will a 2.3 slopper engine fit straight in my viva hb

[huckle1986]

Hi all I have a 1966 Vauxhall viva hb and have just brought a 2.3 Bedford cf slopper engine and gearbox can anyone tell me if it will fit straight in without any mods with engine mounts or anything. If I do need anything then any help with what I need to find will be very helpful. Thanks

[droopsnoot]

If it's an OHV Viva, the engine mounts on the subframe are different I believe - they certainly are on HC. Also the gearbox crossmember is different on HC. Brakes and front springs are different, and the rear axle on the OHV isn't really up to the OHC output, depending on how you use it of course. If you swap the rear axle for an OHC one, you'll need different top arms as they're short on the axle with the bigger diff casing. I assume by "slopper" you mean "slant four"?

Best to have a look on the Viva Owners Club form, lots of advice on there on this kind of conversion.

[SV8Predator]

I think by "slopper" he means it leaks oil?

[dumfriesdave]

Not sure about mounts OP but I would do research on the actual engine.
Think CF units had lower compression pistons than car-based slants so power output not that great.

[huckle1986]

Thanks for your help

[droopsnoot]

That's certainly the case with some, I'm not sure about all of them and of course it might have been modified.

Oh, and I almost forgot - the CF gearbox will be no good for a Viva as the gearchange is in the wrong place. In the CF you sit virtually on top of the gearbox, so the lever comes straight out of the top, that would be roughly at the base of the windscreen in a car body. 4-speed boxes are quite easy to come by, though, and I know a guy who can supply an adapter plate to put a Ford Type-9 box on the back of the slant-four.

[huckle1986]

I'm just trying to make my viva a little more user friendly with a little more power without major modifications for a modern engine to go in. I don't want to do any changes that can't be reversed as my car is only a 2 owner 1966 2 door car with only 47.000 miles. Thanks for your help again I might message you about that type 9 gearbox plate when I decide what I'm going to do.

[LuS1fer]

Is it worth it? The 2.3 only made about 122hp in the Firenza so I assume it makes a lot less in the CF? My Viva 1800 was also not the last word in reliability of power and the cable-operated clutch liked snapping.

[fatjon]

Not too familiar with HB but on HC :

Front crossmember mounts different between OHV and OHC, gearbox mount different between OHV and OHC, CF gearbox not same as Viva, back axle and propshaft different between OHC and OHV.