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Jul 26, 2009 22:18:13 GMT
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More from today: Despite the rain, I was detemined to have a run out in the buggy. This morning I stuck some fuel in it, topped up the oil and wiped the rain off the seat.....put on a coat and headed out for some fun. Off the drive and out in the lane thought I'd take a few shots in the 2 mins it wasn't raining today! traveller temp repair made to the wheelarch bracket that snapped while being towed back from Stafford yesterday. Without it, the arch constantly rubs on the tyre and the metal bar digs into the sidewall! Old spanner, copper pipe & cable ties FTW!! I then drove the buggy 5 or so miles in the pouring rain through Bristol centre to pick up Jim (Tofufi) - the grin just got bigger by the mile. I was greeted by a grin that matched mine when I pulled up outside Jim's house. A quick intro/greeting followed by a tour of Jim's cool beetle project (full body resto well underway....boy has skillz) and I was already learning a lot about classic VW's (new to me!) Here is Jim's beetle - a lot of work, wleding and love gone into it. Nearly ready for paint. Top marks! We then head off in the rain, blast around Bristol with smiles as big as anyone could manage. Conversation?? Forget it. Wind nosie and cheshire cat expressions means talking (SHOUTING) is infrequent. We deposit the Fugitive at Area52 and start to set about removing the V8 from the back of the work Delica. Tea and lots of chat first! Plans are drawn up for what to do on the Fugitive to make it 'mine' and we rearrange quite a bit of the unit in order to make space for the new engine, new car and that beast of a wiring loom. Fugitive and V8 find their places in the unit: I did tell you that the previous photo didn't do the size/bulk/mass of the wiring loom any justice! It took the both of us to get this thing out of the van! How many ECU's, relays, control units, wires and fuses? Have I said how much I love this car yet?? Many thanks to Jim for all his help today. Nice to have another visitor to Area52....having an extra pair of hands was really appreciated, but having some great company was even better Plans for the buggy are looking good.....I'll start a Readers Drives thread when things start to occur. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep enjoying it
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Jul 26, 2009 22:41:22 GMT
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That buggy looks awesome - You keeping the plans secret?
I don't know why, but every time I see something like that, I want to try and lift the front end off the floor by hand, just to prove that 1: I'm strong, and 2: Car is light
It worked with the back of a stripped r5 gtt and a bike engined MK Indy.
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nugget
Part of things
Posts: 840
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Jul 26, 2009 23:31:58 GMT
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Great now so do I! That thing is mental, I have it in my head that everytime you set off from the traffic lights or a junction the front end lifts up. (Don't disappoint me please!) ;D
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That is fooking epic ! loving the sandtrail, i was gonna be building something along those lines, but got an MR2 turbo instead !
as for the V8, get the heads seen to, the manifolds changed, and supercharge it, it will obliterate pretty much anythign !
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did you get beat up by the missus yet lol By the time she got home yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that anything new had occurred in her absence ;D Area52 is not only great for working on cars....but also for keeping my relationship running smoothly. Coming home to find a sandrail on the drive would have taken some explaining! I guess it is time to speak to Darren aka BillyBob Did you PM me his number? BTW - sorry I didn't call yesterday.....was a liitle pre-occupied getting soaked through and hauling engines
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Jul 27, 2009 11:14:21 GMT
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Man you have now got some cool projects to juggle! Always wanted a buggy and this is a tad more hardcore, like an old skool atom or summat You now need some kind of list to what comes first, second, third, fourth, fifth etc taking project management to a new level! At first I thought the V8 was for the MR2 project instead of the camry V6, but no, monster truck bound, ahh.
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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Jul 27, 2009 11:17:23 GMT
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did you get beat up by the missus yet lol By the time she got home yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that anything new had occurred in her absence ;D Area52 is not only great for working on cars....but also for keeping my relationship running smoothly. Coming home to find a sandrail on the drive would have taken some explaining! BUT how do you contain a big grin, and a full weekend worth of cool stories that ladies don't get anyway but feel the need to share? And if you keep it a secret, you have to fess up later which can be worse. says experience!
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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Jul 27, 2009 11:29:02 GMT
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That is an awesome machine. A mate had one exactly the same when I was about 14, had big plans for it that never came to fruition, but I remember picking the front of it up as a show of strength!
What does it say on the logbook for something like this? Volkswagen?
