im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

[loadsofx19s]

ive fitted vfr 1100 motorcycle engine in my amigo (stripped of poptop and rear intirior) im about to fit a 1100 bandit into my pandora 900 camper
i will do this via a plate that bolts to the chassis then the block will bolt to
that. and then keeping the same gearbox there for having tap tap gears
on 1 control and the campers own gear box will change the cruise ratio.
if i was to make a few kits would this be of interest?
they should fit 126 600 500 850 900 amigo pandora caravella xls fiesta fargo campervans citivan and all the rear engined deridertives.
pls post your views

(edited, as i pasted an old thread that had no responce)

 

[-Matt-]

Re: im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

If you made solid kits for 126 600 500 and 850's they'd definately sell. It would make me think seriously about a motorbike engine instead of a ridiculously expensive Abarth one for my little 600 project, when I find the car >_<

Not sure about how the gearbox will work though

 

[jug]

Re: im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

its a common conversion on buggies, and works really well. but remember a motorbike engine tends to have low torque (more than 80lb/ft is rare) and suffers a lot when trying to pull a lot of weight, they're perfect for small buggies but on a camper you'll be surprised how much strain it will be under, also the gearbox internals aren't designed to take that kind of stress. so i'm not confident that it will provide the performance or reliablity you're hoping for. but it has to be worth a try definately post any progress, i want piccies

 

[loadsofx19s]

well ive put 1.6 alfa suds in 126's on a vw box before but the weight let it down on handeling as it needed a wheely bar! the engine im going to put in my 900 pandora is a suzuki bandit 1100,i fitted a vfr1100 in the amigo the other day, on the little fiats anything upwards of 550 kawasaki shaftie would do the job.
basigly the gear box works as is, the old box stays in line the new engine bolts to the plate, plate to the chassis rails the gearbox on its front two mounts and there is a shaft made to slide from the bike shaft( on shaft drive motorbike engines ) onto the fiat box where there is a ali plate milled to fit.
you then have i changer with a bike clutch mounted verticly on it in the cab, as well as the car gear changer.
if you ie: come to lights you will put the car clutch in. and drive like normal with the bike gearbox in about third or second gear using the four gears in the car, this is pretty tastey! but for the times you may wish to go a little bit quicker.
you put the car box in third from start and go through the 6 gears in the bike queezing the leaver on the bike shifter to run through them, once you let the foot clutch out at the start you wouldnt toutch it until you wanted to stop.
on the other hand once your used to it potentialy you can go through the gearbox with 22 gears buy using the cars low gears 1 + 2 would be brutal and the box probably wouldnt last to long, but stick to the cars box being an overdrive box and use the bikes box is fast and wont put to much strain on it, ive not had probs with it yet. and ive abused it a bit lol. thought i had yesterday, and paniced but it turned out to be the rubber between the selector shaft and gear leaver on the box :bang: last place i looked as well , the fkr

 

[Andy_sx]

Re: im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

tbh Jug the gearbox in the 1.2 bravo is no good either, but fiat still fitted it from the factory...

a good motorbike engine conversion plate / frame would sell for certain, as for quantities i couldnt say, but there would most certainly be a market for them

im wanting to make a bike powered gokart for sheer loonacy and sideways idiotics :yum:

 

[jug]

Re: im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

wow! i've done some crazy things in my time but that easily beats them all :worship: :worship: :worship:

never though about the possiblity of having the bike and car gearbox used together. thats a beauty. it'll be like driving a truck with multi-diffs! what a great idea :idea:

 

[loadsofx19s]

thats the 1 lol, ive got hold of 126 and im gonna try the bandit out 1st in that, as with them little fkrs there is less drag and wieght than the camper (which incidently only does just over 100, gets there quick though it has a set of punto alloys which are twice the width of the origanals, anything above a ton is just down right suisidal!!! handels like i kite), im hoping that it will handel better than the alfa did as the C of G will be the same.

 

[jug]

Re: im thinking of making kits to fit motorcycle engines into rear fiat engine classics

im wanting to make a bike powered gokart for sheer loonacy and sideways idiotics :yum:

i used to play with a go-kart that had a zxr400 engine on the back. it was way more than fast enough for me, and twice as dangerous. for some reason it feels so much faster when you're that low to the ground. a zxr400 feels slow in comparison

it still used the motorbike style gear shift, but a lever was added so you changed by dipping the clutch with your foot and banging a lever forwards or back to change down or up. it worked brilliantly.

cant imagine sticking an 1100 engine onto a go-kart. that really would be suicide.

 

[loadsofx19s]

omg dont start me off on them !! lol last 1 i did had a cbr 600 jellymold in it, it was ridiculas!! just no poin to building the death trap, pointless, scumacher couldnt drive it, i even put a centerfugal diff of a 500cc moped, but it still span wheels for fun :bang:

 

[faster4_tec]

if you get a kit made up, and photograph it describe it breifly and price it, I'm sure autoitalia would let you put an advert in there, or maybe even a short article or they might test it? then you'd be sure to start selling them.

if your amigo camper made 100mph+ with the 1100, then I'm sure it'll be fine on the hills. you've got to remember the engines that were in these cars originally only had like 40-55lb/ft of torque anyway!! so anything like that, or more will be more than adequate.

I think most buyers will be looking at fitting more like an 800cc engine, I tell you whats a nice engine, a 600cc 4pot triumph motor with integrated gearbox, all aluminium, light as hell, and almost as torquey as a car engine. obviously space might be an issue, but they are about the size of a punto gearbox, without the throttle bodies and such fitted

 

[loadsofx19s]

keep the ideas comming ppl, your feedback is much appreciated. to keep you all up to speed, i came accross a bmw 1100 k series engine and box tried that in situe, seems a bit long. this unit would have been ideal 3 cylinder shaft driven injection,with car derived technolagy.
it could possably be done but spacers would have to be made,and runners fabricated to bring the rear end out a few inches ....unfortunate!
having said that we are not giving up on bmw it may be possable to make an adapter plate and use just the engine straight onto the fiat gearbox, the design of the engine makes this a possability ill have to see about direction of turn ect these engines have baggs of torque and come in 750 1100 cc. possably the easy and simplest way to date obviously harley block's are by far the simplest to fit only needing an adapter plate and a cradle.
i'll keep you all posted on how things progress over the next few month.
when we iron out the bugs and mesurments we intend this to be a bolt on kit rather than a kit that needs welding gear, this will make things easier on most hobbi'ests. and it will all be prof made. i and my friend have built many chops and have restored and modified many cars. we just think its time for us old fiat lovers to start getting some street cred and respect! lol
and only fiat built cars light enough to do the trick :devil: unless you can afford a bond bug, or have the gawl to drive a trabant lol, no offence all u cardboard trabbi lovers,

 

[faster4_tec]

trabants are mint!

my mate has a few trabants (in various stages of decrepidness), and at the moment his *only* road worthy vehilce is this (he has about 15vehicles to his name).

thats one of his, but not the one, his is a loverly sky blue colour (dulux wallpaint I think!).

http://www.blazegas.com/boiledcabbage/uaz1.html
thats a few of the vehicles they had a few years back, now they have more