Just bought an '08 Callahan frame

[SamM]

Not really sure if buying a frame qualifies as scratch built but it's no different than buying a frame that someone else scratch built and never finished. Anyway, I've only been on this Forum a few days but you guys have me pumped to build a car. I contacted a gentleman (James Callahan) from the classifieds and he's going to build me a frame (from scratch). I'm in the middle of building a house. The garage isn't finished and don't have much room to start a new project but the price seemed right. Off to the races! I have a 1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon that could be used as a donor car but now I'm thinking Honda power. Is there anything I need to ask the builder to make sure it has?

If you were starting a new project which way would you go? It must have a 5 or 6-speed tranny and I'm looking for excellent fuel economy. The car will be used for Summer commuting and weekend trips with my young wife. I'd like to make it with some weather protection, as I live in West Virginia. If I use a modern EFI engine a FlexFuel conversion will be done on it. I'm also leaning towards an Air Ride suspension and a live axle. No IRS for me.

I'm sure this will take me a few years to complete.

SamM

[zetec7]

Search for Honda engine rotation issues...apparently, many Honda engines rotate the opposite direction from everything else, which could make locating an acceptable rear end difficult (think 5 or 6 speeds in reverse, and one forward).

[SteyrTMP]

Would you be able to flip a ring in the diff, like the 911 transmissions (911 to Boxter conversion, or 911 to 914 conversions, require flipping the ring and pinion)?

[rx7locost]

Just flip the whole differential.

[JSullivan]

Search for Honda engine rotation issues...apparently, many Honda engines rotate the opposite direction from everything else, which could make locating an acceptable rear end difficult (think 5 or 6 speeds in reverse, and one forward).

B, D, F, and H series engines all spin counterclockwise.

With the exception of the s2000 f-series.

[mr.peabody.d]

Flipping the rear end would not solve the problem as the drive shaft would still rotate the wrong way.

A f series engine and trans would be expensive too...

There are many LOCOST solutions....

Mopar 4 cylinder mated to a dakota trans....
Zetec....
Search the donor section all this and more has been answered...
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1691
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=83
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3815

[rx7locost]

Yes the driveshaft rotates the wrong way but when the differential is rotated, so do the wheels. Sort of like a double negative. In this case 2 wrongs do make a right.. Other problems wioufl have to be resolved such as filler and drain holes. swapping out the brakes left to right would also be required.

[chetcpo]

Why would you need to switch the brakes?

[SteyrTMP]

Because they'd be upside down.

[rx7locost]

Assuming a drum rear brake system, and depending on the braking system without reversing the brakes, you would be swapping the leading and trailing shoes. They are sometimes different area shoes baszed on application. Also the self adjusters may not work as designed. The emergency brakes are designed to hold better in forward motion than the reverse direction. If your solid axle donor has disk brakes this may not matter.

I offer this as a caution and you should verify proper brake operation based on your specific application. yada-yada-yada

Chuck

[SamM]

Ok, it would seem that the Honda engine may not be the right choice. I have a 1999 Dodge Neon 2.0L engine from my Neon Sport. The timing belt broke and wiped out the head. I could rebuild it. I'm swapping in a 1998 Neon R/T engine, basically the same thing, into my Sport. The Sport is being converted to an R/T. The totaled R/T I bought has all the parts I need. The 4 wheel discs and the computer are the only real differences. I only paid $800 for the totaled R/T with 40,000 miles on it. It also has a MagnaFlow dual exhaust, header, new taillights and the sunroof parts I need to fix my car. My Neon is black too!

Could the 2.0L Neon engine be rebuilt cheaply? It only has 215,000 miles on it!

Thanks for the info guys. I love this site!

SamM

[chetcpo]

That would make a sweet middy donor. Just put that engine and transaxle behind the rear bulkhead. Or build your own fancy At-om clone like Jon W. did.

You can also make them RWD. Those engines will bolt to a supra five speed with a dakota bellhousing. (see long NA donor sticky for details) They will also bolt up to the 2003 Jeep Liberty 2wd with 2.4 transmission since they share the same bolt pattern as the 2.4 DOHC.

