minnesotan Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Hello, I have been posting about on this forum in search of a Peugeot 405 or 505 with little result. Long behold, I found a Peugeot lover in Minnesota/Wisconsin and was quite shocked. There was a 405 and 505 wagon. I drove the 505 wagon and didn't feel the love. However, the 405, which had in excess of 200,000 miles and I might add, had a faulty engine with valve stem seals thus smoked like a seive, caught my eye. And I bought it. Now the work begins...I have attained a replacement engine and will remove the old rubbish XU engine and replace it with a V6 motor. The V6 has 260 hp so it should give the little wagon a little scoot. Transmission will be a 5 speed. Interior is surprisingly intact as is the body. Headliner needs gluing and the leather seat driver boulster needs new leather. But that shall pale in comparison to the engine work. 1). Anyone know how many 405 wagons in the USA? 2). Is this a good forum for 405 owners? I am excited but also terrified. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunktionFET Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 As you might've guessed, there aren't many 405 wagons in the US. The bulk of them came in as 1990 models. If there were any in 1991, it was just a handful and they have been leftover 1990 models. Apart from the obvious body differences, they are almost identical to the sedan. I'm not sure which V6 you'd like to stuff in the nose of the 405, but good luck with whatever you come up with. It would certainly breathe a bit of life into the car. Is it a Peugeot V6? I ask because I don't think Peugeot has ever produced a V6 with 260bhp. The latest ES9 series was only a bit over 200bhp, and the earlier PRV based 24 valve wasn't any better. Both of those were available in FWD packages, so I suspect they could both be somehow shoehorned into the 405's engine bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 No Peugeot heart in this car anymore or ever. The ES9 never made it here so that was out of the question. I have already prepared installation of the V6 engine. Hint to it's origins: SOHC, all-aluminum, and used in a variety of luxury cars and coupes. It will fit, just needs welding, correct axles, and suspension adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 And, why am I labeled a spam bot? Good heavens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunktionFET Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Is it a splendid Honda J32? Say yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 O.M.G. How did you guess? Yes, a J32 Type-S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunktionFET Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Admittedly I'm the resident Honda fanboy. The J-series is just the bees knees. Good luck with your project and keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Bees knees? It been a long time since I've last heard that term! This Peugeot should consider itself lucky to be living on with a new heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 That sounds like an AWESOME build! A local tuner is known for his powertrain swaps - most impressive was the Caddilac Northstar V8 into a VW Golf - it was dubbed Coupe de Golf. So doing the J32 should be EASY if you look at it that way... lol What transmission is bolted to it? And did I mention we have a build thread section that would be a GREAT place to document the build? Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 BTW - My 2000 V70R is a 261 HP AWD wagon (Turbo I5) and it's pure awesome. 260 HP in the 405 and it'll be such a sleeper. My car at 3800lbs can kill a fair number of fast cars - ~700lb diet and it'd be insane. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal505 Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 Wow this car is going to be ****ing insane. 260 hp in a little 405 sounds mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Just out of curiousity - what is the plan for the brakes and suspension? I wasn't sure if you were transplanting just the poweertrain, or if you were going to be transplanting the whole subframe w/suspension as a unit. The latter would be my vote for sure if you could - then see about doing a rear hub conversion to run the Acura rear bolt pattern so you can have matching wheels... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunktionFET Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Adapting suspension would be tricky since the TL uses an SLA suspension design as opposed to MacPherson struts. My guess is that doing some kind of hybrid CV joint/axle to mate with the 405's hubs would be the way to go, or perhaps swapping the hub and strut components from an RSX or late Civic. That could be problematic though because of how Honda attaches the tie rods to the strut instead of the hub. I'm curious to see how this puppy comes together. There are clearance issues when swapping the J3x motor into some Hondas, and since the 405's engine is tilted backward at a 30 degree angle for clearance, it will be a feat of engineering to get the relatively tall V6 in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 I noticed the tall engine height in some of the J32 swap threads I found. (I had to see what the heck a J32 was!). I've also seen a few cool swaps and it seemed like the easiest was to modify the car for an existing subframe to bolt into, or to build a new cradle that fastened to the powertrain mount points and the vehicle mount points.... No idea what that would entail however as I've never had a close look at any Acuras. Figured if you could do the whole swap and get the axles, suspension and brakes it'd save a lot of work. 260 HP and factory 405 DL brakes wouldn't be confidence inspiring - but I know you could likely piece together a decent system from newer Peugeots from what I've seen on Aussiefrogs. Since it's an SLA - does the upper link attach to the unibody or is it part of the subframe? If it's the unibody - I wonder if it could be welded into place. Probably a moot discussion especially since a donor car wasn't mentioned. Very curious how it comes together as well. I remember thinking briefly that a 4cyl Honda swap would be a neat way to replace an Mi-16 motor - but it'd be way more work than I could ever commit too. Too many projects as it is without crazy 405 motor swap ideas. Busy enough with crazy 505 motor swap ideas... