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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:22 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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While trying to position the drivetrain I realized what I really need is to make or at least mock up the hybrid axles. So of course I needed to install the 944 TAs first. To my pleasant surprise I was reminded that they are much wider, giving me maybe 3+ inches longer axles in each side, which, of course, will help with the angles. When I got these arms I wasn’t smart enough to get the matching spring plates, so I started to modify mine. I expected them to be really hard like spring steel but they are as soft as butter to drill, saw and file. I plan to weld in a plate for the third eyelet. Speaking of eyes, you can see what one of the TAs did to me. Now I need one more 944 axle, or just the outboard half of one. Anyone got one? Or does that part cross over to any other cars? |
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Danpa Samba Member
Joined: August 21, 2007 Posts: 1238 Location: Valparaiso, in
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:11 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Have you considered making a whole new frame instead of cutting up your old one?
I may be wrong but, it appears that the new drivetrain might be quite a bit heavier than the original and the torsion bars in the rear wont be strong enough to support it.
Just my 2 cents...
Dan _________________ 67 Beetle (gone)
68 Bay Window Double Cab (gone) sob, sob!
64 Beetle (gone)
77 Scirocco (gone)
73 Squareback (scrapped)
70 Beetle (current, in pieces) |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:28 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Danpa wrote: |
Have you considered making a whole new frame instead of cutting up your old one?
I may be wrong but, it appears that the new drivetrain might be quite a bit heavier than the original and the torsion bars in the rear wont be strong enough to support it.
Just my 2 cents...
Dan |
No, I have not seriously considered that.
I think it is super cool that you can fairly easily swap near exotic car parts (OK, maybe an early 944 isn't all that exotic, but a later 951 kinda is) onto a 1303 pan for chump change.
I will be running 944 aluminum TAs with big vented rotors (hopefully pick up some rear Brembos from a 944t eventually) and I already have monster 928 Brembos on 944 spindles up front.
Yes, this is 1980's tech at best, but I still think this part of the project is somewhat elegant. As to whether the rest of it will turn out that way, the jury is still out.
Also I would note that people have hung some pretty heavy engines off the back of a relatively stock pan (with a suitable sub frame of course), including iron small block chevy's, so it must be possible. I don't think my setup will be any more rear weight biased than a twin cam subaru motor with a turbo, or a 6 cylinder air cooled Porsche engine. |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:02 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Last edited by 914turboford on Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:55 am; edited 1 time in total |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:03 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Last edited by 914turboford on Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:28 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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I remade the driver's side engine mount and took off the AC compressor and now I can get the drivetrain where I want it. In fact, I think I will lift it up 1 to 2 inches. I mocked up the passenger side axle and I can get it pretty much dead level and almost straight into the differential. I'm gonna need some wider fenders, but the 18" Turbo Twists clear the suspension with ease. |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:27 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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VW put a nice bolt hole in the shock mount to help engine swappers support their subframes
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 4:38 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Started working on the front engine mounts. I realize no one has replied for a while but I plan to continue updating
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tattooed_pariah Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2006 Posts: 2047 Location: El Cajon, CA
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 4:47 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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keep updating! I don't have any input, but I'm enjoying the show! _________________ -pariah (just a novice from "that other VW site")
'72 Volksrod "Effigy"
"Never worry about stepping on people's toes. People who get their toes stepped on are either sitting down, or standing still on the job."
-Admiral Arleigh Burke, USN(ret.) |
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veeweeman Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2009 Posts: 940 Location: New Port Richey, FL
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:44 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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I'm looking for updates too |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:11 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Thanks and good to know I have at least two spectators! |
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turbotype1 Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2005 Posts: 579 Location: seacoast
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:01 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Danpa wrote: |
I may be wrong but, it appears that the new drivetrain might be quite a bit heavier than the original and the torsion bars in the rear wont be strong enough to support it.
Just my 2 cents...
Dan |
You could get bigger torsion bars to fix this problem... _________________
117harv wrote: |
This new fad of get it the lowest, or run it with the worst looks, (patina) isn't cool, it's for the hey everyone look at me crowd, i'm driving a beat down ratty, unsafe, VW, how cool am I ???...your not....
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Pissing off the purists since 1997
Wanted: Boyd Motors plate frame
57 Turbo Oval Sliding rag
67 13 window delux walk-thru- now 21
64 all original for the misses
83 Sinka m-TDI diesel |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:09 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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turbotype1 wrote: |
Danpa wrote: |
I may be wrong but, it appears that the new drivetrain might be quite a bit heavier than the original and the torsion bars in the rear wont be strong enough to support it.
Just my 2 cents...
Dan |
You could get bigger torsion bars to fix this problem... |
I have some torsion bars from a 1987 944. Are they stiffer than stock and do they fit (right length and splines)? |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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The car is now supporting the weight of the drivetrain. The way I have the spring plates positioned the car sits dead level, as measured by the running board and the half shaft angles are just about perfect. I was able to weld the left frame horn back on and incorporate it into the subframe |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:11 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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tattooed_pariah Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2006 Posts: 2047 Location: El Cajon, CA
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:01 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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this is awesome, i'm stoked to see how it runs!
keep it up man! _________________ -pariah (just a novice from "that other VW site")
'72 Volksrod "Effigy"
"Never worry about stepping on people's toes. People who get their toes stepped on are either sitting down, or standing still on the job."
-Admiral Arleigh Burke, USN(ret.) |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:57 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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Thanks! I'm pretty jazzed about it also. This is a big milestone. I plan to work make the hybrid halfshafts next and/or work on the gearshift linkage. I'm concerned about the clutch linkage though. I though I could find a way to connect the VW cable to the Acura clutch fork, which is operated by an external hydraulic slave cylinder, but I'm starting to think that is impractical. I think I might need to put a hydraulic master in by the pedal. |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:13 am Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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I don't think there is another drivetrain that could move the weight any further forward that preserves the torsion tube and stock style rear suspension. |
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:52 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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I have the gearshift and clutch working
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914turboford Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Pollock Pines, CA 4000' Elevation
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:55 pm Post subject: Re: Longitudinal Acura Legend Drivetrain in a rear engine VW? |
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I didn’t end up using any u joints. Just basically a solid two piece rod that connects the VW shift rod to the Acura shift shaft. I think I will have a normal shift pattern but I probably won’t know until I get it running. I can shift into a lot of gears but not sure I can hit all 7. I need to disable the reverse lockout in the VW shifter. I plan to put a urethane sway bar bushing at the back of the pan for a little support.
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