MadaboutKitcars

No beading tool, though... only 12" as well...

Does anybody have a 1" lowering block for sale?
Cheers.

Gary - I liked your video clip.

Although there seemed to be a slight problem with the sound...

As I thought I heard you complain about the size of your garage!



Good luck, Paul.

Gary, try standing on the chassis as you tighten the nut, the pressure may be enough to hold it still whilst you get it started. No problems with buffering the video this end as I have just got home to find my shiny new Infinity2 broadband is up and running :-) May have to follow your leave and do a vid next.
Mac

Hi Gary

Like Viatron has suggested you need to load the chassis front with some weight. I had the same problem and after the engine was fitted the shock center stud was pushed higher up allowing the check nut to be fitted.

With regards to the 1 inch lowering block if you pm me a private email address i will pass it onto a mate who is s--- hot on the CNC and keen to earn a few quid but i will let you communicate direct with him if that helps.

Sorry i was unable to help you a week or so ago with CNC work but i have a large work load on at the minute.

Paul, you're a brave manto take onthis job without a garage... could i get from Paddinton to you in my lunch hour?
Thanks V for suggestion, i found it easier explaining my problem...
Thanks Swifty, i will be in contact.

Gary - Brave? No. Stupid? Yes.

Good luck, Paul.

PS
I've cycled from Euston to my house via Paddington & it is up hill to here, but down hill back.

I liked the colour combination.

Maybe you will see a similar colour combination on a Sammio in the not too distant future

Aargh... Very interesting!

How about this colour, it certainly stood out.

Personally I've always liked that colour and "back in the day" it was the colour i painted my first ever _proper_ radio controlled car!

Looks even nicer full-scale

Hers one for Scottie.

Nice one Gary!!

Thank goodness our cars don't have to meet new "safety standards"

If i was looking for a cheap car to take an engine and gearbox/wiring from for the Vitesse, what options would fit...
Mazda MX5 or...

...anything that'll mate to a Ford Type 9 gearbox. The prop shaft for that is available off the shelf at Canley's making it a fairly simple conversion -

http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml=xhtml/product/type9kit.html&xsl=product.xsl

That gives you the option of some cheap, small, light, tuneable and (relatively) powerful engines like the Rover K series or Ford Zetec 1.8/2.0. My choice for another Spyder build would be a 1.7 Zetec SE/Sigma motor from a Puma. At 81kg's and 123bhp it'd be perfect for an agile sprint or hillclimb car.

Having said all that, I've just been out for a blast in my Spyder for the first time since getting back from Italy. I'd almost forgotten what a fantastic engine the straight six is in these cars, powerful enough, torquey and so full of character. If you can fit it under the bonnet there really isn't a better engine to use for a road biased car.

I agree T, but i'm worried how much a rebuild will be? against £300 for a whole car...

Gary if you are going down the ford route then give these guys a call [url]www.northwestpropshafts.com[/url] they supplied a made to measure prop shaft fully balanced to me for a ford type 9 gearbox to spitfire diff (flange plate and spline shaft included) for £100 + vat delivered 48hrs after placing the order, excellent service and it will take up to 175 bhp or a heavy duty up to 250 bhp for £125 + vat.

I think the canleys prop is £170 + p&p + vat.

I've put a Ford type 9 on to a straight six so if you want to see roughly what's involved then here's the link http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4861&page=3, its not too difficult and so far I've done most of the work myself to save a few quid as the conversion kit is expensive. Also with the conversion the gear stick is slightly farther back than a standard triumph box which i think is beneficial to the seating position.

At the end of the day it depends on the budget available and how far you want to go.

Very useful link that Swifty, I'd just assumed that a bespoke prop would be megabucks.

Did you have to provide the dimensions required and send them your own flanges?

Purpose made props at that price opens up a lot of other engine options, but finding information on weight/dimensions/ecu and fueling requirements seems to be a bit hit and miss.

Apart from the Puma and MGF engines, motors I've considered also include: Honda S2000 (too expensive); Mazda RX8 (too fragile?); BMW straigt six (too big?); and the range of Mercedes supercharged 4 pots complete with six speed manual 'box, or maybe even their 320 V6 (dimensions anybody?).

One rather worrying development, however, is that both the alternative engined Sammios that I'm aware of - one with MX5 1.8 power and the other with a BMW 1.8 four - seem to have stalled (excuse the pun) as the Mazda one was just sold unfinished on ebay and the BMW conversion has gone very quiet after a promising start.

My thinking if I were to build a lighter, faster, track focused Spyder would be to go with an established conversion, such as the Puma option, and buy a complete, running Puma to donate its engine, ancillarys, ecu and loom.

That's a project for two years' time though when I'll have more time and money...

MrT Northwest prop shafts email a form for you to fill in with the information they require to make a bespoke prop, they also supply the flange and spline shaft for the type 9 fitted to the prop so all in all its very reasonable.

I think that when deciding on fitting a different power unit you have to have a bit of knowledge about what is required i.e. the engine/gearbox mounts, fuel delivery and the physical space required for the power unit to sit correctly.

Any way Gary good luck with the research and who knows this may become a special one off spyder.

Ive found a Puma engine... so do i need a type 9 gearbox?

Try speaking to these people -

http://www.rwdmotorsport.com/zetec-se-to-ford-gearbox-bellhousing.html

Good luck, I'll be watching with interest...

Hi T, its a Zetec S 1700 95,000 miles no leaks etc... would i need to get the wiring loom/ engine mounts???

The puma is front wheel drive and the type 9 gearbox is for a rear wheel drive engine which was fitted to most rear wheel drive fords for example latter model capri's and the sierra range.
If you are thinking of using the type 9 on a triumph engine then you need the long input shaft type 9 gearbox which was fitted to the larger v6 engine fords. The length of the input shaft is 207mm where as the short shaft version is 175mm which wont locate into the crank shaft bush.

There is plenty of info on the net to help you along if you want to go the diy way rather than buy an off the shelf conversion kit or if i can help give me a shout.