99 chevy prizm + 3.4 dohc \m/

[project89]

well i wanted to install a dohc motor into my camaro but thats not gonna happen.

anyways my gf just got a new sunfire so we have her prizm sitting in the yard taking up space. car needs a front end rebuild, ds front fender and a hood. so its not like we can sell it.

im picking up that 3.4 dohc from a member on the boards so i figure what the hell im stuffing it intp the prizm, perfect exscuse to go out and buy a new welder and some other tools.

the plan is to convert the car to rwd with a narrowed 7.5 inch rear/coilover suspension/ and drop in the 3.4 dohc/700r4 combo.

the motor should fit the front of the car but i w ill have to modify the firewall to clear the tran.

anyways ill post up some pics and shit when i get home from work

[project89]

this last p98icture shows the hard part of this project, the steering is behind the motor pretty much mounted to the firewall.
so im deff gonna have to figure out how to move it so the motor and trans can drop in in a rwd configuration.

if anyone has any ideas let me know, this weekend ill be pulling the 1.8L toyota motor and the trans out and gutting the rest of the car/cutting out the rear seat/trunk area for some homeade rear frame rails

[DEI37]

Car is light enough, and you could do further lightening to just remove the power steering. If you can, find a non-power rack, and that will help, too.

[project89]

yeah ive been looking for options the car is the same thing as a toyota carolla.

i cant find any easy work around for the steering rack issue, i think ima have to find a subfrome from another car with the rack infront of the motor and try to adapt it, but ive also gota locate some front hubs with the steering stuff on the oposite sides.

its either that or front half the car as well

i am dead set on building this thing one way or another, so im sure ill come up with something

an n/a lq1 would be a rocket in that car i could only imagine if i boosted it

[pocket-rocket]

That, my friend, would be a sweet sleeper, lol.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

::COUGH!!:: I'm wedging a 4.0L Aurora V-8 in my acheiva!

Your steering issue.....

grand am's and achieva's use a rack and pinion that sit high on the firewall, you'd have to use those strut spindles too, but it may fix the rack problem.

The outer tie-rod actually sits above the tire not inside the rim like standard front ends

[IsaacHayes]

Ugly car, but that will make it a sleeper...

I was going to say nice headers until I realized it was the intake manifold! LOL

[project89]

::COUGH!!:: I'm wedging a 4.0L Aurora V-8 in my acheiva!

Your steering issue.....

grand am's and achieva's use a rack and pinion that sit high on the firewall, you'd have to use those strut spindles too, but it may fix the rack problem.

The outer tie-rod actually sits above the tire not inside the rim like standard front ends

thnx fo rthe tip ill def flook into it, ive got the engine bay gutted right now, and it apears i may have enough room for the rack to remain in place,

if i do i may just set the motor and trans in over it if it will clear the bottom of the bellhousing

[project89]

Ugly car, but that will make it a sleeper...

I was going to say nice headers until I realized it was the intake manifold! LOL

lmao

[project89]

btw is anyone good at photoshop or drawing pics?, id liek to get some renderings of this thing with a nice rake sittin on some draglights with a nice rake foward

[95SleeperAcheiva]

if you do the rack set up i was talking about, the rack would go ABOVE the bellhousing. Your other option, since your going RWD....

I'd look into a differant front end all together. grabbing a front end kit from competition engineering would be easiest. IDK how well your fab skills are, if you do that, be sure to get your trigonometry right or she'll bump steer you into a wall. Or consider a front end swap, frame and all, from a vega, pinto, VW, or chevette. that will put the rack in front of the motor and where it would normally sit in a RWD car.

Your going to have to do a full tube frame anyway, might as well go all out.

[project89]

i do belive my fab skills are upto the task








i have figured out the motor and trans can slide in over the rack but the cs center line will be about 2.5-3 inches higher then i would like it to be so
anyways im looking into a front suspension swap this way i have more suspension parts readily available and i can get the motor setback as far as possible and as low as possible

[95SleeperAcheiva]

big mistake showing us your fab skills.......
Let me get my order together :P LOL

some nice looking work there.

[robertisaar]

i might be able to get the photoshop part done...

[OldSkoolGP]

RWD would be cool. But I'm almost wondering if it would be easier to make a mid-engined RWD layout. IIRC, the Prizm has a hangar setup for the drivetrain, and there's no real K-member (for lack of a better term) that the drivetrain mounts. If you went mid-engined, put the fuel tank up front, then you wouldn't have to worry about the steering, the exhaust, or the cooling. You'd have all the room in the world for a radiator then, and unlike most 3.4s, you could access the rear plugs!