Engine location

[wagoon 2,429]

In the bay dickhead- thought I would put it up before anyone else

 

Anyhow I have 3 choices for engine location. All measurements are from factory location and are approx within 2-3mm

 

1.Move 20mm rearward and 10-12mm up

 

2. Move 8mm rearward and 5-6mm down

 

3. Move 8-10mm forward and 10-15mm down (how far down depends on engine being level)

 

The engine crossmember is already modified, the sump is a modified one and will not be touched and if moving the engine forward the front crossmember will need to be modified as well which isn't a major drama. The car will get the UCA mod (shelby drop) as well

 

So which one would you chose and why?

[SirkWhyXF 1,533]

In the bay dickhead- thought I would put it up before anyone else

 

Thats why i came here

[deankxf 20,294]

is this some kind of awesome engine conversion...
 

lower is usually better for center of gravity, and rearward for front to rear weight distribution, depends on if you will need room for exhausts and other plumbing.
heater pipes etc.

bear also in mind that this may have an affect on pinion angle at the diff  depending if the gearbox ends up in the same plane also.(vibration issues potentially with uni joint wear)

having room for hot air to get out of the engine bay is quite a good idea too, so having it tucked up tight on the firewall is not that ideal for that either.

[wagoon 2,429]

No engine conversion dean, just using custom engine mounts on a crossflow. Its just an NA crosfflow. I have spaced the gearbox down and diff is changing configuration but I was mindful of the angles.

I do agree with the lower and further back but Im just not sure on which on or is more important, or if the positives outway the negatives in option 1 and 3.

I never even thought of the heat in the bay issues, cheers

 

Edit: The custom engine mounts are called Ryno mounts and you get them from Tony's metal and speed on facebook or Ando76 here on the forum.

[ando76 4,354]

Option 2. 

 

Reason; 

 

XD,XE & XF race orientated vehicles really suffer when it comes to rear percentage.  That is the hardest thing to get in any of these cars and believe me I have spent a lot of time trying to achieve this.  Any front weight you can move back towards the true centre of the car makes a massive difference. 

 

When you scale the car in standard form you will see what I am talking about.  mid to low 40% rear percentages are the norm.  Start moving stuff like batteries to the back and you will notice an immediate change.  I can tell you from personal experience when you get over 50% rear percentage you will notice a massive change it the way the vehicle responds to power application.

 

How important is rear percentage? Well the rule makers in Modified sedans know how important it is and that is why they specify 'no engine set back' and for some cars (holden) they give a specific measurement.  I know one very, very fast XF Falcon dirt circuit pilot who is mental about  reducing front weight - to the point that he wont run an alternator because of the weight of it and the associated brackets.  Same bloke asked me the weight of my stud girdle/windage tray.  That's how important it is.

 

All this may seem a little over the top for a streeter - but we know yours is not.  Move the engine back and down and reap the benefits - Better rear percentage - better air cleaner fitment - lower COG.  That last one is also a nice side benefit and your doing the Shelby drop to change the front roll centre so why wouldn't you keep heading in the same direction with the engine mounting position.

[wagoon 2,429]

^^^Think that about covers it^^^ Lol thanks for the explaination dude.

Damn it now I have to move my battery to the rear as well!! More bloody work

[deankxf 20,294]

Option 2. 

  I know one very, very fast XF Falcon dirt circuit pilot who is mental about  reducing front weight - to the point that he wont run an alternator because of the weight of it and the associated brackets.  Same bloke asked me the weight of my stud girdle/windage tray.  That's how important it is.

 

how much difference would moving the radiator 100mm rearward and even front mounting the lighter Davies Craig fan. i remember looking at My setup with the conversion below thinking i could mount the radiator a mile back and fit an intercooler up front with air con even..(sold ages ago now)

 

 

 

seen this a few times for alternator, may not be ideal in heavy traffic with air con and fans going though..

 

 

[deankxf 20,294]

what about mounting alternator on a lower point also for lower center of gravity, like off the air con bracket for eg. may not be good for water or mud reasons i guess though. seems there is always a catch.

[Mr Polson 10,214]

what about mounting alternator on a lower point also for lower center of gravity, like off the air con bracket for eg. may not be good for water or mud reasons i guess though. seems there is always a catch.

 

E series have the alternator at the bottom, where the AC goes on a xflow.

Biggest problem with them is power steering fluid leaks onto them.

[wagoon 2,429]

seems there is always a catch.

I think that's always the problem isn't really. But the way I see it, so long as the positives are much bigger than the negatives then it's worth while.

[ando76 4,354]

Yep deankdx if you are building something for street sprints or want better handling then moving everything back - it works. 

 

I made a custom alternator bracket for my race car that was as low as the front crossmember would allow and it had the side benefit of allowing me to run a very very short belt. 

 

Each to their own - wagoon's xe is going to be used very hard in street sprints and events like Leyburn.  little edges like this really help in that application.