FWD V-6s: They're Everywhere!

[buick8]

I went through the U-Pull-It Friday: there were lots of FWD engines. Seems like someone would adapt the FWD engine to a couple of good transmissins just because the engines are so plentiful. I just love this little Chevy V-6; it's a sweet runner. I'm getting at least 30MPG in an '04 Impala; I've owned several cars with versions of this engine since 1986, and all gave great service. I want to use one in a project car, maybe some sort of mini-rod. thoughts?

[RidgeRunner]

RE: FWD V-6s: They

Its power, small size and reasonable weight, reliability, and ease of finding complete engines and parts is part of what makes the 60v6 so great. I was thinking about the possibilities of a 60v6 in a "rat rod" the other day. Just your basic iron headed V6 with an Offy and carb.

'Course something I've long wanted is a Stalker V6 - http://www.stalkerv6.com

[hamondale]

Re: FWD V-6s: They're Everywhere!

I want to use one in a project car, maybe some sort of mini-rod. thoughts?

I guess you could call mine a mini-rod. Sort of. It sure as hell was a project. I turned in about a half a car worth of scrap metal/parts at the end, mistakes/stuff I tried but didn't work.

http://ntahc.org/modifiedhealeys/Photos/157Hammond/157Hammond.htm

Have a look. Motor is about 1/3 way down.

[buick8]

V-6

Hamondale, that is a sweet, sweet, car, you did a great job. Beautiful engine and chassis mods.
Now, I have a Morris Minor; I wonder.....

Buick8

[hamondale]

B8, thanks for the comments. These cars are never done are they. I am getting ready to swap in a Ford 8" rearend with 3.80 posi, since I have already crushed the Vega rearend once. (It was originally put in in the early 80s to handle a built 1275 4 cyl and is not strong enough for this motor.) Wheel wells will be slightly tubbed to take 245-50R14 tires in the rear. Maybe I can get some traction then.
Regarding your comment on the FWD/RWD thing. There is one way I know of to get a FWD engine fitted to RWD. The 2.8 - 3.1 - 3.4 at least. In 82, GM made a bell housing with bulges for the starter motor on both sides. It went into the Camaro, which was redone and downsized that year. Back when I first started the project in 1986, and partly because I didn't know what I was doing, I bought an X11 HO660. Then I hunted around and found one of those bell housings to hook it up to a T5.
Setting up the engine/tranny, my frame has a big notch in it to clear the starter motor on the left side (facing forward). Long story, but my 2.8 HO 660 sat for a period of time in a building where there was a fire, and unbeknownst to me, the sprinklers dumped about a gallon of water into it. Then it sat for a really long while in my barn. In 2000, when I finally got back to the project (why it sat 14 years another long story) is when I discovered the gallon of water in the oil pan, and the engine totally seized.
So I just went out and bought a 3.4 crate motor. I adapted the starter motor to the left side, since that was easier than redoing the frame structure, etc. Pretty weird setup huh?
Point being, there is a way to hook up at least some of the FWD 660s to a RWD tranny. MOF, I saw one of those bellhousings on eBay last summer and got it for $30 as a spare.
Chow

[Greg55_99]

Regarding your comment on the FWD/RWD thing. There is one way I know of to get a FWD engine fitted to RWD. The 2.8 - 3.1 - 3.4 at least. In 82, GM made a bell housing with bulges for the starter motor on both sides. It went into the Camaro, which was redone and downsized that year. Back when I first started the project in 1986, and partly because I didn't know what I was doing, I bought an X11 HO660. Then I hunted around and found one of those bell housings to hook it up to a T5.

Hamondale, that car is SUPERB!! On another note, the 2.2L bellhousing from the 94-95 Chevy S10 can be used to bolt a FWD GM 60* to a Ford pattern T5. They are pretty easy to find.

Greg

[Scott_68B]

B8,
I'm getting in this thread a little late but I have a FWD v6 in my MGB. I'm using the bellhousing that hamondale mentioned, got it from an 86 Firebird. The nice thing about the FWD engine being so plentiful is they're cheap and you can probably find a low mileage unit too. I got mine about 4 yrs ago and it only had 13000 miles on it. It's a good choice for a conversion in a small car, it completely changed the character of the car....it's a hot rod now.

-- Scott

Oh, hamondale....almost forgot to tell you that I really like your car!

[hamondale]

Thanks guys, appreciate it. One of the biggest kicks of having THRDRAIL is pissing off the tweedhats in their bone stock Brit cars, sporting their immaculately trimmed goaty little beards and Union Jack front plates. When I rumble in to a cruise night or car show, you can just see them pinching up tufts of their concourse seat uphosltery. I like to park right in the middle of the Brit cars and then wander off, deliberately NOT opening the hood, let them just see the air cleaner and guess what the hell's under it. They all look at her like she's the whore at the garden party, but they still wonder, what would it be like to drive her.
One day on the Yahoo Bugeye Sprite discussion group, this thread went on and on as to whether you should rejet your SU carbs to compensate for the altitude difference between Kansas and Denver and if you'd get 2 or 3 hp more. Finally I posted, "you know guys, were talking about 1400lb cars here with at best high double digit horsepower. For most of you, probably the biggest performance gain available is to just go on a diet." I don't think I'm real popular there sometimes. But what the hell.

[BMC]

There are a few of us out there, but the numbers are growing like the plague.

http://www.mgbexperience.com/phorum/list.php?f=40

http://www.bmcautos.com

-BMC.