I,m new to the Locost way of driving & living but been interested in Kit-Cars since I was a boy, anyway enough of that crap, I have a nice tidy garage with a mechanicaly sound 102000 miles 309gti in it but the wife said build a Locost get rid of Gti, but I love this car, so I want to take some of it onwards to create the Locost. My questions are, how do I convert to rear wheel drive, what gearbox and propshaft would link this engine a 309gti 8 valve xu to a Cortina or Escort rear Diff and Axle. Any help and advice is greatly appreciated, cheers.

With 100k on the clock, would it not be wiser to use a diferent engine? as i have never seen a RWD conversion for pugs, and the engine may start to give ye grief. For all the hastle, would it not be easier to take a proven route...

The proven route it shall be, I got a price today for this rear wheel drive conversion and it was way beyond what anyone would pay, I know a guy who has a ford cortina mk2 1600pinto mechanicaly sound but heeving with rust, so my final plan is the engine from the cortina, I've got a 5sp type 9 gearbox, propshaft and capri rear axle for a beefy rear end, so i will have a spare axle, propshaft and cortina 4sp box if one needs them make me an offer.

I forgot, I will also have the steering column and steering rack from the cortina as I am going Ron Champion's route for the front end and have the escort steering system, I'm also doing the rear end as per the book but will be using very macho rear wings.

Hi Markis,

I have been looking into this as well, as I really wanted to use an Mi16 Pug engine for my Tiger Avon. I figured the light weight and high power combination was ideal, and I know them inside out!

The furthest I got was that the LDV vans use Pug XU diesel engines mated to a rover RWD box. In theory you could use this to build with an XU petrol engine. I don't know how it would work out with gear ratios, but some adjustment could be made at the rear diff to compensate if necessary. There are a host of other problems though, mainly to do with the way Pug engines are fitted at an angle, which puts the inlet manifold right where the steering column wants to go.

It might be worth pointing out that in the end I decided to use a 2.0L pinto in the end, which is working out double easy and nice n'cheap. I think it will still go well enough!

HTH

Nick

I wish you hadn't said that about the steering column! I am going to use a Citroen 16v motor in an Indy chassis and will not be deflected! Worse still, somebody saying the inlet manifold is where the steering column needs to be just acts as a spur to me to go and do it anyway. Besides, I have a cunning plan! On the 16v motor the inlet manifold is on the left as you look at it from the clutch end and the exhaust on the right. Now, the exhaust manifold would be in the way, but since the exhaust ports are in a nice neat little horizontal line I plan to cut the flanges off, turn the manifold through 180degrees and weld it back on. I'd ratehr not use a proprietary manifold 'cos the standard one is supposed to be OK and, as it has 8 exhaust ports in the head looks like a snakes wedding and would probably cost an arm and a leg to have made! I the above doesn't work I'll just re-angle the sump & oil pickup and mount the engine vertically, with a corresponding lump in the bonnet of course! If I ever get the cash to buy the kit I'll let you know how I get on.