Midmounted Mazda Minitruck

[340i]

ive made a couple of changes and then took it to a local car show...













thoughts?

[340i]

can't believe ive had 100,000 youtube views on my videos, exactly a year after i started them! thanks to everyone for watching and all your comments and feedback on my project, im really enjoying it

nick

[340i]

I've heard mixed information about the 6 speed STi gearboxes and whether they can be converted to transaxle or not..

Something to do with the new center diff...

from what i can see, the 5 and 6 speed operate the same in that the drive to the front goes through the secondary gears, so converting them would be the same method, but with different sized splined locking collar. i would've got one made, but this place does them 'off the shelf', so purchased one from aussie. they're mostly used for Saker race cars.

http://www.bremarauto.com/products/subaru-2wd-conversion-kit/

it deletes the centre diff entirely, so what ever type of diffs the 6 speed uses shouldn't matter. i assume...

[180roman]

I've heard mixed information about the 6 speed STi gearboxes and whether they can be converted to transaxle or not..

Something to do with the new center diff...

[340i]

Do you have a drawing or sketch of this? Really interested in how it's going to work.

probably easier if you google image search for 'transaxle'. as 18oroman said above, it'll be the same as a transaxle. ie. the layout in gt40s/ferraris/lambos/etc, only im poor and can't afford the exorbitant amount people charge for porsche gearboxes in new zealand

im hoping this one holds together ok, but if it doesn't, they're dirt cheap to replace, or i can upgrade the internals to take big hp. the other option is to do the same with a 6 speed wrx box, which are much stronger (also more expensive, but still half the price of a porsche box)

[axelillo_PR]

I think I saw the first few post of this but the videos were loading slow so I've ignored this. I feel so dumb

[180roman]

So this will be FWD?
How much HP are you planning?

no

because the engine is mid-mounted, the FWD output of the gearbox drives the rear wheels

By converting the gearbox to FWD it practically becomes a transaxle as use in most mid-engine cars

[Bubwubwub]

So this will be FWD?
How much HP are you planning?

[Spados.]

wow. i like this.
sub'd

[iliescu]

ive got the parts to convert it from 4wd to 2wd so that only the front axle is driven. this locks where the centre diff was, i blank off the back of the box, and all the power goes to the front diff, which is in the front of the gearbox. the drive axles will go up at an angle to the hubs, once i get output shafts, cv's, and custom axles made.

Do you have a drawing or sketch of this? Really interested in how it's going to work.

[340i]

E21 time?

i wish it was, but no thats got to wait

This truck :O WOW

thanks

As fucking awesome as this is, I'm super curious as to how the engine and wheels will be connected.

ive got the parts to convert it from 4wd to 2wd so that only the front axle is driven. this locks where the centre diff was, i blank off the back of the box, and all the power goes to the front diff, which is in the front of the gearbox. the drive axles will go up at an angle to the hubs, once i get output shafts, cv's, and custom axles made.

[DCJodon]

As fucking awesome as this is, I'm super curious as to how the engine and wheels will be connected.

[mshriver]

This truck :O WOW

[TheNeek]

so expect something special...

E21 time?

[340i]

zo mai gawd

mini(truck) update...

ive been designing more parts lately, like brackets for the front parts of the lower rear arms (you can see in the pic above they're not mounted properly yet, just held on from one side), as well as ive got to design and cad a bunch of crush tubes and sleeves for the cantilevers, front pushrods, shockwave chassis mounts, suspension pickups, gear shift links, etc (there is a veeeerrry long list... haha). the reason im cad'ing them is that they're all weird ID's and OD's, so there isn't any off the shelf tube that i can cut up to make them from. lathing them normally/manually is possible, but would take longer, probably cost the same/more, and the finish isn't as good. i also like that when you send someone a part file there is no chance of them messing up dimensions like if i scribble plans on paper and hand it to an engineer.

tonight was fun though, i took a few hours out and helped a mate who's a rally driver and he's building a mitsi evo 3 into a jump car. he wants to break some jump length record, just for fun. i think he's insane, he thinks its a great idea, i said id look after his evo 6 rally car if he dies...

thats it for now, next video will be up in early feb. im getting some filming and editing assistance for this one, so expect something special...