I have a disease. It's the "what if" disease. I can't leave well enough alone.
I've been looking into transaxle choices. The Boxter S 6 speed is the one that I've seen recommended. It's suppose to be strong enough and uses cable shifting. From what I've read it shifts very well. It looks like a good used one is $2-3000.00. Then you need an adapter to hook it up to the LS, fly wheel and clutch assembly. From Kennedy adapters these parts are about $2400. Then you need to have axles custom made to go from the Porsche transaxle to the C5 hubs. The problem is that the trans gear ratios are not great for the LS. People recommend skipping gears when shifting. And, at 75mph the RPMS are 2900 and change.
There are other options of course. All pretty expensive. I'm not rich. I have always had to build on a budget. And, sell something to build another car.
I've built a few cars with C5 parts. In one I shortened the torque tube by 23 inches. I've also looked at eliminating the torque tube and bolting the engine directly to the transmission. The transmissions in the C5 (both manual and auto) bolt directly to the Diff.
In my shop I have a C5 auto trans, diff, and the bell housing to bolt it directly to the engine. Using all of these parts greatly simplifies getting all components that were designed for each other. The diff is limited slip and the trans has the correct gears for the LS. The problem is that this combo is long. This is because the transmission would be in front of the diff. In the Porsche and other transaxles the transmission is behind the diff.
I decided to mock up the car using all of the Corvette parts. Since I had a couple more rolls of red duct tape I was good to go.
The result is a 107 inch wheelbase. This is the same as the C8 vette. If I were to go this route I definitely have to build a new frame. The fiberglass work wouldn't be that much as it would be a 13 inch insert to fit behind the bulkhead and rear clip.
I haven't decided what way to go. I'll print off the pictures and pin them to the wall. I'll stare at them for a few days.
Of course I could just build a similar car from scratch.
Having fun.
Pictures with 107wheelbase (tires are sticking out because I didn't move the suspension to the correct wheelbase)
