c20xe build, what could go wrong?!

[Pikey]

right so ive been following 16v minis for a while now, and finally decided to bite the bullet. i bought a mini a few years back, and restored it, in my garage, until i had it as a 998.


after running it round for a while, i accidentally blew the head gasket and managed to cook the head on it

i then bought a 1275, and fitted that into the car.


along with the fiesta mk1 brake conversion


which allowed me to fit my 10" wheels
#

so i drove it round and enjoyed it but one thing kept on breaking on it, and another, and eventually i got fed up i took it off the road.

in the meantime ive been searching this forum gathering ideas from different people and lst weekend i bit the bullet and bought my c20xe engine, made the long 5 hour journey from swansea to barnsley, and put it in the back (somehow) of my 206!!



obviously i then had to take it out, but that was much easier with the help of a my tractror



this c20xe has a saab gearbox bolted to it, which is the equivalent to a f20 so im told, so trying to find out more about it so i can find and buy some driveshafts, gear linkage and gearstick with the crate thingy.

thats all for now

pike

[M J W J]

Originally Posted by Pikey

this c20xe has a saab gearbox bolted to it, which is the equivalent to a f20 so im told, so trying to find out more about it so i can find and buy some driveshafts, gear linkage and gearstick with the crate thingy.

pike

When people fit the saab FM gearboxes and B204/234 engines into the MK3 astra they have to use the short shaft from the saab and the long shaft from the astra. The splines match up perfectly but the box is physically wider so a shorter shaft is needed the one side.

This isn't an issue with the astra as there is room to spare in the engine bay but in a mini it will most likely be tight.

Also the rear gearbox mount used is off the FM gearbox which bolts up to the holes in the vauxhall k frame. The vauxhall mount will however not bolt up to the gearbox so you will have problems with bolting an all speed gearbox mount to the saab gearbox.

A standard vauxhall mechanical linkage will connect up the saab gearbox.

I hope this helps. I spent a while trying to figure out if you could bolt a Z19DTH engine into a mk3 astra and spent a lot of time looking at the saab conversions.

[Pikey]

Originally Posted by M J W J

When people fit the saab FM gearboxes and B204/234 engines into the MK3 astra they have to use the short shaft from the saab and the long shaft from the astra. The splines match up perfectly but the box is physically wider so a shorter shaft is needed the one side.

This isn't an issue with the astra as there is room to spare in the engine bay but in a mini it will most likely be tight.

Also the rear gearbox mount used is off the FM gearbox which bolts up to the holes in the vauxhall k frame. The vauxhall mount will however not bolt up to the gearbox so you will have problems with bolting an all speed gearbox mount to the saab gearbox.

A standard vauxhall mechanical linkage will connect up the saab gearbox.

I hope this helps. I spent a while trying to figure out if you could bolt a Z19DTH engine into a mk3 astra and spent a lot of time looking at the saab conversions.

cheers for the info mate! i was planning on making my own subframe so the positioning of the mounts are flexible atm, im gonna try and run this saab box cause its got some lsd in it or something, plus money is abit tight these days

as for the shafts, i think as long as i was to sleeve and make my own i think i could make it work?

if not ill have to invest in an f20 box, but we'll see how it goes!

if im doing anything blatantly wrong please tell me cause im new to all this 16v

cheers again for the reply!!!!

[Pikey]

oh and i managed to pick up a shifter with rod change on the crate quite cheaply on ebay last night, so thats 1 thing off the list !!!

[Pikey]

right then, bit of an update.

got myself a parcel the other night, which included my gear shifter and rod thingy, which i had for a bargain off ebay, and also an air flow meter.


ive also been working on an engine hoist, for this project. i built one and used it to get my 1275 in/out/in/out but wasnt happy with the design.

so after a bit of fiddling and fabricating i came up with this

this is at full lift, so should be enough.

and just to prove, it does lift the redtop easily



off to take the 1275 out now, and maybe cut the front end off, scary stuff.

cheers pike

[matt skidd]

Hi bud welcome to the XE life off stress and expense haha

[Birdman]

Oh Yeah, another XE build - bring it on.

[M J W J]

Originally Posted by Pikey

cheers for the info mate! i was planning on making my own subframe so the positioning of the mounts are flexible atm, im gonna try and run this saab box cause its got some lsd in it or something, plus money is abit tight these days

as for the shafts, i think as long as i was to sleeve and make my own i think i could make it work?

if not ill have to invest in an f20 box, but we'll see how it goes!

if im doing anything blatantly wrong please tell me cause im new to all this 16v

cheers again for the reply!!!!

Only issue you may have is the length of your shorter drive shaft. If its too short then you may end up with CV joints binding on full lock.

If you are building your own frame though you should be able to get it to work.

You could always look at swaping the B234 turbo engine in at a later date. Hmmmm... turbo...

[Pikey]

Originally Posted by matt skidd

Hi bud welcome to the XE life off stress and expense haha

cheers mate! i know haha so far havent actually spent anything cause using funds acquired from selling the 1275 and other parts, but can deffo see it getting expensive soon

[Pikey]

Originally Posted by Birdman

Oh Yeah, another XE build - bring it on.

aye aye nice little challenge anyway!!

[Pikey]

Originally Posted by M J W J

Only issue you may have is the length of your shorter drive shaft. If its too short then you may end up with CV joints binding on full lock.

If you are building your own frame though you should be able to get it to work.

You could always look at swaping the B234 turbo engine in at a later date. Hmmmm... turbo...

thanks for the heads up mate! looking forward to making the frame but can imagine a lot of headwork and tea will be consumed

hahaha possibly, maybe in the future, i mean how hard can it be to swap them over eh....

[Pikey]

so engine was finally sold to a chap from surrey, and the strip down of the car begun.



and then a bit of messing around here and there and some grinder work and i cut the seams.



i tried to plan out taking it off methodically and faffed around abit, in the end i just bit the bullet and thought melons it



the front end came off in good condiion, anyone need any bits??



and this is how she stands now, just a few of the engine bay bits to come out now



then i had a bit of a clean up, got some welding to do on the buvket of the tractor now, so minis put on hold.



cheers

pike

[Baldingbeast]

I am looking forward to watching your progress, I am also venturing into the c20xe world, but am no where near brave enough to tackle making my own Sub frame. I would be happy to send you some measurements off my bought in Frame if you need them at all.

Cheers.

Andy.

[Pikey]

Originally Posted by Baldingbeast

I am looking forward to watching your progress, I am also venturing into the c20xe world, but am no where near brave enough to tackle making my own Sub frame. I would be happy to send you some measurements off my bought in Frame if you need them at all.

Cheers.

Andy.

cheers mate!! that would be most handy, such as where the mounts and stuff go, brilliant!! yeah i enjoy the fabrication work, and being an appretince cannot afford a allspeed subframe, so home made was the best way to go i think

cheers pike

[Pikey]

just a quick question, what suspension set up are people using? im keeping the cones, so i take it the red dot cones? what shock absorbers (equivalent springs) are people using? and also where do you get these from?
gonna have adjustable bottom arms and adjustable tie bars.

just curious and trying to plan ahead.

cheers pike