Engine Converted, Plus Other Progress

This summer's been extremely busy for me. I just moved back into the area after living in Alaska for nearly a decade, and California for 5 years before that, so friends and family have been a priority in my life.

That said, I'm still manageing to find time to work on my car.

I got my converted oil pan and oil cooler/filter blockoff plates in the mail this week. Sunday, I endeavored to test fit them. I must say, I'm impressed with Dan McMahan's work:

The left hand plate blocks off the stock oil cooler location. The right side is the oil filter blockoff. Out of the frame, up and right, is a third plate that routes coolant to the water-oil cooler which is now gone. That third plate has its water oulet to the oil cooler welded shut. The modified oil filter sits on the bottom. I'll be adding 1/2" NPT fittings, braided lines, and a remote oil filter kit once I finalize the engine mounting location.

Speaking of, more progress was made there last night:

It fits!

I have 10 inches or so from the center of the rear axle to the center of the final drive on the engine. Roughly 23 inches of chain will be running in use -- I need to keep that puppy oiled and cooled off, probably with a purpose-built air duct. We shall see. I have enough room for a direct drive, though.



Next steps, I suppose, are finalizing mounting locations and method. Based on geometry, I and certain I can use the factory mount points in such a way as to secure the engine without any problems. Once I finalize the mounting location, I'll need to weld the chassis back together. Currently, I'm looking like this:

Updated Cost Breakdown

Now that I've managed to get into the bulk of the conversion project, I have a much clearer idea of actual cost. I thought, as a service to those considering this route, I'd give an updated cost projection. This only includes items that are part of the conversion, not unrelated items that I am doing in the course of my project.

• Powerplant: 2007 GSXR600 engine (with ECU, etc)
• $675 (actual)
• Exhaust system - Header, manifold, pipe, muffler
• $500 (hard quote)
• Power Transmission - I've opted to go with direct drive. Sprockets + hardware.
• :$200 dollars (actual, rounded)
• Motor Mount - basic mild steel
• $100 (estimate, but a high one)
• Clutch, Throttle, Shifter cables
• $200 (actual, rounded for clarity)
• Paddle shifter + mechanical throttle blipper (still in design/thinking stage)
• $200 (High estimate -- aluminum plate and bar stock)
• Power Commander 3 (I still think I can manage this)
• $125 (used) (Actual)
• 530 chain
• $50 (hard quote)
• Two new Facet low pressure Fuel Pumps
• $100 (hard quote)
• New Fuel lines
• $100 (estimate)
• New silicone radiator hoses
• $100 (hard quote)
• Remote Oil Filter  (adapter, filter assembly)
• $175 (actual)
• Fuel Surge Tank (modified from old welding cylinder)
• $100 (estimate)
• Oil Pan modification -- not going with a billet solution. Baffled, modified stock pan
• $300 (actual)
• Upgraded heat shielding and firewalls (because burning to death sucks)
• $200 (estimate)
• New Fuel Pressure Regulator
• $150 (actual, rounded)
• Stock GSXR gauge assembly
• $65, ebay,used. (actual)
• Wiring Harness Modification
• $200 (actual)
• DOM Tubing
• $100 (hard quote)
• Misc Hardware
• $300 (estimate)
• Sold old clutches, exhaust, motor, etc
• -$800 (estimate, however $650 is already collected)

Okay, so. Total project cost, and most of this is already quoted or actually spent:

$,2940

Contrast this with the estimate for what it would have cost me to do a 593 conversion, which was 22-2500 dollars, depending on what I could salvage from the current setup.

So. A rebuild of the old 494 was going to run me 600-800 dollars: Net cost increase, ~$2240
And, it's only 700 - 400 more than a 593 conversion.

You're going to see lots of competing figures and opinions presented as 'facts' when you're researching this issue. The above is a true, accurate conversion cost. I'll post my final numbers when I'm finished, but I would bet dollars to donuts that I come within 10% of the 2940 estimate. Don't let the people quoting 5k to 8k scare you off.

The work continues...

I had a productive weekend.

As it turns out, I needed to cut away two rear structural members in order to fit the engine. For lack of less than an inch, I had to make the modifications. That's okay, though, because now, since I'm going to have t redo the fiberglass shell for the back part of the car anyhow, I have free license to upgrade the geometry of the car. The structure has been cut, and will stay that way until I have the engine installed. I'll build the structure around the engine.

The cut tube will be replaced with two horizontal tubes that tie into the mid-point of the roll hoop, roughly 18 inches from the bottom. These tubes will fully triangulate the rear section, with an included bolt-on frame member that will attach with close-tolerance AN bolts. That's probably overkill, but it sure can't hurt.

