New Chassie help

[681tonburb]

I Have a David Baret chassis and I found a 914 engine and trans axle I had thought about flipping the ring gear and using it rear engine but I think mid engine will work better and I can keep it side shift in stead of adding the expensive 911 nose cone. my body is a fiber fab avenger.
I'm using aluminum Porsche rear arms with turbo breaks and with the mid engine set up the torsion tube may be in the way so I will have to mount the arms and use coil over shocks. if I keep these arms will the arms be ok with out the support of the torsion bar? I could cut the arms short and make to separate arms but indexing them will be crazy .
what do you guys think here is my chassis.
One last thing I have the 944 turbo calipers for the front to match the back and a set of NA hubs to use. My spindles are EMPI 2 1/2 drop . does any one have the info on hoe to use the calipers. The expert on it does not have his machine shop set up yet so I may need to do it on my own,

[Piledriver]

Using 944 arms (or even bug arms) and mid-engine boxer won't work due to the diagonals of the semi trailing arms totally interfering with where you want the engine to be.

At least you have something of a blank slate to work with, 914 rear arms/axles are a possibility, as well as ~grafting on the suspension from a Saturn roadster like the TR42? did.

I have been toying with the idea of using a Porsche 928 "Weissach" rear suspension, either in total or using the idea, eliminates all the nasty trailing throttle oversteer issues, most modern sports cars use essentially that rear suspension toe control geometry (even if not using the same elegant design)

The other upside is it leaves room for a mid-engine boxer in the middle, even if Porsche didn't use it that way for some unknown reason.
(visualize this under an "evolved" 914 or a mid-70s-early 80s 911, but with good manners)
Would involve making a rear subframe, but that's pretty straightforward and could/should be made as a bolt in so everything comes out with 4-6 bolts..

Front view: (appropriated from a for sale ad IIRC on Pelican parts forum)

[681tonburb]

Ya I didn't think about the engine setting right on top of the mont for the arms. I guess I could go back to my original set up and flip the ring gear. If I make my own torsion tub I may not have the interference with the side shifter that you usly have in a bug .I just don't know how to make the shifter work this way. It would probably have to be cable shifted. If not that boxter rear looks like it would not be so bad to make work .

[Piledriver]

The pics etc are of a 928 rear suspension, but the Boxster rear suspension would also work.

The Boxter susp. and rear hoop is an all aluminum multi-link.

[681tonburb]

Ok cool I wonder if I can find a turbo set up from the 928 it would match the turbo 944 brakes I have for the front. I always thoght the 928 was the same as the 944.

[Piledriver]

As far as the calipers, they may very well just fit.
The 928S used aluminum calipers very like the turbo 944 units.

I must note a set of Wilwood forged Dynalites weigh less than 1/2 what even the alloy factory calipers weigh, and cost same or less new vs used Porsche bits. (must make an adapter but its trivial)

The 944 basically used ~Golf mk1 front struts (very similar) and mk1 lower front arms, and a bug rear suspension, although the later wider arms are alloy, they will bolt on as you know. It worked amazingly well for what was largely a parts bin car suspension wise.

[681tonburb]

Ya I had got the 944 stuff cheap $350 for all of it so it was going to work well with the original vw pan then I got this chassis and now I'm thinking of other engine options them the old bug engine .

[Piledriver]

An Audi 4 or 5 cylinder (longitudinal setup) and trans would all turn the right way and I think clear the 944 arms.
If you use coil overs, you can skip the torsion tube entirely, just add the pickups in the right place and use a heim front pivot on the spring plate.
A cable shifter is going to be the best plan in any case.

An Audi 2.2L /5 with a nice turbo would let things ...scoot.. A 1.8T or 2.0T would also work.
I'm not sure how it would fit the car or how hard mounting a radiator would be in that body.

A mid engined Subaru + std subaru trans would work too with the right rear suspension.
(removing the tailshaft setup for the front wheel power doesn't cost much, DIY)

An Ecotech is also a fine motor but then you need trans adapters as it never had a longitudinal mount transaxle attached.

[681tonburb]

If it wasn't for that crazy nose cone needed on the 914 I would just use it but man that nose cone is expencive and for the price I pay to make it wok I'm sure I can come up with something better.

[Piledriver]

Is it a tail shift or a side shift?

With a cable shifter you just need to trim the 914 nosecone and mount it somehow, there was a recent thread on this exact subject...

[Piledriver]

See
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... able+shift

[681tonburb]

Its a side shift from a 1973 with a1.7 engine. Maybe easyest option now is flip the fing gear and mount the engine in rear. Use a cable shifter .

[Jadewombat]

Not sure if you've seen this and I don't know what your budget is, but for a moderate investment this would probably be the best route. Just a lot of cutting to get the body to fit on, but all of that Porsche mid-engined strength and goodness already engineered in:

http://www.germanlook.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11514

I'm sure that there are plenty of these cars that have been rolled up for sale.

[681tonburb]

That's cool but I bet the boxter wasn't cheap .I'm kiming my self for not getting the 944 stuff on the font back when vdubenginering did it. I may try to do it my self so I can use this 944 parts I have .

[Jadewombat]

I just did a search on the ebays and the prices look reasonable actually, one without a motor or trans.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-Boxster ... ars_Trucks

Sell off the glass, doors, bumpers, fenders, etc. and that should more than cover the $2500 they're asking.