I just got a weird idea, and I'm trying to figure out if it could actually work..

The idea was to take an engine + gearbox from a FWD car, and then rotate it 90 degrees so one driveshaft goes to the front, the other to the back, so you could create a 4WD vehicle. (nevermind the rotated shifting pattern, lol)

But then it got me wondering about what to do with the diffs? The most obvious choice at first sight seemed to be Sierra diffs, but... a FWD gearbox has it's final gear ratio already built into its own diff, right?

Say you'd use an Alfa V6 engine, the final ratio of its diff would be 3.353:1, now if you'd send that to two more diffs with a reduction of 3.9:1, you'd be going nowhere!

I guess there aren't any 1:1 ratio diffs available huh?

Anyway, I seriously doubt I'm the first one to come up with this idea, so maybe it has been tried before? Anyone has some more info on this concept?

You'd have to lock the middle diff as well, it's been discussed before but I don't think it went anywhere.

i think i read somewhere that trial cars or somethin are startin to go that way loadsa torque for gettin up hills and stuff but u need to rev the nutts of engine

What wrong with the Sierra 4x4 system the Panther Solo generally regarded as the best handling road car of the late 80s/early 90s used it turned through 180 degrees

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Originally posted by Peteff
You'd have to lock the middle diff as well.

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Locking the center diff would be a bad idea, unless maybe if you're building an offroad vehicle..

I assumed it was for off road. Seems like a pointless exercise for a locost type vehicle when you could use the ready made 4x4's and not have to work out drive strategies and prop routing, diff configurations and engine location.

Myself and a mate have done this on two off roaders now. I think I have posted about it before but on the first one we used a mondeo turbodiesel engine and gearbox, with welded up diff, turned 90 degrees, to drive 4 wheels of a spaceframed offroader.

top speed was approx 30mph though, which was exactly what we wanted.

The next one was really serious!!!

6 wheel drive, 6 wheel steering, independent double wishbone on every wheel, centre diff locked, disengageable drive to each "axle" so you can have front middle or rwd or any combination of the above.

We used a 1600 turbodiesel engine from an early VW passat, where the engine and transaxle is longitudinal front wheel drive. We turned this 90 degrees so the engine and gearbox were then transverse, with the outputs pointing forwards and backwards (if you see what I mean!) This meant that it slotted in neatly behind the seats in the cab, taking up none of the load area at the back.

We used Lada niva front diffs on each of the 3 "axles", and lada Niva double wishbone suspension on each "axle".

I won't go on (think I did on here in the past about it) but it ended up with selectable 6wd, and selectable mode 6 wheel steering, mechanical at the front with hydrostatic assist at the rear, with a lockout for road driving.

It was awesome, and could drive on peat bog so soft you sank in when you walked on it, and drove up 45 degree hillsides with consummate ease!

Again, around 30mph tops!

volvo 340 have a diff , which transfers drive to the CVT belts , dont know what ratio is involved , might be worth a look ?

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Originally posted by Peteff
Seems like a pointless exercise for a locost type vehicle when you could use the ready made 4x4's and not have to work out drive strategies and prop routing, diff configurations and engine location.

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We don't know where over here is as you haven't put it in your profile. Don't you have suzuki jeeps?, they seem pretty universal vehicles under lots of names.

Sorry, though I had put it in my profile.. I'm in Holland..

sure, we've got Suzuki Jeeps, they're still pretty expensive, and again, the goal is not to make an offroader.. Speed and handling aren't exactly a Suzuki Samurai's strong points...