Project updates:

• Wiring harness has been sent off to Hyper Racing  be modified. Total cost, including shipping, $200.

• Oil pan has been sent off for modification to Dan McMahan. Dan will also be providing everything I need for a remote oil filter kit to be installed. $425 for the pan and oil filter hardware.

• I've determined the footwell is just too small to support a third pedal. The front suspension ties in in the same spot, so I can't move anything outboard of where it sits now. I've opted for a combined paddle shifter / paddle clutch setup. I'm engineering it now, with a lot of help from the kindly folks at formula500.org. On the plus side, that eliminates some cost. Scratch $200 from the budget.

• For now, I've decided to go with the stock gauge cluster. I'll add in some data logging later, but for now, my budget dictates I cut out the upgrades. The stock cluster gives me water temp, warning lights, a tach, and a gear position indicator. I actually gain some functionality. Added bonus: I can read problem codes right off the cluster.

• Dan McMahan also quoted me a VERY reasonable amount for creating a custom stainless steel exhaust header. The man has earned my respect, admiration and, most importantly from his perspective, my business.

Project Task List

The amount of work involved in this conversion is more than I anticipated -- but that's okay. Things doing in life are often more complicated and more difficult than we believe they are going to be going in.

1) Wiring Harness. This will either be hugely labor intensive....or I'll spend 150 bucks and have someone do it. Probably the later.

2) Size chassis -- I might have to cut the frame after all. I have a papier mache  mold of my engine curing in the garage, which will be used to see if the motor, with all the trimmings except the exhaust, will fit. If it will be problematic to remove the engine in the future, I'll bite the bullet and modify the frame. It won't be two bad -- I'll have to remove two pieces of tubing and re-triangulate the spaceframe, probably with a removable piece.

3) Exhaust manifold: I'll mock one up with flexible tubing and have the fabrication farmed out to a specialist.

4) Fuel system: I need to fabricate a surge tank, replace all the fuel lines, retrofit the fuel cells to accept a return line, install 2 low pressure fuel pumps, 1 high pressure pump, and a regulator.

5) Cooling: This one's not so bad. Rubber was used in part of the system, that gets yanked and replaced with silicone. The rest will be aluminum tubing.

6) Pedals: This will require cutting away the old support, welding a new support in place, moving the brake pedal over 1.5 inches, cutting away part of the gas pedal, adding some metal to the gas pedal, and figuring out how to mount a foot operated clutch. Tight fit, I only have 8.5 inches.

7) Run new control cables: Clutch, Gas, Shifter.

8) Engine Mount: I need to figure this one out, still. I'll probably build something out of 1/4" steel plate.

9) Fab paddle shifter: Nothing fancy, this is aluminum plate.

10) Fab shifter cable-to-rod assembly: Need to find a reliable method to actuate the shifter rod.

11) Heat shielding and firewall upgrades: Don't want a fire. Don't want to get soaked in 200 degree oil. Don't want to burn to death in previously-200-degree-now-burning-oil.

12) Oil Pan Modification: I haven't decided whether I'm doing this, or farming it out. Either way, I've decided to go with a modified oil pan rather than a billet model.

13) Remote Oil Filter + cooler: Dan McMahan has definitely earned my business on this one. 125-ish bucks.

14) Modify engine bodywork to accept new profile.

Those are the major tasks I currently have. Actually, that's not too bad.


Some other stuff that must be done, outside of conversion work:

1) Repair cockpit sheet metal -- currently fractured, and hasn't been properly drilled or patched. Easy fix.

2) Replace bad lug studs in rear wheels -- they're stripped. Hopefully it's just the stud, and not a stripped out hole.

3) Strip paint and repaint frame (spot painting)

4)  Repaint car.

New Engine Arrives

Well, the reality sets in. I have an engine, and this project is going to happen.

I picked up my 2007 GSXR 600 motor from the local Fed Ex dock last night (actually, my wife did, bless her heart.) The motor came with all the wiring, ECU, airbox, starter, FI, etc. Over the weekend, I'm going to borrow my Dad's engine lift, and get the thing put into a proper engine stand for conversion, testing, etc. That's assuming I don't stay overlong up at Summit Point for MARRS this weekend.

Also, I think I'm going to build a platform for the car to raise it up 3 feet or so. That'll make it much more convenient to work on, I can get the weight off of the disconnected rear 4-link suspension, and remove the tires so I don't ruin them. After that, I start drilling rivets out. Ew. Has to happen though.

Looks like I'm taking this opportunity for what amounts to a near-rebuild of the chassis. After a lot of measuring in the footwell, I'm going to have to move the brake pedal, master cylinders, etc. The gas pedal will need to be moved and modified, all to make room for a clutch. Also, brake fluid has ruined the paint on the chassis up in the nose, so I need to strip it down and get the surface rust off and repaint before it becomes a problem.