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1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i
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Jul 27, 2009 11:48:07 GMT
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That buggy looks awesome - You keeping the plans secret? Original plan was to create a full size replica of the Tamiya Grasshopper or Hornet: I then decided I like the open frame too much and adding bodywork might dilute the 'raw' look....so this was discarded. Another possible idea was a street-rod style look. Lowered right down, WIIIIDE polished splitties, mega fat rubber (street rubber, not chunky 4x4) minimalist looks etc...but I found pics of one already done a bit like this and actually wasn't as impressed as I hoped (although mine would have been even more extreme) This is the one I found.....it looks awesome....but not awesome enough for my liking! (plus it's already been done and I want to do something new-ish) ^ that one is running a rover V8! ^ Next up on the ideas list was a 'Mad Max' post apocalyptic look - like a survivor from the film set of MM2. This kind of thing (but without the jet engine obviously ;D): The latest plan is to get the vehicle mechanically how I want it and then let it evolve as I gradually decided which direction I want it to go. The only thing stopping me from going the MadMax route is the whole 'ratlook' thing where people will think I have created a rat rail....which is exactly what I don't want. I'm not into ratlook and never will be. I guess the current plan is more of a "watch this space" while I just enjoy the car.... I don't know why, but every time I see something like that, I want to try and lift the front end off the floor by hand, just to prove that 1: I'm strong, and 2: Car is light It's certainly not featherweight, but I can lift the front end up on my own. Just!
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V-Force
Part of things
I like Hondas.
Posts: 846
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Jul 27, 2009 11:49:46 GMT
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Nice buggy, love the Tamiya looks. I've always wanted to build something like this with a 13b RX-7 engine, 2.5 Impreza engine, Pajero/Shogun V6, or a 20v 4A-GE. Its a bit like an Autograss Class 8, 9, or 10 too: That's something else I would love to have on the road, ie drive it to race meet, win, drive home My Dad's mate has just bought a load of tubing for my Mini shell for next year's Autograss season. He's bought a lot, and will have a lot left over, and we have a garage full of Mini engines and parts. Could be fun if they come togtether Some time later I have 4 litres of fine Japanese V8 (& gearbox) loaded in the back of the Delica: Soon as I saw that, I thought ''Hmmmm, don't tell me that's going in a Delica, nah I'm being silly, must be for the MR2'' Then I saw this: So where is this going to be going?? Well, you see that vehicle in my sig pic? ;D ;D Absolutely bonkers idea, I love it Are you keeping it 4WD and lifted? Please tell me you are lol! Just one thing, corners? I wouldn't mind buying a crashed Pajero Evo and transplanting all the mechanicals into an L300 Delica, along with a similar body kit to the Paj Evo, but I guess that will have to stay in my dreams for a while
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Last Edit: Jul 27, 2009 11:52:05 GMT by V-Force
1999 Impreza WRX typeR STI Version 5 Limited 1999 Civic VTi-S Aerodeck 2005 Bora TDI daily
Several other 90s Hondas (shhh they're sleeping)
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Jul 27, 2009 12:07:00 GMT
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Great now so do I! That thing is mental, I have it in my head that everytime you set off from the traffic lights or a junction the front end lifts up. (Don't disappoint me please!) ;D I can't answer that one at this moment I'm afraid. Although the front is very light, the engine isn't running correctly, so pulling away from lights or junctions is more of a 'splutter, pop, pop, BANG' affair. However, when the engine is set-up correctly I'll happily try my absolute best not to disappoint you ;D That is fooking epic ! loving the sandtrail, I was gonna be building something along those lines, but got an MR2 turbo instead ! as for the V8, get the heads seen to, the manifolds changed, and supercharge it, it will obliterate pretty much anythign ! AHA! I've got me an MR2 Turbo as well.....Mk1 MR2 with the Mk2 turbo engine, uprated turbo, LSD, chargecooler etc....pretty nippy. Dyno'd at 244bhp before the uprated turbo & chargecooler were fitted To quote a certain administrator: This car is terrifying. My girlish screams can be used to verify this fact As for the V8 - sticking a 260bhp lump in a vehicle with suspension akin to a bouncy castle and an engine bay just big enough for its 95bhp 4 cylinder powerplant, I reckon I'll leave the tuned engines to the V6 Mk1 MR2 I'm building. This is having ported heads, tubular manifolds, water injection, standalone, custom coil overs.....oh.....and a TRD supercharger! ;D As for the rail - I've decided to go 'sensible' and keep the stock engine/running gear. I've got enough to deal with on all the other projects, so having something dead simple to run & service will be quite a novelty for me.
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V-Force
Part of things
I like Hondas.
