Will a fwd ca18 bolt up to a rwd box?

Jake

Yes it will but there are some major differences in the motor:

Sump
Manifolds
Main bearing caps ( RWD is a stronger bottom end)
Water galleries.
Rocker covers

It can be done though, I have done it before with success.

Adam.

thanks mate

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Thats news to me. I knew the manifolds were different, but I was of the understanding that the blocks heads and cranks etc were all the same. I know that the CA18E/ET had a feeble bottom end though

The CA RWD motor has a cradle type bottom end (similar to the RB30) where-as the FWD motor has singular main caps but both interchange. You will need a changeover or "dead motor" to raid the parts off of.

Adam.

Please elaborate? I don't folow what you mean

Um... its a bit difficult to explain but the RWD has a set of main caps all joined together... like a set of webbing I suppose. For example if you wanted to remove the rear main cap you would have to remove all of the main bearing bolts and all of the caps because they are all joined together. where-as the FWD has each individual caps (like an A series)

I will post a photo up in a tic to explain.

Its a bit of a dark shot because I just took it with my phone but you can see the "cradle" that holds the main caps.

Adam.

Thats the girdle. IFAIK, the early motors dont have that. But the later motors do. I bought a FWD Ca18det in bits for a box of bourbon an colas. The guy who I git if off had give the Girdle to another mate of mine because his earlt motor didn't have one. I then scored all the gizzards out of a mates dummy block, and got a girdle with that lot.
If I knew how to post pics, much less use the didgicam, I'd post pics of the bits.

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Bart send the pictures to me and I can host and post them.......