Thursday 11th December 2008

'Busa Kit for Cars

New conversion kit better suited to four wheels

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It’s about to get a lot easier to drop a lightweight Hayabusa motorcycle lump into your new track day project.

US engineering firm Hartley has announced a billet aluminium crankcase conversion kit designed to be mated to an automotive-type gearbox. Hartley says this is an advantage over the motorcycle gearboxes used in many ’Busa engine transplants, which are generally chain driven and don’t have a dedicated reverse gear.

The idea is simply to mate all Suzuki’s upper engine parts to the new crankcase and, fully built, your Hartley H2 BUSA engine will weigh in at less than 64kgs. As the 1340cc in-line four can produce anything from 175 to 250bhp in normally aspirated tune, the giant-killing opportunities are obvious. Or you could bolt on a turbo kit and for an instant 100bhp power boost…

The crankcase kit will come with a 4-stage dry sump system so the crank sits just 116mm from the bottom of the engine. With a 140mm clutch, 215mm flywheel and a compact bellhousing Hartley says this means the drivetrain in a ‘7’ type car can be lowered by several inches.

Engine kits will be available in the early part of next year when prices will be announced. Hartley says the kit has been designed to be ‘affordable’.

[MrKipling43]

Kick. Arse.

It's about time someone did something like this.

[zac510]

Very crafty!

[russellwatson17]

Ha, yes! Was thinking bout garaging the mini in the not to distant future and dropping in a vtec but this looks a bit better! It'll probs cost like £100000 though....

[Kozy]

I want one in a Suzuki Cappacino. Wonder how easily that can be done?

[Kozy]

russellwatson17 said:

Ha, yes! Was thinking bout garaging the mini in the not to distant future and dropping in a vtec but this looks a bit better! It'll probs cost like £100000 though....

The Hartley V8 is £15k for comparison, and that is a hella lot more engineering I would guess...

[cd.thomson]

Great idea. Who wants a sequential, lightweight six speed gearbox in their track day car anyway, which is what you'd get just using the bike box.

I would definitely want to mate my superlight, highpowered bike engine to a high cost, heavy car box which is geared to accepted high torque and low(er) revs than the bike engine puts out. Integrated reverse? Well worth it.

[woof]

Didn't Caterham and Westfield have Busa powered cars for a while ?

[cd.thomson]

prior to the Ultima setting the unofficial fastest lap round the TG circuit, the record was held jointly by a Dax Rush Se7en with a turbo hayabusa engine..

using the bike box..

obviously.

[VladD]

You'll probably think I'm insane, but I'd like to drop one in the back of an X1/9 and make an Abarth look-a-like.

[charlierevell]

I bought a BEC purely for the 'free' sequential box!
Why the hell would you want to mount it to a car box???
Only application i can see is if used transversely it would save chain drive in a riot or similar.
Making a bike engine fit in a 7 type car is easy enough as it is. You just need a prop adapter to fit on the output shaft! How hard can it be?

Engineering just for the sake of it i say!

[yosamitesam]

woof said:

Didn't Caterham and Westfield have Busa powered cars for a while ?

just about all kit manufacturers have them

the only benefit would be a reverse gear - they would be better suited making a better quality gearbox to suit the existing set up! they are noisy and leak

i certainly wouldnt put a heavy car engine box on my busa - it will weigh the same as the engine if not more!!!!!!

and as said - you get a sequential box with 6 gears with the busa box - why would you want a normal box? the sequential is fantastically fast

cant see many people taking this up to be honest unless those buying havnt done their homework

[clonmult]

VladD said:

You'll probably think I'm insane, but I'd like to drop one in the back of an X1/9 and make an Abarth look-a-like.

If that makes you insane, then I'm off me rocker as well. Top idea. Although I like the idea of keeping the X1/9 looking stock - you know, a little tatty, rough around the edge, bits of trim falling off ....

[massive1]

One in the back of a classic fiat 500 would be fantastic .

[Mars]

Just how heavy do some of you guys think a car gearbox is?

[Wammer]

This has already been done. Think about the Diablo Smart which has a hayabousa conected to the smart gearbox. It will do naught to sixty in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 135mph. Check out this link
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pxs-dWwxaE and http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aEdmmWb9DhQ&feat...

[Skyedriver]

Mars said:

Just how heavy do some of you guys think a car gearbox is?

Classic Mini one weighs in at around 30kg IIRC

[cd.thomson]

Mars said:

Just how heavy do some of you guys think a car gearbox is?

Heavy enough to make the whole process of fitting a superlightweight engine to your car, removing the original gearbox along with its 6 speed sequential setting and correct gearing ratios, and attaching a car box a bit stupid.

Remember you'll have to fit a sturdier box to deal with the extra performance, would the classic 30kg mini box be enough?

[ceebmoj]

Kozy said:

I want one in a Suzuki Cappacino. Wonder how easily that can be done?

There is a guy that has swapped the standard cappacino engine with a suzuki engine from a snowmabeal witch I bereave is eventual the same engine but not limited to kia power specks 150bhp strikes me as a lot of fun in a car that feels responsibly fast with 60 odd.

look on the oners website for more info

[Scuffers]

cd.thomson said:

Mars said:

Just how heavy do some of you guys think a car gearbox is?

Heavy enough to make the whole process of fitting a superlightweight engine to your car, removing the original gearbox along with its 6 speed sequential setting and correct gearing ratios, and attaching a car box a bit stupid.

Remember you'll have to fit a sturdier box to deal with the extra performance, would the classic 30kg mini box be enough?

whist I take your point, most mainstream production FWD box's (incluing the diff/FD) are ~30-35Kg's all in.

bigger issue is finding one that can cope with the higher rev-range this engine will have, some are going to have significant lubrication issues with the input shaft doing 10K+ Rpm

[Slinky]

My lottery win silly car will make use of this perfectly..

Smart roadster coupe + that engine = WOOO HOOO