[nutz4sand]

Some people GOTTA shift and love the hit of it. I prefer a good auto if possible cause it frees up both hands for the steering. Plus nothing worse than loosing a race due to missing a shift. Or looking a lil silly jsut showing off and missing a shift.

Arrowhead says thats a 88 Civic tranny but I found some Civics of that year and they were a bit different. Other Honda heads on this board also wonder. Any newer Honda tranny is good and the SI ones (Sports Inspired) have closer ratios. You would normally shift the bike motor in his setup but a close ratio is nice if you just need a tiny bit more torque or a tiny bit more speed to beat that other guy. Then you pop the rear tranny into the gear you feel you need and shift the bike motor or let the CVT deal with it. The Newer Honda Trannys are likely stronger. So good to find.

The Honda trannys face that way as the tranny is on the passenger side of the car so its somewhat easy to feed the power in. I have a Honda tranny here for the next "worthy" bike motor I find. I am also looking for a newer VW jetta tranny form the 4 cyl. It faces the opposite way of the Honda tranny but to me its ideal for a sled motor in front of it as modern sleds have the driven (secondary) clutch is always mounted on a long shaft for stability so that will carry the power over to that side then I can fab something to run a chain from the sled shaft to the tranny input shaft.

The one thing that NEEDS to be addressed with these trannies used like this is YOU MUST support the input shaft DEAD STRAIGHT ON. In the cars the tranny shaft fits into the crank and cannot move sideways. If you torque it sideways it will ruin it. No side force! Just rotating!

I would say if you are unable to afford the Jeffco and the like stick with the Cobalt and use then engine and tranny in something like the Sandrocket in the link above. You can drive the car so you know what you got. You also have all you need to make it run (That alone can be golden. Hunting down one part is a pina sometimes) You can go to a Junk Yard and get an IRS rearend for pretty chaep then build a frame around it. Weld or lock the cars diff and run a driveshaft back. Seal the front hole. (The Cobalt car motor will be turned sideways in the frame.) You will not get cheaper than this scince you got the car.

Ford Merkurs have IRS Diffs WITH German CV flanges on them. But they are cast iron adn a bit heavy. (Migh be hard to find scince older) The newer Thunderbird have IRS and I have been told a Aluminum pig case for less weight. You might score a Jaguier rear end for cheap (Like the SandRockets use but any good IRS can work) If you look at Jags the 6 cylinder engines usually had open rear diffs (for cutting brakes) and the 12 cylinders had Positracs.

Many think you need posi in the dunes and I cannot say its bad. But I have NEVER seen a VW rail with an open diff spin just one tire and bury itself. I do not doubt it has happened many times and can see it happening at the top of a dune with one tire weighted a LOT more at a steep angle. But I do not feel a posi rear is a NEED. Plus if you like cutting brakes a diff is needed.

Audi Quattros had some cars with a rear diff with LARGE German CV flanges on it already AND some of them had a rear diff that could be run open or locked with a simple lever on the side of the diff case. (I have one of these sitting in the garage just for such a ride as this) The lever can be operated by another lever and some of the cars like the one mine came out of have a air cylinder to kick the lever on the diff back and forth. I can use that or remove it easy and make a simple lever.

Have to figure what would suit you best.

The cost is gonna float some but most say to figure it out what you think it will be then double that. If you get it done for less you did good. A lot depends on if you can do most of the work and get good deals on the parts you end up going with. Also if you can bend and notch and weld the tube yourself. Then you will save a bit. Shocks are $$ good shocks to $$$$ realllly good shocks. Shocks can make a ride so skimping on them can cost you more in the end. You could consider the design to take some economy shocks for now with adaptors to hold them then later when you can buy nicer chocks you just unbolt the economy shocks and adaptors and bolt the good ones in.

Are you planning on designing the frame?? Or are you looking for plans?