Eclipse with motor in the trunk?

[99eclipse420]

Ok so I just had a random thought and I was wondering how difficult and what steps would need to be taken to put a motor in the back of the Eclipse?

I already know I would have to do ALOT of fab work, but how would I work out the suspension? I know I would have to take out the rear suspension and kind of combine it with an AWD suspension, so that the rear wheels spin and I would keep the car an auto and reverse the shifting column, but what would I do with the front suspension so that it still steers the car but its supported, or just do nothing at all?

I'm pretty sure I could, do this will all the custom fab work, and I plan to as soon as I have the time, just need some help with the suspension work.

 

[bryanwheat]

WHY? The 4g63 awd platform is more than sufficient. It's been done, and there is one with 2 engines. But the way that i look at it is, if you have to ask how to do something like this, you are nowhere near able to tackle a task of this nature. No offense to you in any way.

 

[99eclipse420]

I'm not really asking how to go about doing the whole job just how, of what I would need to do to the front suspension, since the CV axles wont be there? And its not that I want a RWD or a AWD Eclipse, but the idea of a rear mounted motor in a Eclipse would be awesome and I don't really plan to drive the car all that much if I end up putting the motor in the back. I'd be fully converting the car to a show car but I would still want to drive the car occasionally.

 

[zachsEVO3]

so if its all hypothetical any damn way I'd much rather save myself a headache n daydream of a Ferrari 308 or just a MR2 if I'm going to dream of a cheap rear engine sportscar.

 

[gusu]

In the trunk probably wouldn't work. You'd also have very little need for awd if you went mid engine which is totally doable.

But the only real gain in mid engine is better handling since you cab accelerate while turning and have a overall higher speed turn.

 

[1990AWD]

Look up the twin-engine Talon on google and YouTube. The rear engine is where the rear seat used to be and they made a second firewall behind the front seats.

But it all seriousness, if you have to ask what you need to tackle a project like this, you won't be able to do it. It requires a lot of "outside the box" thinking.

 

[96 420a-t]

I have seen it done to a crx before. It would require a custom roll cage to mount the engine. Custom axels, wiring harness, intercooler setup, fuel tank relocation, rear subframe. Just to give a start. For the front susPension I would disassemble the stock outer cv shaft and just leave the cup going through the hub with a nut on it.

 

[bullettdsm]

At one time I had collected the two cars I was going to use to do just this. The design works in my head and its basically like the twin engine DSM that's out there (well was), only different.

This is totally doable but will take heavy modification and the cajonies to rip something down and say "Yeah, we'll figure out how we want to that when we come to it, " (had a few different ideas for the front end, intercooler and cooling system. But I digress). Anyway, as I recollect, the only thing that was going to be "send out" was the axles. I believe we had everything else down.

Final product idea; a black, wingless, nondescript Eclipse that could do wheelies Unfortunately, with all that I do with the 420a platform, I got no time for anything else, so I had to get rid of that project.

But don't let the naysayers get you down. If you got the cajones and skills, then jump into it.

MB

 

[H@xtGSX]

Basically, as stated, if you have to ask... you ain't ready. Now, to answer in theory as to how I'd approach this.

Gut the chassis and use a tube frame. Cross brace the rear frame to mount to with hard points for the components of the front suspension in you planned on using the 4g63, which if i were to do this i wouldn't, and figure out either a custom gear box, a reverse transfer case, or an adapter to an existing mid engine tranny. Overall, it'd be an extrodinary amount of custom fabrication and even more time testing... and if you don't already have the big equipment to make those custom parts, it will cost you a not small fortune. Personally, if I really felt like punishing the living hell out of myself by doing something like this, I'd be stuffing an AMG V12 back there strapped to a Noble 7 speed double clutch gear box and stubby fat 316SS forged CV's... Might as well go all out if you're ever even thinking of doing this.

 

[99eclipse420]

Well over all idea would be to dis assemble the rear of the car cut every thing out take out the rear floor and seats and make a custom gas tank that will sit in the engine bay and weld sheet metal around the bottom of the engine bay and set the gas tank then mold and place sheet metal over the gas tank so that I could use it as storage if needed.

I'm not sure yet if I plan to use a 420a or 4g63 yet. I would like to stay with a mitsu motor, on this and since I have a Eclipse just sitting around I don't see why not to tackle this job. I am in no rush to finish the job, and not worry about any custom work I know plenty of people who do custom machining and all, and I also plan to do a complete tubular frame on the rear end of the car, I will most likely be starting this some time over the winter and will post pics as the job progress's.

