Hi all i toying with the idea of converting one of my mk3 fiestas to rwd i was looking at options for chassis...... I can handle a welder and grinder so will do most of the fabrication myself.

My dilemma is should i go with a sierra floor pan or make a space frame or back bone chassis? Also i have a rear mounted gearbox available including the whole rear sus setup (de dion) from an alfa romeo 75. Should i go with it or find a t5 or some other gearbox that mounts to the engine and go for sierra dif and ind sus?? Does anyone know if an engine will fit in the front of a fiesta without extending the wings? not a big engine 2.0l or smaller..

last thing about the front sus is it worth the hassle of fitting a double wishbone or mcpherson struts are enough?

 

I'd probably look at something like an MX5 as a donor for bits, ie a small light RWD car that handles, rather than something with a 1980s ford sierra rear beam.

 

i don t like the whole floor swap thing very much as it still needs fabrication and won t be as good as the others when ready but i m still considering all options...

the drawback with the mx 5 is that the diff is offset so the tunnel has to be offset or the diff has to be to one side of the car and not central like other diffs... also you ll have to use everything from it then. And in Malta even a sierra is a bit pricy and mx-5 are still over 3000 euro which for a donor is expensive lol

 

Ouch, that is a bit on the pricey side.

 

yup that s why i was thinking sierra diff and gbox or alfa 75

the 75 i have a complete car which i m braking for parts so i could use the rear end of it but not sure if it s worth the effort to fit .... as it is rear mounted it will have better weight distribution and the brakes are disks and onboard the box so less unsprung weight or what it s called xD ..... but it s a pain to fit and a worse pain to work on as even brake pad change is a nightmare lol but sierra diffs can be found cheeply so it s a dilemma lol

 

i am going to start the conversion next december or january but now i am also considering awd instead of rwd

awd using mtx75 and transfer box

any suggestions???