I really like those engines. I've owned 3 Neons, (last year I sold my black 97 ACR coupe) but eventually wised up and kicked that habit. I once bought a 95 sport with a junked head from a broken TB and swapped a spare head onto it. That would be the best/easiest way to fix it. The bad news is that that engine is really heavy, and at that high of mileage is pretty much spent. (the things have awful piston slap even when new) If you really want to use one of those engines, find another one, a SOHC with a Magnum head and intake would also work nicely.

[striker2]

That would make a sweet middy donor. Just put that engine and transaxle behind the rear bulkhead. Or build your own fancy At-om clone like Jon W. did.

This is basically what im planning on doing, only with a Zetec/MTX75 out of a Contour. let me say, that, you will have to completely redesign the frame from the rear bulkhead back in order to make it fit. If your up for the challenge of essentially designing your own frame then go for it. you will have to take into account everything from suspension pickup points, to coolant hose routing, to fuel tank placement, etc. there is no "book" to follow that details these things for a middy setup like there is for the standard 7.

Read everything you can about suspensions, take lots and lots of measurments, draw everything out, revise drawings and plans when you realize that a certain part wont clear the frame as you have it. its a very long and tedious process to plan it all out and make it fit. but its worth it to have the engine where it belongs in a sports/race car.

[olrowdy_01]

Yes the driveshaft rotates the wrong way but when the differential is rotated, so do the wheels. Sort of like a double negative. In this case 2 wrongs do make a right.. Other problems wioufl have to be resolved such as filler and drain holes. swapping out the brakes left to right would also be required.

Another problem that has to be considered is lubrication. On my RX-7 rear end the ring gear acts as an oil pump to deliver oil to the pinion bearings. There is a cast guide inside the carrier that directs the oil slung off the ring gear to the pinion bearings. The guide is the flat boxed area above the pinion area of the carrier in the picture below.

If the shaft rotates backwards the oil won't be slung towards the pinion bearings. Also if the pinion is normally located below the center line of the ring gear (as most are) it will be above the center line when upside down. In my car this would cause the drive shaft to angle upwards instead of going straight back to the pinion flange.

If the pinion is normally offset towards the passengers side of the car (as many are) it would be offset towards the driver when upside down.

Other than all that -------- GO FOR IT!

p.s. I just thought of other potential problems. The contact area of the gear teeth will be on the opposite side from how the gears were designed. Somehow I get a bad feeling about that because the thrust direction will be opposite of the original design.

On the RX-7 axle, the two pinion bearings are not the same size so the smaller bearing will have to withstand the thrust that the larger bearing was designed to take. Of course our cars are lighter................

Maybe just get an engine that runs the "right" way?

[SamM]

What if you took a Honda engine with the transaxle still attached and mounted it laterally and offset to the passenger side of the vehicle. The halfshaft mount could be used to mount the driveshaft facing towards the rear of the vehicle. I've seen this done to make a 4WD buggy using a very inexpensive drivetrain. Saturns are popular for this conversion. There doesn't seem to be much room in these Locost engine compartments. But I'd bet that this would work. The weight of the trasaxle could be a problem. I'm just thinking out loud with this one.

Another thought I've had is to build the car as a BEC. The primary use would be as a street car. Would I really need a reverse? Couldn't I just get out and push it backwards or just plan my stops knowing that I couldn't back it up? I really like the look of Mike's R1 build. R1 shocks can be had on ebay for around $25 each. That's Locost at it's best! A wrecked R1 donor bike could also be bought for a good price. I don't need the lastest and greatest. Setting up the pushrod suspension is more complicated but looks pretty straightforward. I wish he had posted bigger pictures. Mike that's one COOL car you got there!





I don't like the thought of a chain whipping by me, so I'd go for a drive flange and driveshaft instead. The car could be made very light. I'm just writing the check for my frame and sending it out today, so it's very, very early in my build.

As I said, I'm just thinking out loud. Exploring my options and looking for input before I jump into this. I currently have a 2005 KTM 950 Adventure that I was unable to sell. The bike is being parted out. The V-twin engine makes around 100rwhp but I don't think it's enough engine to run in a car. Too bad!

SamM