[elky] Re: Some interesting (and fun) motor swap/race links (and Camaro update)

  • From: Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:57:03 -0600

That LZ9 motor looks VERY interesting.  I'm not sure I'd do it to an MGB, but a Volvo P1800 squareback (ES model, iirc) might be an interesting victim.



'Course you may have had your fill of American-engined Volvos.  :)  Another interesting couple of subjects might be an Opel GT



and a Lotus Europa...or even an Elan. 

 
The Europa might be REAL interesting cuz it's mid-engined and would take some serious fabrication/engineering to get everything to work, but it'd be quite an improvement over the Renault-engined version.  I spose if ya wanted to go further back, a Saab 96 converted to RWD



or a Citroen 2CV converted to a mid-engine setup could be interesting. 

...REAL interesting:  and/or: 

Same thing for a Fiat X1-9,



although a 124 Spyder



would be easier and make for a more conventional ride. 

I think I've finally got the Camaro to run at a reasonable temperature.  Using the 180 (marked) t-stat with 4 0.015" holes drilled into it, the car now seems to run at a consistent 190 (indicated on an aftermarket gauge) with the fan manually controlled.  I switched it on as soon as I saw 160 on the gauge....which took a while to reach...even at 100F ambient temperature.  It's a bit warm to be driving a car with black interior without any A/C...but it was a good test.

To answer Mary's question about the accuracy of the car's temp gauge, it's about as accurate as I'm gonna get it.  It's an aftermarket mechanical gauge, and like all of 'em, they're only good for relative temperatures:



This was last week.  Now it runs at a pretty steady 190.  I think there were a several contributing factors.  First was manual control over the fan.  The ECU doesn't turn it on until 220.  That's just plain stupid.  I don't care HOW much of a reduction in emissions they got from it, that's just too hot to run a motor, especially with a radiator that has plastic end tanks.  Dumber than shit, as a matter of fact. 

The other factors were flushing the cooling system twice with chemical flush, then back-flushing it with clear water...which is what's in the radiator now.  Finally, the 180 t-stat is a lot better than a 195, IMNSHO.  According to the 3rd Gen F-body forums, this doesn't affect the ECU operation at all. 

Ok.  I gotta go get the battery box securely mounted in the race car.

r


On 7/22/2011 12:37 PM, Chris Lindh wrote: 
Very cool.  I talked to my brother and I may be retrieving my old MGB
at some point... searching around I see the 60 degree GM V6 is a
common swap into MGs.  There is even a company that has developed a
kit to swap in the new "high value" V6s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_High_Value_engine - 240+ horsepower in
a small package.

I'm still not sure I'd want to put that much effort in it though...
MGs like my '77 were 20 years behind in technology when they were
brand new... the suspension, everything would need to be upgraded.

These days I'm not as worried about the $ invested in projects but the
time... I just want to drive fun cars, not wrench on them
indefinitely.

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 2:20 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

My friend Wes from the Nova list is racing a Chevette in a series called
Chumpcar:
http://www.chumpcar.com

Absolutely crazy.  Here he is after the last race:
http://the-wes.com/images/chumpcar-award.jpg

Then there's a guy who wrote up a how-to on dropping a 2.8 V6 into a
Chevette:
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme3/v6chevette/SWAPSTEP1.html

Interesting writeup.  Makes me think about turning the Camaro into a race
car and building a sleeper.

r




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