LocostUSA.com

Hey guys,
Looking for some expert input here. I just bought a couple of goodies from the Skip Barber auction.
The main one is a Hewland sequential gearbox. The deal is that it bolts up to a Dodge Neon 2.0 4 banger.

What I'm wondering is how easy / hard it would be to mate the Hewland to either a Ford Zetec or a Miata 1.8.
I have a lot more faith in either of those motors than I do a Dodge.

Any help is appreciated.

Links, pics, pointers, or tips... bring 'em on please.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

If there's no compatible bell, a 3/8" or 1/2" thick aluminum adapter plate with a spacer for the flywheel would be simple and easy.

_________________
Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.

I think those 2.0 Dodge engines are pretty stout. Lots of turbo parts available factory, even ECU setups. I would do a little more research before you discount them.

Graham

I'll find out tomorrow if the motor in the wrecked Formula Dodge is toast or not. I spoke with a couple of the mechanics at Skip Barber yesterday that now work for Bertil Roos Racing. BRR bought up most of the Skip Barber inventory.
Anyway, they said if the motor is in a car in the boneyard, chances are high someone blew it up on the track. They said hardly a weekend went buy that a motor didn't go boom from a Money Shift.
The wreck car I bought has wiring minus the ECU
missing the steering rack
missing the rear anti sway bar
missing one radiator that was there in the listing pics
1 broken shock
1 bent control arm
1 bent strut bar

Back to the motor. It isn't stuck but wont make a full rotation. Shot oil down the spark plug holes and exhaust ports. Will see what tomorrow brings.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

+1. They're cheap, easily available, parts available anywhere, junkyardable factory turbos, make decent power, and they're not known for any particular reliability problems.

I personally beat the dog doo out of the Neon motors for 3 seasons and can attest to their stoutness.

I ran into only 2 issues,
one was the OEM ECU did not provide a race friendly spark curve,
the other was oil drain back from the head (I was high lateral G loading (circle racing) the motor and the head collected too much oil)

I ran junkyard motors on the rev limiter twice a lap, (16 second laps) for 30 laps!

There are guy boosting these motors 10 to 12 psi in stock form reliably.

_________________
Honey anyone?

I can get you in touch with a guy I know who did the SRT4 high HP shenanigans. He was breaking transmission input shafts with minimal modifications.

_________________
Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.

The engine turns freely now and seems to make compression on all 4 cylinders.
No water in the oil
Valves all move like they should as I turn it over by hand.

Now I'm on the lookout for a stock ECU. I may try to get it running over Thanksgiving holidays as I need to take some vacation before I head to China again for work.

Sad news though. The Hewland "transmission" was an empty case.
I've contacted the seller and the auction company to file a complaint.
In my opinion calling it a transmission when there are no internals is fraud.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Bastards! Is the diff gone too?

_________________
Honey anyone?

Well you can argue it's not a transmission if it can't transmit. No gears, clutches ( dog rings ) or shifter forks. It also is missing the input shaft? I'm not sure it's been more than 20 years since I changed gears on mine. That's a lot of stuff.

_________________
Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Input shaft is there, layshaft is not.
Diff is gone, just the half shafts pressed into the covers.

Missing pieces add up to about $2500 on the low side, $5000 on the high side.

bastards.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Liquid Asset Partners, says "Sorry you're disappointed, but all items are as is, where is, no refunds."
I replied to the email that answer is not acceptable. They misrepresented the item significantly impacting it's value. Next steps will be taken unless they reconsider.

I haven't heard back from the auction company yet. I sent them details.

Lawyer in the family said it meets the six tenets of auction fraud and he'd be more than happy to send a demand letter.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

ProxiBid's response to my complaint. It's time to make them famous.

Dear Tommy,

Thank you for using Proxibid and for reaching out to our team.

You had expressed interest in filing a "Significantly Not as Described" (SNAD) complaint against Liquid Asset Partners in regards to your purchase of lot #1 during their timed event which closed on Nov. 2, 2017.

There are a few things to make sure you're aware of:

As stated in the Proxibid Unified User Agreement - "Significantly Not as Described" (SNAD) Claim means an action taken by a Buyer against a Seller when the Buyer has purchased an item that arrived but was significantly different from the item description."

Your claim that the item you purchased was not as described does not fall withing the description of a SNAD case, as you confirmed that you at least received a transmission case. The lot's description did not specify whether or not this was a working transmission, if parts were missing, etc. It would have been better for you to do your du diligence and further check with the seller about this item. Whether placing a bid based on trust or your perception of what the lot's description states, you're still taking full responsibility for the bids you place on any event.

More on due diligence as stated in Proxibid's User Agreement - 3.6 Due Diligence. Proxibid is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the description or photography provided on this website or in Proxibid''s bidding application. Due diligence to verify the condition and description of an item is the sole responsibility of the Buyer prior to placing any bid on this website.

So that you're aware as well. As part of the SNAD process, you'll be required to obtain and provide documentation from a third-party source to validate your claim. Based on the item you purchased, this would be a mechanic or auto shop that can provide us with a letter confirming that what you received was not what was stated in the lot's description and displayed in the pictures. This document must include the 3rd party's letterhead and business details (including a phone number), should Proxibid need to further inquire with them about this matter.

Overall, your claim does not qualify for a SNAD complaint against the seller. We highly recommend that you try and contact the seller again to see if you can further discuss the matter with them and reach a mutual agreement.

If you have additional questions about your account or our services, please contact us at https://www.proxibid.com/asp/ContactUs.asp. Our team is ready to help!

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Edgar
Client Services Professional

So they don't feel responsible for errors and omissions. Caveat Emptor, A lot of auction houses think the as is, where is in t he terms and conditions absolve them of all responsibility.
As far as they are concerned a transmission case is the same thing as a transmission.

Tomorrow we escalate.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216

Sounds like this tale will be one for the record books, and will be told for years to come. Go get em!

I'm also reminded of this great XKCD comic:

I replied to the auction house with the following scenario.
I take pictures of a engine and offer it up with the description Chevy small block engine.


They buy it, get it home and discover there is no crank, pistons, cam, valves, or any other internals.
Would that be significantly not as described, after all, they got a Chevy small "block"

Waiting for a reply.

_________________
Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216