converting 156 to rwd

just a bit of a tester really.
will the 159's rear suspension set up fit fairly eaily to a 156 saloon?
basicallt if i was wanting to convert a 156 to rwd i think using the 4wd 159 rear end including diff/shafts/supension ect would be fairly good if most of the suspension mounting points were the same/similar.obviously diff mounting would have to be looked at,and maybe relocating fuel tank ect.
so has anyone got an under car picture of the 4wd rear suspension set up?

like i say its not something im planning on doing,just wanting to look at it for a future feasability study.
rwd 3.8 conversion anyone?

sounds complicated !!....

I'd like to match the crosswagon 4wd system to a GT body & V6 3.7 Supercharger...

does the 159 4wd just have a diff at the rear or is gearbox/clutch assembly at the rear too?
have looked through net and cant find any pics


probably aint as complicated as you would think.just a case of making up new mounting points for things thats the hard part.
would have to spin the engine round 90 degrees into a longditudal arrangement which would need engine mounting custom made plus a transmission tunnel would need to be cut and a new gearbox sourced ect.plus ancillary wise you would need custom manifolds and exhaust system but it opens up loads more space for free flowing exhaust and intakes,would be really special but alot of work which is why i said i was just looking at the feasibility as its not someothing i could afford atm

159 has gearbox/clutch at front and diff at rear. the floor plan from a 156 to a 159 is completely different. would involve alot of thought on how to make a 156 RWD. be good fun tho lol

yeah was just looking at the feasablilty.i like to have these little projects in my head even though i wont do anything to test them out.
i think floorplan mods wouldnt be too severe.you would have to cut a transmission tunnel for a start so just extend it rearwards to creat the space for a propshaft.would need to relocate the fuel tank to creat space for the diff and shafts at the rear.new mounting points for the rear suspension off a 159(or whatever donor car used) but i wouldnt say its a hard thing to do if you have all the eqipment and good knowledge of fabrication and welding.
other things that would need to be done:

new throttle body as engine would be turned 90 degrees.new exhaust manifolds and system.interior retrim(to allow for hight of transmission tunnel) ect ect

like you say-would be fun and would make a great car in the end especially if 3.8l and twin turbo

I think Id just sell up and buy a twin turbo supra :P

I think the easiest way to have the 156 RWD or AWD would be to transpant the Q4 from the Alfa Crosswagon Q4.

Originally Posted by Alexandrus

I think the easiest way to have the 156 RWD or AWD would be to transpant the Q4 from the Alfa Crosswagon Q4.

Interesting.

I have a RWD 156 (but that is a scalectrix version on my mini racetrack)

Keep in mind that the T3 diff (the center diff) from the Q4 is expecting front wheels drive too. If no torque can be transferred there, I' d be interested how it works that out, as normally it would mean it would cut the torque to the back too (which is not what you want)

wouldnt want 4wd as looking at current alfa 4wd cars i would rather not have a 1750kg car

yeah pretty much all 4wd cars have a centre diff.if its mechanical you can just remove it and have a custom prop or a spacer made up and get rid of it all together.if its electronic you have to programme it out of the loop.

on the tt supra-it isnt exactly a sleeper motor is it?

if you were up against a normal looking alfa 156 without badge;s on the back that had a 3.8 twin turbo rwd layout you would be suprised when it motored off into the distance.with a supra it would kinda be expected as most of them are 400bhp+

Well, the Crosswagon Q4 is only 1530 kg, and remember, it's higher than the normal 156 SW, and has a lot of guard underneath, so it's barely only 200kg heavier than the similar powered 156 SW.
I'd gladly add those extra 150-200kg to my GTA to make it Q4 If it would only be that easy...

true and tbh the difference between 4wd and rwd would only be about 50kg.main problem is i would want to spin the engine round 90 degree's into a longditudal arrangement whereas using the q4 would still have the engine transverse with lots of weight forward of the front axle line.ideal weight distribution for a rwd car is 40/60 rear biased whereas std 156 v6 is about 67% front biased hence the major understeer

Well, having the egine mounted longitudinal is a very good idea, but I'm afraid it's too complicated, you'll have to rearange everything in the engine bay, not to mention finding a way to fit the engine. And you would still not have a perfect weight distribution. Not to mention, with the GTA you'll have understeer because of the poor turning circle

just get a 75

Originally Posted by kingALFA75

just get a 75

why would i want to do something silly like that???

no such thing as too complicated,just a case of spaceframing the front to allow for places for the engine to mount to.only things in engine really to move is the thermostat housing but there is space for it in a longditudal arangement anyway.
on major problem would be the steering rack location as moving it too much would induce mega bump steer.

you could buy a 156 and lighten her if your worried about weight

Originally Posted by Vespasian

you could buy a 156 and lighten her if your worried about weight

Sorry, late night and too much rum, i meant 159 not 156

really interested to know if anybody has done a v6 to q4 conversion

Yes, they have, here : http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-...-v6-147-a.html , apparently a guy from Czech Republic has done it.

cheers , ill start brushing up on my czech

Well, if you make anything out of that czech site, translate it for us, please.
Or maybe the guy will post a guide or something here.