Something a little different

[jthw8]

No not mine, despite temptation I have not added to the fleet and Im still working on my current project.

But the guy I did the fiberglass 240Z hood for started a new project to run in this years GRM Challenge with his sons and well, I figured you all just might wanna see this :)

He's done built himself a volksrod :)



Oh.....but there is a slight modification



Yeah, thats the sub 12 second motor from his datsun :)

Amazing build, especially since its all been done in about the last 2 months and under the $2000 budget cap (which includes the price of the motor even though he took it from another car). 
Check it out on his site http://cam777.synthasite.com

[njgt-1]

Don't let Mike C see this, the price on the T-bird just dropped!
Nice project!

[carfolite73Super]

You know Bob, I like the way this guy thinks!  P#3

[jthw8]

Well, he's out in York and the GRM challenge is in October but I will have to see if I can talk him into driving that thing out to an event with us next spring so we can check it out in person.  Looks like a blast.

This guy has been the standing champion of the drags at GRM for about 4 years running, he can build a low buck small block that is just amazing.  I think he will have to rely on drag times again this year as I dont think that thing will have the handling to do real well at the autocross, but it should still be interesting :)

His abilities to just whip something out like this amaze me.  I've spent 2 months just trying to figure out what to do with my project....sigh.

[njgt-1]

I dont think that thing will have the handling to do real well at the autocross, but it should still be interesting :)

I'd love to see it run, with the short wheelbase it would be a handfull. The extended front should help but with most short wheelbase cars getting it to "hook up" is usually the problem. Remember the "gassers" back many years ago if you could keep them going straight they would give some amazing ETs.

Mike you are going to have to get in touch with that guy, hey we should start a Sister Club - "South Jersey V8 VWs club" or SJVVWCs ! Now if we can get Jack to drop a "Hemi" in that bus Hmmm.............  s#r

[jthw8]

I'd love to see it run, with the short wheelbase it would be a handfull. The extended front should help but with most short wheelbase cars getting it to "hook up" is usually the problem. Remember the "gassers" back many years ago if you could keep them going straight they would give some amazing ETs.

Mike you are going to have to get in touch with that guy, hey we should start a Sister Club - "South Jersey V8 VWs club" or SJVVWCs ! Now if we can get Jack to drop a "Hemi" in that bus Hmmm.............  s#r

I think the narrow front tires will lead to a bit of understeer but maybe he's bringing some wider meat for the autocross.
I'll ask my other buddy if he is going down this year and if so I'll send my video equipment along.

V8 VWs eh?  Well Im building up this lovely 383 for the Studebaker but after the rally I could find it a new home......

[3Gear]

I have always wanted to do a mid engine V8 vert... strip out the rear seats and stuff in a pantera setup....

[jthw8]

I have always wanted to do a mid engine V8 vert... strip out the rear seats and stuff in a pantera setup....

Tempting as that sounds I think the trans in a pantera would be too long.  V8 transaxle from an Olds Toranado seems to work well for the swap though.

[njgt-1]

V8 transaxle from an Olds Toranado seems to work well for the swap though.

they used that set up in early Corvair swaps. Only problem was you ended up with a tail heavy car that had problems going around corners without fishtailing all over the place. Later on they came up  with the Crown conversion that flipped the vair transaxil upside down. that placed the imput shaft pointing toward the front so the engine ended up in the back seat. Still a trade off since the alternator pulley was usually about 4" behind you a special set of fiberglass unadjustable seats were used - can you say cramped ? Later on a company called Kelmark ( same people who built the kit car ) came up with an adapter to the flipped transaxile that allowed the engine to move back about 12", still tight but managable.

So when you think of a V8 midengined VW think about how much bigger a Corvair is. Unless you would like to sit on the engine I'd think that would be a tough and almost impossible swap. Better off with a 2332cc fire breathing air cooled mill!

[3Gear]

So when you think of a V8 midengined VW think about how much bigger a Corvair is. Unless you would like to sit on the engine I'd think that would be a tough and almost impossible swap. Better off with a 2332cc fire breathing air cooled mill!

OK, then it will have to be a mid engine bus with about 1000HP!!!!! and whellie bars i guess

[njgt-1]

OK, then it will have to be a mid engine bus with about 1000HP!!!!! and whellie bars i guess

Yea! Now yer talkin!!!!  burnrubber

Now wheres Jack and that  gifsawsall P.O.S. Bus !!

OK not to get off topic ( as if we were on it anyway !)
heres something interesting...
a guy who takes Kawasaki 3 cylinder motorcycles and adds 2 more cylinders to make 5 cylinder in line engined bikes, now this is weird!........

http://kawasakitriplesworldwide.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14331

guess anything is possible if you try hard enough.

[scarecrow]

Mid engine bus always a dream of mine. 231 GM V6, 350 TH trans, narrowed Ford 9". You can buy a pre fabbed subframe & tubs for the rear axel, then mate it to the same subframe that held the 231 & bolt it to the bus pan. I figure the bus front end would be strong enough... Hmmm... any one ever seen a mid engine bus?

[jthw8]

Mid engine bus always a dream of mine. 231 GM V6, 350 TH trans, narrowed Ford 9". You can buy a pre fabbed subframe & tubs for the rear axel, then mate it to the same subframe that held the 231 & bolt it to the bus pan. I figure the bus front end would be strong enough... Hmmm... any one ever seen a mid engine bus?

Actually a few years ago a guy brought a split window bus to the GRM challenge.  Used a cut up monte carlo subframe and had a V8 mid mounted.  It was decorated batman style and had about the bottom 6 inches cut off to make it lower.

If I come across a photo I will post it

[Baha (Shawn)]

.. Hmmm... any one ever seen a mid engine bus?

You mean like this? (22 years ago at Maple Grove)


Went so fast the sides fell off! weldface

[jthw8]

Just saw the updates from GRM.

The little bug did pretty good.  3rd overall.  But it appears to have had the highest concourse score by a few 10ths and definitely the fastest quarter mile (10.5!!!)  Unfortunately was about 3 - 4 seconds behind in the autocross which dropped them to 3rd overall.  Still the autocross times were pretty good for being such "old tech"

Still a great build and an excellent showing.  In the past the drag scores counted higher and this car would have won it all.  Its actually this cars builder (Andy Nelson) that caused the scoring change because he puts together cars that are so much faster in the 1/4 mile than anyone else he was easily winning the whole thing without really performing well in the autocross.