Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[digitalsolo]

The Coyote is heavier than an N/A LS and lighter than a blower motor, about in-between.

I was out sick today with a nasty cold and slept most of the day, but work up feeling a little better.  Since I was off and it feels nice and cool in the garage, I did a little initial disassembly on the car.   Pulled the entire exhaust off, heat shields, and starter/alternator wiring and the starter itself.  Going to try to get the drivetrain out next weekend if all goes well.

Then it's some wiring cleanup/prep, and mock-up of the new powertrain.

[Cobranut]

Nice overall weight distribution, but I'm a bit surprised the cross weight is that far off from 50%. Aston should be able to do better. LOL

[Venom13132]

The Coyote is heavier than an N/A LS and lighter than a blower motor, about in-between.

I was out sick today with a nasty cold and slept most of the day, but work up feeling a little better.  Since I was off and it feels nice and cool in the garage, I did a little initial disassembly on the car.   Pulled the entire exhaust off, heat shields, and starter/alternator wiring and the starter itself.  Going to try to get the drivetrain out next weekend if all goes well.

Then it's some wiring cleanup/prep, and mock-up of the new powertrain.

glad youre starting to feel better.  Get lots of photos of this build please!

[digitalsolo]

I'll get status photos Sunday.   Work has been brutal, combined with the cold, I've been slow on progress.

Starting with parts that are valuable/easy to sell to try and get some positive cashflow on the project, ahead of Black Friday, since I still need... a lot of... parts. 

Exhaust, intake and cooling stack are off the car.   Exhaust/intake are sold already, also.  Going to try to get the front suspension pulled off this weekend.  Next weekend my schedule is pretty open, so I'm hoping to hammer on it then and see how close I can get to dropping the drivetrain out.  Once that's done, I can divorce the drivetrain from the subframes and start on the engine fitment.

I've got a potential buyer for the drivetrain, which I'm hoping comes through as it'll really help clear space in the garage.  That and the cooling stack are the big items I need to get rid of for space.

[Exidous]

try and get some positive cashflow on the project,

That shits funny right there.

[digitalsolo]

Tear down progress:

Back box (muffler) and exhaust dropped.   Headers/cats/mid-pipe are sold and gone.   I'll reuse the muffler.





Cooling system is out as well, minus the oil cooler:



Engine prep work is moving along.  Holley power steering adapter is in, I have their A/C bracket for an SD7 pump as well, just haven't had a chance to install it yet.  Headers are also on, as is the dry sump tank adapter.   Tank is in hand as well.







The stud for the main power on the alternator is a real SOB and has cut me 2-3x by running into it.  I need to get this in the car for my own personal safety.

[shainiac]

Nice progress!

What's the stainless box at the front of the engine with a drain plug? Oil HX?

[MPbdy]

lol put a vacuum cap on the alternator stud

[digitalsolo]

Nice progress!

What's the stainless box at the front of the engine with a drain plug? Oil HX?

Thanks!  It's the dry sump tank for the OE engine.

lol put a vacuum cap on the alternator stud

I think I'm going to shove a cork on it or something at least, LOL.

I made a little more progress last night, dropped the oil cooler, dry sump tank and all of the related lines.  Handily the fittings were all 20AN.   This car is, for the most part, pretty easy to work on.   Next up is dropping the suspension to make subframe install/removal/install/removal (repeat...) easier.   Then some interior pieces to pull the shifter out, axles, a few electrical/fuel connections and it should be ready to "divorce" the drivetrain and get to fitting new bits.

[kinger]

Sweet!  What mfg is the transasxle?  I see the plate but can't zoom in. Just curious.  Looks fun!

[digitalsolo]

The OEM transaxle is a Graziano.

[digitalsolo]

So, after a little research on the ECU front, I'm going to try just building my own CAN translator instead of using the MaxxECU.   the MaxxECU seems great, but I think I may still have some challenges with making 100% of the CAN functionality work with it, and I can do my own controller for... 20 dollars.   Since it seems I'll need my controller in the mix no matter what, I'm going to start with that, and add the Maxx if needed later.

[Venom13132]

That sounds difficult to me but I'm a mechanical engineer not a programmer/electrical guy.

[kinger]

You had me at CAN translator for $20....

[digitalsolo]

It's really not hard (so I say now...).   It's basically the same thing I did on the Mustang, where I listen to CAN bus, process the message, then output a modified message.   In the Mustang I used it to listen for button presses, then output a differently formatted button press to emulate a keypad.   In this case, I'd listen to the GM CAN data, process speed, RPM and temperature, then output Aston Martin formatted messages.

The problem with using the MaxxECU to do it, is I need other messages to wake up the dash, etc.  I'm not 100% sure I can do that with the Maxx, but I can do it easily with the Arduino.  Or in this case, an RP2040, which is kinda like an Arduino but faster, which is good because I'm a shitty coder.

I got my cooling fans for the project today.   Chevy Volt dual PWM fans.   SUPER slim, perfectly fit for my location, and should be able to PWM them off the factory Chevy ECU.   Wins all around.