Tech, Repairs, Upgrades > Engine & Drivetrain Swaps
Call me crazy
Gaz:
So, as I’m throwing together parts and prices for a KL swap. I had a thought.
What would be so bad about taking the whole drive line from another Capri and putting it in the back? Effectively making a RR/MR Capri. Relocate the fuel cell, batteries, anything else you can do that equalize weight... Even if the car is not designed for real wheel drive in the terms of handling, I think of the right suspension set up could make it really interesting. If not a good track performer, it would at least be an interesting show piece and burn out machine.
Not brought to you in anyway by hot Rod garage.
Rocketman:
Are you talking aboot a twin engine job? Or just shifting the drivetrain to the rear?
It has been my dream to make a mid-engine KL capri for many years now, I just haven't been able to throw the time & money at it. I have two shell candidates & most of the donor parts, at least the stuff that doesn't have to be made. And the tools needed for fabrication.
But the KL swap isn't trivial, front or mid-engine.
It sure would be a lot easier to just stick with a stock drivetrain & smack it into the rear of the car. No axle issues, the wiring is already correct & just needs extended to fit what's already there. Adapting a set of front hubs to work in the rear of the car would take some work but it's been done in other mid-rear conversions, and that's how the Pontiac Fieros were initially built. Compared to swapping in a totally different engine, it is "simple"
It is tempting, I've thought about it a lot.
On one hand - moving the engine is enough work by itself.
But on the other hand - if you're going through the work, why not make it worthwhile?
One could shift a stock engine & swap it later. But how much would need to be re-done?
Either way, from what I have gathered, a mid-rear swapped Capri will likely not be a great performance car on the track and may be a bit touchy or even a tad dangerous on the roads. But it would be unique and given the right choice of differential it would be a cool burnout machine.
Gaz:
--- Quote from: Rocketman on July 13, 2020, 11:30:53 PM ---Are you talking aboot a twin engine job? Or just shifting the drivetrain to the rear?
It has been my dream to make a mid-engine KL capri for many years now, I just haven't been able to throw the time & money at it. I have two shell candidates & most of the donor parts, at least the stuff that doesn't have to be made. And the tools needed for fabrication.
But the KL swap isn't trivial, front or mid-engine.
It sure would be a lot easier to just stick with a stock drivetrain & smack it into the rear of the car. No axle issues, the wiring is already correct & just needs extended to fit what's already there. Adapting a set of front hubs to work in the rear of the car would take some work but it's been done in other mid-rear conversions, and that's how the Pontiac Fieros were initially built. Compared to swapping in a totally different engine, it is "simple"
It is tempting, I've thought about it a lot.
On one hand - moving the engine is enough work by itself.
But on the other hand - if you're going through the work, why not make it worthwhile?
One could shift a stock engine & swap it later. But how much would need to be re-done?
Either way, from what I have gathered, a mid-rear swapped Capri will likely not be a great performance car on the track and may be a bit touchy or even a tad dangerous on the roads. But it would be unique and given the right choice of differential it would be a cool burnout machine.
--- End quote ---
Word.
So, I've got my old silver '91 NA collecting rust. It's been parted out somewhat, but there are still so many usable parts, incuding the entire drivetrain minus some engine bits here and there, and that's where the thought originated. I'd feel fine about cutting up this car to make it MR, and with all the time I'll have for it this winter...
On the other hand, the NA 1.6 is gutless in stock form. Do you think it'd be worth the trouble to yank the B6D out, tear it down, build it proper, and slap a turbo on it? I thought there was some critical failure that would happen if you threw boost at the N/As...
Rocketman:
The engine itself can handle the boost, I have swapped N/A longblocks into XR2's before with no issues. The higher compression makes them much more lively. Have to be more careful with timing, fuel, boost. The B6T has a different camshaft, both seem to work okay.
It's the N/A f-series transmission that is the really weak spot, it's much smaller than the XR2 transmission and even the XR2's g-series has its issues with power. The F-series has a much smaller clutch, too.
Gaz:
The weak point is in the diff hardware, though, isn't it? The Mfactory unit is supposed to solve that, right?
Sure, the third gear deal may be a problem, but I've seen some neat trans-saver devices on the market lately that give me hope.
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