I didn't search, but this is worth reading. RWD Conversion

[Sentientbydesign]

A short intro:

I'm a human directional route supervisor. I drive about 300 miles per weekend checking up on the sign spinner. I have one "floater" he's a very intelligent guy and his job is to be available if one of the other workers can't work anymore.

Ok the scenario- While talking about converting my I30 to RWD (please don't berate me, I've done my reading), we talked about the pitfalls of the conversion....THEN he said, what about taking the engine and transmission and mounting it in the rear....

Then I thought about it for a little bit and thought, it was genius! Most RWD conversions require new engines, transmissions, a rear end, custom drive shafts and a complete retrofitting of the steering. They're typically very unbalanced with power going to the rear and virtually no weight being there to give friction.

But what if you reinforce the chasis to handle being pushed, modify or reverse the suspension for the extra rear weight, and placed the engine and transmission in...the trunk?

No doubt, there are still pitfalls to this situation, but the custom fab work seems loads less complicated than creating lots of custom parts that will probably wear out and break in addition to reinforcing the chasis.

Any ideas or comments?

[qship96]

Why waste the time,energy,or money when there are so many great RWD cars to choose from that have been engineered at great expense already? G35 comes to mind.....and dozens of others that would make more sense than what you are trying to accomplish

[ScottJackson]

Orrr, get a complete engine/trans/suspension setup from a wrecked car and have 2 engines linked to one throttle cable and shifter. Then you get double the power and all wheel drive.

[maxnix]

And quadruple posible points of failure.

Sell the I and get a RWD car. It's dumb to try to reengineer a FWD to RWD.
Modified by maxnix at 4:03 PM 10/10/2007

[Sentientbydesign]

You guys are no fun. When some goof decides to turn his 240 into a truck everybody cheers him on, but when I try doing something USEFUL, everybody tells me it's dumb

If I wanted a "perfect" car from the get go, I'd buy a bimmer or some other true sports car. I'm trying to have a little fun and bounce a unique idea off of a community of people with similar interests.

This sounds like one of those situations where I'll only have support once I'm done (with a tutorial) and everybody wants to follow along.

[qship96]

the basic platform is not worth the effort,kind of like a polished turd when there are so many better platforms to play with-think g35,300z,300zxturbo,etc.

[jdm_master_X]

try it out and see how you do considering you have the funding and skill for such a project.

its been done numerous times on Integras and Civics, so it could be quite unique.

Let's see what you can do! +1 for wild ideas.

[AZhitman]

I agree that it'd be cool to try, but you couldn't select a more difficult platform to start with.

Unibody design means the engine and trans are stressed members - They're part of the structure of the car.

Placing the motor aft of the passenger compartment means relocating everything, and will necessitate a wholesale deconstruction and re-engineering of every angle and connecting point on the car.

Fuel tank to front. Shift linkages fabbed from scratch. Rear suspension scavenged from who-knows-what. Front suspension fabricated or scavenged. Rear bodywork reconfigured to accomodate an engine and trans. Likely lose the rear seat in the process.

Probably handle like crap (imagine a driving a sports car around a racetrack while being pushed by a truck).

One thing's certain - We'll be here to watch / help / encourage, because we've seen some crazy stuff built by our members!

[ScottJackson]

I'm of the same thinking. It's just that by the time you spend the money and effort to do such a thing and actually pull it off, what do you have left of the original car? And, was it worth it (no lying to oneself is allowed to justify it)? Kinda like when people want to take a 240 and put 1000hp in it so they can go really fast down a dragstrip. So to get that they would need a lot of boost or a lot of cubic inches, neither being cheap. Then a strong trans sourced from another vehicle. Then you need a good rear axle. On top of that you'll need a cage and such to pass tech, redone suspension, serious body work to accomodate tires that can put the power to the ground... and all you end up with is a beefed up American drag car with some sheetmetal of what used to be a 240. Wouldn't it have just been much better/easier to start with a mustang or camaro with a big block that bolts right in and a bulletproof solid axle that bolts right in and is cheap?

[Sentientbydesign]

Here are my feelings and I'm sure I'll get flamed on this (please don't give me any crap for going off topic as this is my thread).

The newer Nissans/Infiniti's are very plastic. I don't mean that in a literal sense. They just come across as having lost their rugged live-forever design and traded it for a sporty design.

In addition, I don't have $40k to drop on a new G37 or the $300/mo on insurance.

I like the structure and style of my 4th gen. It has plenty of room and I don't have to worry about cops when I'm speeding.

Maybe you are all right and it's time to move on, but the pickings aren't that appealing.

Finally, I just wanted everyone's input. Input is not the same as discouragement.

[Q45tech]

Every would be redesigner should take the course Engineering economics

http://www.ncees.org/exams/stu...s.pdf

http://engineeringregistration...x.htm

One of the reasons engineers think differently from laymen and actually calculate the true cost of projects................no bling for them.

[maxnix]

Finally, I just wanted everyone's input. Input is not the same as discouragement.

Input is input. Whether you are discouraged, encouraged, wisened or fooled is all up to you.

[Sentientbydesign]

Every would be redesigner should take the course Engineering economics

http://www.ncees.org/exams/stu...s.pdf

http://engineeringregistration...x.htm

One of the reasons engineers think differently from laymen and actually calculate the true cost of projects................no bling for them.

That's really very nice...I've derived most of those formulas from scratch. I'm a math major. All of that is lower division work. Diff EQ covered it all.

It's fine. For those who gave me the slightest support, thank you, for those of you who have lots of money and can afford expensive cars, enjoy.

I'll just sit here and wait for my I to hit 300k and die as pieces fall off hehehe

[Rex]

Search the WWW for the same type of project someone did with an Acura Integra. I think there was even a thread on NICO about it once.

[Sentientbydesign]

Thank you.

[nismos145]

H22a mid ship integra

http://www.honda-tech.com/zero...age=1

hope this helps, also you should do what you feel

[maxnix]

H22a mid ship integra

http://www.honda-tech.com/zero...age=1

hope this helps, also you should do what you feel

This guy has a shop, specialized tools and a lot of time and is still not finished. Don't know if this car will even be able to be licensed for the street since the frame and suspension is totally fabricated and thus not crash tested. Think of the liability.

If this doesn't convince you of the money vs. value of doing the conversion, not much else will.

Enjoy your I and save for a G or anything else unless you have too much money, too much time and are bored to tears.

Congratualtions on getting a degree that requires actual thought, analysis, synthesis, and logic. Now use it.

[Aquaholic]

I like the idea of two engines - like the guy who did that with a Toronado. You could even rig up 4 wheel steering.

Here are the challenges I see at first: I think the I has too much body flex to handle a rear engine. For a test open the trunk, hood, and all doors - then jack one rear wheel up as high as possible - if you can close everything easily then I'm wrong. 2nd, I would be concerned about the consequences of a front end collission, but perhaps bracing behind the back seat to fix my first concern would take care of pieces of the engine entering the passenger cabin. 3rd - how well will the computer for the 2nd engine run without being hooked up to the guages/instrument panel - perhaps there is a way to make it think it is hooked up.

A 2nd word of advice from someone putting a V8 in a Jeep Wrangler: Whatever budget you come up with, double it (both time and $$$) to get a realistic estimate.