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Taking the plunge

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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

Taking the plunge

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Me and a friend are experimenting (yeah haha) making a very homemade kitcar. We're planning a really cheap, easy, light 2 seater, Caterham style.
We need a motorbike engine and gb, lawnmower diff, scrap metal.

Anyone with ideas or information leading to us obtaining these vital parts please speak.

We haven't thought about suspension or steering yet so any thoughts regarding that will be apreaciated, note it will not be road legal.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
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Tp
Tp
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006, 15:52
Location: UK

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Are you just gonna weld scrap pieces of metal together to form a frame to fit the engine and gearbox and the all the other parts to?
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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

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Nice strong box section frame, steel probably, bolted on weilded together and the components bolted on top.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
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Tp
Tp
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006, 15:52
Location: UK

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In that case, just use a donor car (from scrap yard, will probably be cheapest way) and take the necessary bits from that.
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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

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We want to be much smaller and lighter than that, also part of the project is that it is to be our vehicle.

Not meaning to disregard any advice and I will suggest it to my friend.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
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flynfrog
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006, 22:31

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then you need to make it much smaller

also the componets you speced wont put out or take much power i know ive tried

build somthing more like a FSAE car would be more suited to the weight you are talking about
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m3_lover
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Joined: 26 Jan 2006, 07:29
Location: St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada

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I was reading in my car and driver and they have a huge article about building a kitcar, they mentioned a booked from called how to build a kit car for 500 bucks or something simliar, maybe that would help :)
Simon: Nils? You can close in now. Nils?
John McClane: [on the guard's phone] Attention! Attention! Nils is dead! I repeat, Nils is dead, ----head. So's his pal, and those four guys from the East German All-Stars, your boys at the bank? They're gonna be a little late.
Simon: [on the phone] John... in the back of the truck you're driving, there's $13 billon dollars worth in gold bullion. I wonder would a deal be out of the question?
John McClane: [on the phone] Yeah, I got a deal for you. Come out from that rock you're hiding under, and I'll drive this truck up your ass.
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Tp
Tp
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006, 15:52
Location: UK

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Tom wrote:We want to be much smaller and lighter than that, also part of the project is that it is to be our vehicle.
What I meant was to make a box frame and then take the necessary bits such as the whole suspension unit, running gear and steering from a donor car and add it to the base with the bike engine in. Surely this would be the easiest way (cheapest) to go about it. And I can't see how you could make it any lighter.
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m3_lover
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Joined: 26 Jan 2006, 07:29
Location: St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada

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The book is by Ron Champion and he use's a lot of mazda parts as examples, I think the parts are from a Miata.
Simon: Nils? You can close in now. Nils?
John McClane: [on the guard's phone] Attention! Attention! Nils is dead! I repeat, Nils is dead, ----head. So's his pal, and those four guys from the East German All-Stars, your boys at the bank? They're gonna be a little late.
Simon: [on the phone] John... in the back of the truck you're driving, there's $13 billon dollars worth in gold bullion. I wonder would a deal be out of the question?
John McClane: [on the phone] Yeah, I got a deal for you. Come out from that rock you're hiding under, and I'll drive this truck up your ass.
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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

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Miata, sounds expensive :wink:

We are now considering a quad engine because it will already have the tranny etc, also thinking about Tp's idea that will probably be best and we're considering it.

Members of my car club built a 'Super-Escort' out of a kit car chassis and Eccy MkII running gear, but it was very expensive and we want our project to be more original, we considered having 3 wheels but descided we would have problems getting the power down. Any other ideas? bearing in mind it is for drag/track/hillclimb/autotesting. Perhaps even 6 wheels? nothing is impossible.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
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jshaw
jshaw
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Joined: 31 Oct 2005, 21:22
Location: London UK

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Well there was a british book clled build a car for £200, the car was called a locost (well duh :P ) and you could also buy a ready made chasis and boldt the bits on, it was a Lotus/Caterham 7 lookalike and to be honest a decent car would cost more like £700/800, the £200 idea made a very quick and dirty road legal car, i understand youre not to bothered about that.

Locosts are quite popular in the UK now, with thier own racing series, they're basicaly a cheap equivalent of a Caterham.

Joe :)
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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

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We're going less than £100 if possible, thats our current budget, hence the team name 'Preventivo Della Squadra' or PDS, meaning budget team, what does scuderia actually mean by the way?
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
Tell a man there are 300 million stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
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Tp
Tp
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006, 15:52
Location: UK

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what does scuderia actually mean by the way?
Just a name
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Scuderia_Russ
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Joined: 17 Jan 2004, 22:24
Location: Motorsport Valley, England.

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I'm building a Locost using a Sierra as a donor. (no more MK1 Escorts in scrappies these days.) I'm using uprights and calipers off a MK IV Cortina. This website should definetely provide some useful info or inspiration. http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk It is worth joining just to view the photo archive (trust me) There are some real gems in there and what people do in their garage is unbelieveable if you have the patients. You won't get sent spam or get hasselled in any way because the moderator lets the site run itself.
The RonChampion bokk 'Build a Sportscar for under £250 and race it' is littered with errors by the way. Especially for the chassis. PM me if there is anything else you think I might be able to help you with.
"Whether you think you can or can't, either way you are right."
-Henry Ford-
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