Rear/Mid Engine

[SgtRauksauff]

So, I've got a few engine/trans things sitting around, and was thinking along the lines of building a Locost for some of them, then got to thinking, a super-lightweight vehicle with a BP (or even a B6) mounted behind the driver would make for a ridiculously fun go-kart-like toy.

The only thing that's really uncertain to me is how to change the shift linkage so it can be shifted from the rear.

I know the AWD transmissions are cable-operated, but has anyone ever made the regular G-series transmission cable-operated?

--sarge

[atomicEGT]

IIRC the MZR uses a G-series and it's cable-operated, pretty sure 300zxrb26dett (I think that's his screen name) went the other way with it to put an MZR in a 2nd-gen Escort- might want to talk to him about it?

[therieldeal]

Shoot, I was really hoping you were planning to do a MR conversion on a BG. It has been in the back of my brain for years now….

What he said about the cable shift.

[KAinjection]

Yes the MZR G series is cable shift. I took the MZR bell housing and mated it to a normal G rear case and did a few minor things inside to covert it to rod shift. Based on that I am sure you could do the opposite. I still have the rear case but some of the essential parts are missing.

[SgtRauksauff]

sweet. this might go higher on my list of build projects. I suppose I could always use an E153, but that's a lot heavier transmission, and would make things less go-karty, maybe.

I guess I'll have to start doing research. but other things take precedence!

--sarge

[Rivet]

Check out: http://www.modernkitcar.com/
The guy had it road America this summer for a track day, seemed pretty cool. Might be what you are looking for.

[gofanu]

I like the way you think - same as me.
But I was thinking about a much harder gbx to do it on.
Cables suck!
Silliest thing I ever saw was about $5000 worth of German cable engineering to do the same thing on a VW that Mazda did better with a piece of tin pipe and some plastic bushes.

Saw this yesterday morning, and I was just out changing an axle on daughter's 323.
Piece of cake for a fart young smeller like you.
You need a tubular support housing with a couple of bushes in it; run it below the oil pan, under #4 main bearing cap more or less.
This puts it above the bottom of the bell housing, parallel and level with the shift stub out of the Gbx, about 5" to the right..
There are convenient bell housing bolts there too!
Put a shaft in that, so it can slide and turn.
About 10" or a foot long, on the front end it mates with your long remote shaft, same as stock.
(actually more like 2 ft, by the time you get to the front of the engine.)
You could use the coupling off the Gbx for this end.

On the back end you need two things.
A fore and aft coupling, just like a shift fork in the Gbx.
Thus will have one piece on one shaft with a groove or ridge on it,
The other shaft has a fork to match.
These, or at least the fork, must be free to turn on the shaft, but located positively endwise.

For the turning or side-side motion,
you need a lever on each shaft, with a link between them.
Those will be about 3- 5" long and parallel to each other,
they should be perpendicular to the centerline between the two shafts, which means they will stick more or less straight up.
These are pinned or clamp to the shafts.
You're good to go.

FRM

[jay92gt]

Something like this








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SgtRauksauff]

YEP!

(although, I'm not even sure what a "fart young smeller" is, nor do I believe that I want to be one.)

Well, I've started looking into building a RWD Locost-type thingamajig with the old slower drivetrain from my AE86. And then after reading a bunch of guys building mid-engined ones, it got me to thinking.

I know I could make a physical linkage, but I don't think cables suck in this type of application. They're lighter and MUCH more versatile with shifter placement and such when fabricating things. However, after reading your description, Ihave a couple of ideas in my head to make it simply and sturdily. Still just in the daydreaming/mulling stage, I've got about 4 projects to finish before this one even starts... at least I'm getting out to the garage a bit each week now, and hopefully will migrate to a bit each day, just to build a habit of working on stuff to get it done.

--sarge