1976 Hawke DL17 Formula Ford
Conversion to Kawasaki ZX10 bike engine with chain drive differentialThe parts used for the installation of the Kawasaki ZX-10 Engine into the Hawke DL17 chassis were as follows:
Royale FF1600 (RP21/24) rear uprights with outboard disc brakes and Suzuki motorcycle calipers.
Shotened/lengthened FF1600 drive shafts.
Mini differential converted to chain drive mounted in bearing blocks.
(Click here for more Chain Drive Differential information)
Special output flanges adapting Mini output shafts to FF1600 drive couplings.
Tiga FF1600 bottom arms with new rod ends and spherical bearings.
Extended top & bottom radius rods with new rod ends.
Shortened top arms with new rod ends.
Royale adjustable anti-roll bar and links.
Bilstein gas coil-over shock absorbers.
Van Diemen (Vauxhall Lotus) front & rear aerofoils.
One of the main problems with the Kawasaki installation in the Royale, was that the differential unit was mounted too high in the chassis.
This caused the drive shafts to run at a very steep angle, which necessitated using a second set of bearing blocks rather than the Mini output covers.
On the Hawke, I was able to mount the differential at the optimum position (drive shafts parallel to the ground) by using the Tiga FF1600 bottom arms.
These arms were shorter than the Royale versions which meant that the inner pivot was not fouling the sprocket when the differential was at its correct height.
Some other changes were made to the Royale uprights to accomodate the Tiga bottom arms. Mainly the increase of Rod End size from 7/16" to 1/2".
I had Hawke top radius rods but had to extend the Royale bottom radius rods to suit the Hawke pick up points (Suspension geometry was changed to mimic the Hawke FF1600's original set up).
Because the drive shafts were lower and the chassis was narrower than the Royale, the exhaust had to be routed higher.
This was achieved by cutting & welding in an 8" section of 2" exhaust tube.
On the Royale the engine mounts were inadequate and were bending.
The ones I fabricated for the Hawke were much more substantial and also included removable and adjustable members.
When the Hawke had the Mini engine installed there was lots of room between the engine & the drivers bulkhead for the petrol tank and the battery.
With the Kawasaki installed there is no room and the hot exhaust manifolds are in this area.
So a new petrol tank was fabricated from welded sheet steel with a fibreglass coating for added protection.
This was fitted behind a second bulkhead immediately behind the drivers seat.
The fuel filler is now reached via a recess in the LH side panel.
The fuel tank has been foam filled for safety and to reduce surge.
An electric fuel pump is fitted on the rear of the drivers bulkhead.
In order to fit the front aerofoil, a sheet alloy nose box was fabricated and a Hawke DL17 nose was modified by cutting away the bottom section.
The rear aerofoil mounts to a vertical strut attached to the chassis behind the differential.
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