oh hey i forgot to come back. i don't think i'm gonna lose trunk space, and if i do it shouldn't be too bad. i've pretty much made the decision, i just have to start assembling the parts. there won't be any cuts made all year since it's my current daily and only working car til the 240 is running :\
cobalt wheels actually look really good on the del sol. i wouldn't mind rocking a set
You big tease. 
Btw, saw your inspiration pics... I just sold my 17x9 RGII's with that same stance. Sorry. 
So what's the decision?
couldn't sleep, so here's a good morning post!
been trying to figure out a sensible build path. with work and all i haven't gotten around to doing measurements against LSx block measurements, but going with 'i still think it'll fit' assumptions, i started running through what i might need. i ended up scrapping the nissan parts path, because ebay says i can find an entire corvette LS1 + manual drivetrain for around 8-9k. sounded like a better idea, since the transaxle would mean less banging out of the mini tunnel, and i'd get literally everything i'd need. the idea to try to implement an LS motor with displacement on demand aka active fuel management also came to play. a few questions came up though:
-i realize in addition to shortening the driveshaft, the axles may also have to be shortened. any chance i could use some other car's axles instead of paying for customs?
-do i stick with the torque tube, and shorten it with the driveshaft, or remove the driveshaft and go with a torque arm and matching subframe connectors? i'm kind of curious if the smaller muscle car SFCs can be made to fit my car. maybe a mustang fox body SFC?
-i'm really worried about frame twist, as this car obviously wasn't meant for RWD, much less much power over factory. other than the normal strut and sway bars, i'm likely gonna have to get a roll cage welded in to (hopfully) race regulation-spec, modified slightly to maximize trunk space. i saw mention of panhard bars and watts linkages on chevy truck sites, but that doesn't actually tell me which is better or if i actually need it. opinions? what else should i tie up? honda heads make occasional mention of fender braces and b-pillar bars, but i don't know if the fender braces actually do anything. as for the b-pillar bar...the sol has a beefier b-pillar what with the removable roof and all, i'm not sure i actually need to worry about that. plus it sounds silly, but i don't want a bar in the way of the rear window, or my rear personal gloveboxes. got no space as it is 
-i'm intrigued by the corvette C6 ZR1 magnetic suspension system. is there an aftermarket product for this, or do i have to hope someone crashes their ZR1? long term idea, i assume it's quite expensive. but i would love to know.
-if i'm getting an entire corvette drivetrain, i'm using it. i understand they use a vacuum-controller muffler system. how does it work exactly? rpm?
-the del sol's pretty small, so ground clearance with the v8 is an issue. however engine bay real estate's also an issue. if i switch to dry sump, i'm assuming i'll get a little extra ground clearance. but can i run the oil tank from the rear of the car? the line from the rear to the front should also act as a bit of an oil cooler, if i'm not mistaken. a nice bonus if i'm right!
-if i have to push the firewall into the cabin a bit to fit the motor, the heater box becomes an issue. is it difficult to make a custom one? anyone have any experience with vintage air's units?
-i'm likely going to turbo the car, either right away or the following summer. looking into squire turbo system's rear-mounted turbos, only i'm not sure if i should retain a muffler or not. i do want to keep the car as quiet as possible. this system only runs 5psi, doesn't require anything more than a tune, and deletes the muffler. so it's a good start for me, and distributes the parts a little better for R&D's sake, as well as shifts more weight to the rear 
. the air also should be cooler on the way back to the front as well. i am worried about where the piping will go though. i may bang in the sill right beneath my doors and run the pipes there, hidden by the side skirts. intake on one, exhaust on the other. however there seems to be a little room to each side of the body rails i could use...also, the car is also obviously from japan, and there's room on the reverse side for another muffler. i could cut down the corvette mufflers to fit, or just run twin STS turbos with a single intake pipe back to the front.
but all this talk and nothing about a motor! i temporarily sidelined the idea of gunning for an LS2/3/7, and am toying with the idea of sourcing an L99 or other DoD/AFM-enabled motor. lower power output, but running only 4 cylinders in slow nyc rush hour traffic is appealing. however they're all mated to auto trannies, and while GM is planning on implementing it with manuals eventually, it's not here yet and i need it now. has anyone heard of it being adapted, or know anything of its workings? trying to understand how it's activated, and if i can't run it by rpms i'd like to route it to an on/off switch and manually activate it when needed. i've also read that the DoD lifters don't like power, and fail. i'd like to know if there's a fix for that, or i'm stuck with stock power or disabling DoD. which would defeat the purpose of getting that type of motor at all.
however, if i can't make a good enough deal to get the 'vette drivetrain sans LS1, that whole last paragraph was for naught.
we are having a bit of trouble designing a satisfactory engine cradle (a friend and i). would we be better off adapting a tubular k-member from a company like S&W, or just consult the shop? i feel i shouldn't go asking for such info without the cash to get the project started, however , but i don't even know how to begin trying to see where it would mount. i suppose i could try to make the vette mounts work, but i was running on the assumption it wouldn't. anyone think it would?
S&W tubular F-body K-member for reference:
and...that's about it. here's a summary of the project endgame: corvette suspension, brakes, mufflers, transaxle, driveshaft, torque tube (or arm?) subframe connectors, either custom or adapted from another car roll cage some kind of LS motor, 'normal' or active fuel management LS6 head TR-6060 tranny dry sump, oil tank mounted in rear battery relocated to rear fuel cell mounted in old spare tire well location Advan RS 17x9
man this project looks like so much less when i lay it out this way...
longer term endgame:
-C6 ZR1 magnetic suspension system (i'm actually terrified of flipping over backwards in this car post-build. launch control would be nice.)
-STS turbo system, possible twin turbo
again, will remain in planning for the rest of the year, but i would love input!
paid a visit to a few shops yesterday, and the local chevy service dept to try and get a few shop leads from the techs. they all crapped themselves when i told them what i wanted to do. the last shop initially started with "i'm not even gonna quote you, i'm just gonna tell you don't do it", but eventually came around when i started telling him the same things he was about to tell me i'd have to do to the chassis to get what i needed done. estimated a little below 20k for just chassis work, no parts. cutting out the entire floor, framing and caging, moving the firewall back, extending the rails, and mounting the rear diff and engine. he recommends against the transaxle, citing "they're not that strong", but changed his tune when i realized i was going with the newer TR-6060 transaxle. i still believe it's better for me to place it in the rear than add a true tunnel to the front, just because of the size of the car.
his approach the entire time was pure race-ready, not street trim, so while extremely helpful he was only half-helping. his approach fitted everything first, ignoring everything else and maybe it'll fit later. it being some of the interior, a/c, heating, etc. i can't go that route, i need it all to fit, and essentially hide as much of the true nature of the car as possible. deter thieves and all that (mainly at least). so i can't help but require factoring in the odds and ends to the master plan. so off i go to find suitable smaller hvac systems and lay out the plans further.
screw it. i'm gonna wait til the money's gathered, then i'm buying a sawzall and cherry picker, cutting the underbelly out of the car and sliding the entire drivetrain under it. then i'll tow it to the shop for welding once i'm happy with where the motor and rear end are at. still getting stonewalled on good information, and few people have experience with both hondas and corvettes enough to know what i'm asking. i'd go buy the sawzall and cherry picker today, but i need the $13,000 drivetrain to set it down on. going to push for a lot of extra o/t this summer.
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