Mighty boy with *complete* '09-'14 alto conversion. And widebody. Technical daydream discussion
Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:32 pm
I've been daydreaming for a little while that I would like to transplant a new Alto into a mighty boy (I've seen a 2014 model for sale as damaged/salvage vehicle still driveable for $2500).
However transplanting just the engine seems like it wouldn't be that much less work than trying to adapt the entire front mechanicals (On most modern cars, everything exciting is attached to the one removable section of the frame, with the exception of the strut tops and sometimes the sway bar chassis mounts).
Of course then I'm left with a front end a full 20cm wider than it should be, and that much wider than the stock rear end as well. So I might as well install the alto *rear* as well.
That bit is probably more complicated though, as it appears that none of the mighty boy 'strong' points (I use the term loosely) are in the right spot for a torsion beam rear end. I'm not sure if it's a case of cutting the rear section of the alto floor and ninja-ing it up to the cervo/mighty boy floor pan, but it seems like that's a feasible option, as that gets me a 35L EFI fuel tank as well as all of the right suspension pickup points.
After all the ninja technical wizardry I'm left with a Mighty Boy with a much more modern engine, suspension & brakes, a larger EFI fuel tank, a metric f***ton of wiring to do and wheels that are poking out of the guards a full 100mm each side. I'll need bolt-on flares, because badass.
While I'm at it I would turbocharge it, because the stock engine management system isn't going in anyway (throttle response is crap and it probably depends on the whole safety alphabet AND security systems being installed, which is a job almost as big as the mechanical aspect). And while it's going to be the wildest looking road registered mighty boy, it might as well be the fastest too...
Also considered was the same job to my SS80v hatch. But Mighty Boy's are cooler & I have a spare one that needs a new rear section lying around anyway.
Any thoughts? Have any of you ever done a project this big before? Would it be easier to adapt the mighty boy *body* to the Alto floorpan?
However transplanting just the engine seems like it wouldn't be that much less work than trying to adapt the entire front mechanicals (On most modern cars, everything exciting is attached to the one removable section of the frame, with the exception of the strut tops and sometimes the sway bar chassis mounts).
Of course then I'm left with a front end a full 20cm wider than it should be, and that much wider than the stock rear end as well. So I might as well install the alto *rear* as well.
That bit is probably more complicated though, as it appears that none of the mighty boy 'strong' points (I use the term loosely) are in the right spot for a torsion beam rear end. I'm not sure if it's a case of cutting the rear section of the alto floor and ninja-ing it up to the cervo/mighty boy floor pan, but it seems like that's a feasible option, as that gets me a 35L EFI fuel tank as well as all of the right suspension pickup points.
After all the ninja technical wizardry I'm left with a Mighty Boy with a much more modern engine, suspension & brakes, a larger EFI fuel tank, a metric f***ton of wiring to do and wheels that are poking out of the guards a full 100mm each side. I'll need bolt-on flares, because badass.
While I'm at it I would turbocharge it, because the stock engine management system isn't going in anyway (throttle response is crap and it probably depends on the whole safety alphabet AND security systems being installed, which is a job almost as big as the mechanical aspect). And while it's going to be the wildest looking road registered mighty boy, it might as well be the fastest too...
Also considered was the same job to my SS80v hatch. But Mighty Boy's are cooler & I have a spare one that needs a new rear section lying around anyway.
Any thoughts? Have any of you ever done a project this big before? Would it be easier to adapt the mighty boy *body* to the Alto floorpan?