Stupid Idea? -- Maybe not - Dropping a Chevy V8 in the bed area

I talked with a guy semi-locally that sells minis. He has several junk parts trucks in the back, so I ask him about them. He said that they either had an electrical or engine and he has been using parts off of them. Anyway, he had a 2wd unit, missing the engine and tranny that looked to be rather complete. I looked it over with the idea or dropping a Chevy V8 in the bed area. Of course the rear end would have to be changed. I haven't been able to crawl under one of these yet to check frame rails and all related do-able stuff. But I have done harder convertions before. I would just have to wear a diaper went I drove it. Could put new life to an old dying truck.
We'll see what happens. Milt, you up for long weekend down in southern Mississippi?
greg
BTW: what is the width of the rear axle?

 

V8 powered mini

Better yet, would not the mini now become a home-built, and licensable as such?

Chuck in Indy

 

i think you could mount the V8 backwards, run a transfer case on it then use what should be the front drive shaft back to the rear end at the back of the truck. should make for a nice wheelie machine like that old dodge cab over dragster, little red wagon i think it was?

what measurement are you looking for on the rear end? with from perch to perch, or drum face to drum face?

 

ya beat me to the draw....good memory eh?

glenn

 

Wicked idea
I say different power plant though-sport bike or VW or porsche engine so as to not look so outta place
good time to add a 4 wheel steer assist

 

good idea greg!! get the one with the turbo!! i was thinking VW was a good idea, but to make it worth wild and a real power house it will be about $3k for a good motor that will live a long time, but it's still 1930's technology for the most part... go for the subaru!!

 

There is a video somewhere on Youtube of a Suzuki Carry van that has had a Kawasaki ZX9R motorcycle engine put into it. In-saaaaaane-ly fast.

found it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ3hvAzjGQ4

 

how about this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38UcCF6Cvgs

 

the ultimate sleeper... a fiat with a 900cc street bike motor. it's bizarre to see a fiat and hear a crotch rocket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYuiZ7aJOfc&feature=related

on to a more technical note... how exactly to you mate a "chain drive" motor to a drive shaft? do you still use a chain drive? some special adapter type of something? i'm assuming you still use the bike tranny? anyone got some pix?

 

looking at those quaife gear boxes answered a lot of questions, not enough pix, but some answers. i was wondering if you had to reduce the gearing in them a bit to make the 12,500 rpm a little more useful in a car. seeing as how you have such a gear reduction going from the small front sprocket to a much larger one in the rear.

 

Folks in the UK put everything and anything in those Bedford Rascals, which are essentially a rebadged Carry. They seem particularly fond of using the Rover V8, presumably because they're so damned commonplace over there.

Colin

 

Smart Car meets Hayabusa

These 2 videos trip me out. I could do away with the ear-bleed music on the first video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV4HdsDZX6c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38UcCF6Cvgs

 

I'm not sure what those folks have been doing about getting the output from a bike engine to get to the rear axle. If the engine is turned 90 degrees so that it's longitudinal, you could probably make some sort of adapter that attaches to the splined output shaft of the bike transmission and mates up to a U-joint, and then just use a normal drive shaft to the rear axle. I don't know how the axle ratio would work out. The bike engine already has a fair amount of gear reduction inside it, so it might work out to be too short. But you can always change the axle ratio, too. Or you could go chain drive to a lay-shaft which then goes to the drive shaft, and get whatever final drive gearing you want.

Reverse (specifically, lack thereof) is another thing I wonder about.