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I had a soft spot for the Dutton Phaeton and Melos as a kid and fancy something cheap and fun to thrash around my local lanes this summer and find myself considerring one of these. I know very little about them except they were mk1/2 escort based, so any information or experiences of them appreciated. ... How do they drive/handle? Does the bodywork rattle at speed? Sensible cheap fun or just plain avoid? Phaeton  Melos  Chris |
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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I don't know anything about them but do know that I always liked the melos and also think that it looks better than the phaeton. www.duttonownersclub.co.uk/ |
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Last Edit: Apr 3, 2010 13:35:43 GMT by curlie467
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93fxdl
Posted a lot
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Posts: 2,015
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the dutton was in the bargain basement of the kit car world, so a lot were chucked together from a clapped out base car but saying that some have been built/restored well
they will never have the desirability of a "proper" car like a caterham
ttfn glenn
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I know Duttons are/were bargain basement but thats the reason I'm thinking about them. £1-1.5k seems to be the going rate for a reasonable one, a lot cheaper than Caterham/7 replicas  |
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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Some early ones were Triumph based....
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Koos
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,950
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Buy a good welder/grinder and reweld every join in the chassis is what i'd recommend. I helped my uncle to build a Phaeton with a Rover V8 in it. Ran high 13s with a stock motor but we spend a solid day rewelding the chassis (factory built) as you could knock the tubes apart with a hammer tap. His had a Herald IFS and Capri rear axle which looks neater than the Cortina bits. They look better with the front wings chopped off.
Matt
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Totally agree about the Phaeton looking better without the front wings (bumper and spoiler) like the green one in the pic I posted.
Matt:
any idea what the phaeton was like to drive? Did it handle well, was it planted on the road?
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,950
Club RR Member Number: 174
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It wasn't in the same league as a Caterham/Westfield/Well Built Locost handling wise but it had far too much power for the suspension. It wasn't bad though just had to chuck it about a bit.
Matt
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Cheers Matt, 4cyl pinto sounds more suitable than a v8 in one of these then. I think I may have to try and find a local one for a test drive.
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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IDY
Part of things
Posts: 893
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Don't know much about them but my neighbor used to have this  I can't ask him about it as he died a few years ago  but from memory it was a bit knackered and he had occasional problems with the electrics which were caused by poor earths. |
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I will get round to finishing it at some point
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10mpg
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,253
Club RR Member Number: 204
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A friend had one of these with a hot 1700 crossflow on twin 40's and side pipes, it went like hell and sounded awesome.. It also looked good because it had the long full length wings kinda like this but it was red and had lotus steels..  great fun and handled really well awesome little car. |
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The Internet, like all tools, if used improperly, can make a complete bo**cks of even the simplest jobs...
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great fun and handled really well awesome little car. That does look great, I think I may be sold on one of these for the summer. Side exit exhausts are definitely the way to go. |
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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Don't know much about them but my neighbor used to have this I can't ask him about it as he died a few years ago but from memory it was a bit knackered and he had occasional problems with the electrics which were caused by poor earths. shame those jdm wing mirrors are worth more than the car!! |
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yes ,it started badly ,petered off in the middle and the least said about the end the better!!!
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This was my Phaeton I owned 10 years ago. Yes that is a twin turbo Rover V8 you see there. Went alright in a straight line, didnt like corners too much and it was very heavy for a kit. Mine was a bit of an oddball one, the tub had been shortened, the bonnet lengthened so the engine could sit further back. I only found that out when the chap who bought the moulds made me a new bonnet and it was 12" too short! Anyway, I enjoyed it for 3 years then the power won and chewed the gearbox and axle to pieces, I was only an apprentice at the time so sold it on. I think its in France now. They can be picked up very cheap now, but I personally would go for something a bit more modern based, like an unfinished Robin Hood or Locost.    |
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hitman
Part of things
Posts: 645
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great little cars  ,mates got one,2.0 pinto on bike carbs,headrooms tight for me wi roof on though   |
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Last Edit: Apr 4, 2010 23:37:09 GMT by hitman
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I built a pheaton with a mate years ago, we had an escort, crapri, and a tina. Used the best bits from 3 knackered cars. It was 2.0 pinto and did brilliant doughnuts:-) It was a toy and we soon got bored of it. simple car though, and it was fun to drive. With all the bits available now it could be better than ever, with 5 speed and a sierra twin cam and brakes?
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I built a Phaeton back in the late '80's (Christ, that shows my age....) out of a Escort Mk1 GT Estate (terminally rotten). Dutton never had good QC (in fact I think the only QC they knew was in court.....) so the inner tub didn't fit the chassis and I had to cut it out, fit it first then fit the outer shell and mong the two together; the front suspension was a Ford/Triumph/Dutton mix and they buggered up the coilover mount - their answer was a piece of 1" gas pipe and longer mounting bolts....  I ran it on Weller eightspokes with the 'old' 175 section tyres (you know, they say 175 but have a tread width of about 145.....) so it handled like a Bambi on ice, BUT it was great fun and took us all over Somerset. Had to sell it when child No 1 was born, and she's now nearly 21........ It still exists according to the DVLA, with a 1600 instead of the knackered 1300 and yes, despite it being a right dog to build I would buy it back again if the chance came up....... ;D |
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Rover Metro - The TARDIS - brake problems.....Stored
Rover 75 - Barge
MGZTT Cdti 160+ - Winter Hack and Audi botherer...
MGF - The Golden Shot...Stored
Project Minion........
Can you see the theme?
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impmann
Posted a lot
Overcoming stupidity is the greatest challenge left to mankind
Posts: 1,089
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A mate of mine hillclimbs/sprints/arses about with a Locaterfield (actually its a Westfield) - and its sublime. However, before he bought that he bought a Phaeton to learn handling... (basically if he tried too hard and killed it, he wouldn't be as upset as if he'd knacked a £5k Westie). The car he had was fitted with a 1600 crossflow and it went like stink. With the eight spoke Well'ards luzzed in a skip and a set of RS alloys fitted with sticky tyres it really stuck like brown stuff to a blanket. Although you could hoon it with some heavy right foot mid corner for those Jezza Clarkson moments (often accompanied by the use of the word 'power' and then disappearing into the undergrowth backwards screaming like a girl). They have a deserved reputation for being a little 'flexible' in the chassis department, but with some carefully apply weld and a couple of gussets (nice gusset, luv) you can solve that. He bought the car as a non-running. non-MOT'd car for £500 on the bay of evil. Two years and four sets of tyres later he sold it with a ticket for £1000. Nope it wasn't pretty, nope it wasn't as good as the Westfield but BY GOD was it good value and good fun. Do it. |
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1964 Hillman Imp
1976 Hillman Imp
1967 Hillman Imp
(And a few projects dotted around the country)
Just cos something is good for you doesn't mean its good for everyone - for example Marmite does not make good Dog Food.
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Ok folks, I'm pretty sold on the idea of a Dutton for the summer, just need to shift the z3 first.
IDY: shame your neighbour is no longer with us as Sleaford's only just down the road from me (Wellingore).
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Current cars:
1999 VW Bora SE tdi
1998 Daihatsu Storia X4 (x2)
1995 Volvo 850R
1994 Umm Alter II
1992 Alfa 155 - LPG
1990 VW Scirocco Scala - TSR 1.9
1989 Renault Espace
1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sapporo
1987 Honda Accord Aerodeck Exi auto (x2)
1979 Lancia Beta Spyder
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but from memory it was a bit knackered and he had occasional problems with the electrics which were caused by poor earths.
,mates got one,2.0 pinto on bike carbs,headrooms tight for me wi roof on though 
