Mid engine 240sx? - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

Brendan75 · 01-23-2020, 01:22 AM

Hey y’all, I had an idea yesterday that hasn’t left my mind, hypothetically if someone could get a vg30dett to bolt up to a transaxle or whatever else the kit car fellas use to get power down, I understand having to build the new firewall, new suspension in the rear end, and all the custom mounts and body work associated with this monstrosity of a project, just im just trying to understand it so I can finally sleep and not have this racing threw my head

shaggyjake · 01-23-2020, 04:57 AM

there was a guy on silviav8forums a few years ago who was attempting that with an LS and corvette transaxle. thread died and the site doesn't function anymore so who knows where it went.

it looked like ass, anyways.

Brendan75 · 01-23-2020, 05:30 AM

I’m kinda thinking having the motor under the back window, then the transmission behind that, im kinda thinking like that mustang gt-40 built off the old 69 mustang, it doesn’t have to be a vg30dett it could be whatever it is to helps y’all understand what i’m thinking

SupaDoopa · 01-23-2020, 06:41 AM

I'm kinda thinking you're going to start, realize you fucked up a S-chassis to the point of no return and junk it before it even comes close to being complete.

Leave a good thing alone.

shaggyjake · 01-23-2020, 06:57 AM

this is either going to require an insane level of skill for fabrication and welding, or you're going to need very, very deep pockets.

but, yes, you have the right idea. an engine under the back window with the transaxle mounted behind the engine.

that's what MR is.

the difference between an MR format and an S Chassis is that our cars are not designed that way. we have a much longer front end than any MR car, and very limited room between the back of the driver seat and the subframe.

the floor behind the front seats will need to be completely removed, a crossmember built between the frame rails to support the weight of the engine, and a completely custom subframe to house the transaxle (which will be too large to fit under the stock subframe). if you can get that far, you will need to build a functional firewall between the new engine bay and the passenger compartment. You need to really picture how little room there will be for an entire drivetrain in that small space.

like Supa said, please don't ruin another s chassis. unless you happen to have a junker lying around somewhere.

i don't know your welding or fabricating abilities, so i don't want you to think i'm insulting you, but this is not a task for a beginner. these cars have been around for 3 decades and I have never seen a (not completely fucked) MR modification on one. There's probably a reason for that.

best of luck to you.

edit: i just remembered the Porsche 944? was a front engine car with a rear transaxle like the corvettes, but is about as big an S13,S14. Maybe there is a way to use that subframe as a reference, but I think you are going to get in over your head when you try to fit an engine behind the front seats.

Silv1401 · 01-23-2020, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggyjake

this is either going to require an insane level of skill for fabrication and welding, or you're going to need very, very deep pockets.

but, yes, you have the right idea. an engine under the back window with the transaxle mounted behind the engine.

that's what MR is.

the difference between an MR format and an S Chassis is that our cars are not designed that way. we have a much longer front end than any MR car, and very limited room between the back of the driver seat and the subframe.

the floor behind the front seats will need to be completely removed, a crossmember built between the frame rails to support the weight of the engine, and a completely custom subframe to house the transaxle (which will be too large to fit under the stock subframe). if you can get that far, you will need to build a functional firewall between the new engine bay and the passenger compartment. You need to really picture how little room there will be for an entire drivetrain in that small space.

like Supa said, please don't ruin another s chassis. unless you happen to have a junker lying around somewhere.

i don't know your welding or fabricating abilities, so i don't want you to think i'm insulting you, but this is not a task for a beginner. these cars have been around for 3 decades and I have never seen a (not completely fucked) MR modification on one. There's probably a reason for that.

best of luck to you.

edit: i just remembered the Porsche 944? was a front engine car with a rear transaxle like the corvettes, but is about as big an S13,S14. Maybe there is a way to use that subframe as a reference, but I think you are going to get in over your head when you try to fit an engine behind the front seats.

Correct 924s first, and then the revised version, the 944 both had FR layouts with rear transaxle configurations for the optimal weight distribution. However, technically speaking, Corvettes don't actually have rear transaxles, but rather a rear transmission and a seperate, albeit connected, differential.

