I just bought a V-8 conversion out of San Diego. Was looking for some input on it. I know the Tranny is a weak point in these conversions. Has anyone had any issues with these blowing up at high revs? Also any idea of what my future looks like with this car? Maintenance, headaches, anything un expected. I am a first time poster and am looking for any info i can get. I posted the link below.



http://clients.automanager.com/005654/vehi...door+coupe.html

nice car

it looks like they have that 901 first gear removed or locked out, that's a good thing. the first gear just kind of hangs off the back of the stack unsupported and is the first thing to go bang on a high torque engine swap.

the tranny will cope ok as long as you don't do clutch drop launches and treat it like a muscle car.

there are a couple of v8 convert guys around here in the pnw and I'm sure they will speak up here.

we'll have to get the teener tuesadys started up again soon and meet up with you.

Probably want to pick up a cover for the shifter on the transmission.

Looks well put together.

Make some permanent bracketing on that rippled radiator hose near the outboard water pump.
When the heat of the engine bay causes the large zip tie to fail, that coolant hose will get munched on the pump pulley. Also with the coolant copper piping running under the unibody AVOID speed bumps.
Also your brake prop. valve is replaced with a tee fitting, but some folks like to run with it, do a search and read up on this. Replace the dust boot over the (firewall) shifter joint for good measures. Otherwise it is a clean Renegade car !
MartyClick to view attachment

Looks to be well sorted. Yeah the 901 will handle it without the use of first. Also if you are smart & don't do Clutch drop as Troy mentioned. The 901 is stout but you are on the upper range. So hammering down on the throttle isn't a good idea. With that horsepower you won't need to anyway. So if you are a sensible driver you'll be just fine. Congrats &

Looks like a nicely sorted car!

You might want to look into getting some "H" gears for 5th, as it will reduce the cruising revs. Do you know output of engine? As others have said, 901 will live at 300 bhp/300 torque if not abused.

Also, I don't know what clutch is fitted, but my kit came with a Kevlar disc that's good for 500 bhp…way overkill for my 300-bhp engine…so I replaced it with a more conventional disc from Kennedy Engineered Products, and the clutch take-up is much smoother now.

Good luck!

Just checked your VIN 4742916900 in the VIN database; it had been entered in it's previous life.

You can update by adding the VIN again

Did someone use copper pipe?It looks like something you would see in some-ones home. I would change that to some thing that will last.You can do better.

Copper pipe is fine. This is a clean conversion and it obviously works.

I dont think its a renegade car, the cooling setup is much different.


Great looking car! Looks well sorted and has high quality parts on it.

What did you pick it up for?

Buy a spare throttle cable and clutch cable and keep them in the trunk. With the v8 heat the clutch cable might break. The throttle cable is always something that has the potential to break because of all the bends required for the carb.

Just buy factory style Terry cables from Pelican Parts or similar, nothing custom here.

Yes, there's quite a few SBC conversions here on the board. Yours looks very well put together. Copper pipes are fine, but like said stay away from speed bumps. You might want to get rid of the air cleaner...they are notorious for catching on fire.
Nice car...they are a ton of fun to drive.
Mark

Nice good looker. Looks like a fun car.

Better check the nut holding the nylon pulley for the clutch cable... looks like its ready to come off.

Thanks for the feedback. The car is paid for... Flying down on the 23rd to pick it up. First car ever bought before a test drive. I did have a buddy of mine drive it and he like it alot. I will hit you guys up when i get it up here. I paid much less than the asking price. Often it is not what you know it is who...

Shoot some pics for viewing; sounds like a great find !

Man I really like how the bodywork was done. Looks very custom but not weird at all which is hard to pull off. The bumpers look nice and thin and so do the front flares. That radiator setup is unique too. You might want to pick up some padding for the roll cage. Even the slight banging around while you get used to the car can be painful on the noggin, knees, and elbows.

Copper will work,maybe! You will never see it on Aircraft or on a new car. I would use it until it fails.The car looks great but I would like it better if it was mine.

You might want to PM member 914GT about the cooling pipes. I think he used iron or something, he can jack the car up on those things.. no worries about breaking.

I don't see any fresh air ventilation, looks like the cowl air entry is blanked off, don't know if it has any heat either, photos don't show enough detail

Sellhammer, before the San Diego dealership bought your car, the PO had it on craigslist in LA. It was in Feb of last year. I dont know if there is a way to do historical search on craigslist. I was looking for a teener at that time so i printed the ad (2 page description). Pm me an address and i mail it to you, in case you want to compare it to the info the dealer gave you. In his ad, he says it is a Renegade conversion. Dave

The engine set up is Renegade. That is their non-A/C kit for SBC (not the serpentine set up like my car).

The radiator setup is definitely NOT Renegade. I've never seen anything like that, and I suspect it may be a custom one off. Very interesting though. I'll be curious to hear how well it functions. Certainly has plenty of exhaust air exit.

nice car.