Roadrace EGT Touring Car

[KaleoXtreme]

That's funny!

Geronimo I bet we could get that thing shipped back there for a couple grand...you'd be better off flying out here, by an escort GT, spend a week at the shop swapping everything over and driving it home!

It's probably closer to 1,000. I had mine picked up in PA, trucked to CA, and then shipped to Hawaii for less than 2,300.

[Georonimo]

Sure, why not---It'll probably end up on dolly's in the back of the shop under a car cover sealed in wrap---then in a couple of years I'll stick a big V8 in it and make it a RWD unlimited car...I still have those rocker boxes and aluminum arch's...hmmm...!!! Damn racecar ADHD...

Front or mid engine? Believe it or not, I've got a few back-of-napkin blueprints made up for each... One day. One day! :-)

[JPmotorsports]

I'm always interested in the transmission choices for mid-engine---the next escort I was going to do a KLZE with trans and just put it in the middle of the car---perfect weight balance for a rally car---what are you thinking of behind a mid-engine V8?

[Georonimo]

LS4 with a Yoter MR2 gear box (adapter and custom flywheel/spacer to use toyota starter/clutch) or a bolt on Saab/Getrag FWD 6 speed with custom starter mounting under oil pan. LS4 is the shorter FWD 5.3 liter version of the LS/Gen III chevy all aluminum engines.

[JPmotorsports]

Cool-Hadn't heard of the Saab/Getrag Fwd before---we've stuffed the LS1 with corvette transaxle in a few cars---but it push's the motor so far foward it eats up all the cabin area---plus the heat makes an hour twenty minute stint pretty tough on the body...so is the Getrag FWD box a cable shift or linkage? How's it do with 500-600hp?

[KAinjection]

Did you ever aquire that body kit for the 1st gen escort you mentioned awhile ago? If so, is that what will be going on the new project?

[JPmotorsports]

I tried to generate some interest in that kit---it's a shame to let a piece of history go like that---but sadly no one was interested at the cost. The car will look very similar though---we'll just do it ourselves. It was going to cost me around $10k to get the molds for the kit and the original Group B parts from europe- tubular arms, bilistein shocks, torque tube couplers/adapters (the 1700t used the porsche 924 torque tube and rear transaxle) tubular bolt in crossmembers which is probably a really good price to have the actual parts off the Group B car---especially if your building a clone---but I'm going to race the car and we can do thing's much nicer/lighter/stronger now. My idea is to see how fast you can actually make a 2wd rallycar go on the dirt---I didn't think anything/any 2wd car could beat my truck---at least not in america, but now I'm of a different opinion. With my truck I could put 3-400hp down in the dirt without an issue, all day long, all year long without any issues (we used to joke that if they combined all the stages for the entire year and made us run them back to back without service breaks it would be more of a challenge!) and the cars couldn't use more than about 250hp and they started having traction issues (I know Doug Shepard in the SRT4's was in the 300hp range, but he was changing tires everystage---and when we met we were both broken kind of limping and we still managed to finish 10 minutes clear of the 2wd field at Rim of the World), but I believe that's because they're limited to FWD or RWD with a front engine config---not to many cars being made that are mid-engine---so we're going to try an develop a mid-engine car with the same amount of power, but a 1000lbs lighter than my truck and see if we cant get it to hook---my old truck is still around so maybe we'll meet up at a rally and go head to head someday...while we're still young enough to drive!

[Georonimo]

Cool-Hadn't heard of the Saab/Getrag Fwd before---we've stuffed the LS1 with corvette transaxle in a few cars---but it push's the motor so far foward it eats up all the cabin area---plus the heat makes an hour twenty minute stint pretty tough on the body...so is the Getrag FWD box a cable shift or linkage? How's it do with 500-600hp?

The getrag trans is a cable shift I believe. It's a GM deal that was in the Saabs at the time but I think they also came in some pontiacs as well. Been a while since I've looked into it. I read that they're not all that strong but they do bolt up. My choice would be a toyota box if I were to get that deep into something. They look like they were made for a piece of heavy farm equipment not a 2300 lb sportscar.

About that Corvette transaxle setup.... Since you're familiar, what would be the options if any for lengthening/spacing out the torque tube or any of the mounting points between the diff/trans/TT? This is one of things that keeps me up at night... Seriously.
The C5 Corvette has a whole 6.1" longer wheel base than our cars (escorts/protege's) and the motor would still be a leg warmer. The C6 WB is a little over an inch longer than the C5 but who knows if that actually changed the length of the TT.

There is a way to do it, just need to figure out how! The thought of a minimally modified firewall/working heat and A/C is the stuff I dream about once I do finally fall asleep... Wanna build another custom subframe? :-)

[JPmotorsports]

Oh man it's easier than you could every imagine and I'm doing it right now in a Cadillac CTSV! We've got a super high horsepower deal (think like over 2500hp) that can't use a C5 transaxle because it'll break it instantly. So we're using a turbo 400 with a splitter to get 6 gears---it's a unit from a company called gear vendors. So the drive train layout is front motor plate, motor, rear motor plate, C5 small bellhousing, gear vendor unit, torque tube, large bellhousing, Turbo 400 immediately coupled to a 9" type rear end---front engine/rear transmission/diff deal. So I asked the engineer about the torque tube---the stock torque tube is way too long for this and he laughed---"they deliver these torque tubes like pizza, tell them how long, how much power, and what combination motor/trans and they'll have it in a few weeks...". I guess kit car companies have made them affordable over the years. Anyrate Gear Vendors builds the custom torque tubes---you could probably run a BPT to the torque tube to a corvette transaxle if you really wanted!

[Georonimo]

$$$$$$$$$$ that's all I was able to read there lol
That gear vendors overdrive is like $2600! I was looking into one for my 68 ford wagon.

But the fact that a custom TT is only a phone call and a credit card away is very good news (or bad news depending how you look at it).

So about that subframe... :-)

[concealer404]

Jim i like the original idea better.... Group B cars need huge turbos, antilag, and flames spitting out constantly. :D

I'll keep an eye on your for sale threads, but i think the only thing i don't have on my car that you have that would be useful would be the trailing arms that are rodends are both sides, and the front LCAs with the rodends in place of balljoints. Sounds like Ryan has dibs on the trailing arms, though.

Someday i'll probably bug you about the brake setup you had on that thing if my Escort makes the transition to a hillclimb car.

[crazycanadian]

Cool-Hadn't heard of the Saab/Getrag Fwd before---we've stuffed the LS1 with corvette transaxle in a few cars---but it push's the motor so far foward it eats up all the cabin area---plus the heat makes an hour twenty minute stint pretty tough on the body...so is the Getrag FWD box a cable shift or linkage? How's it do with 500-600hp?

Check out what the Fiero guys do for their V8 swaps... Its a Getrag 5 speed transmission, cable shifter, hydrolic clutch. Its been a long time since I have played with that stuff, but I think it was all your early 90's V6 cavalier transmissions/V6 fiero transmission.. I think they were all the same, they had a standered 6 bolt bell housing pattern.. GM used it for years on both their V6's and V8's...