johnw Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Howdy all Would a car like this Opel Rekord make a good donor? I'm looking at engine, front hubs (for five stud fitment), brakes, rear axle etc. http://johannesburg.gumtree.co.za/c-Cars-Vehicles-cars-Opel-Rekord-W0QQAdIdZ318513484 these rekords are fairly common in SA, so pars are easier to come buy, especially with things like brakes etc. THanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) Hi if you want a Rekord donor car you should go for at 2,2E like this one http://johannesburg....QAdIdZ326476312 You can use front brakes (vented discs and calipers are a direct fitment but still 4 lug) engine (the 2,2 is possible the best CIH ever), getrag 5 speed gearbox and you will also need the front part of the driveshaft to make a driveshaft for your manta. Regarding the 2,2 engine it responds extremly well to "light" tuning. A set of 45 webers and a sportscam and a reasonable 2" exhaust system can easily fetch you 170bhp ! That´s the cheapest 55hp you will ever gain..! Thats about it im affraid. You can use the brake servo also that one from the Rekord is a bit bigger. There are no 5 lug conversions for the Manta that is direct plug and play for the front axle unfortunatly Edited November 1, 2011 by monzta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks Montza, I've always wanted a V8 in my A, so I'm leaning toward a rover V8, or possibly a low capacity Chevy small block. I'm looking for help with the brakes and hubs, etc. Most of the rekords I've seen here in SA are five stud fitment, that's why I was asking about that. The other option, to keep it in the family, is something like this 3.8 V6 rekord... http://johannesburg.gumtree.co.za/c-Cars-Vehicles-cars-Opel-Rekord-380IE-W0QQAdIdZ314390983 THat would then be a full swap of engine, gearbox, rear axle (or just the internals?), brake system, etc... Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Okay, the 5 lug rekords you have there would propably be using commodore parts.. They dont fit .. Sorry Regarding the engine, the 2,2 4 cyl CIH engine is a direct replacement with minor modifications to be made. I think that a V6 or V8 project is everything but a direct swap. The rekord/commodore is VERY different regarding clearance in the engine bay.. So it will definatly not be a plug n play project. But think about this. A 2,2 with a set of 45 webers with 40 venturis and a good enem camshaft and a 2,5" exhaust system will put out around 170-80bhp. What does the V6 make powervise ? Or the V8 for that matter ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thanks Monzta, I always knew that going the V6/V8 route would involve machining and fettling to get things in, I was trying to find out if using the Rekord/Commodore parts would reduce the required machining. If I go the four pot route, I reckon it would be a modern 2 litre (20xe.. ?), as I think the parts would be easier to come by than any CIH motor, in SA anyway. I'm starting to think maybe the five stud fitment will be more trouble than its worth... THanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks Monzta, I always knew that going the V6/V8 route would involve machining and fettling to get things in, I was trying to find out if using the Rekord/Commodore parts would reduce the required machining. If I go the four pot route, I reckon it would be a modern 2 litre (20xe.. ?), as I think the parts would be easier to come by than any CIH motor, in SA anyway. I'm starting to think maybe the five stud fitment will be more trouble than its worth... THanks No problem. Don´t want to incourage you and your fine project, but there is alot of work involved in fitting those engines. Nothing is Opel so gearbox and engine won´t bolt straight in i´m sorry. It would be alot easyer with a straight 6 from a Senator (european version) but i don´t know if those engines are available in SA ? If they are you should definatly think about it. That is 180bhp from the start and those engines are highly tunable, and will give the same tuning output as any other CIH engine. Expect around 100hp pr 1000cc displacement (thats around the 300hp on a straight 6 NA engine 20XE is a bit easyer as most parts for the build can be bought, among other places in the UK and shipped to you? Parts are also available on EBAY. What you basically need for the XE build is a Manta 1,8 gearbox, and some engineparts as well (oilpan, engine mounts etc). So this solution can be more or less plug and play The 5 stud can be done but its troublesome. Here in Europe we can take a Commo A or B series rear axles and shorten them about 5mm each at the crown/pinion end of the axles. Then they are direct bolt in replacements for your existing axles, and that way you will have 5 lug on the rear wheels. That´s the easy part. The front end i alot worse. The best thing to do is to take your original hubs, and get them machined to accomodate 5x120mm pcd and get bolts fitted. That would be how i´d do it. You can also use some commodore parts, but you will have to machine them as well as the bearings are not the same... So either way, you need some machining done.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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