Regardless, I'm all for obscure builds, but please don't kill another S-chassis unless you plan to go balls-to-the-forehead full send. Better idea would be to just make a tube chassis, get all of your mid/rear-engine tomfoolery situated, and then start tacking body panels to it. Like they say, if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. Well in this case, if you can cut, weld, and fabricate an S-chassis into a MR/RR, then you can cut, weld, and fabricate an s-chassis body onto a bunch of tubes.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

*s13 @ fullboost* · 01-24-2020, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SupaDoopa

I'm kinda thinking you're going to start, realize you fucked up a S-chassis to the point of no return and junk it before it even comes close to being complete.

Leave a good thing alone.

Dam....this is pretty on point.

It would be pretty cool show to watch on monster garage or something.

O.P. If you have the skills & money to do a project like this and actually go through with / attempting it. I will 100% subscribe to this thread.

S14rebuild · 01-24-2020, 08:15 AM

Do it for clout!!!

jedi03 · 01-24-2020, 09:26 AM

do it and learn! whether you finish or not you will have fun!

collegekid · 01-24-2020, 10:13 AM

I typed up a long winded post yesterday only to delete it thinking "Who TF cares/ Don't feed the trolls"

If you really are going to do this, with your skills, money and shit ton of free time, do it to a rear ended 240. You will be cutting out a lot of shit back there anyway. This will be cheaper than doing a full tube chassis (you will probably be doing a partial tube chassis anyway).

cherryhatch · 01-24-2020, 10:18 AM

This is an LS4

S14rebuild · 01-24-2020, 10:47 AM

Hoky fuck...look at those welds..... that is not done properly at all. But its in there

*s13 @ fullboost* · 01-24-2020, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S14rebuild

Hoky fuck...look at those welds..... that is not done properly at all. But its in there

lol I was just thinking as I was viewing the photos "dam that looks sketch af" & not just the welds

foreverdeath · 01-24-2020, 05:33 PM

Its in there but i dont see any structure left. if you were to attemp this the only way i see a true MR setup done and not a relocated FWD setup. would be mounting a Subaru front crossmember with engine and FWD transmission. anything more then a 4cyl boxer or a 13B is got run into space issues, to where a doing the powersteering belt requires dropping the engine out. if you want a better idea on space look at a factory 5 818 build.

***dorkidori_s13*** · 01-24-2020, 06:21 PM

for fucks sake... can people just stop coming up with ideas like this and apply their time to actually making their cars NICE? that V8 MR setup is just a fucking embarrassment. what is the POINT of wasting money like that... dude couldve put the same time and money into a clean V8 swap and made his car nice! nope... another 240sx ruined!

i hate that our cars have become "rat rods" and that the bulk of them are now just hunks of shit due to inane ideas and half assed attempts!

mechanicalmoron · 01-25-2020, 10:08 AM

There's lots of rear or mid cars of all types, but if you have to ask you are the wrong motherfucker.

Look into 914s if you want that drive configuration. They're very cheap, for a very pure platform that's already got a motor in the right place.

jedi03 · 01-27-2020, 08:25 AM

that's crazy...its definitely in there but agreed on the sketchy...the newspaper soundproofing looks like it was at least put on semi-straight lol

lewisfk · 01-27-2020, 10:06 AM

I was hoping to see something inspirational but got severally disappointed, if I had the manufacturing skills I would start with this setup below. Gas monkey was able to pull this off with 3.5 liter ecoboost engine in a Pantera.

https://www.noblecars.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_M12

nick_d_240sx · 01-27-2020, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorkidori_s13

for fucks sake... can people just stop coming up with ideas like this and apply their time to actually making their cars NICE? that V8 MR setup is just a fucking embarrassment. what is the POINT of wasting money like that... dude couldve put the same time and money into a clean V8 swap and made his car nice! nope... another 240sx ruined!

i hate that our cars have become "rat rods" and that the bulk of them are now just hunks of shit due to inane ideas and half assed attempts!

This. I hate seeing shitboxes with engine swaps, no interior, no dash, wires everywhere, multicolor body panels, missing bumper covers, etc. Do what you want, but goddamn, try to make it nice.

Shameless plug. Recently cleaned up my spare wheel well and re-installed the rear carpet. New steering wheel, head light stalk, leds in the dash, shift boot, functioning ac controls, and stereo. I think it's getting pretty nice.

