Bay bus with subby 3.3 mid mounted

m000nshiner · 18 Oct 2011, 7:21 pm

My 69 bus has thrown its original vw auto box due to the power of the subby 3.3 and Ive been looking into my options with 010 autos hard to come by in New Zealand.
Im leaning towards Cutting and removing the chassis rails in front of the torsion bar and Z cutting & replaceing the bar with 100x50 box back to the rear bumper.
Fitting the subby with a 2 wheel drive subaru 4 speed Auto and fitting it in its conventional engine forward configuration so I won't need the reverse cut gears and fabricating a new IRS system using subaru hubs and brakes and drive shafts . I already have the radiator mid mounted under the bus and would make a new rear mount fuel tank.and get a TCU unit working .has anyone seen this configuration or see any major dramas.

ttriebler · 18 Oct 2011, 7:32 pm

The only issue I see is that your weight distribution ends up way more forward. With the engine and trans in the standard configuration they have near perfect 50/50 weight distribution. I guess the only other thing is you will have to chop up floors and create access holes to have the subie mid mounted. If your radiator is mid mounted won't it interfere with your mid mount engine and trans combo?

But a pretty nice project all the same. Good luck with it.

If it doesn't work out I have the parts here for your reversed manual box :-)

m000nshiner · 18 Oct 2011, 7:43 pm

The front of the motor would apear to be no further forward than the seat took up and with the fuel tank previosly being under the seat being repositioned and the bigger auto now hanging rear of the transaxle I dont feel weight bias will be radicaly changed and space inside will change from a seat to a flat matress area.with the same floor area.

mackaymanx · 18 Oct 2011, 7:56 pm

Anything is possible.

http://www.sandscene.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2504

General_Failure · 22 Oct 2011, 12:01 pm

mackaymanx wrote:Anything is possible.

http://www.sandscene.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2504

Funny thing was looking at that picture first thing that popped into mind was "I don't remember doing that to my bay."

I'm not knocking your idea, OP but I would like to understand why. Is it so you can still have an auto box? Also where would the fuel tank be relocated to?

vlad01 · 24 Oct 2011, 2:15 pm

mackaymanx wrote:Anything is possible.

http://www.sandscene.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2504

LOL! is that a buick regal engine!?? mad as 😍

if I was to be given a bay, I want this one. 130kw, 220ft-lb @ 3200rpm of swwweeetness.

wait a minute? my bad. thats a v8, aww 🙁

General_Failure · 1 Nov 2011, 10:25 pm

I should have said, mine is a white walkthrough panel based camper with the guts missing, so for the most part it looks a lot like mine on a quick glance. That one would be a perfect cold weather camper. One mattress each side of the engine 🙂

m000nshiner · 27 Jun 2012, 4:33 pm

removed old gear and try fitting 3.3 and 2wd sub box in mid engine layout. that crossmember will need to go!
[img]https://s13.postimage.org/skzzlpxbr/DSCF0469_640x480.jpg[/img]

[img]https://s7.postimage.org/xuxdn8exj/DSCF0461_640x480.jpg[/img]

[img]https://s16.postimage.org/50562qgv5/DSCF0458_640x480.jpg[/img]

lou0060 · 10 Jul 2012, 5:47 pm

might be easier to build a new sump so that you don't need to remove the cross member and then you can use it to run your engine mouts from.

m000nshiner · 28 Aug 2012, 7:32 am

That would have made it simpler but it would also have left the exhuast ports aiming directly onto the crossmember 😠

Cross member has now gone and new crossmember and trannie support are being slowly fabicated.

Looks good intheir though. 😊