OK, I'm trying to simulatenously talk myself into and out of doing a REPU body on a custom frame with all FD drivetrain.

I've got a starter REPU located, it's got a piston motor in it but is pretty much straight and accident free.

I've also got a motor and trans from a 94 along with ALL the wiring, front and rear suspension, brakes, fuel tank, wheels, tires, etc from a 93 R1. I've got all the drivetrain bolted together sitting on the floor, just like one of the pics in the Yamaguchi book of a FD drivetrain.

There is also a custom hot rod builder near me that does work relatively resonably that could make a new frame mounting the FD drivetrain, suspension, etc and bolt up to the body. He has done several C4 Vette drivetrains in 30s and 40s hot rods, so that is pretty straightforward.

My questions are a couple silly things. Where does a FD shifter come out of the trans in relation to the REPU trans? Would the FD motor fit in the REPU engine compartment without clearancing the firewall?

The track width on the REPU is actually really similar to the FDs. The front is 1/2" wider, the rear is the same IIRC.

Any thoughts and/or insights on something like this?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

Trade you a ride in my LS1 powered FD for a ride in your 13brew REPU

Anyhow, I can't be of any help, 'cause I don't know anyting about REPU's. Good luck though.

 

do it, I cant wait to see it when you finish it.

 

I don't think I'd bother with the FD's PPF.

 

You might also want to think about lengthening the cab section to alow for bucket seats and a more comfortable driving compartment.

 

I'd keep the PPF but it would be a different part. The truck has a longer wheelbase IIRC.

I don't want to lengthen the cab as that would add time and $$ that I don't really have.

 

I don't know the length of the FD tranny in comparison to a 81-85 transmition, but I do know that a 81-85 transmition makes it so the shifter is 4~5" from the factory bench seat. I actually liked it in my repu.

Something to think about is what year of repu you're getting into. The 74s had the best gearing, but the 77s had the longest cab. I liked my 74 the best.

Someday I'm going to build anouther repu, this time turbo charged. The peripheral was fun but just had to aggressive of an idle for how old I'm getting.

Anyways, Jeff, even if you don't want to do the project depending on price/condition I would'nt mind picking it up. CJ

 

Hey CJ, thanks for the info. I guess I don't care about the gearing, it will be all FD gearing. I'm planning on putting the complete rear FD suspension, subframe, diff and brakes in it.

I'm also wondering how much room there will be for an IC. I was planning on running on stock twins. I was going to cut up the stock y-pipe and weld it so that it pointed right at the front of the truck. That would simpilfy IC plumbing.

Of course this might all be going on hold, I'm 99% positive that my R1 started using coolant on Sunday. Bubbles come out of the coolant when it is cold.

 

What I need is a top view of a pic like this. Where is the back of the engine relative to the center of the wheels? That will determine where the FD motor will sit in the engine compartment.

http://www.mazdarepu.com/Gallery/ind...oads/nocab.jpg

 

this probably won't be much help, but here is a picture of the location of the stick shift.

http://www.sdsefi.com/features/13b3.jpg

And this is a picture of the engine bay.

http://www.sdsefi.com/features/13b1.jpg

Not that this will help either....

CJ

 

I like the hole in your oil filler cap.

 

I'm not sure (no repu's overhere) about trannies etc, but since all 13B's are the same (well, dimension wise that is ) the FD engine should sit right where the old engine sits / sat. The tranny length might mean a new/custom driveshaft etc, but I guess that was clear to you anyway. You'll have to take a good look at the engine mounts aswell, I'd reckon. These will be a lot different. Since the plans include a highly modified/custom frame, it shouldn't be a problem to incorporate engine mounts though.
The engine will fit into the engine bay, but I'd think you'll have some fun with all the goodies around it.
Sounds like a nice project though.

 

Yeah I know the engine will fit in the bay. I was planning on using the FD front subframe (rear too). The front subframe has the suspension, steering rack and engine mounts on it. This pretty much locates the engine relative to the wheels, which in turn locates the engine relative to the body of the truck.

I'm not planning on having AC, PS is a possibility and is actually a good idea for me since I plan on auto-xing it.