interesting engines

[chimp007_uk]

i'm very bored, whistling away the hours and days till i go back to uni and bum some more...

but was wondering what engines people have dared put into a nova, whether it be fwd/rwd/4wd

i was looking at making up a spaceframed rear end to house a rwd motorbike engine. it's in the planning stages at the mo. mate a uni is a bit of nutter, and has a mahussive lock-up (2500sqm) lol he's building a 6r4 replica metro that will be a hyabusa rear engined rwd monster...

any other wacky ideas, whilst bored one day?

[craig green]

After 1st driving my Mums Civic I thought a Vtec lump in a Nova would be trick but have since developed a hatred for Hondas so forgot that idea.

Would be quite complex anyhow.

After seeing a 'blade engined 205 at castle combe the other week though, I'd have a front engined/rwd Nova powered by a screaming bike engine.

[chimp007_uk]

have you ever seen the z-cars bike engined mini?

my mate at uni designed a space framed chasis from scratch to run a rear bike engine...

i always thought of buying a fiat 126 and turning that into a bike engine car, would be so funny killing people off the lights in a 126 lol

[loggyboy]

There is the obvious ones - Regals twin engine, Austins FR, Chips MR, and ive seen a few other rear engined ones. I recal an incomplete rear bike engined one on ebay quite a while back but all the important things like drive transmission had not been sorted (probly got too hard for the maker, to figure out)

Personally i think the nova is too heavy shell to utilise the low torque bike egnines- theyre good in a 500kg caterham and ok in a 600kg mini, but a 750-800 kg nova shell? its just not gonna have that much 'umph'

[burgo]

you can get nova shells a lot lighter than 750kg

[Nick]

When you spaceframe, are you adding weight over the existing chasis members, or loosing !?

[chimp007_uk]

losing it completely. will make up fibreglass rear end

my mates metro is completely spaceframe

[Nick]

Interesting, it'd be good to see weight figures in comparison !

I still think a 1600 is an interesting engine. I like the idea that a 1600 can compete with a large engine Conversion on the track ! (be it on Carbs or Inj)

[stuartp]

V-tec lumps have plenty of BHP but lack the all mighty tourqe Figure!! There's a 306 with one in on TB's!! Same with bike engines not enough power to push a heavy vechile even when space framed!! BDA's with twin 50's Heaven!!

[dannyb]

V-tec lumps have plenty of BHP but lack the all mighty tourqe Figure!! There's a 306 with one in on TB's!!

Is that the one from practical persformance car mag?

[rednova]

i was considering dropping a bike engine into an old shell, mechanicals is straight forward enough but the engines would struggle tbh - (would like to be proved wrong) but if this were the case you would see more bike engines in cars other than lotus 7 types etc. but its easy to make your gearbox tiptronic :thumb:

Phil

[Stoo]

Vtec lumps lack the torque, as has been said, My DC5 integra Type R with Lots of mods made just shy of 280bhp at 8800rpm, but only managed 170lb ft of torque

Still fookin shifts tho!!

[Lee]

That pug at combe was gorgeous, but it screamed it's nuts off and just didnt seem to make much progress lol

Dont get me wrong, it was quick, it just wasnt as quick as it looked.

[chimp007_uk]

my bro has a robin hood kit car, not the lightest kit cars around, steel tubular chassis and stainless steel panels, pretty similar weight to a completely stripped nova. and a guy from the owners club has just fitted a 1100 cbr engine into his... and f**k me does it shift... 11000 he had it up to and doesn't drop below 6000 in each gear, he went from 1-6 in about 13secs.

[chimp007_uk]

anyone got pics of rear engined nova's?? or rwd front engined nova's. looking at the bike idea, waiting to see what the metro turns out like, if not, rwd front engined nova using a ford rear axle, prop and box, then get a bell housing made up.

[loggyboy]

you can get nova shells a lot lighter than 750kg
True, but not as light as mini, the nova shell is heavier than the mini to start with so what ever you suggesting can be done to a nova, can also and was probly done to minis.
Either way you look at it, your still gonna have more than double, probly tripple the weight the bike would have had. For the money and hassle it would be to use a bike engine, id rather invest that in a highpowered car lump. Or if you really wanna bike engine, buy a bike, or a caterham lol

[hendrix]

3.5l v8 out a rover 3500 like phil started to do!

[chimp007_uk]

i did see some ics of that... looked... er... interesting lol

[chimp007_uk]

come on, wheres the pics?

[stuartp]

Is that the one from practical persformance car mag?

That'l be the one!!