Engine & Solid Axle Swap Build

Good God those are pricey. I wonder if they will work in an auto trans. Thanks for posting em.

-Greg

 

I'll let you off the hook. I think I'll just get some brackets from these guys. Maybe some rod ends as well.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/All-brackets-_c_34.html

-Greg

 

Do it! I just picked up my motor and trans tonight. Honda 1.6L VTEC 4 speed auto trans out of a 99 Civic 60k miles. I also got the wiring harness to the ECU and the axles. For the most part is was complete minus a starter, speed sensor, exhaust manifold, ECU, and distributor. I think it should work well. I'll post pics of the setup later when I get some help getting it out of the truck.

Here's some specs on the engine.

Displacement : 1,590 cc (97 cu in)
Bore and Stroke : 75 mm × 90 mm (3.0 in × 3.5 in)
Compression : 9.6:1
D16Y8 1.6 16V SOHC VTEC PGM-FI 1590
127 hp@6600 rpm 108Nm@5500 rpm
Head Code : P2J
Piston Code : P2P
Redline 6900 rpm
ECU Code : P2P

-Greg

 

Yeah, the height of the engine is going to be a tough obstacle. I took some measurements awhile back to compare engine heights and the difference was approx 4-6 inches, not too bad, I'm thinking about doing a hump in the bed instead of raising it if I can. I'll have to decide whats best when the time comes.

-Greg

 

Here's some pictures of the engine/tranny and axles. This thing is going to be a beast. Acorrding to the freight paperwork the axles weigh 575lbs . From the looks of it they should be strong enough to hold up to the abuse I will give them, even if they are only Dana 30's.

-Greg

 

Ha, Ha, Ha..... I know, its not like they're 12" rotors or anything. Funny they're nearly the same size as the stock wheels. I wonder what I'm gonna have to replace the master cylinder with in order to get them to work. Its bad enough that the auto tranny has a gear position cable, and I also have to wire the ECU to tell it what position its in. All Electronic...WHAT FUN! What did I get myself into! LOL

-Greg

 

I kow what you mean. I figure the master is going to be too small for the huge slaves and the pedal will bottom out before I get any pressure to the disks. I'll have to figure that one out when I get there. The biggest problem I have right now is trying to figure out how to hook up the auto trans shifter cable (which I believe is going to be too short) and wiring the shift position to the ECU. Why Honda did this, I do not know but its going to be a PITA. One thing I found interesting about Honda auto transmissions is that they are unusual in that they do not use planetary gears like nearly all other makers, instead they use traditional sliding gears in parallel like a manual transmission. Supposedly this is b/c of patents held by companies like Borg-Warner. I could still use a manual trans but Hondas have a direct linkage instead of cable operated shift so I figure it will be equally difficult to install and besides that if I did a manual trans I would need to install line locks on the brakes b/c of no park gear. Thanks for the input!

-Greg

 

Yeah, I was thinking some sort of bellcrank or custom cable setup. I'm going to set it on the back burner for now. Meanwhile, I got one of the axles broken down, and started media blasting the knuckles, brake calipers and misc brackets. I'm going to replace the seals, gaskets, ball joints, u-joints, re-grease, and fresh fluid and let everything else go as is on the axles. Hopefully I can get the axle tubes swaped on the rear axle and all the parts back together soon so I can start on the 4-link. I'll post some pics of the progress.

-Greg

 

Cool! I was actually looking at that site last week. I've also got a reputable place here in town that I will probably have price it out as well.

Thanks,
Greg

 

Here's some more work I've been doing in my "Chop Shop" Its kind of hard to sneak out and get anything done with the little one here.

Rear Axle Chopped.


Spare Parts. JK

 

Got the lockers today. Front and rear.

http://www.richmondgear.com/powertrax/lockright.html

-Greg

 

Going back to this... I was looking at the Honda manual today and It looks like the cable is only for the park detent. So I'm thinking maybe I can get away with connecting the parking brake lever to the tranny with a custom cable for park and some sort of switch bank of something for the gears. Seems kind of weird but it kind of makes sense.

-Greg

 

Yeah, It would be nice to have someone give a hand every now and then. Although... Usually when that happens here it becomes a beer bash and nothing gets done. Thanks for the encouragement though. I can't wait to get it done. This is a pretty cool project. I've got a lot to learn and figure out. Been doing alot of research and I figure when I'm done its gonna have cost me quite a bit of money and alot of bit of time. I've already got 2 g's into it and all I have is a pile of parts, a couple lockers and Superwinch hubs. Its worth it though. By the time I'm done I'll still have less in it than if I would have bought a Ranger Razer or Yamaha Rhino. I got one of the lockers in yesterday, a first for me. Very simple to install. IMO Even though the Richmond locker is considered a excellent locker for off-road I can see the value in spending the extra money on a Detroit locker for a daily driver. If my wife ever reads this, I lied, I bought everything for $10.

-Greg

 

I got the axle tubes swapped. Just need to weld them in.

After cutting the axle tubes off I made some internal sleeves to re-align them.



Then slide, coax with a small hammer, into the opposite side.



Then re-align the knuckles with proper caster angles and weld back together.



As soon as I get the axles rebuilt I can set them to the side and get the truck in the shop and start tearing it apart.