Mazda 323F as base for rear-engined kit car?

[LezLezLez]

My wife has a Mazda 323F hatch back year 2002, coming to the end of its life. It has a superb transverse FWD engine, running nippily and sweetly. I wonder if anyone has produced a design where this engine and drive shafts are transferred to the rear of a custom space-frame chassis, Lotus Seven style kit car? This design would need good gear change mechanics to the rear end. Steering at the rear would need to be removed (?) and fresh steering put up front. Anyone got any thoughts?

[ugg10]

I think you are on your own here in terms of this engine, it may fit in something like an mev rocket or a r1ot but it will need mounts engineering and drive shafts altering. I guess most here would suggest choosing your kit first and then source your engine unless you already have a popular donor like the mx5. Don't know the engine but if is a version of the mx5 then you could switch it to longitudinal and go for a westfiekd/sr2/zero sevenalike if the mx5 gearbix fits. The later mazda 3 uses the same engine as the focus 1.6 zetec se/sigma which would fit the mev/r1ot plus other conventional kits with a bellhousing and type 9 gearbox, raw striker being a good choice.

Sorry not much help but totlkitcar site has a cross reference of donors and kits under the UK section.

[blitzracing]

The Blitzworld guys used to offer an option to fit various engines to the joyrider kit, might be worth pinging them a mail:

http://www.blitzworld.co.uk/joyrider-sport-2012-fa...

[LezLezLez]

Thanks BlitzRacing, Ugg10, - yes, I will look at the businesses you mention - thanks. I simply note that the prospect of a "free" set of ancillaries, plus engine and running gear, make a heavily engineered outcome of great interest to me. Thanks for replying. LezLezLez.

[Mistrale]

Lez, you could take the route I did and design your own from scratch (www.mistrale.blogspot.com)
But other than that, the advice is always sell the car and buy a donor and a kit that already exists!!!!