Complete Kit Car magazine April 2011

001 Cover April 2011:CKC Cover copy

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COMPLETE KIT CAR

SAMMIO REVEALED

Page 1

530BHP AK 427 DRIVEN

MK1 ESCORT REPLICA

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk

April 2011 £4.25 9

771754

127015

Sammio Spyder AK 427 MEV Exocet Build – Part 2 Murciélago Replica Race Diaries Wheel Bearings Parallel Build

NEW CARS ONE-OFFS ROAD TESTS BUILDS WORKSHOP EVENTS CLASSIFIEDS

Reader’s lush MR2 based, V6-powered

Lambo Murciélago replica

EVERY MONTH IN CKC

www.completekitcar.co.uk

MX-5 BASED MEV EXOCET Our Mazda donor gets stripped in a day!

CHANGING WHEEL BEARINGS Step-by-step guide to basic servicing

DIABLO REPLICA V12 powered Lambo lookalike takes shape

Partsworld Ad FP – June 2010:Layout 1

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Kit Car

Dutton SURF

Insurance

Insurance for Enthusiasts Last year thousands of Kit Car owners swapped to Performance Direct.

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Kit (inc. VAT)

£8,119

Donor Vehicle (less unwanted parts sold off)

£330

Parts from 2nd Donor (15" diameter Rad fan)

£25

Wheels / Tyres

DONOR

Exhaust

IN KIT

Seats

DONOR

Instruments / Dash

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Interior Trim

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Steering Wheel

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Lamps

IN KIT

Fuel Tank

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Windscreen

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Other Make

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TOTAL

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APRIL 2011

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www.completekitcar.co.uk 3

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AGM SPORTS CARS

‘designed to be driven’

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We now supply

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LOCOST BODY KITS Check out the website today!

Tel: 01226 700373 Email: enquiries@agmsportscars.co.uk Web: www.agmsportscars.co.uk

NEW! Haynes Roadster Bodywork

SYLVA RIOT & J15

Suffolk Jaguar perfect recreations of the SS100 and C-type

Easy and economical to build, fun to drive, R1 for ultimate performance: SE for rapid "green" economy.

Rolling chassis and part builds undertaken. If you start a kit but find you do not have time to finish we will come to the rescue at sensible workshop rates.

26 Ye

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Tel: 07967 339424

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Road Legal Track Car SR2

Test drives by appointment

• Mazda MX5 Mk1 or Mk2 based kit car • Self build or factory built • Power 1600cc to 2000cc and 115bhp to 300bhp plus A stylish sports car with a hint of classic tradition.

Legendary road holding, performance & safety.

Spares, help & advice readily available.

We are able to build, prepare and repair road or race cars.

• Used MX5 parts for sale, we can supply all the donor parts you require Check our website for more details

www.roadrunnerracing.net VERRALLS BUSINESS CENTRE, MAIDSTONE, CRANBROOK, KENT TN17 2AF 4 www.completekitcar.co.uk

Call Mike on: 07802 766 128 Email: roadrunnerracing@hotmail.co.uk Unit 8, