2.6 Astron in an L300 2WD
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:14 pm
This is my boss’s 1995 L300.
Its done over 380,000 Kms and the 4G63 is stuffed. I have been thinking of this conversion for a while because ever since he got it it’s been slow. We had a drag race between the empty L300 and his loaded up 1.8 Econovan and the Econovan beat it by miles. It was using a lot of oil and recently the water pump went so it was time to change it. I must admit it kept going all these years even after he set it on fire.
Last year I did some research and figured out that the 4G63 in the L300 was a narrow block and that I would need 2.6 Sigma Astron auto for the easiest conversion. A few months back I asked a friend of mine if he knew of any and found out about a gold mine of old car parts where there was a GJ 2.6 Sigma. It was an ex demo derby car that was originally a granny car with 110,000 Kms on the clock. When it was derbied it lasted about 3 minutes before it was rolled onto its roof.
You can't see him but my 13-year-old son is steering it. We fired it up before taking it and there was not one puff of smoke!
We took the whole car and ripped out the motor on the street out the front of my place taking everything that we thought was needed then scrapped the shell.
As I couldn't find anything on the motor to say it was 2.6l I consulted this forum and found this thread.
http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=1800
According to the numbers it is a 2.6 and from 1987 so I'm thinking the granny had the motor changed and this one has done less than 110,000 Kms. So good score for $200.
The thing about these vans it takes an hour just to pull everything out to get access to the motor.
A fair bit of room in the engine bay for a van.
Note how much space is in front of and above the motor. This is what led to think the 2.6 would fit.
Motor is out!
The two motors side by side. Note the bell-housing bolthole just above the starter boltholes. They are in different spots but the L300 gearbox has holes in both positions.
Pulled the torque converter and flex plate off the Astron. 6 bolt crank, as you would expect.
Pulled the clutch off the old motor and saw this then said shit numerous times.
Now I knew about the 7 bolt cranks but I was hoping it would be the same as the Astron. My X-Ray vision wasn't working so I didn't know until I got this far. Went to a couple of wreckers with the clutch and flex plate with the hope of finding something. The first place didn't have anything but said I would need a flywheel off a 2l Sigma or early L300. The second place first said "Nah we don't do L300's anymore. We won’t have anything unless it’s a Lancer". Then some old bloke came out, had a look then disappeared up the back. He came back with this.
It’s from a 1.6l L300.
Cleaned up the flywheel and bolted it all together. It still has the factory machining marks in it.
Now for some strange reason I thought I would need a Magna sump but it doesn't look like you do. Went back to where we got the sigma and found this.
It is/was a TR Magna.
We needed to get to the sump. So when you are in the bush!
Some people told me it couldn’t' be done because it wouldn't fit. Then they said you would have to move the radiator or put electric fans on the front and I said "So!" I measured the 2.6 Astron and it looks like the radiator will have to move forward a minimum of 30mm but 40mm to be comfortable. But from the pics you see there is plenty of room. You save a few mm by using the Sigma fan. It doesn't sit as far from the motor as the original.
Next thing is to work out and swap over certain things on the motor and check the engine mount spacing.
One thing I noticed is that the gearbox is tiny. Oh well if he blows it up we'll just have to put something bigger in!
Its done over 380,000 Kms and the 4G63 is stuffed. I have been thinking of this conversion for a while because ever since he got it it’s been slow. We had a drag race between the empty L300 and his loaded up 1.8 Econovan and the Econovan beat it by miles. It was using a lot of oil and recently the water pump went so it was time to change it. I must admit it kept going all these years even after he set it on fire.
Last year I did some research and figured out that the 4G63 in the L300 was a narrow block and that I would need 2.6 Sigma Astron auto for the easiest conversion. A few months back I asked a friend of mine if he knew of any and found out about a gold mine of old car parts where there was a GJ 2.6 Sigma. It was an ex demo derby car that was originally a granny car with 110,000 Kms on the clock. When it was derbied it lasted about 3 minutes before it was rolled onto its roof.
You can't see him but my 13-year-old son is steering it. We fired it up before taking it and there was not one puff of smoke!
We took the whole car and ripped out the motor on the street out the front of my place taking everything that we thought was needed then scrapped the shell.
As I couldn't find anything on the motor to say it was 2.6l I consulted this forum and found this thread.
http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=1800
According to the numbers it is a 2.6 and from 1987 so I'm thinking the granny had the motor changed and this one has done less than 110,000 Kms. So good score for $200.
The thing about these vans it takes an hour just to pull everything out to get access to the motor.
A fair bit of room in the engine bay for a van.
Note how much space is in front of and above the motor. This is what led to think the 2.6 would fit.
Motor is out!
The two motors side by side. Note the bell-housing bolthole just above the starter boltholes. They are in different spots but the L300 gearbox has holes in both positions.
Pulled the torque converter and flex plate off the Astron. 6 bolt crank, as you would expect.
Pulled the clutch off the old motor and saw this then said shit numerous times.
Now I knew about the 7 bolt cranks but I was hoping it would be the same as the Astron. My X-Ray vision wasn't working so I didn't know until I got this far. Went to a couple of wreckers with the clutch and flex plate with the hope of finding something. The first place didn't have anything but said I would need a flywheel off a 2l Sigma or early L300. The second place first said "Nah we don't do L300's anymore. We won’t have anything unless it’s a Lancer". Then some old bloke came out, had a look then disappeared up the back. He came back with this.
It’s from a 1.6l L300.
Cleaned up the flywheel and bolted it all together. It still has the factory machining marks in it.
Now for some strange reason I thought I would need a Magna sump but it doesn't look like you do. Went back to where we got the sigma and found this.
It is/was a TR Magna.
We needed to get to the sump. So when you are in the bush!
Some people told me it couldn’t' be done because it wouldn't fit. Then they said you would have to move the radiator or put electric fans on the front and I said "So!" I measured the 2.6 Astron and it looks like the radiator will have to move forward a minimum of 30mm but 40mm to be comfortable. But from the pics you see there is plenty of room. You save a few mm by using the Sigma fan. It doesn't sit as far from the motor as the original.
Next thing is to work out and swap over certain things on the motor and check the engine mount spacing.
One thing I noticed is that the gearbox is tiny. Oh well if he blows it up we'll just have to put something bigger in!