ae86 to sr20 conversion xmemba and mounts

[aeadzy86]

deciding whether i want to use ae86 xmemba or sr xmemba for my ae86 sr conversion . I'm after a strong, reliable build so i figure ae86 xmemba with custom engine and tranny mounts will be the strongest option i could be wrong, what do you guys reckon? i do have money in mind, id like to save money where possible but dont wanna take any shortcuts. would like your thoughts ad opinions? anyone done this conversion would love to hear how you guys went getting the motor in and what pathway you took, and any dramas you encountered which i could possibly try and avoid.

[DRFTR86]

ae86 x member with mounts is the go, with s13 x member, you either need to modify it to take stock rack or fit s13 which leads to a shit load of problems

[--Redwork--]

I have a X member and mounts I'm not using if your intersted.. $150... Brisbane



conversion I pretty easy.... Long as you got a welder to do the tunnel and make a gear box member. Which is dead easy, just need some RHS and a bit of anlge.

[Sam-Q]

I was under the impression that running the S13 crossmember stuffs up your geometry. Also in the car I saw it sat the engine too far back.

Seeing this just reminds me how I won't get to make these mounts till next year, so frustrating!

[H8CHIR6KU]

just cut off the mounts from the sr crossmember and weld them onto the 86 crossmember.

shibam!

[Sam-Q]

for all that effort wouldn't it be easier to just fab up some mounts and make the process reversible?

edit: not a rhetorical question, I am literally asking. I haven't done either yet you see.

[Evocom]

mine has a s14 crossmember up front that just took a little filling of the mounting holes for it to fit from what im told. engine sits in a nice spot and only had the trans tunnel/firewall modded to allow the box to come out on its own. running silvia suspension and pwr steering as well but i believe the lcas have been modded for increased castor. handles great but looks like it could have possibly been a headache getting it all to work. maybe it depends if you want to run power steering as to which path will be best for you. Good luck.

[DRFTR86]

Sams on the money and when he copies fatkes mounts this will leterally be bolt in affiar with standard ae86 mounts, we didnt even touch fatkes tunnel other than the shifter hole, imo wait till sams finished copying the mounting kit

[H8CHIR6KU]

for all that effort wouldn't it be easier to just fab up some mounts and make the process reversible?

edit: not a rhetorical question, I am literally asking. I haven't done either yet you see.

it really isnt that much effort at all. takes an hour to cut them off and weld them on. the hardest part was just getting it so the motor sits in straight.
as far as being able to reverse it i dont know too many people that go back to 4age from sr20.

if your not modifying your tunnel to get the trans to fit your not sitting the engine back far enough imo.

[Beau]

easy option. Not one id choose.. but here you go..

http://www.jspfab.com/catalog/i60.html

some other info

http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=43187

You better off making it yourself. I wouldnt bother asking on a forum cause you are gonna get a lot of incorrect information off a large majority ppl that have NOT done it rather just giving you second hand info.

Get your research on!

[boost+k]

86 crossmember... i just folded up some bits of steel, cut a slot in them, bolted to the engine and dropped in, tacked in place, remove engine and welded up.... cost me nothing cause the steel was lying around at work, didn't have to bash firewall, but it is a prick to try and change box in car, that might be partly due to the weight of the sr box, would be sweet with a hoist and jack/trolly thing

[Gunner]

just make up a cradle for the gearbox, and weld it to a trolley jack.

[FAST EDDIE]

gbox x member i just made mine out of right angle and bits of flat, ,easier than modifying the 86 or the s13 one.

[FAST EDDIE]

the only way you can make an sr fit in an 86 or ke without modifying the tunnel using origional toyota xmember is by tilting the fk out of the engine which is gayer than aids because they sit dead flat in a silvia!! or modify the sump which is double gayer than aids

[Sam-Q]

thats odd because the engine in FatKE's car is straight up, I didn't check for sump mods though. Are we talking SR trans or CA? big difference here...

[FAST EDDIE]

i dont meen straight as in horizontal looking front on at the car i meen horizontal loooking side on, i use rb20 gboxes same front as sr (for clearance issues). i though ca boxes wer the same as an rb20 look exactly the same if different must be scaled down? rb boxes are weak as fk so wouldnt like to see a ca box behind an sr if they are smaller?

oh they do sit on a slight angle looking front on horizontaly, the sump is on an angle too

[Sam-Q]

I dont know about sizing between the two but I do know two things, the CA and SR boxes have the same gearset and therefore the same strength, how RB boxes fit in I don't know. The other thing is that FatKE's engine and gearbox looking from side on is pointing directly at the nose of the diff which is ideal. No hearsay here, I made that trans mount and we where in and out from under his car in the rain to get it right.

[FAST EDDIE]

correct the engine wll face towards the diff but it still will have a big lean backwards which just isnt right (probably no good reason just think it is shiz)

[aeadzy86]

thanks for all the replies, i'm just gonna make up some bits myself then

[Sam-Q]

well FatKE's engine wasn't like that, it was ideal. I am thinking this is another people using the SR instead of KE box thing all over again.

[Matt-AE86]

Seem's like you guys are getting confused with the boxes

SR and CA box are identical inside and out besides the front bellhousing section.

The difference with the RB20 is the rear half where the shifter part is, its more forward than the CA and SR one. That is the reasoning to using an RB20 box. Internally they are the same and obviously the CA or SR bellhousing bolts on.

[Sam-Q]

nah not me. The trans tunnel is a decent size in our cars. It's only the SR's crazy bellhousing size that causes the real issue. The CA one being smaller can fit without much problems. I need to go and take some details pics of this engine install.

[Sam-Q]

ok I take back whatever I said, it looks like that a CA gearbox can only bolt on with a SR front half of the box which totally defeats the purpose

[Matt-AE86]

I guess its why people never have issues putting CA's into 86's KE's etc.

[adam_loves_hachi_roku]

i have rb20 box in mine too, and it tilts forward i think, the reason for rb20 is cos its shorter than sr and ca but also goes onto the sr bellhousing therefore your shiter doesnt pop up where your handbrake is...this is the case with my SR 86, cant speak for others

[skin]

i just ripped the ca out of my ke70, its using the s13 rack and handled fine. Putting an s14 sr20 in. Plan is to fix all these problems with oxy and a sledge hammer :)

[Sam-Q]

did you use the S13 steering rack also?

[skin]

yes without the PS hooked up, wasnt too bad but just bought a gazelle rack to put in.

[skin]

that first post was supposed to say i used the s13 x member not rack, but yea both have been used

[Sam-Q]

you see that's why it worked, if you use both there geometry should be right. This is why I can get away with using modded corolla crossmembers for TA22 celicas.

[skin]

ah intersting, also running those rose jointed tie rod ends with big spacers so you rack ends dont go up at an angle. with s13 suspension too

[FAST EDDIE]

ah intersting, also running those rose jointed tie rod ends with big spacers so you rack ends dont go up at an angle. with s13 suspension too

thats a definate so ive learned!!

[FAST EDDIE]

yes without the PS hooked up, wasnt too bad but just bought a gazelle rack to put in.

wish someone had told em that would work earler lol, leigh pointed that out to me after id already put the ps in and it su compared to non ps!!