Posts: 846
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Jul 27, 2009 12:12:06 GMT
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As for the rail - I've decided to go 'sensible' and keep the stock engine/running gear. I've got enough to deal with on all the other projects, so having something dead simple to run & service will be quite a novelty for me. Impreza into beetle is a common swap ;D
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1999 Impreza WRX typeR STI Version 5 Limited 1999 Civic VTi-S Aerodeck 2005 Bora TDI daily
Several other 90s Hondas (shhh they're sleeping)
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Jul 27, 2009 12:45:46 GMT
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4WD is being ditched - I never really use the 4WD system on the monster Delica anyway....I tend to use the work van for off-roading, use & abuse. The monster Delica isn't actually practical for off-road due to being too tall (won't fit most of the places I go off-roading) so I am just accepting the fact that it's a fun chunky camper/people carrier/load lugger etc...
The amount of work needed to get the Lexus engine/gearbox to work with the 4WD system just isn't worth the hassle considering the lack of use the 4x4 system really gets. If I didn't have the work Delica then it would probably be a different matter?
I'll also be saving an absolute shed load of weight.....front axle, hubs, driveshafts, propshaft, transfer box....let alone the fact that the V8 engine & box are a LOT lighter than the current engine & box! Probably a good few hundred kilo's to be saved. That'll make me happy.
As for the Impreza engine, I know it's a common swap into a beetle, but in something that weighs a helluva lot less than a beetle, the rail will be pretty nippy anyway on a 1600 carb'd engine...plus I want the easy serviceability and easy to source parts. Impreza engines aren't that reliable (big ££ if they go wrong) whereas a beetle engine is 4 bolts and 65pence to sort generally. With no bodywork around it, it should be pretty good at keeping cool as well.
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Jul 27, 2009 12:49:43 GMT
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Had a quick play in photoshop: this is a rough idea of the 'keep it simple' approach I'll be taking to start with Get rid of all the red - make everything black and go for a menacing look. Band the rear wheels to 11" wide (currently 7") and fit some 33/12.5/15 tyres.....probably chunkier tread than in the photos. That's probably all I want to do for now...that look is enough for me for the time being.
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Ruki
Part of things
Posts: 480
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Jul 27, 2009 13:35:43 GMT
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I love that car... Do want
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Jul 27, 2009 14:12:12 GMT
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So where does this leave the MR2 project?
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Last Edit: Jul 27, 2009 14:12:29 GMT by HoTWire
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Jul 27, 2009 14:23:19 GMT
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Ouch! And I thought my W126 loom was complicated! ;D Good luck sorting that lot out, hopefully it'll be a little less complex once all thee non-essential stuff is stripped out?! Sandrail is full of win too, very cool!
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Jul 27, 2009 15:56:10 GMT
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Great stuff MM. I must say I think I prefer the red wheels to the black. Wouldn't it be better to install the V8 in my Cressida?
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Jul 27, 2009 16:08:43 GMT
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So where does this leave the MR2 project? As mentioned some time ago (probably more a passing comment to you than anything) the MR2 project is temporarily suspended/on hold while some of the more 'unknown' parts are worked out and finalised (water injection on the TRD charger for one) and while I source other parts. It has changed direction in the last month as well. The current powerplant might be sold on and replaced with a different Toyota V6 that is supposed to be much more suited to the charger - especially if I want to run the 6psi pulley with it. Things are still very much happening with the project....but more around the research & planning areas than any build itself. It's still alive....but under the surface. The actual build will probably continue next year with the aim of having it running & finished for RRG10 - as you know the MR2 project is one I want to get 100% right and this has meant avoiding rushing into getting work done for the sake of completing the project early. The guy that is supposed to be doing the actual engine conversion is in Australia for the next six months (5 months left until he returns) but this gives me time to source the new engine, get the principal of the water injection sorted, choose which standalone ECU I want to end up using etc.... I continue to collect & source parts for it (only last week I picked up some interior panels), but until Paff is back from Aus, until the 'right' engine is found and until the technical side of things is decided & finalised, the V6 build will continue to be classed as 'on hold'.
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Potter
Part of things
'E who dares wins,eh Rodders??!
Posts: 304
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Jul 27, 2009 16:45:59 GMT
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Sandrail is just EPIC mate!! Sooooo jealous!
About the MR2,if this is going to be a balls to the wall all out build why inject water into the blower when you can inject something like toluene? Octane booster and detonation preventionist!! Or maybe a duel fuel system?
JUst throwing ideas around really,as I dunno what direction this build is takin,seeing as I only read about it just now!
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More cars than sense or money!🙄
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