru transmission for rear-engined config is pricey. The SVX engine would blow up a VW tranny, and Porsche trannys aren't cheap either.
If you want to be unusual, buy a four-door 'vair and access the mid-engine through the rear doors.
OTOH I kinda love the SVX idea. You might be kinda short on room in front of the wheels to put that boxer motor though.
One other thought - if you're considering doing a body drop, one advantage to bugs and Ghias is that they were designed to have the body easily removable.
I did forget the 6" wheelbase difference.
I was gonna solve that problem with box flares.
You could deal with the 6" wheelbase difference by moving the front wheel openings forward or the rear ones up a little, like a '60s altered wheelbase drag car:
just take out the 6" in the rear seat(floor) area and weld the doors shut after yor take the 6" from them.
call me
GTXVette wrote: just take out the 6" in the rear seat(floor) area and weld the doors shut after yor take the 6" from them. call me
That wouldn't be a bad solution. But inly if i score a hundred dollar svx.
I did find a 300 s10 rolling chassis. But i really need to wait to begin on this. 45 days til trailer loading for this years challenge. And im sanding off all my paint. Again.
You'll need to log in to post.
