matswesty Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hi all,Just wondering if anyone has ever fitted a toyota 18rg 2l dohc engine into a westfield as i am building mine at the moment-its a rare engine now but the engine i have is race tuned and was producing 185bhp at the wheels in the celica it came out of.i like the idea of putting this in as its a simple engine to work on and should be simpler to get through the iva test i hope as its 1970's,any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks Mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 A Red Top Vx and a Silver Top Zetec will make the same power, will get through IVA just the same, will have off the shelf parts so will cost less to fit and will be easier to keep running in the medium to long term compared to a 1970's engine. The issue with unusual engine choices isn't so much the "should I / can I" question as much as the issues that crop up when trying to get exhausts, inlets, engine mounts, cooling system, transmission and all the myriad of bits that are required to make the engine (and box) fit, go, run and be reliable. The costs add up quickly and the question of bang for buck is usually on our minds as well. Of course, if you want to do it simply "because it's there" then go ahead, but be prepared to do a lot of leg work and expect to have to have some bespoke parts made. All this is IMHO of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Dare to be different, there's nothing wrong with that at all. More expensive? maybe, but definately more rewarding, and certainly more of a talking point when the bonnet's off. No idea about the 18rg at all I'm afraid, I had to google it to find out what it was but I'd suggest starting out talking to somewhere like RAW who have done a lot of work with the 4AGE in the striker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perksy Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Aslong as you do your homework and are mechanically minded, most things are possible There'll be alot of work and a few obsticles to climb but at the end of the day, it's nice to see something different There's a lad on Locostbuilders fitting a BMW M3 Engine to his chassis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matswesty Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 hi thanks for your replys,just got the engine and gearbox in today the only problem i have is the top mounted pedal box,would it be a problem to reverse mount the brake and clutch master cylinders facing the driver rather thn facing the front of the car?ie fabricate the pedals and have the cylinders under the scuttle?(no room for a floor mounted box as the clutch slave clyinder is in the way) many thanks Mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanoecosse Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 If the cylinders were under the scuttle, it would make filling/checking levels a bit of a mare. You'd need to remove the little fibreglass cover each time to allow you to see them from above and I don't think the IVA guy would be happy with this setup as you can't quickly & easily check the brake fluid level Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matswesty Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 Yes see your point,would it be possible to somehow fix a pipe where the resoviur goes into the master cylinders and then mount the resoviurs against the scuttle in the engine bay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 No problem with having the reservoirs out of site providing the installation complies with the following from section 09D of the IVA manual: QUOTE 16. It must be possible to check the fluid relative to the manufacturer’s specified minimum level on all brake fluid reservoirs by the actual fluid level being visible through a transparent section of the reservoir, with the minimum level marked permanently on to this section. As an alternative, a red warning lamp (see figure 1) must be capable of illuminating when the reservoir fluid falls to the minimum level. 17. An indelible label must be affixed in a visible position within 100 mm of the filling ports of the fluid reservoirs to ensure that it is possible for the end user of the vehicle to identify the brake fluid used in braking system. DOT fluid references and/or the Symbols and text in table 1 are considered acceptable. 18. Where a warning lamp is provided as the only means of checking the fluid level without opening the reservoir, it must be secure, operational, visible during daylight and darkness from the driving position, and fitted with a “test facility” that enables its operation to be checked from the driving position without opening the reservoir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matswesty Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 Heres a pic showing the engine in any comments? mat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazpowerslide Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I'd say go to floor mount pedals but you're a bit past the welding stage by the look of it. Chaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikpro Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Matt, more so on the other thread but can you resize the pics before you post them - the thread contents are excellent but the pics are tooooo big and on the other thread wrongly spaced so I have to keep scrolling left and right to read them! Good work on Westie but why are the pics taken in a field?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimberlake Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Nice engine, you could make good money selling it on. I'm part of the Japanese crowd in the UK and would cry out for an engine like that in my Celica. Parts are a nightmare and very expensive but nice engines all the same. Out of interest where did it come from and you know of anymore? Also if you do decide to change for what ever reason to a more conventional engine then please keep me in mind. Thanks fella and enjoy it Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matswesty Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 hi thanks for the feedback jimberlake/nikpro i'm building the car at back of my garden(been pretty cold over the winter!) jimberlake the engine came out of my old friends 1975 celica gt that i new in my teens (40 now!!) it was a very fast celica for its time as the engine has been lightened and balanced and is running reprofiled cams-fast road/rally with twin 45 dellortos he told me its 18rgr engine not a standeard 18rg but not sure what the differences is,as you will know these engines rev well and sound great,should be quite a fun toy hopefully?there are people around that can supply parts for these still what do you need? Mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield2CV Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 Hello, I don't know where is your project ? Did you build this car ? For information, I just buy a Westfield with a 18RG engine. It's very nice and I hope we can discuss of that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 @Garfield2CV the original poster @matswesty hasn't been on here since 2011, hence won't see you reply. to our club and why not post in the Start line and tell us more about your car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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