Tossing this here. have a build going on a 1952 Fiat Topolino Belvedere Gardenia. the vehicle is 11 feet of minuscule 4-seat and will remain 4 seat and 11 feet long. however since its getting an all-aluminum LS4/AR5/Dana 36 IRS setup, it will be completely custom. the car was a HAMB find that the right cir***stances came along This build will be different than a few of my other builds. instead of grunting the engine and transmission in and out of the vehicle a hundred times to get things to fit. I am going 95% CAD for the heavy lifting. once the CAD is done, a quick mockup will be done to verify the ch***is, and the ch***is will be made for those that like sumarizations LS4 5.3L 10:1 to 10.3 Compression (depending on head gasket and if I cut the heads) Mild Ported 799/243 heads with stainless valves Summit 8702 cam with Melling springs Single plane victor clone intake and Holley 830cfm carb with annular boosters MSD 6014 for ignition Headers: 1-3/4" diameter, Mid-length (ish) with short collectors, Unboosted (no turbo, blower, or nitrous) exhaust cut-outs (pneumatic) 3" exhaust, most likely oval tube 3.07 rear with 26.85 tall tires (C4 corvette) IRS and IFS from a C4 corvette coil-overs on all 4 corners C7 corvette wheels custom 153 tooth billet flywheel Jeep/Dodge 60 degree AX-15 bellhousing AR5 Trans: 3.75 first, 2.26 second, 1.37 third, 1:1 fourth, and . 73 overdrive Mostly street use with occasional strip and autocross Desire to push it up to 7k+ anticipated 430-450hp HVAC for florida summers dual Sirocco radiators with a custom water cross-over and a pierburg electric water pump (no room for a block mounted pump) Custom accessory drive with the belt only 1" forward of the front face of the block. alternator and AC under the heads 2200lbs+driver 88-90" wheel base 50/50 weight distribution 131" overall length targeting 48" total height Targeting 72" width at fenders (nearly 21.5" wider than it currently is) full tube cage, with welded in air tanks, fluid reservoirs, wiring runs to save space and weight manual brakes with custom swing pedals manual steering rack air horn air cups or bag riders custom lighting Because the original 35 cubic inch motor and 4-speed fit in a car that is only 50" wide overall, and a puny 40" wide at the firewall, some mods have to be made to the car to retain 4 seats, 3 pedals and a V8/5-speed while I retain both legs.... the rear of the engine is currently right at the second firewall in the fiat. that means where there was only a driveshaft tunnel, there is now a transmission tunnel in the car currently there is only 9" left of a footwell left on each side of the bellhousing. 3 pedals requires 12-13" of footwell width....... the overall height of the Topolino wagons is cartoonish. at 54", the proportions look wrong....... especially with a 50" width so, since this is a convertible. the following body mods will happen: 2" chop on the top to get the top down from 54" to 52" 5-6" widening of the main body for foot room and seat room around the now 6-8" wider tunnel 6-8" wider fenders to cover the tires because the track width is going from 46" to 60" front splitter because the short wheel base needs all the help it can get rear diffuser because of the front splitter and short wheel base 2" channel of the body over the ch***is 2" lower height - 3.5" to 4" ch***is clearance air cups to raise the vehicle for driveways and speed bumps custom running boards (originals are about 3" wide) paint color will be ford's electric orange with carbon fiber inserts where the wood used to be on the sides. the top color will most likely be black, however may go tan. need to play with it. I was only able to find a 500B model (1948 and older) as apposed to the 500C body, however short of the front grill and fenders and the belt lines, the body is the same size. here is a quick render from a bud of mine. I will be modeling the body complete, including the chop/split/etc to put the size in perspective. think of a 1972 Honda CVCC. then shorten it by 2" (remove the bumpers) or think of a mid 70's MG midget and make it a 4-seater without changing the length, width, height, and wheel base
Love the little Topo's/Simca's. I've had all models except the Belvedere. There is a local Belvedere not far away for sale here at €6000 in pretty much the same condition as yours. At the moment also this real woody at €17500. ( not me ) btw, i see on your scetches your keeping the louvre hood and side air-flaps. Thats typical Topo that should allways be kept.
Need the louvers for the second radiator. each radiator can dissipate about 250hp worth of heat. the louvers will most likely be replaced with hex perforated radiator screen that I emboss to mimic louvers. trying to keep with the origins of the Topo while allowing a whole lot more air thru the side flaps will be double duty. I am thinking of hiding the battery switch behind one, and maybe the emergency door latch cable behind the other.
It sure looks like a fun, wild project and that you have put a lot of time into planning. Not trying to second guess you but why not a transaxle for more driver room? The 'vette ones seem to intrude where the rear seats will be, but there has got to be others.
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