Other compatible drivetrains?

[Nick]

My father and I were considering replacing the transmission because we've been having issues with it, and we were wondering if there are other cars that have compatible drivetrains that we could salvage? I'm not sure what other RWD cars of similar size to our Fiat are out there for options, not sure if a Miata is RWD, but I was wondering if anyone has or knows of anyone who has done a swap like this? It'd be nice to be able to get a more solidly running car.

[So Cal Mark]

then you have a FrankenFiat

[Nick]

Haha yes, true, but I was just curious about my options

A new gearbox will set me back about a grand so I was thinking about other possibilities. Just curious what anyone else here has done?

[kmead]

There are not a lot of adapter plates to go from a Fiat twin cam to other engines. I know there are some check Miller Mule.

Transmissions to look at are:

Miata
RX7
Suzuki samurai/Geo tracker
Nissan 4 cyl
Toyota 4 cal

The issue is going to be the adapters. No matter what you will need to create a new driveshaft intermediate shaft to the Guibo and bearing (modifying the existing would be your best choice if possible).

The next choice is to go with an entirely different engine and transmission. The same list above with the exception of the Suzuki and adding the Honda S2000 would be added instead.

[Nick]

There are not a lot of adapter plates to go from a Fiat twin cam to other engines. I know there are some check Miller Mule.

Transmissions to look at are:

Miata
RX7
Suzuki samurai/Geo tracker
Nissan 4 cyl
Toyota 4 cal

The issue is going to be the adapters. No matter what you will need to create a new driveshaft intermediate shaft to the Guibo and bearing (modifying the existing would be your best choice if possible).

The next choice is to go with an entirely different engine and transmission. The same list above with the exception of the Suzuki and adding the Honda S2000 would be added instead.

Thanks! We were thinking about the engine and transmission altogether. It would just be the issues of the dimensions and motor mounts that I think we're concerned with. I thought Miata but didn't think of the other 3. I don't know much about those rotary engines but I wouldn't mind trying one out.

[carl55]

Guy Croft may still sale the adaptor for the Mustang tranny. Nice ratios.

Carl

[TulsaSpider]

Or lots of folks have a used transmission for sale. Heck I have one.

[Nick]

Alright, well this isn't something we'll be doing this year most likely, or at least not for a couple months. We're just trying to see what's possible.

[Mathew26]

RX7 rear end fit just fine. And that would give you the gearing thats nice for cruising. With a 131 Transmission for a stronger trans and bolt right on although you need to modify the tunnel a bit. Then get a driveshaft cut to fit and make it a sliding driveshaft.

The benefit of a sliding driveshaft is suspension related as it can stretch and compress as your rear suspension bounds and rebounds. Also that eliminates your flex discs.

[dsnyder]

Just out of left field... Consider late 70's-early 80's VW water-cooled. Basically all the platforms utilized the tried and true Rabbit 4 banger and models like the Dasher and Quantum were actually rear wheel drive.

A 2.0 gas Rabbit motor can be turned into a real scorcher and I do remember the days when Rabbit GTI's would jump on unsuspecting Corvette owners as a matter of general principle.

You could also go strange and put in a Rabbit Diesel motor or Turbo Diesel and get something with incredible gas mileage and believe it or not, you can get almost 90HP out of a Rabbit Turbo Diesel and no electronics!

The Tranny and drivetrain back might be tough to find but there is a place called the Parts Place that has all kinds of old VW stuff. http://www.partsplaceinc.com and if you could get the tranny, the rest should be just fabricating and fitting.

The trick is finding the tranny. Everything else is real common and even fairly cheap.

If it were me, I'd go Turbo Diesel with a 5 speed. -Very little electrics and hooked up to a five speed VW tranny it would be bulletproof. There are even 1.9 liter TD motors and you can't even imagine the torque.

[Nick]

Just out of left field... Consider late 70's-early 80's VW water-cooled. Basically all the platforms utilized the tried and true Rabbit 4 banger and models like the Dasher and Quantum were actually rear wheel drive.

A 2.0 gas Rabbit motor can be turned into a real scorcher and I do remember the days when Rabbit GTI's would jump on unsuspecting Corvette owners as a matter of general principle.

You could also go strange and put in a Rabbit Diesel motor or Turbo Diesel and get something with incredible gas mileage and believe it or not, you can get almost 90HP out of a Rabbit Turbo Diesel and no electronics!

The Tranny and drivetrain back might be tough to find but there is a place called the Parts Place that has all kinds of old VW stuff. http://www.partsplaceinc.com and if you could get the tranny, the rest should be just fabricating and fitting.

The trick is finding the tranny. Everything else is real common and even fairly cheap.

If it were me, I'd go Turbo Diesel with a 5 speed. -Very little electrics and hooked up to a five speed VW tranny it would be bulletproof. There are even 1.9 liter TD motors and you can't even imagine the torque.

I like the idea of a Turbo Diesel. My father works on diesel generators as part of his job and he says he could fix anything that breaks on a diesel engine. I'll have to look into that, thanks for the insight!

[thechadzone]

I seem to have failed to post my response to this the other day. Maybe it got removed for even suggesting it, but I was thinking about the Alfa 2.0 all aluminum twin cam. It's lighter than the Lampredi twin cam, and its geometry would likely allow the use of the Alfa's dual Weber DCOE carbs, that on that engine would hang off the passenger's side of the engine bay. It's also quite a bit less expensive to dual carb an Alfa twin cam... The stock Alfa 2.0 twin cam has about 15 more horsepower than the stock Fiat 2.0 does.

Its trans works great when they're good, but then again, so does the Fiat's... I'm not sure how much you'd have to modify your dash/console to accommodate the strange geometry of the Alfa's gear shift angle, which is close to horizontal compared to the Fiat's.

I have no idea how feasible this swap is, but I'd sure like to hear about whatever y'all might know about doing this... I'm not a big fan of motor swaps, but since many consider each of these cars to be "cousins", it might not be absolute heracy to do, and I don't think it would change the car's overall character all that much.

[dsnyder]

I have a 1.6 VW Rabbit Diesel engine that is a rebuildable core. You can have it for free. Where are you located? Pickup is probably the only way it would be worth it as shipping would make it too costly. I also have extra 5 speed Rabbit Tranny but they are for front wheel drive.

Dave

[Nick]

I have a 1.6 VW Rabbit Diesel engine that is a rebuildable core. You can have it for free. Where are you located? Pickup is probably the only way it would be worth it as shipping would make it too costly. I also have extra 5 speed Rabbit Tranny but they are for front wheel drive.

Dave

I'm in central NY. But as I said, this isn't something we're looking to do for awhile I don't think, I'll have to see what my father thinks. We're both pretty busy this summer so I'm not sure what we'll be able to do.