I have spent the last few years helping a mate slowly restore and modify a Fiat 500. It handles and brakes well and looks the part, but the problem has been finding a suitable motor.
This morning he phones to say he has bought a 2nd hand Ducati 916 motor and gearbox and he wants to put it in the back of the 500!

So at the blank canvas stage of the project, has anyone got any suggestions?
North-South or East-West mounting?
How to incorporate a diff? He doesn't want to hack the body around too much, so it needs to be mounted in the original engine compartment.

I had a couple of ideas which I will post shortly. Feel free to point out my stupidity.

Here's a pic of the car:
Rescued attachment AJs500.jpg

Here's a pic of the Ducati 916 as god intended it:
Rescued attachment Ducati.jpg

This is one idea I had. Sorry about the rough sketch. MS Paint is no Solidworks!
Rescued attachment 916 in 500 with Lada transfer case.JPG

And here's another one.

Sorry about the size of the pic of the Ducati.
Rescued attachment 916 in 500 east west.JPG

Try here for updates, you'r not the only one thinking about this.

http://www.f500.co.uk/intro.htm

I hope he's not taking the engine out of that bike, that would be sacrilege. We have a Ducati engine man local to us and not to understate anything, he is never short of work and does have to turn a lot away.

Fiat500s are so crying out for big power

A very similar idea to my perverted wish to put a Honda s2000 engine in a chopped-down and lowered Bedford Rascal van....

Check out the posts from "uklee70", he built a BEC powered 500 speedster which while a whole different ball game technically (bespoke spaceframe+grp body) should give you some inspiration.

I wouldn't use a Ducatti lump in anything I was expecting to start when I turned the key.

Stunning looking bikes but utter shite in reality. A friend bought one new (knowing my view (which he shared, but was optimistic) and it needed an engine rebuild in the first 3k miles. Another friend had a Kwak as well as he new Duc wouldn't start when needed. Sound great and quite torquey I'd imagine.

I'd get a Jap 4, and use that. Look at Z Cars if you've never heard of them, but make your own stuff and save a shedload.

ATB

Simon

quote:

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Fiat500s are so crying out for big power

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Thanks for everyone's advice.

Just to clarrify a few things. The guy who owns the car has had a Fiat 500 with the Abarth conversion. While it was apparently great fun, it was still only 30-something horsepower! The main shortcoming of the Fiat 500 in-line twin is the 2-bearing crank. Any attempts to get too much power out of the engine tends to be thwarted by the crankshaft sooner or later.

With this in mind, the car currently has a 790cc twin cylinder motor in it that was the result of taking a Fiat Tipo 1.6 sohc motor and shopping it in half, then blocking up the hole. This motor runs....but vibrates like bastard and all the nuts and bolts work themselves loose !

The Ducati motor was chosen because it's italian, like the Fiat, and becuase it should have the torque required (and sound like the business!).

I should also mention that when the 790cc motor was fitted, it also got front discs, rack & pinion steering and much-improved suspension to help deal with the extra power.

[Edited on 30/8/07 by Matty Dog]