VX420 - Ideas and Discussion

[OlberJ]

After looking at Nev's black beasty in Readers Rides and swapping a few emails i'm putting some serious consideration/planning into building a V8 powered VX220.

If you caught my other thread on the wide arch Mr2, i was planning on using the Audi engine and box in my 355 kitted Mr2. Gonna sell the car and keep the running gear to go in a VX instead. So i thought i'd put my ideas and findings down in one place and call on your collective experience to see if we can plan the lot in advance for an early 2013 build, all things going well.

So, first up, the engine and box combo:

• Audi V8. Comes in 4.2L 310/340bhp guise for relatively little outlay.
• The gearbox is an OB1 unit, which we know we can get to work with the engine. The nifty thing about this box, as you can see, is where the diff and shafts are. This allows for a much more compact business end.

Subframe :

This will be a custom centre but keep the outer "chassis rails". This should leave space for the driveshafts to run to the hubs just fine.

Kind of like this.


Driveshafts :

They will be a custom shaft and splines using Audi centres and VX outers. Question time, are the VXT and standard VX outer CV's the same? Is there an upgrade available off the shelf? Bare in mind i can use any shaft/spline that's needed.

Engine management :

The Audi can run on a Megasquirt (Hilly with the same lump in an Esprit does a kit) but other options will be available.

Dimensions :

Engine and box are 1150mm front face to gearbox end. We reckon there's ~1160mm to play with from front to rear. It will mean a tunnel in the boot but what the hell, it'll be worth it.

I'll go for an Exige style engine cover to allow more room for cooling.

Weight wise, i think this will sneak in under the tonne mark, which would suit me just fine.


Costs :

VX220 - Cheap/Cat D for under £5k?
Engine and box - £1500
Clutch, flywheel and spigot - £500
ECU - £1k
Exhaust & piping - £500
Intake, piping and extras - £300
Driveshafts - £300
Subframe and metalwork - £200
Upgraded Radiator - ?
Upgraded Suspension - ?
Upgraded Brakes - ?

If i can do the lot, including car for £12k i'd be pretty happy. Bear in mind i'm doing all the work myself.

If i stay under the 350bhp mark i think i'll get away with sticky tyres on the standard wheels but might look to upgrade at a later date if needed.


So, your thoughts, put downs, constructive criticism and insults if you please.

I'll update this thread as the research progresses and hopefully it will slip into pics of metal and fibreglass soon enough.


Cheers,
Olie

Edited by OlberJ on Tuesday 30th October 21:12

[s express]

well, having a vx220 and a V8 audi, I can say that the 2 should go together well. The 340bhp V8 is an amazingly revvy engine, it picks up as if it were running without a flywheel! And the noise, well, thats something else.
If you can get the vx to handle then you're onto a winner!!!

[Shenanigans]

Wow Olie, never seen you as a...vag type person....shouldnt you be in the Jap forums

[OlberJ]

Ha. Well the Pork is nearly VAGinal and that's all i have on the road now so really, this is my new home

[scarble]

"we reckon" and "a whooole TEN MILL!"
Just wait till you realise there's no room for a coolant hose.
Do the suspension pickups need to be moved?
Measure twice, pay once.

Edited by scarble on Wednesday 31st October 19:03

[Andy_sx]

I recon its completley do able, mad and superbly entertaining idea!

There is a guy that did a rovr V8 conversion, if that helps with your thinking? I am not sure how the 2 engines / transmissions would compare.

And you may not need to get a Cat D VX for that price if mine doesnt sell soon, going mad trying to sell it!

[OlberJ]

Yeah GroundEffect did it transversely.

I'm coming from transverse V6 Mr2's and i'm preferring the "correct" layout, that's why i'm going for the Audi engine and box.

The weight distribution is more even and you don't get the horrible torque problems as you come on and off throttle.

[Andy_sx]

oh superb! I would love the ability to be able to do something like that, plus the funds!

good luck with the project

[drgoatboy]

Its been done several times before. Looks like fun!
These guys do the most famous conversion

http://www.caral.co.uk/VX220_Speedster.html

[OlberJ]

When you say several times, any more apart from the Caral and the one i posted up there? Would love to see some more builds.

The Caral is extended like the Hennessey Venom GT is it not?

This should go in, as is. Could be a good thing, could be a stratos type animal to control.

[scarble]

Pretty sure Audi V8s have gone into Elises or Exiges before.
In fact there is an owners forum
http://www.audieliseowners.com/
and as you know the VX is rather similar to the Elise.

eta: never mind exige engine cover, needs a big airbox.

Edited by scarble on Friday 2nd November 13:44

[steveavxt]

Not an Audi v8 but a Rover v8 in a VX.

http://www.vx220.org.uk/forums/topic/93811-somethi...

VX & VXT CV's are the same as they run the same gearbox.

[OlberJ]

scarble said:

Pretty sure Audi V8s have gone into Elises or Exiges before.
In fact there is an owners forum
http://www.audieliseowners.com/

Cheers, seems to be all 1.8T swaps for now. I'll maybe have to change that!

[scarble]

I'm sure I've seen big V8 swaps somewhere..

[OlberJ]

The only ones i've seen are the Caral using the hayabusa derived V8 (expensive!) and GE's Rover V8 transverse swap.

[scarble]

Maybe I imagined it.
So where's the CAD model? Or failing that mock-up in MDF/Balsa/Polystyrene?

I'm thinking there's a good chance you'll find the injectors only plug in a certain way round and it just happens to be in such a way that the wires come out at the back of the engine but you didn't allow room for that, especially now you've had to incline the engine at 2 degrees to fit around the suspension pickups and oh yea the sump grinds a little on the ramp down from your drive and also there's that coolant hose about to melt through where it touches the alternator.
Call it tough love

[drgoatboy]

OlberJ said:

When you say several times, any more apart from the Caral and the one i posted up there? Would love to see some more builds.

The Caral is extended like the Hennessey Venom GT is it not?

This should go in, as is. Could be a good thing, could be a stratos type animal to control.

I just googled VX220 V8 (looking for the Caral one) and lots came up. I saw it talked about several times on .org when I was still a regular on there but not sure if anyone ever followed through on it....

[OlberJ]

Aye, that's Ground Effect's Rover V8 transverse build that's been linked constantly.

That and the stretched body Caral.

So only the otwo that seems to have been built on the original chassis. Carals and Hennesseys the others it would seem, wonder how many of them exist? And that Hayabusa V8 version above.

Got a bit of time this week so aiming to get this all planned out further and see if i can spot any potential deal breakers.

[dom9]

Olie, just stumbled across this by accident... Did it go anywhere?

[OlberJ]

Not yet. Still have the box here though and i'm 90% sure it would work.

Always keeping an eye out for cheap VX though.