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 Gawd...you people are good. Yes, I have a 2003 Acura TL Type-S at my disposal for this swap. We will be taking the entire subframe, suspension, axles, and possibly, the brakes as we've already removed them from the car. I have also taken the Bose audio system too because you all know that'll be important. The exhaust is up for debate but since the Peugeot has a pretty deep rear pocket (since the spare is mounted on the bottom), we might have space for a dual exhaust from the Acura. Originally, I wanted to take a H22 from a 1997-2001 Honda Prelude but the Peugeot's engine bay was extremely narrow at just 34 inches. The H22 is about 36 inches so I looked elsewhere. Acuras are cheaper than Preludes in Minnesota because of their luxury car image and people here tend to prefer 4 cylinder cars in this state so it was for economical reasons as well as for the fact that the V6 engine was much smoother. My goal for this project...to make a decent everyday driver. The J32 engine uses less gas than the H22 so I reckon it'll be a fairly practical car at the end. This summer, I've embarked on making my AMC Pacer (I also have a Gremlin) converted from carburetted to fuel injected and it turned out to be a monster! Actually, not really but it is quietly swift and actually makes for a more reliable car and fuel efficient. Basically, one takes the head from a Jeep 4.0 and slap it on top of the existing 4.2 block in the Pacer and voila, it makes the car go from sluggish, barely able to push air to a very competent BMW X3 duster...(I know, not a big deal...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 I will post pictures once I figure out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 1, 2012 Report Share Posted September 1, 2012 I wonder if it's feasible to weld in the strut towers from the Acura along with the weld points in the 405 chassis... They did that to a Honda Z600 when the welded in the strut towers from an RX-7 so that the could run the front suspension and brakes off the RX-7 for a LeMons car I saw. Looked awesome. Angry Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeugeotFan613 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 (edited) I'm 15 and what is this Frankestein you guys are talking about? I meant to ask, is this for real!? I mean, I had some ideas of engine swaps for my SR, but holy moly, a V6 in a 405!? I never thought of putting a V6 in my sr! just an S2000 engine! Man, I love this forum, crazy ideas. Edited September 8, 2012 by COOLfiat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'm 15 and what is this Frankestein you guys are talking about? Pretty clear what's been discussed so not sure what you mean. As for this 405 project - I was thinking of other possible swaps and it dawned on me that an Mitsubishi Evo powertrain and AWD swap would be pretty darn cool. Probably the easiest way to get a 405 T16 AWD and have some parts availability to boot. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbyb Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 I have a 405S SW in Winnipeg a mere 500 mi North of you. There aren't many here. I had to wait until mine was 15 yr old to get it across the Canadian border because the Wagons were never imported into Canada. I found it in and dragged it home from Atlanta. I have a 1991 XU9J2 and 5 spd waiting on the floor of my garage for a dose of enthusiam I hate the automatic but even though it is always in the wrong gear it keeps moving. I have made a few simple tools that allow me to change the valve guide seals without removing the head. Incase you want to put some miles on before the conversion. The XN6 valve guide seals work the best. Where and how and which V6 are you getting for your conversion? Bob Bruce 3 X Mi16 405S SW 88 505 GL SW 87 505 STX 2 X 85 STi TD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 8, 2012 Report Share Posted September 8, 2012 Where and how and which V6 are you getting for your conversion? Bob Bruce Welcome to the forum Bob! Donor car was posted above: "2003 Acura TL Type-S at my disposal for this swap" Very curious to see how it progresses. These swaps are very cool - but an absolute TON of work to get done and sorted. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted September 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2012 I have a ton of Peugeot 405 parts available. 4 engine computers, a complete 1.9 engine ($40) that smoked, misc. electrical components. Progress...will be finished sometime in late September/October. I have a feeling this won't drive like a 405 since it'll have a Type-S front suspension...hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 10, 2012 Report Share Posted September 10, 2012 You can't post like that with no build pics - it's just plain mean... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnesotan Posted September 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Project failure. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Peugeot-405-S-Station-Wagon-Rust-Free-/140851927528?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item20cb6dd9e8#vi-content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 sorry to hear about it, bob. i saw this car on ebay and i thought about you...i didn't make the connection, though, i thought, "man, there are a lot of 405 wagons without engines in minnesota..." andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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