With an exhaust note that can do a pretty good impression of a small block Chevy if the right pipes are mounted, why not drop in a V-Max V4 instead of the Chevy? It looks like at least one guy did exactly that when building a hot rod T bucket. B. Tree III left a comment pointing to a photo from another link in our previous post where you can see it.
It appears the builder is from Michigan, and the car looks like one of those T bucket kit cars with a fiberglass body. I found a few more photos on another forum and the fellow that took them said he talked to the builder who said there was about $7000 in the gearbox since the Vmax rotated the wrong way.
I have no other information, but if one of our readers from up in Michigan knows more about this or who the builder is, let us know. I’d like to follow up.
B50 Jim says
Wow — Mr. Max keeps on truckin’. Not a bad use for that engine from your wrecked V-Max.
They spent a lot of money to get things rotating the proper direction. They could have done what stock-car racer and famed rule-bender Smokey Yunick did when he set up his Hudsons’ engines to run backward for better cornering dynamics — he simply turned the rear end upside down and set the gear lash accordingly. This wasn’t “in the spirit of competition”, but no one figured it out.
Uncle Homey says
He could have saved 7 grand on that gearbox by flipping the differential upside down.
GT-Four says
Exactly what I thought, just turn the back axle over! Gotta be cheaper than 7k modding the’box?
Ken says
Again, this leads me to believe that the Motus engine needs to be in these kits! To bad its not a shaft drive.
hoyt says
@Ken – I think Motus will be selling just their engine or just the engine and transmission so it being chain driven may not matter for rodders who want just the motor
hoyt says
Clarification: in addition to selling cycles, I think Motus’ engine program will include selling a complete engine and transmission or just engine
Steve says
I’ve always thought a V65 Honda would be a good candidate for 3 or 4 wheeled conversion.project.
Will Silk says
This is truly cool! The VMax has long made all the right noises for such duties, and pumps out pretty impressive power to boot.
Interesting that the builder spent so much in the gearbox, when indeed, the Smokey Yunick treatment may have saved a couple bucks. I wonder what it would take to turn the engine so that it sets in the chassis the same way as a V8 small block? It just looks to be set too far forward in the pics above for my liking.
B50 Jim says
If Motus can get off the ground I’m sure we’ll see plenty of Moti in hot rods. It’s a perfect fit.
B50 Jim says
And Will Silk is right — they should have found a way to set it back closer to the firewall. It looks front-heavy. Maybe the kit won’t allow it — stuff in the way. Lift off the body and see what can be done.
Ken says
I would have thought you would want the engine forward so you have traction with the front wheels…
Timbo of Da Rock says
This just might be the wave of the future of Hot Rods. Granted, they will NEVER have the “get your adrenalin running, pin you in the seat, horsepower of today’s rods,” but you never know what the future will bring, or force us into.
Scott says
Saw this at a local car show in Sandusky MI last summer, it was cool never talked to the owner though.
eriefisher says
If you look under the firewall you will see a glimpse of a gear box. Seen better in the forum pics mentioned. This must be the $7K or at least part of it. I’d sure like to see some more details.
Wave says
I would assume that the $7000 figure for the gear box would include reverse. Getting a reversing gearbox for a bike-engined car is pretty expensive, some of the Quaife gearbox/reverse/differential setups cost over US$3000 without half-shafts or anything. If you wanted to engineer a custom setup it could easily cost more.
http://www.autotech.com/quaife/Motorcycle/cycle.htm?main=cyclecars.htm
Dr Robert Harms says
err… I know nothing about Vmax’s (had to look it up and it appears to be shaft drive.
Why not simply leave the engine in high gear and run the oen driveshaft to a Chevrolet (or whatever) transmission with reverse ?? When we committed the sacrelig of putting Chevy motors in Ferraris with transaxles we simply used a Chevy engine and trans and connected the driveshaft to the transaxle which was in high gear. Posters (mostly) correctly note the the differential can be turned over but that looks crappy. Why not use a quicky and flip ring sides ?
Donnie says
The *only* downside I see to that would be the frictional losses going through two transmissions. While the 1200cc Vmax four isn’t exactly lacking in power and torque, I could certainly see why he would want to utilize a simple setup rather than going with a more radical setup like what you’ve described.
Ultimately either method works, just thinking the Occam way is all.
todd says
going through high gear in the one box is typically direct drive (1:1); very little frictional losses.
-todd
Eusta Biefast says
turning the engine around – putting the shaft output in front – would get the desired rearward location and by using a gear pair reverse the rotation and put the drive shaft under the engine. I ‘dunno, could work.