http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqMIIqqBCrU
I drove it a lot while I was visiting Hutch a few weeks ago, it quietly kicks some serious **s! Best part was a Tesla driver taking video of us on the interstate. Alden Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Really Alden? You drove it!!? How cool!! So what's it like.....describe, do you miss the Ferrari Motor.....and what happened to the actual Ferrari Motor? Cheers Bell
That's just awesome, but I asked for a price quote and it is basically as expensive as buying another Mondial ... That's why I'm swapping engines which doesn't cost me a thing (in theory)
The engine of that car was removed by a previous owner long time ago. I have a Mondial 8 from a parts car to put in the other one. Around the 90's and 2000's Mondials were so cheap that instead of bying a new engine, people just bought a whole car and removed the engine.
Don't get me wrong I think it is great work that someone is doing like this. Rather give me hydrogene engines! They are faster too with the right setup A rocket on wheels! Just so you can get used to it when you come here Teslas are only used here as taxis. My colleague had one and ditched it after several occassions people at the airport did a taxi guesture to get to the centre. Even one person managed to get in at one point. LOL
It was strange at first, you can't hear anything from the powerplant, of course, so you have to watch the tach for shift info. Using the clutch was a learning experience too: Basically you only use it for shifting and at a stop you simply put it in the gear you want and let out while standing still, hit the accelerator when you are ready to move and you are off. Shifts are a hard stab at the clutch/gear change/clutch out with no "feathering" necessary, I did smell the clutch a few times when I instinctively feathered the clutch on pulling away. I never used 1st gear and actually accidently drove off in 4th without knowing it, torque is there in spades. There is a button on the center console for regenerative braking, with this you can slow the car very well in normal traffic without touching the brakes. Acceleration was smooth and very strong, pulled hard and handled very well. I carved a lot of turns on the way to lunch one day, I was impressed with the handling. The engineering and execution on this conversion is first class from mechanical to fit and finish on the interior. I think given the technology available, this is probably the best viable non IC option at this time. The original engine and most of the car was burned up in a fire. The car was doomed to be scrapped so Hutch really "saved" this one. Alden
Excellent Alden, thankyou so much for your response.... i almost feel like I know how it drives now. The conversion, fit and finish look 1St class!
Hutch was a wonderful host too, very charming and generous and a wonderful spokesman for his project, I think he's going to do well with this. Alden
so, yesterday I bought a pallet truck (I think that's the right word in English) to slide under the car and lower the subframe on. Very good idea that I stole from its previous owner. That way, it's easy to put an entire subframe aside without too much hassle. I have loosen all the bolts of the empty subframe and now it's ready to be pulled out of the car. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
We easily managed to get the empty subframe from under the LHD Mondial. Then, we put the RHD Mondial with the engine on a ramp and detached the entire subframe with everything in it. We drove the pallet truck under this Mondial and then rose the car on the ramp (bridge). Came from underneath the car quite easily too after some pushing and pulling Then we saw some differences that will cause extra work: 1. The handbrake system on the LHD Mondial is with a single cable leading to a triangular module attached to the subframe that has 2 cables that are attached to the brake calipers 2. The RHD Mondial with the handbrake on the right side of the car, has a cable going to a U-connector on the right side of the subframe that runs inside the tubes and is attached at the bottom of the wheel hubs, because they have drum brakes for the handbrake and a smaller disk brake with smaller calipers. So, we'll have to do some kind of conversion there. I think I'll just mount the triangular system from the LHD car on the frame and replace the wheel hubs with the ones that were initially on the LHD car. Also, the position of the fuel pump and accumulator is different: on the RHD Mondial they are located under the fuel tank, on the LHD next to it on a triangular plate. There's plenty of other extra things to do we initially hadn't thought of. I'll post some pics later on.
change of plans: switching the subframes too requires too much extra work, so we'll just move the engine and gearbox over on the subframe of the 'golden' Mondial. The RHD Mondial also had the smaller disks and another type of handbrake, so that's something we can avoid. First picture is of the handbrake system of the 'golden LHD Mondial' and the second one is for the RHD red Mondial. So, too many differences on the subframes and brakes. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was thinking the same: making a QV into an 8 isn't a good idea imho. Other way around: sounds like a plan: transforming a 8 into a QV.
so, I took the decision to leave the subframes in their respective cars LH in the LHD and RH in the RHD car. But we switched the suspension , levers and stabilizer rod so that all rebuilt parts are now serving for the 'golden' LHD Mondial. Next thing to do is to put the engine on the LH subframe and put it in the LHD Mondial. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Side note... Replace the in tank, fuel level sender,,,, Now.! That your, "In There." Hope you have the later design with 4 bolts and not the Euro spanner wrench unit. Order a new Fiat 2000 sender for a car with fuel injection. Edwardo ask me how I know.
Today we have put the M8 engine in the LHD Mondial. Went fine, no issues, but the engine hasn't been connected yet. Next thing is to replace the fuel pump and accumulator and then connect all the hoses and cables. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Nice to see a man enjoying himself-i used to be able to bend down like that in my younger days-nice set of steam inlet pipes
. Thanks,... Mike, just hat me 64 aniversary...! But still feeling like 25....but not the day after that job. Guido
just realised that the throttle cable for a Mondial 8 engine is different from a MQV cable! Fortunately I had a spare one