Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Dreaming of engine swap Honda Insight into Miles zx40

rmay635703 · 01-03-2019, 08:22 PM

After my fathers zx40 got spun around by a guy running a stop sign my mother has been afraid to drive it.

It still has a dented rear quarter panel that needs to be pulled but is drivable.

My fathers Insight is sitting stagnating in storage with a bad immobilizer and the thought hits me.

The Miles and Insight are virtually valueless, hard to sell and of no use to me at the moment.

Maybe I should swap drivetrains?

I could use a truly mini van that can go a distance and the thing originally came with either 660cc or 1 liter Daihatsu special meaning the Insight engine would be downright peppy turning the 155/65r13 tires

The zx40 has a place for the OEM Insight battery in back (if I wanted it) unfortunately it has one of those rather tall narrow engine bays compared to the Insights long low bay.

Removing the front grill on the miles results in a completely wide open front for extreme getto.

Daihatsu Charade and Move parts fit this van.

Soooo

I am more of a guy that wants technical information like half shaft dimensions and transmission bell housing info and more to ponder for months than to start tearing down and measuring.

I would love to take the whole Insight engine transaxle and all and plop it under but that is very very doubtful.

I have never swapped a liquid fueled engine before so there is that.

My guess is that I would need to make half shafts work but the width may be inadequate which would require me to de ima and mount the engine to a Daihatsu 5 speed which I am told is like an old Toyota

But no info to be found yet on any of this

Any ideas where to start?

01-03-2019, 08:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
rmay635703 home of the odd vehicles Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Somewhere in WI Posts: 3,882 Silver - '10 Chevy Cobalt XFE Thanks: 500 Thanked 865 Times in 652 Posts	Dreaming of engine swap Honda Insight into Miles zx40 After my fathers zx40 got spun around by a guy running a stop sign my mother has been afraid to drive it. It still has a dented rear quarter panel that needs to be pulled but is drivable. My fathers Insight is sitting stagnating in storage with a bad immobilizer and the thought hits me. The Miles and Insight are virtually valueless, hard to sell and of no use to me at the moment. Maybe I should swap drivetrains? I could use a truly mini van that can go a distance and the thing originally came with either 660cc or 1 liter Daihatsu special meaning the Insight engine would be downright peppy turning the 155/65r13 tires The zx40 has a place for the OEM Insight battery in back (if I wanted it) unfortunately it has one of those rather tall narrow engine bays compared to the Insights long low bay. Removing the front grill on the miles results in a completely wide open front for extreme getto. Daihatsu Charade and Move parts fit this van. Soooo I am more of a guy that wants technical information like half shaft dimensions and transmission bell housing info and more to ponder for months than to start tearing down and measuring. I would love to take the whole Insight engine transaxle and all and plop it under but that is very very doubtful. I have never swapped a liquid fueled engine before so there is that. My guess is that I would need to make half shafts work but the width may be inadequate which would require me to de ima and mount the engine to a Daihatsu 5 speed which I am told is like an old Toyota But no info to be found yet on any of this Any ideas where to start?