*brndck* · 01-27-2020, 11:37 AM

you cannot make chicken salad out of chicken shit.

feito · 01-28-2020, 07:47 AM

Only way I can see this happening is by extending the wheelbase by moving the rear wheels rearward and using a longitudinal mr setup such as the one used in audis

you could use the entire subframe and suspension, but by then your 240 will be too long, so you'll have to move your front axle (completely redisigned or borrowed from another car)back a bit and shorten the nose, and your engine will be visible through the rear quarter glass, which now sit behind your firewall completely blocking your visibility

and just for shits:

I actually think I kind like it haha.
But by then, you could have bought a nice audi, a vette or even an nsx

feito · 01-28-2020, 07:55 AM

Or why not just get an mr2? get an sw, lots of room in there. Im doing a v6 swap on my aw, and some people have done some crazy shit with them. You wanna go crazy on an mr platform and on the cheap? Mr2 is your answer. Hell, get a gen three, that way if you give up and end up ruining it nobody would mind....
my aw a few months ago

***dorkidori_s13*** · 01-28-2020, 09:17 AM

im closing this thread... its making peoples heads hurt.

01-23-2020, 01:22 AM	#1
Brendan75 Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Canada Posts: 2 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Mid engine 240sx? Hey y’all, I had an idea yesterday that hasn’t left my mind, hypothetically if someone could get a vg30dett to bolt up to a transaxle or whatever else the kit car fellas use to get power down, I understand having to build the new firewall, new suspension in the rear end, and all the custom mounts and body work associated with this monstrosity of a project, just im just trying to understand it so I can finally sleep and not have this racing threw my head

01-24-2020, 06:21 PM	#15
*dorkidori_s13* ITS LISA'S FAULT!!! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Las Vegas Age: 39 Posts: 7,332 Trader Rating: (41) Feedback Score: 41 reviews	for fucks sake... can people just stop coming up with ideas like this and apply their time to actually making their cars NICE? that V8 MR setup is just a fucking embarrassment. what is the POINT of wasting money like that... dude couldve put the same time and money into a clean V8 swap and made his car nice! nope... another 240sx ruined! i hate that our cars have become "rat rods" and that the bulk of them are now just hunks of shit due to inane ideas and half assed attempts! __________________ Bought something from me??? POST A REVIEW HERE!!!

01-28-2020, 07:47 AM	#21
feito Nissanaholic! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,948 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	Only way I can see this happening is by extending the wheelbase by moving the rear wheels rearward and using a longitudinal mr setup such as the one used in audis you could use the entire subframe and suspension, but by then your 240 will be too long, so you'll have to move your front axle (completely redisigned or borrowed from another car)back a bit and shorten the nose, and your engine will be visible through the rear quarter glass, which now sit behind your firewall completely blocking your visibility and just for shits: I actually think I kind like it haha. But by then, you could have bought a nice audi, a vette or even an nsx __________________ Tuners are big bullies

01-28-2020, 07:55 AM	#22
feito Nissanaholic! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,948 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	Or why not just get an mr2? get an sw, lots of room in there. Im doing a v6 swap on my aw, and some people have done some crazy shit with them. You wanna go crazy on an mr platform and on the cheap? Mr2 is your answer. Hell, get a gen three, that way if you give up and end up ruining it nobody would mind.... my aw a few months ago __________________ Tuners are big bullies

01-28-2020, 09:17 AM	#23
*dorkidori_s13* ITS LISA'S FAULT!!! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Las Vegas Age: 39 Posts: 7,332 Trader Rating: (41) Feedback Score: 41 reviews	im closing this thread... its making peoples heads hurt. __________________ Bought something from me??? POST A REVIEW HERE!!!

01-23-2020, 04:57 AM	#2
shaggyjake Zilvia Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Texan in California Age: 31 Posts: 157 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	there was a guy on silviav8forums a few years ago who was attempting that with an LS and corvette transaxle. thread died and the site doesn't function anymore so who knows where it went. it looked like ass, anyways.

01-23-2020, 05:30 AM	#3
Brendan75 Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Canada Posts: 2 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I’m kinda thinking having the motor under the back window, then the transmission behind that, im kinda thinking like that mustang gt-40 built off the old 69 mustang, it doesn’t have to be a vg30dett it could be whatever it is to helps y’all understand what i’m thinking

01-23-2020, 06:41 AM	#4
SupaDoopa Post Whore! Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: 隠された意図 Age: 33 Posts: 3,502 Trader Rating: (26) Feedback Score: 26 reviews	I'm kinda thinking you're going to start, realize you fucked up a S-chassis to the point of no return and junk it before it even comes close to being complete. Leave a good thing alone.

