1500 to 1850 conversion

[Carledo]

I'm in the middle of such a conversion also my 1300 with the new project engine and od gearbox but what exactly doesn't fit when using the 1300 subframe? Can't you use it and just need an crossmember? It will take a while before the engine goes into the car so didn't investigate yet. I only have sprint subframes and don't want to cut these and like to reuse the 1300 one.

Jeroen.

I don't think the engine bearers on a 1300 frame tally up anywhere near a slant engine, but the big no-no is the rearmost A section which certainly interferes with the Sprint gearbox (though it should be OK with all the others even if the mount is discarded in favour of a gearbox crossmember. I used the basic Toledo subframe on my Vauxhall conversion because that's what I had and chopped it about as needed.



Cut the rear A section off the back where it interfered with the bottom of the gearbox and substituted a cross piece underneath.



Cut off and plated over the holes left by the original engine bearers



Cut a piece out of the front cross bar and replaced it with a U shaped forward extension, this also made it necessary to relocate the A/R bar UNDER the tie bars - but it works fine!

Modding the subfame like this saved me having to mod the body and kept me out of the dreaded BIVA territory.

Steve

[soe8m]

This time it won't be a sprint engine and box but an overbored 1850 8v with std o/d box. The front rubber mountings and the location is exactly the same as the 1850 subframe and with the 1300 engine in it the gearbox does not faul but i can imagne that the o/d will or the crossmember at the rear. I think i will remove the fauling rear part then and weld in a new section. Or maybe try without intermediate piece at the rear. It does not add too much i think and some of the works rally cars had it removed also for easy gearbox change.

Jeroen

[Carledo]

This time it won't be a sprint engine and box but an overbored 1850 8v with std o/d box. The front rubber mountings and the location is exactly the same as the 1850 subframe and with the 1300 engine in it the gearbox does not faul but i can imagne that the o/d will or the crossmember at the rear. I think i will remove the fauling rear part then and weld in a new section. Or maybe try without intermediate piece at the rear. It does not add too much i think and some of the works rally cars had it removed also for easy gearbox change.

Jeroen

The 1500 Dolomite uses the same subframe as the 1300, I have fitted an o/d box to a non o/d 1500 and had no problem with frame clearance (single rail o/d box) you just delete the gearbox to subframe mount and use the crossmember instead. Though the car I removed the box from actually had both mounts fitted!
So if you are using a stock 1850 single rail box, I am reasonably confident this will fit without problems on the 1300 subframe, it's the front engine mounts that will give you trouble if anything. You will certainly have to cut off the original 1300 mounts and plate over the holes left by doing so then you may or may not have to drill the frame for the 1850 mounts.

Steve

[soe8m]

Maybe a toledo has different mounts but I'm sure my 1300 uses 1850 mounts at the front. Not the spitfire type.

Jeroen

[GTS290N]

Jeroen I'm sure your 1850 engine will be no slouch, are you worried about the longevity of the standard gearbox?

[soe8m]

Jeroen I'm sure your 1850 engine will be no slouch, are you worried about the longevity of the standard gearbox?

Not so much. It will be a well rebuild one.

My lpg injected 1850 had about 100hp at the wheels and i think (hope) this one will also have. Before using a sprint box the first few years was with a std od box. I did use that car also with historic regularity rallying and i only had to replace the gears once a year after loosing some teeth. That was alway's after the summer holiday's when i pulled a caravan to Italy and back with it.

Normal driving, the 1300 diff ratio and 155 tyres instead of the 205's wont hurt the gearbox that much.

Jeroen

[soe8m]

This nice 1300 is it. First paint.

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Jeroen

[Carledo]

Maybe a toledo has different mounts but I'm sure my 1300 uses 1850 mounts at the front. Not the spitfire type.

Jeroen

The 1300 rubber mounts are a similar pattern to the 1850 ones, if not exactly the same and as you correctly say, not the same as the Herald/Spit pattern. But unlike the 1850, where they mount directly to the front cross beam, on the 1300 they mount to roughly 3" tall turret on each side which is built into the subframe itself. This is the piece that will have to go. When you chop the Sprint mounts off of a Sprint/1850 frame, you are left with an 1850 frame and the holes to mount the 1850 rubbers are there, even though redundant on a Sprint. Thus a Sprint frame is an 1850 frame with the mounts added. The same may not be true for the 1300 frame which never took a slant motor so may not have the relevant holes. I will look at one of my spare 1500 frames tomorrow and let you know. Unfortunately my camera is down at the moment (i've lost the charger) so I can't take comparison pics till the new one comes, sometime later this week.

Steve

Edit, Just had another look at my pics. If you look at the 2nd pic where it shows where I cut off and plated over the the original mount, you can see 1 hole about an inch inboard of where I have chopped out the centre section. I am guessing that the other is obscured behind the earth cable. So your 1850 mount holes are there, you will just have to lose the 1300 mount turrets as I did.

[Carledo]

Do you not get into trouble with the Dutch police for incorrect spacing of the letters and numbers of your licence plate? A similar misdemeanor over here would likely have you in court, your reg number suspended and a new age related one issued.

Nice looking car by the way, are you intending to keep it looking stock?

Steve

[soe8m]

It is illigal but once a reg is on a car it can't be altered. It is just a non approved plate like an old blue plate what does not belong on the car's age or letter combination. I can receive a fine that's all. But it's RHD and has GB on it and i was never put aside yet. With my ginger hair i just start talking in English first i suppose when im pulled over.

It is the right reg number but a different spacing.

Jeroen

[soe8m]

It will stay stock on the outside and for the underbonnet looks i also use one carb on the slant, a big HS8.

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Jeroen