Grainy. Distributor relocation or DLI kits are typically the most expensive or hack part of 20V swaps… and from the engine’s standpoint this is neither. It sure is hack from the chassis point of view… but I’ve already cut and welded and braced my chassis so much that this seemed entirely trivial. Total cost was like $7 worth of sheet metal and POR15, and probably an hour or two of cutting and welding.
In hindsight, I could have taken more time. I used some really thin 26gauge steel and had problems welding it. Here is the box, tacked in place. It’s actually a pretty substantial size, at about 2″ depth. There is talk on the internet of being able to hammer the bulkhead back enough to clear the distributor. That seems like an impossible task when looking at this. If it is possible to make enough room for the dizzy using a hammer, certainly there would not be enough room to service the distributor or even change the cap without pulling the engine.
While my box left enough room to get the cap on and off, it was very tight, and considering that sometime in the future I might need to replace the distributor or remove it, I decided to cut a hole in my hole and make a removable aluminum plate for easy service. I plan on using this opening in the future, as a hot air feed for the cabin heater. You’ll notice in this picture, that my box is much bigger on the drivers side that it needs to be. Doing so made it easier to line my box up with the contours of the bulkhead, but I wasn’t smart enough to check that everything was clear on the backside. When it all went back together, the gas pedal did not fit. You can see where I cut and welded the pedal’s counterweight to make room.
On the front side, you can see how the brake lines had to be tweaked. They’re easy to bend by hand. You can also see where I sealed up the holes for the factor heater core. I had already considered removing the heater core just for weight savings, but the extra clutter of the 20V at the bulkhead (coolant lines, vacuum lines, distributor etc) forced me to follow through and yank it. If this seems extreme to you, never fear, a box for your distributor does not need to interfere with the heater core. Mine does, but not significantly. Make your box a minimal width and it will all fit nicely.
this is twice i’ve seen a boosterless brake setup on AE86 today. how does it perform anyway?
as always, job well done. i envy your welding skills.
Maybe my ability to weld is enviable, but my skills (at least for this project) certainly were not. Boosterless brakes are awesome though. Took sometime to get set up right… But now they rule. I’ll probably make it my next post.