project type 3 v8 fastback

[chop top cortina mk2]

hi all,
hope every one is well and staying safe.
thought you might like to see my lastest project. its a 72 type3 fastback with a 67 front end welded on and because it was such a basket case there was only one option of how to build.
so with one of my laser cut universal chassis kits i decided to junk the old aircooled motor and stick a v8 in the front, so heres the plan.
custom chassis
large wheels
jag susspension
rover 4.6 v8
mazda rx8 gearbox
and loads of custom fabbed parts.
heres some pics,


the inside of the shell have all been removed and the front wings have been extended by 6" to give a little more room for the v8. its been sat at ride height ready for the chassis to be started.

[raustinss]

Interested in seeing this one thru

[egoman]

These are my favorite builds. Not a mild custom type of guy. Hope to see many posts and pics.

[chop top cortina mk2]

cheers,
first step is the chassis, this is made a bit easier as i have my own laser cut frame which is completely universal so it would fit just about anything. once the wheel base and axle widths had been sorted i trimmed the chassis components to size and welded them up. i first did the main center rails with the front kick ups on and the rear kick up frame and then mounted them in the shell at ride.


with the frame components in place it could all be squared up and tacked. next step is to get it welded and then place the front suspension cross member in to check it fits ok.

[chop top cortina mk2]

with the basic layout of the chassis done i designed the front wishbone mounts and had them machined upthe front and rear suspension is all based on jaguar xj40,i made up a cds tube bottom wishbone for the rear and an adjustable cds tube top wishbone for the front.

theres still some extra brasing to put in the rear wishbones and the shock mounts but at least i can now get the axles centered.

[chop top cortina mk2]

the rear axle has been narrowed 11" overall so the bottom arms wee made 51/2 shorter than the standard ones, the half shafts were also done.

the rear axle was put back together and all the mounts laser cut so it could be mounted on to the chassis.

with the rear axle in the 20x10 rear wheels could be test fitted.

[chop top cortina mk2]

so with the rear suspension in i could attack the front.
because the front is really short on the early type3 the front wings were extended 6" so the wheel base was extended the same.Attachment 175045
using a mk6 fiesta steering rack it was narrowed so that it lined up with the pivot points of the front wishbones to keep bumpsteer to a minimum.
next step is to get the engine and box in.

[JayinMI]

As a LONG time aircooled VW fan, and fan of cool cars in general, I like where this is headed. Did you extend the whole front end, or just move the wheels forward?

Jay

[chop top cortina mk2]

hi jay,
the whole front end was extended.
using a v8 rover engine again this time a 4.6 it was decided that i would use a mazda rx8 5 speed box. for this to work i would need to make an adaptor plate, i made this out of a 12mm thick mild steel plate and with the two bolted together engine and box could be mounted in the chassis.

got the engine and box mounted in. next thing is to install the front coil overs and to mount the front sheet metal.

[chop top cortina mk2]

with the engine and box in its time to finish of the front and rear chassis segments.
managed to get the box section to to conform to the shape of the front and rear valance.

[BMR Sales]

I'm in for this one! I've had a bunch of Air Cooled Porsches and currently have a 944 with a LS, so I'm partial in VW & Porsche Hot Rods!

[chop top cortina mk2]

any pics of the 944, bet thats a hand full to drive.

[454bug]

Great project and fab skills! Looking forward to updates!

[69CougarXR7]

I don’t comment often but this one I really like... just the front end modifications alone make the body so much better looking.. I have always thought these looked a little short..

Will be following this one..

Brian

[WILWAXU]

Very cool build!

[Bugzilla]

Glad to see another VW shell being used for a cool project!

[chop top cortina mk2]

cheers guys,
had a beetle as my first car and then a fastback.
with the chassis done it was time to move on to the floors and front bulkhead.

with the floors and wheel tubs all mad up it was time to make the bulkhead panel.

the hole is for the brake servo. with most of the panels done next job is to mount the seats and seat belts.

[chop top cortina mk2]

boot floor panels done with the battery tray recessed in.

made all the seat fixing point, they are a folded 1.5mm sheet into a box section and then an 8mm flat strip welded inside with an 8mm nut welded to that. the seats are mazda mx5 units.

[andrewb70]

Great fab work!

Andrew

[Project Bike Truck]

This an absolute awesome project!
Is there anymore info out there? Facebook or insta?