I'm going to build a kit car.......

[Brakebuster]

well,

the XJS has been on the road for nearly 18 months, and as good as it is , i need something to tinker with

working on Phil's car is great, but its not at my leisure as a hobby , if you see what i mean , and i need a use for the huge amount of tools i have, lol

so , its going to be a ' Kit Car '

so far, i have looked at several options, but for budget reasons, i'm going for the wesfield/caterham option

in fact its going to be a Haynes Roadster , i could build the chassis from scratch from plans, i could buy a fully constructed chassis , or i could buy a failed project, after careful scrutiny ,

option 3 is the most cost effective and quickest way to start , providing i check things are square etc ,

got my eye on a few , with differing engines and diff setups,

i would like to use the K series engine i have in my MGF , its a very good engine, but little else can be used from the car, which means i dont want to break it, so i'm selling her off cheap to fund the kit car project, and it clears some back yard space ( the good wife will be please )

anyone else got one ?

BB

[poprivet]

When my Series III V12 Sovereign rusted into a pile of dust I looked at building a Cobra using the V12 engine. To do it well would have been a money pit though.

The IVA inspection would put me off these days unless it was a known and proven build.

Saying that, sounds a great project

[Brakebuster]

i to considered doing a Cobra replica using all Jaguar engine and running gear as i am used to working with jag bits, but again , its a £15k build when you have finished

thats a lot of wonga


the roadster should only set me back about £5k or less if i am prepared to use used components etc

and it considerably smaller ,

i have still not decided on whether this will be just a sprint car / hill climber , or a full road car , so i may not necessarily need the SVA test , but these kits are built to that standard providing you bolt on the required mirrors and head rests etc

BB

[ptjs1]

BB,

Sounds like a great project! I'd love to build a car, although lack of garage space has even stopped me completing my TR6 restoration which I started 24 years ago!

Don't underestimate the depth of the IVA which has replaced the SVA test. A few weeks ago, I attended the test with my mate's Dax Cobra-based car. He has sunk a huge amount of money into it with everything being built up from new bits, including a 5-figure 6.3 litre Chevy engine. The test is a real pain to get through. Apparently no car passes first time. Even though he'd done all the recommended temporary fixes which included fitting a Vauxhall Nova padded steering wheel, motorbike indicators (height of originals is too low), removing the wheel spinners, side screens, fitting a padded edge rear-view mirror etc etc, it still failed on an absolute stack of items which didn't satisfy the incredibly-detailed eye of the examiner, including his view that it didn't self-centre the steering sufficiently in his opinion!

A Caterham / Westfield type sounds like an ideal vehicle with it's really simple mechanics, wiring, brakes, interior etc. And I guess there is a whole wealth of knowledge of what you have to do get it through an IVA. And a good K-series engine option would give you a great power-weight ratio. I would definitely try and get it road-legal even if you then only intend to track-day it. It would add so much value and make it easier to really enjoy the use of the car if you can drive it to places.

Really looking forward to the conclusions of your deliberations!

Paul

[poprivet]

Just a thought Vince, how about re-building an XJ-S with a supercharged XJ-R engine? Most are put off by the electronic gearbox, but I know you are pretty handy with wires

With your standard of workmanship I'm sure it would sell for a healthy price.

[BigCatXJS]

Just a thought Vince, how about re-building an XJ-S with a supercharged XJ-R engine? Most are put off by the electronic gearbox, but I know you are pretty handy with wires

With your standard of workmanship I'm sure it would sell for a healthy price.

Electronic gearbox? Surely a 5 (or 6) speed Tremec manual would suit better

I know someone who is considering a twin supercharged AJ6 engine for a X300 as a project.

Failing that - the Caterham 7 sounds like a promising idea...

[Brakebuster]

right

decision has been made , cuz i just bought it online, lol

its a Haynes roadster chassis , custom built for BMW 318i parts , including its Fi engine and 5 speed manual Getrax box , all fully fitted to the frame already ( all electrics included )

custom built intake manifold , and full independent rear suspension using the BMW diff , and four brand new BMW wheels

the frame is fully power coated after a professional build with custom mounts for everything

no body at the moment, just running gear , this is not going to be a 5 min project ( for those that dont know me )

i am going to build it with my youngest son who is 21

pics to follow as soon as i can


$_57 by MyPix on Talk Photography
BB

what have i done ?????

[BigCatXJS]

Well done Vince....

Cool project....

[ptjs1]

Vince,

Congrats! That seems an absolute bargain for what you've got! Even if it didn't work out (which I'm absolutely sure it will!) you couldn't help but make money on it.

Looking forward to all the pics and progress.

Paul

[Brakebuster]

thanks lads,

i managed to get the lot for less ( much less ) than a fully welded up new chassis with no coating ( £650 )

so all running gear , engine and gearbox with diff etc its a steal ,

turning up tomorrow ,
he offered to deliver it for the cost of the fuel.........how could i refuse


BB

[PaulE]

Is it a 'Lotus 7-ish' design ? Any pictures of a completed one? You will have tried one for size? I had a ride in a Lotus Elise recently; impossible to get in with the hood up, the only way being to stand on the seat and slither down, and as for getting out I should have been there still without advice and assistance.

[Brakebuster]

yup

Lotus 7 ish by design ,

its now residing in my garage, got a few extras with it to , like a nose cone, and a bulkhead cover for the cockpit ,


pics later

BB

[XJR-S]

Awesome! So glad to read it's bmw based, most are canabalising Sierras and driving up the cost of transmission parts, great when I'm selling, rubbish when I'm buying! Good luck I am looking forward to tracking the progress!

[Brakebuster]

quick update

the engine and gearbox are in and the front and rear suspension is built up , i have refurbished the steering rack and am waiting for some brackets to mount it ,
the front of the car is on its wheels, and the rear is waiting for a spacer before i put those wheels on

BB

[Brakebuster]

coming along

IMG_1599 by MyPix on Talk Photography

gearbox fits well

IMG_1601 by MyPix on Talk Photography

BB