Saw a brief discussion of this before but was wondering if anyone had any more info.
I was thinking about trying to use a 2L omega as a donor. they should be bullet proof in a Locost but the only problems I can see are:
Engine too high - seen threads about this and from what I have seen it shouldnt be too hard to chop the sump.
Heavy diff, gearbox etc????? dunno about this.
2.5 or 3L would be nice but a bit big I feel.
Any thoughts or links to engine info etc would be great.
Andy
Scuose Monkey,
The 2ltr is the ecotec i believe, about 138bhp standard. the gearboxes (i thought) were alloy, though you can get a manta box that is definately alloy
and will fit.
if the sump is steel you can cut/shut it to be shallower (need to add wings to hold the oil) or can buy one ready done from yukspeed for £130ish or
from SBD (prob more expensive)
Personally I'm going the 2ltr Xe vauxhall route, but if you've already got the car, why not!
You would need to mod chassis for uprights/axle/steering i suspect or use ford bits from scrappy.
Ned.
The Omega is an interesting thought as they must be available at very low prices and the engines have good tuning potential.
How wide is the rear track though - must be considerably wider than the mark 2 escort!
I am certainly interested in how htis thread develops.
cheers for info Ned. I don't have an Omega but I am sure one can be found quite cheap and the rest of the car like switch gear etc should be
pretty modern and may be quite useful. I am quite tempeted to see if this could be a good donor.
138Bhp is not too shoddy and I bet it has bags of torque and a nice flat torque curve for lazy driving int he Omega = lots of fun in a locost!
What engine is this? Is it just a standard Vauxhall 2L like a Vectra etc.
If the rear track is too wide I am sure shorter driveshafts are not hard to come by. I think the rear track is 1530mm compared to about 1300mm (?)
for a Mk2 Escort (I think).
Would quite like to get some decent pics of Omega components and engine data if anyone knows any sites.
Engine pics and data in Japanese...here
3 Litre looks tempting and has 205Bhp and 270Nm - proabably too heavy to turn though!
just looked at the link, the engine is definately the ecotec, basically an xe with a different head (had to change the valve angles for emission laws)
i think it's 136 bhp as it has 136ps on the jap site.
if you're going to go v6, then go 3ltr, probably the same block/casing as the 2.5, just bored out (thats a guess!).
re: track, don't know the measurements but you can get sierra driveshafts narrowed (one of the kit manufacturers does it) so i'm sure you
could get omega ones shortened if necessary, otherwise just design your chassis to incorporate it.
Personally I'm going to go with a proven chassis and sierra IRS with vauxhall xe/manta gearbox.
Best of luck, let us know how you get on/what you decide to do.
Ned.
I've got a 2.5 Omega Estate as the family car. I recently measured up the engine with a view to getting one for another project I'm
doing.
The V6's are quite short and compact, they're set well back into the bulkhead, with the consequence of having a crappy steering arrangement
with various vagueness inducing drop links.
The only dimension I can find is 35" from bellhousing to gearstick.
In a heavy car like the Omega, they lack torque and have a marqued step in power delivery (ECU's setup for emissions)
The gearbox doesn't like being rushed, and I suspect a quick shift will outpace the synchromeshes by some considerable margin.
If you need more dimensions, let me know and I'll give you vague ideas from my tape measure.
Neil.
p.s. Review I wrote of the Omega here: http://www.carsurvey.org/review_38756.html
and while I'm at it, my good old Nissan... http://www.carsurvey.org/review_24962.html
I was actually thinking of using a 2 litre carlton as a donor at one point.. An omega would definatley make a good donor with the V6 3l.. Me other
halfs dad has a 3 litre 24v senator ex police car which would make an excellent kit donor car
quote:
... has a 3 litre 24v senator ex police car which would make an excellent kit donor car
