I am going to RWD my van this winter and currently looking into all options available.

Easiest would be to keep leaf springs and bolt on an axle, but also theres some cheap double wish bone suspensions from 200/300sx's on eBay for pennies.

Front end is what I am stuck on atm though, MT75's aren't cheap now, seen loads of RX8 boxes but there very long and would move the stick back to far.

Bellhousing mod's / conversion plates will be used etc...

Front cross members also, not sure what are the cheapest and easiest to put on.

Any idea's would be appreciated.

Kev.

 

What about a capri rear axle and a T5 box.

 

T5 box?

Capri maybe to wide, got to measure up yet.

 

Isnt the t5 a 2wd cossie box.

Just put some rear sweaty arches on the back.

 

Volvo rear beam. Indestructible. May aswell use the engine and box aswell

 

RX8 rear end..........as I've got one getting in the way

 

Not looked but sounds big/heavy lol

This is why I mentioned RX8 box as can get complete blown RX8's now for a couple of hundred quid.

 

Cossy boxes are going for stupid money mate, want to keep it cheap!

 

What engine are you going with, I can usually pick up mt75 for about 100 quid and shifter can be shortened or lenghtened no bother, capri axles aint that wide about 56 inch flange to flange shouldnt be a bother with et38 or above wheels

 

I have a full mt75 with dohc sump that should bolt onto your block if your interested

 

Or right ive never took much notice on prices.

 

bmw m62 (4.4 - 5.0 v8) or m52 (2.4-3.2 straight 6) a complete car can be had a broken up cheaply just use complete running gear and a cheap management

 

Cheap! But you're over the water

DOHC RS i4 bud.

I'd be intereted if cheap enough?

There so many cheap optins atm but wanting cheapest and easiest is the trick, will have a look at them bud.

 

Rx8 run a tourque tube ecq set up so no good.

Volvo stuff isn't that heavy. We've just stuffed some in a mk4 escort. It's lighter than a Yb

 

You dont mention what engine any box will actually be bolted to ?

Just pick an entire rwd engine/drivetrain from a donor vehicle, it'll be the least grief by far.

 

Stevie he said a DOHC RS2000 i4 engine.

 

I do, but in another reply, RS2K DOHC 16V i4.

Wanting to keep that enigne in it thats why I said conversion plates and bell housing mods can be done.

I don't want to transplant engine to.

 

Given the popularity of drifting...many rwd boxes these days do seem to carry a premium. Especially the Jap stuff.

I think the Volvo M90 is supposed to be quite strong, maybe something not that popular in the UK ? which should mean cheaper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_M90_transmission
But integral bellhousings found on a lot of boxes these days...can make fitment harder.

The box fitted to RB25's seems to be reasonably strong, think they're pretty big though.

Problem is cheapest box...doesnt mean cheapest fitted and working box.

If you pay a bit extra for a box/clutch that just bolts on directly, it will usually be cheaper and more sensible than one you need to adapt to fit, and use custom clutch parts.

 

How about an mx5 rear end, comes on its own subframe that would be a doddle to mount

 

ive had one of these out was a doddle

 

I'd go Capri or maybe an English axle and upgrade the diff at a later date, should fit straight on, mt75 box should go straight on and will take plenty of power. This will probably be the easiest and cheapest,
I've always wanted to do the same

 

Couldn't you use a Sierra running gear from a 2 ltr I4 model

 

Cheapest would be a Type 9 and English axle so keep the leaf springs. Both will take the 150bhp an I4 makes happily enough.

 

This totally!

 

You realise that you will have to transplant the engine thats in it though?
As it will be moving 90 degrees it wont be any easier to run your existing engine than a different (far better) one?

 

Bit different but how about a using the 4x4 setup from a rs2000? Wouldn't be rwd tho

 

You could do that and weld up the transfer box and remove the front shafts to achieve (weak) RWD very cheaply.

Vauxhall did this with their touring cars, but obviously with expensive custom parts not a scrap box and a welder, lol.

 

What Vauxhall touring car??

 

Early 90s cavalier, cause it was homologated with 4wd it meant they could try and run it rwd, they did it with Chris Hodgett's car but it proved less competitive than FWD so they abandoned it.

(it wont make this guy's van faster either of course!)

 

Interesting though, I didn't know that.

 

Yeah it was an interesting idea from vauxhall in the first place.

Ive seen it done on a few evos and scoobys to convert them to RWD as well, in terms of locking the centre diff, but I use the vauxhall example as its a more comparable layout to the RS2000 setup

 

I didn't know Vauxhall done that with the gsi touring car. I read in the early days of the rouse sport mondeo that ARE had built a rwd mondeo but the power loss through the transmission was too much.

 

The RS2000 4x4 transfer box shit them selves already in standard cars, RWD'ing one wouldn't last 5 minutes.

I understand either way I'll be doing an engine transplant but I want to keep the RS 16V as I have a budget turbo one I am chucking in, about 220bhp, so a type 9 would also shit it self.

I am going to try and get a RWD MT75 and an English axle.

It is cheap I am after.

 

Yeah ford had a pop at it long after Vauxhall did. But it didnt work out well for either of them in terms of laptimes, as like you say the transmissions losses made it slower and any perceived benefit of RWD didnt surface to enough of an extent to cancel that out.

 

As far as i can remember you cant use a type 9 with an I 14 and standard clutch/flywheel

 

I had a YB that was in a FWD mondeo and it used standard ford parts to do it, so should be possible the other way around if you just swap on the rwd flywheel as the botl pattern to the crank was the same.

Not tried it though, am just guessing!

 

Ah ya bolt patterns are the same its just the depth of the flywheel and shape of bell housing is the problem
Had the same trying to use 2litre zetec flywheel with type 9
twin cam sierras all use MT75s

 

Yeah I found that out the hardway when I fitted it to my 3 door and the starter didnt engage!

Me and my old man set a new "taking a YB out, changing the flywheel and putting it back in" record of under 45 mins when that happened!

 

Been offered a MT75 from a twin cam sierra for Ł150 but just been told that expensive.

Gona have a chat with my mate Marco later as he knows more about RWD prices on ford items etc.

The project isn't starting till this winter so not mental rush to decide what to use.

 

Fair play, but you're trouble there is an English axle isn;t exactly cut out for 220bhp either unless it's uprated. I know plenty of people who have broke them at 160-180bhp.

A Volvo 240 GLT axle is a much safer bet and cheaper!