well after alot of thinking n number crunching ive decided to do a ca conversion in my 85 ute. now ive done a few searches and looked around on the site to c whats involved.. the 1 question i have though is do i realy have to change the tunnel? some ppl say no just bash it with a hammer till the box fits n others say yes u do..im just goin 2 stick with the basic stocko ca18det (it will have just an exhaust fmic n pod 4 now) but want to know if the ca box will fit with some help from my good mate mr hammer? although i spoke to tam at mad dat n she said she could post a tunnel to me in brissy for $40 ($225 for the tunnel) i was hopping i wouldnt need it. has anyone used the ca box without changing the tunnel??

Robert...

Hi Robert,
We did the ca box in my ute and we just gave it a couple of love taps with the hammer and it went in fine,
The only problem is if you have to work on it or put oil in as it very tight.

I would reccomend to anyone doing an engine conversion (non a series) in a 1200
to get a bigger tunnel. Or auto 1200 shell
at the least which in your case is not an option.

it will keep you sane and make life so much
easier when manitaining your 1200 down the track.

there really isnt much advantage of forcing
the box into a standard tunnel after beating
the #### out of it with a hammer.

i was kind of thinking that aswell and when it came time to change clutches..im in the process of building up my ute but dont want it taking 2 long so was thinking about welding in a mad dat tunnel but using the a12 n 4spd 2 get it on the rd while i get the rest of the parts for the conversion. (already got a motor and box and few other things). plus the other thing was i dont wonna paint the ute then 3-4 months later stuff the paint from grinding n welding for the tunnel. this might sound like doing it the long way but i dont want a year + rebuild and buying a part putting it in then then having to weight till i can save for the next part. i want evrything there ready to bolt in 1-2-3 if im lucky..plus i tried looking at a link on the site on doing the ca conversion but the sites been down for ages..

Robert..

You dont need to change tunnel but if you ever have to change clutch etc the whole motor would have to come out. not an easy job considerin you have to lift the car over the motor. everthing has to come out. I didnt change the tunnel, but as a back up i used an newly reco gearbox and a new clutch so hopefully dont have any toubles with it. if you already have car in pieces and you not in any rush to finish it change the tunnel. my two cents anyways good luck.