can a front-wheel drive car be converted into rear-wheel drive configuration? If yes, how can it be done?

Question

I would like to know on what models of cars can this be performed on.

Answer 1

put a Suburu drive-line in and make it 4 wheel drive :)

Jay Leno coverted a 66 Olds Tornado from front to rear drive, had to custom make a frame for it

Answer 2

The basic answer is that it can't really be done and end up with a vehicle resembling anything like the original.

You CAN, for instance, take a body of a front wheel drive vehicle and kind of plop it on top of a rear wheel drive chassis. You'd have to modify all the linkages to the controls and the dashboard, and the body would sit up very high on the frame.

One problem would be the tunnel that normally houses the drive shaft that transfers power from the transmission to the rear wheels. In a rear wheel drive car, that is what that hump along the middle of the interior of the car. There is no such hump, or room for it in the interior of a front wheel drive. So, to make room for the drive shaft, the body would have to ride up high.

The othe problem is the "unibody" construction of most modern cars. The "frame" is actuall incorporated into some of the major exterior body components. You'd have to decide which parts of the unibody would stay and which you'd have to cut out. Complicated and risky if you don't know what you are doing.

Bottom line, this is not the kind of conversion that can be done easily, and I don't know of ANYONE who has thought is was worth the effort to actually do it.

Answer 3

The basic rule of working on cars is that you can do anything you want, given enough time and money. :-)

The question is what makes it worth the time and money. For example, some friends of mine in the Oregon rallycross community have installed a Subaru WRX engine and drivetrain in an old 2-door Plymouth Neon. The parts were cheap, as I think they both came out of a junkyard, and they fabricated everything they needed to make it work. The thing is wild on a rallycross course, light and powerful, and it's just INSANE watching all four tires on a Neon spew mud when they launch.

For most of us, though, you have to look at your budget and your goals, and you have to look at the specific car you're converting. Is there room under the hood for a front-to-rear engine configuration? (Most FWD cars use sideways-mounted engines.) Is there room under the floorpan for a driveshaft? What kind of differential, rear axle/IRS and suspension are you going to use? Where will you mount the rear suspension pickup points? What kind of suspension geometry are you planning to use? And who's going to do the fabrication on all the adaptors, stiffeners, reinforcers and mounting bits you'll need?

So the answer is that it really requires dedication, or a big budget, or both. For most people, the sensible answer is "sell the FWD and buy an RWD to start with." But if we all drove sensible cars, life would be pretty boring, right?

And that's the real answer -- it has to be a labor of love, because you'll never get back what you put into it, not in performance or resale value. You have to want to do it more than anything else you could do with the same money, parts and time. But if you do... you'll have something that is truly unique, and uniquely yours.

Answer 4

It would probably be cheaper to just buy a rear wheel drive car. The front wheel drive car has a transverse engine...that is, the engine block sits sideways, and the transmission is built onto the bottom of it so that it drives the power downward to the front differential to drive the front wheels. To make it a rear wheel drive, you'd have to remove that engine and install one that has the power output at the back of the motor, so it could drive a transmission that was coupled to the BACK of the motor...and then drive power to the rear wheels. With the cost of the new motor and transmission and the cost of the new rear end and front ends you'd need, as well as the modifications you'd have to make to the suspension to hold the new engine and transmission, it would be better to just buy a rear wheel drive car.

Answer 5

Not easily or economically. Most front drive cars have the engine mounted transversely which would make it hard to get the drive line to the rear. It would be much cheaper to buy a rear drive car. If you can find a 240 SX or an older model Beemer, Volvo, Infinity or a Mustang or Camaro or T/A.

Answer 6

Anything is possible.... but realisitically it would be very difficult. You would need a RWD transmission and engine, which would require a large enough engine bay to allow for the change in motor configuration. Also you would have to do some cutting of the floor pan to have enough room for the driveshaft and transmission. Then, you would have to find a proper rear differential and shafts that would work on your project car.... or just make them.

So.... basically you'd be better off to just buy a RWD car vs. converting.

Answer 7

you have to custom up motor mounts to rotate the engine to lateral mounting instead of the transverse mounting stock. You then need to get a bellhousing, clutch, flywheel, and trans that will bolt up to the engine you are using. You have to change out the rear suspension (depending on setup) to accomodate a straight axle, as this is the simplest way to drive the rear wheels, and then put in the shocks, springs (coil or leaf), trailing arms (depending), etc., or you could go and buy the bolt-in kit the company making the "elanor" GT500's uses and weld it in. Finally, call up quartermaster to make an aluminum driveshaft to fit the setup you're using. then it should work. It's alot of cutting and splicing, but in the end, I still think it's worth it.

Answer 8

The first guy is right...yes, you can convert it with $$$. You could make your car fly and pop popcorn in the exhaust if you have the money. It's kind of like the saying, "everything is for sale".

However, realistically, no, you cannot do this. There is so much work that would be required to get it done, and it would cost tens of thousands of dollars and for what? RWD? You'd be better just buying a new, RWD car. I honestly think that you would be laughed out of every shop in America if you came in and asked them to do this too...unless of course, you have the bank to shut them up.

Answer 9

Forget it.
Even though ANYTHING can be done to an automobile it would be far, far less expensive simply to purchase a rear drive vehicle. The only prayer you would have to pull this off would be to simply remove the front drive components from a 4x4 truck/SUV and use the rear drive assy only. But why bother?

Answer 10

yes.....but its going to cost you a butt load of money. not only that but fabrication of the car is extensive.. for example ive seen a mid engine rear drive honda crx. my dad is putting the ford turbo 2.4 out of the turbo thunderbird into a civic. the focus has a 5.0l rear drive conversion kit. its possible with any car. at the shop here were in the process of putting the ferarri 3.5l v-8 out of a 355 into the *** end of a del sol. just all depends how much your willing to part with cash wise