01-23-2020, 06:57 AM	#5
shaggyjake Zilvia Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Texan in California Age: 31 Posts: 157 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	this is either going to require an insane level of skill for fabrication and welding, or you're going to need very, very deep pockets. but, yes, you have the right idea. an engine under the back window with the transaxle mounted behind the engine. that's what MR is. the difference between an MR format and an S Chassis is that our cars are not designed that way. we have a much longer front end than any MR car, and very limited room between the back of the driver seat and the subframe. the floor behind the front seats will need to be completely removed, a crossmember built between the frame rails to support the weight of the engine, and a completely custom subframe to house the transaxle (which will be too large to fit under the stock subframe). if you can get that far, you will need to build a functional firewall between the new engine bay and the passenger compartment. You need to really picture how little room there will be for an entire drivetrain in that small space. like Supa said, please don't ruin another s chassis. unless you happen to have a junker lying around somewhere. i don't know your welding or fabricating abilities, so i don't want you to think i'm insulting you, but this is not a task for a beginner. these cars have been around for 3 decades and I have never seen a (not completely fucked) MR modification on one. There's probably a reason for that. best of luck to you. edit: i just remembered the Porsche 944? was a front engine car with a rear transaxle like the corvettes, but is about as big an S13,S14. Maybe there is a way to use that subframe as a reference, but I think you are going to get in over your head when you try to fit an engine behind the front seats.

01-24-2020, 08:15 AM	#8
S14rebuild BANNED Join Date: May 2019 Location: Florida-FAIL Posts: 2,497 Trader Rating: (8) Feedback Score: 8 reviews	Do it for clout!!!

01-24-2020, 09:26 AM	#9
jedi03 Nissanaholic! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: albuquerque Posts: 1,786 Trader Rating: (8) Feedback Score: 8 reviews	do it and learn! whether you finish or not you will have fun!

01-24-2020, 10:13 AM	#10
collegekid Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: In my house Age: 29 Posts: 755 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	I typed up a long winded post yesterday only to delete it thinking "Who TF cares/ Don't feed the trolls" If you really are going to do this, with your skills, money and shit ton of free time, do it to a rear ended 240. You will be cutting out a lot of shit back there anyway. This will be cheaper than doing a full tube chassis (you will probably be doing a partial tube chassis anyway).

01-24-2020, 10:18 AM	#11
cherryhatch Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: spokane, wa Posts: 19 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	This is an LS4

01-24-2020, 10:47 AM	#12
S14rebuild BANNED Join Date: May 2019 Location: Florida-FAIL Posts: 2,497 Trader Rating: (8) Feedback Score: 8 reviews	Hoky fuck...look at those welds..... that is not done properly at all. But its in there

01-24-2020, 05:33 PM	#14
foreverdeath Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: va beach Age: 28 Posts: 318 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Its in there but i dont see any structure left. if you were to attemp this the only way i see a true MR setup done and not a relocated FWD setup. would be mounting a Subaru front crossmember with engine and FWD transmission. anything more then a 4cyl boxer or a 13B is got run into space issues, to where a doing the powersteering belt requires dropping the engine out. if you want a better idea on space look at a factory 5 818 build.

01-25-2020, 10:08 AM	#16
mechanicalmoron Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: tx Posts: 1,075 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	There's lots of rear or mid cars of all types, but if you have to ask you are the wrong motherfucker. Look into 914s if you want that drive configuration. They're very cheap, for a very pure platform that's already got a motor in the right place.

01-27-2020, 08:25 AM	#17
jedi03 Nissanaholic! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: albuquerque Posts: 1,786 Trader Rating: (8) Feedback Score: 8 reviews	that's crazy...its definitely in there but agreed on the sketchy...the newspaper soundproofing looks like it was at least put on semi-straight lol

01-27-2020, 10:06 AM	#18
lewisfk Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: May 2009 Location: North Austin, Texas Age: 40 Posts: 1,162 Trader Rating: (13) Feedback Score: 13 reviews	I was hoping to see something inspirational but got severally disappointed, if I had the manufacturing skills I would start with this setup below. Gas monkey was able to pull this off with 3.5 liter ecoboost engine in a Pantera. https://www.noblecars.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_M12

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