Hello everyone, I want to build a rear engine rod. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on what to couple to a small block for a driveline. If I put the motor, trans and rear end all linked together it would be about 70 " long, plus I would have no suspension travel. Is there some transaxle that would work on a v8, or is there some trick out there? How did they do it on slingshots? I'd appreciate any imput, thanks, nick
Eldorado or Tornado Somewhere in my pile of old magazines there's a late '60s early '70s article on building the ultimate sleeper out of a VW bug (bad word around the HAMB) with a small block in the ass. Complete with fake groceries covering the motor.
any of the import mid engine cars will have the gear for what you want to do. i dont have the link, but perhaps someone knows of the '34 p/u with a porsche engine mounted in the bed of the truck? outstanding craftsmanship.
Slingshots were not rear engined. The last thing in a slingshot was a pushbar, a parachute, and the driver's puckered up ass.
It's going into the bed of a 1936 ford pick up. I want the cab to be forward. I want it to have the look of a pickup for the dry lakes.
There was an Isuzu mini (I know mini's and imports are cuss words around here but the application is applicable ) years ago that was featured in alot of mags that ran a Toronado tranny and it had a smallblock in it. I would think you could find more folks that have done something similar on the internet. Good luck.
do a search here, there's both a Tornado rear engined buggy project and a VW powered A pickup with the engine in the bed if I remember correctly that's all relative- I've seen complete good condition cars advertised under $20k, so an engine and transaxle shouldn't be too out of the ballpark, just consider what you'd have when you're done?
People have been putting SBC's in Pontiac Fieros for years. Perhaps that transaxle would work for you.
And a waste. A decent tranny ZF out of a Pantera can easily be worth much more than for an entire parts car with no tranny. I've heard $3000 - $7000 is typical. Toronado would be the way to go.
been doing some th425 (toronado transaxle) research and it puts the motor directly over the wheels. I don't want to be picky but I'd like the motor to be in front of the rear wheels. What kind of transaxle did they use on the Pantera? I know Porsche transaxles are similar.
Porsche transaxles (G50) are similar and there are adapters for at least the chevy LS series engine that are used by factory five in their new supercar. http://www.factoryfive.com/table/ffrkits/GTM/GTMkit.html But I think you would have 4 reverse speeds and one forward if you used it turned around with the engine in front. I think the Pantera used ZF transaxle. VERY EXPENSIVE.....
i've seen some vw powered dune buggies with the motor/trans turned around (engine in front of trans). i guess there is some way to reverse the gearbox? anywhos i have seen toyota, ranger 2.3s, sbcs, and even a few northstar caddies hooked to VW trannies. that would get you in front of the axle..... good luck.
There was an article in Street Rodder (i think) a loooong time ago, where a guy put a sbc in the trunk of a deuce roadster. The transaxle was out of a motorhome I want to say. he made it fit. What about a Northstar out of a wrecked Caddy? It'd be transverse mounted and probably way less cool looking... but it'd be pretty easy. I bet you could pick up a unit pretty cheap from a wrecked geezer pleaser. Or, if you have a big budget you could check out: http://www.xtrac.com/mainindex.htm They have a ton of transaxles and I bet one would work for you. BUT, they're made for racing and probably will be way too pricey,
If your trying to keep it somewhat traditional, why not couple the motor to a early side shift tranny and then couple the tranny directly to a Halibrand-like center section. Then build your own suspension from there. Winters sells a Halibrand Championship Independant Quick Change and Speedway Engineering sells a Stock Car IRS Change Rear End. Both look mighty cool. If your looking for a European car transaxle that will handle V8 torque, look at either the Porsche G60 (Spendy. Can be run upside down for a mid-engine or rear trans application like Factory Five does) or the Audi 014 or 016 (relatively cheap and plentyfull. Able to handle well over 400hp/tq. The other option would be a ZF trans like those out of the Pantera (not very strong and VERY expensive for what you get) or something a Mendeola MD4E transaxle but they start at $5395 and go up rapidy depending on the options. A built VW 091 transaxle with a flipped r&p will hold up to 200HP and more if your carefull not to "shock" the tranny too much. The problem with the Toronado tranny is that it is ugly, chain drive (internaly), automatic only and places the motor in a weird position.
The Porsche G50 transaxle can easily be used with a Chevy V8. I've seen a Porsche 911 with a new Corvette engine in it. The only problem is cost. The Porsche 915 transmission can be had at a much cheaper price than the G50 and can handle the power of a SBC. The main difference is that the G50 has a hydraulic clutch control and the 915 is mechanical with a cable. Most Porsche people prefer the G50 because it is a smoother transmission. I personally like the 915. Dan Marvin, Owner Exeter Auto Supply
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