MK1 supervan 1 tribute

[bj928]

Well, i finally found a mk1 to build my supervan 1 tribute, i say tribute as i am doing a slightly modern version of it, mk1 swb with bubbles will look a bit like supervan 1, colour may not be white, but not sure on colour or wrap yet, engine is going to be new mustang coyote v8 5.0 32v, with 6 speed flappy paddle auto, but modern auto not the old style, full independent suspension all round, maybe air ride to make the height variable, but slammed most the time anyway, unlike supervan 1 that looked like a 4x4 it was so high, the twin side doors was found just so at shows it can have the doors open to show off the engine, looks a tidy van, not seen it yet, bought blind, from germany, 999 euros

[BROWNYS V6]

looks like a good project, good luck wiv it

[bj928]

got the back axle all ready to go in, 2015 mustang, 3.15 ratio, lsd and disc brakes, and just the right width

[conrod]

Is the engine still going in the load compartment? How will that work the that rear end?

[bj928]

the engine and gearbox being used is only 53 inches long, so the shortest propshaft i can get away with to keep the engine as far back as i can, i looked into transaxles, but the cost was to great, so had to look at the best option, with the axle being irs and the diff being fixed, along with the engine and box being fix, there will be minimal movement, might even be able to get away with bolting the diff nose flange to the gearbox flange to keep them bolted together as one unit, i will take the engine box and axle to a local propshaft maker and ask there advice though

[conrod]

you could probably use a coupling (Guibo in some circles) to connect the trans to the diff. This will give some flexibility to allow movement in the engine/trans relative to the rear axle. A CV joint would probably work too.

[bj928]

is that one of the rubber doughnut things, as fitted to cortina props, if so, it won't take the power, i'm looking to get it built of the winter, get it moving under its own power, then pull it all out again, and build the engine to take a pair of nice turbos, i'm looking to get 1000hp at the wheels, this is an easy figure for the coyote engine, the internal rotating assembly parts i can buy off the shelf will be rated at 1500hp, and the engine without the turbos will be somewhere in the region of 500hp.

[conrod]

yep it is one of those rubber couplings, but I wouldn't suggest a Cortina one for anything!
I was thinking one off a larger BMW or VW Turbo diesel, these engines make huge torque, and they are heavy cars, so would have a good chance of handling the punishment!

[bj928]

i had a lot of issues with them over the years in cortinas and granadas, but i know they were fitted to ford GT's in the 60's, so i guess they do do stronger ones, just not sure they would make one strong enough for me

[bj928]

well i spent $3000 on the donor vehicle today, hopefully collect it tomorrow, so this project is now well on its way, the engine in the pickup is the latest 5.0 for make, a gen3 coyote, with 10 speed manual select auto, so basically flappy paddle, hopefully engine has survived as i bought it blind,

[conrod]

that's a bit risky!

[bj928]

it is, and it isn't, a coyote isn't cheap in any condition, and i need one as a template to get all the mounts made and pipework sorted, so i've taken the gamble the block and heads are good, everything else can be replaced, and even the block and heads could be replaced, so will use what i can, wiring loom is also a useful part i need, and i will sell as many parts i don't need to recouple some money

[conrod]

yep fair enough! I guess worst case scenario is the crank has taken a hit in the end, and damaged the block too. Even then, still way more than $3K worth of parts there! Trans would be horrendous money on its own!

[bj928]

being a 2018, the gearbox is the brand new this year 10 speed auto, with manual shifting option, so it may have done 10k miles, its still as u say, worth a lot, ford would sell me a block for $1000, and the crank and internals are being upgraded next year for a fully forged setup, its all the other bits that bolt on the front, and side, that are hard to get if i just got a long block, i would soon spend more than 3k, and its got a few bits i can sell off, so won't be so bad.

[conrod]

sounds like a plan. How are you going to drive the engine and trans? Are you going to remove the whole wiring loom, dash, all sensors etc. on the F150 and fit into the Transit bodyshell? Or try to run the engine and trans from a standalone system? Or something in between?