 

[kbiker76]

Please use a 4g63... A 420A would be pointless to do this swap with...

 

[bryanwheat]

well over all idea would be to dis assemble the rear of the car cut every thing out take out the rear floor and seats and make a custom gas tank that will sit in the engine bay and weld sheet metal around the bottom of the engine bay and set the gas tank then mold and place sheet metal over the gas tank so that I could use it as storage if needed, im not sure yet if I plan to use a 420a or 4g63 yet i would like to stay with a mitsu motor, on this and since I have a eclipse just sitting around I dont see why not to tackle this job I am in no rush to finish the job, and not worry about any custom work I know plenty of people who do custom machining and all, and I also plan to do a complete tubular frame on the rear end of the car, I will most likely be starting this some time over the winter and will post pics as the job progress's.

Are you going to be doing any of the fabricating and welding or are you going to have someone else do it? There are going to be thousands of hours put into something like this. If you are paying other people do do all the custom work than you are going to have 10-20k wrapped up in it pretty fast.

 

[H@xtGSX]

If someone else were doing it, $10-20K would be lowballing it, IMO... especially if the interior is going to get equally tricked out. The only thing that would be usable in the back of the car would be the skin. Everything else would have to be a custom frame up.

 

[bryanwheat]

If someone else were doing it, $10-20K would be lowballing it, IMO... especially if the interior is going to get equally tricked out. The only thing that would be usable in the back of the car would be the skin. Everything else would have to be a custom frame up.

I was just going on the low side of what it could cost. It could get up there pretty quick.

 

[99eclipse420]

I will be doing all the fab work such as welding the frame and sheet metal, but if I need custom parts machined I have friends that I play paint ball with that are machinist, and these guys can make any thing out of a block of aluminium or steel. So all I will have to pay for is materials

 

[92AWDHX40]

Hey go ahead and rock it wish you the best let us know how it comes out. Anything is possible.

 

[H@xtGSX]

....... I still say stuff a V12 in it.

 

[spyderdrifter]

If you got the desire, then go for it. Just be ready for all the headaches that come with the struggle. I think it'd be cool to pull off. Just keep in mind, when/ if you get it done, both engines have to rev in sync with each other. I read an article several years ago about someone who did the same thing to the last gen cadillac eldorado and syncing the engines with the throttle was his biggest issue. I'll look it up again and post a link if I can find it. But like a few have already said, don't let the negativce comments on here stop you if this is an endevour you seriously want to pursue.

 

[spyderdrifter]

Search for "Mosler Eldorado". I couldn't find much, but there's a couple sites that have a few specs, but nothing useful in my opinion. Good luck though...

 

[H@xtGSX]

If thinking along those lines, wouldn't it be more effective and a hell of a lot simpler to just run them in series like a tractor pull sled? Matching engine rpm exactly running them independently sounds like a nightmare to me.

 

[turbo_rookie]

why not make it 4 wheel steering too!! that would be BAD!!!

 

[99BoostedRS]

why not make it 4 wheel steering too!! that would be BAD!!!

That's not a bad idea considering hes doing so much fab to the chassis. The OP can most likely make a vr-4 aws system or something similar to that work....But that will just add alot more headache to his project.....

 

[dsmcurse]

theres a car like that already built over where i live. (tri city WA) this guy adam i know took a gsx, mounted a the motor w gst tranny in the trunk. built a custom fire wall in the car to enclose the motor. it has lots of MR2 style mounting and plumbing. this guy is curently stuck trying to get the shifter cables to work right because there backwards

 

[crash89]

Hey DSMCURSE tell your buddy to buy some aftermarket shifter cables and run them around the trans.. Check out how we ran them in SlantedJ's SL-R post 69 pic 4 and post 87 has some decent pics of how Im talking about.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/376613-my-4g63-sl-r-3.html#post152636802

 

[spyderdrifter]

If thinking along those lines, wouldn't it be more effective and a hell of a lot simpler to just run them in series like a tractor pull sled? Matching engine rpm exactly running them independently sounds like a nightmare to me.

It would be quite a nightmare trying to rev sync both engines. Running them inline would do a better job with the rev sync, but then both would be in back of the car. And as one of the other guys said, 4WS would be awesome too. I thought about getting the VR-4 4WS for one of mine, but hard to find it.