I need to find some paint that will stand up to brake fluid.

Engine and Jackshaft Stripout Complete

Made headway last night in getting the car prepped for the conversion. All the remaining bits of Rotax engine necessities were removed, and I now have an open engine bay.

 I got a chance to do an inspection on the chassis. Alas, there is some corrosion I'll have to deal with. It's all surface rust right now, easily dealt with, but if I don't strip the thing down and clean it up, there will be issues a few years down the road. A few hours now will save me a few weeks later.

Looking at the bay, with everything out, it's quite roomy. Owing to the placement of the fuel cells on the sidepods, I have plenty of space to route my exhaust headers/collector, and still keep it far enough away that I don't cook while driving the car. I will probably have to remove the center jackshaft bearing support, but a cut off wheel and ten minutes will solve that problem if necessary.

I started looking at the footwell. Man, it's tight in there. 9 inches, roughly, so I'm going to have to get creative with clutch installation. The brake pedal and master cylinders are definitely going to have to move, and probably the gas pedal, too. However, it looks straightforward to move. I need to cut out one small piece of non-critical structure, and weld in a block. The end result will actually be a little bit stronger.

I'm waiting on the engine to arrive at this point. While I wait, I'm going to go over the car some more and put together a punch list of non-conversion related maintenance I need to get out of the way.

Some items I know I'm going to do:

• Replace all of the wiring and switches -- there's not much of it, and I will eliminate some potential problems due to age.
• Replace all the fuel and radiator lines. Basic rubber was used for these. Fuel lines I'm going to replace with solid steel tube and stainless braided. Radiator lines will be replaced with silicone.
• Fix some minor stress/vibration cracks in the sheet metal on the right side of the cockpit.
• Remove paint and rust from several areas, touch-up paint.
• Retape the radiators and ducting. The tape's old, and needs to be redone.

Preliminary Bill of Materials and Build Plan Notes

After an interesting discussion on Formula500.org with Ted Simmons (thanks Ted, discussion about cost is always useful) and a long conversation with the McMahans, I have assembled a pretty decent first cut at an estimated bill of materials for my entire project.

• Powerplant: 2007 GSXR600 engine (with ECU, etc)
• Purchased off Ebay for $675, shipping included. Hopefully the motor's good
• Exhaust system - Header, manifold, pipe, muffler
• After talking to folks, the budget for this has to go to 500 dollars, minimum. Jet-hotting and custom mandrel bending will be necessary for a good product.
• 500 bucks.
• Power Transmission - I've opted to go with direct drive.
• Initial measurements indicate roughly .15 inches of center to center distance change over the entire range of travel for the rear suspension. I might have to develop a chain tensioner. We'll see.
• Sprockets + hardware: 200 dollars.
• Motor Mount - basic mild steel
• 50 dollars (material cost)
• Clutch, Throttle, Shifter cables
• 200 dollars.
• Paddle shifter + mechanical throttle blipper (still in design/thinking stage)
• 200 dollars
• Power Commander 3 (I still think I can manage this)
• 125 dollars, used
• Pedal Fabrication - basic design, aluminum and steel construction
• 100 dollars (material cost + hardware)
• 530 chain
• 50 dollars
• Two new Facet low pressure Fuel Pumps
• 100 dollars
• New Fuel lines
• 100 dollars
• New silicone radiator hoses
• 100 dollars
• Remote Oil Filter and cooler (adapter, filter assembly, stock cooler)
• 200 dollars
• Fuel Surge Tank (modified from old welding cylinder)
• 50 dollars
• Oil Pan modification -- not going with a billet solution. Baffled, modified stock pan
• 50 dollars
• Upgraded heat shielding and firewalls (because burning to death sucks)
• 200 dollars
• New Fuel Pressure Regulator
• 150 dollars
• Stock GSXR guage assembly (solves several issue with the wiring harness and need for engine data)
• 100 dollars, ebay,used.
• Sold old clutches, exhaust, motor, etc
• -800 dollars (estimate)

That's the entirety of the list, and should cover all the major and not-so-major items. There will, naturally, be incidentals, but nothing over 20 or 30 bucks.

Total out of pocket cost comes to ~$2250, without considering I saved myself somewhere between 300 and 800 dollars on a 494 rebuild (on an engine which is probably obsolescent, given the introduction of the 593 to Formula 500)

A drop-in solution with a 593 would have run me around 2 grand. Considering I want a shifter car, and I no longer have to worry about maintaining carbs or clutches, the extra 1050 bucks seems like a good trade to me.