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spitfirebill
spitfirebill UltimaDork
9/30/17 8:05 p.m.
Woody said:

The VW Fox engine was mounted longitudinally. Those should be almost free.

I think the Dasher was too.  

Trackmouse
Trackmouse SuperDork
9/30/17 8:13 p.m.

Why not use all of the back of an AW11? Motor and tranny are there, may as well use the rest. 

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
9/30/17 8:40 p.m.

The geometry would be different, and you'd still have to completely redesign the rear end for the strut tops.

mad_machine
mad_machine MegaDork
9/30/17 9:26 p.m.
spitfirebill said:
Woody said:

The VW Fox engine was mounted longitudinally. Those should be almost free.

I think the Dasher was too.  

you can still find VW Foxs (foxes?) but I can't remember the last time I saw a Dasher in the wild.

Dusterbd13
Dusterbd13 MegaDork
6/5/18 2:32 p.m.

Ild thread....

 

Could the whole cradle of, say, an accord be grafted in the back? Lock out steering, build strut top mounts, and run it. Or is that fools talk?

Svrex posted a europa, and its got my pants tight to do one again.

Other thought was a Chrysler 300m drivetrain, as the transaxle looks right.

Stefan
Stefan MegaDork
6/5/18 2:38 p.m.

In reply to Dusterbd13 :

Its basically what Fiat did with the X-1/9 and GM did with the Fiero.  Stuff a FWD drivetrain and suspension in the rear sans steering rack.

I think the size of the Europa could be an issue, especially the frame rails in the rear.  The body is fiberglass, so that's just some T-shirts and resin away from fitting :)

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
6/5/18 2:39 p.m.

In reply to Dusterbd13 :

If you cut the chassis at the back of the spine, ANYTHING could be grafted in. The "engine bay" is huge- it's the Y shaped chassis that limits it. 

I also posted an ideal turbo Dodge donor. wink 

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
6/5/18 2:41 p.m.

In reply to Stefan :

There really aren't any "frame rails" per se on a Europa...

Dusterbd13
Dusterbd13 MegaDork
6/5/18 3:05 p.m.

So, with a little ingenuity and a welder, itd be feasable, right?

 

And no turbododge. Unless its an omni glh......

RoddyMac17
RoddyMac17 Reader
6/5/18 3:27 p.m.
Dusterbd13 said:

So, with a little ingenuity and a welder, itd be feasable, right?

 

And no turbododge. Unless its an omni glh......

Anything is possible with a Europa, you could cut the whole floor out of it and build a complete chassis ( dpcars.net  47)  or just cut the Y portion off the backbone and graft on what ever you want.  The downside is width, but if you want to flare the fenders then there shouldn't be any issues.  There's a guy on one of the Europa forums that stuffed a 2GR into one using AW11 rear suspension bits:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruKQ41ruQpw

Or, retain the stock chassis and put in a previously mentioned longitudinal engine and gearbox.

​​​​​​​

Stefan
Stefan MegaDork
6/5/18 3:47 p.m.
SVreX said:

In reply to Stefan :

There really aren't any "frame rails" per se on a Europa...

Yes, I'm aware, this discussion had happened in the past on another thread about Europas and the "frame rail" aka the y-shaped back of the spine was the limitation discussed.

Stefan
Stefan MegaDork
6/5/18 3:49 p.m.
Dusterbd13 said:

So, with a little ingenuity and a welder, itd be feasable, right?

 

And no turbododge. Unless its an omni glh......

A 224hp 16-Valve turbocharged drivetrain with a Lotus made cylinder head doesn't sound like an option in your Lotus Europa?  Ok....

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/6/18 8:30 p.m.

Inspired by this post, and other similar posts... I built this:

 

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/6/18 8:35 p.m.

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair MegaDork
10/6/18 8:41 p.m.

That is Sofa King Awesome!

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/6/18 8:45 p.m.

Thanks Angry!  It’s still a work in progress, but it’s driveable.

NOT A TA
NOT A TA Dork
10/6/18 8:55 p.m.

Sofa King, you win the internet car guy post of the day!!! Details?

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/6/18 10:13 p.m.

Just posted in build thread section. 

High points, LS6, Boxster S 6 speed, Miata suspension, steering, brakes and switch gear.

wspohn
wspohn Dork
10/8/18 3:52 p.m.

What sort of power re you looking for?

If it is 400 or less, you can do it easily with a GM LNF Ecotec. - in line out of a Solstice/Sky (you'd need a Hewland or other transaxle)  or sidewinder with transaxle out of a Cobalt SS or HHR. More power is pretty easily available, but requires going inside the engine to fit better pistons and rods.  This 4 cylinder is light and compact and would fit nicely into a Europa.

exST165
exST165 Reader
10/9/18 9:46 p.m.

IMHO making a massive engine swap project out of an almost running Europa is a bad thing.

if the gearbox can be rebuilt I say pull the gear box and rebuild or get it rebuilt and get it back on the road.  How much would that have to cost to equal the time and effort needed to get a different gear box in there and an appropriate suspension built around it?

 If you still feel like you need to perform some outrageous engine swap sell your running Europa and buy someone else’s stalled project.

 

Toebra
Toebra HalfDork
10/10/18 12:22 a.m.

Sofa King, I see you are aptly named.  Impressive, most impressive.

 

I question if those brakes will be adequate

Kreb
Kreb UberDork
10/10/18 12:36 a.m.

Good lord. Sofa King gets the "He actually pulled off his insane, over the top idea" trophy.  Frankly, at 5'-11" with a long (and wide) torso, my hat's off to anyone who can sit in one of those without acute attacks of claustrophobia.   

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/19/18 3:55 p.m.
Kreb said:

Good lord. Sofa King gets the "He actually pulled off his insane, over the top idea" trophy.  Frankly, at 5'-11" with a long (and wide) torso, my hat's off to anyone who can sit in one of those without acute attacks of claustrophobia.   

I’m 6’2” with a pretty long torso. I don’t fit in a stock Europa unless the seats are completely removed and then my head still hits the roof and I can’t press the clutch or the gas without also hitting the brake pedal. That’s why I moved the front wheels forward 9.5” and dropped the floor about an inch. Not  roomy but I now fit!

 

Sofa King
Sofa King Reader
10/19/18 4:02 p.m.
Toebra said

I question if those brakes will be adequate

I’m using stock Miata brakes which are bigger than the Stock Lotus brakes and also add disks to the rear. I also have an LS1 powered Miata and feel the brakes are adequate. Done several track days and have no complaints. The Europa is about 500 lbs lighter, so I think it will be ok. The great thing about using Miata components is that upgraded components are available and reasonable. Anyone know of any companies out there?cheeky

SunbeamFanatic
SunbeamFanatic
11/17/18 12:03 a.m.
Sofa King said:

Just posted in build thread section. 

High points, LS6, Boxster S 6 speed, Miata suspension, steering, brakes and switch gear.

Hi Sofa King, I'm new to the Forum and have left a comment against the your rides section, it would be great if you wouldn't mind letting me pick your brains as I'm about to start out on a S2 Europa Project.

many thanks.

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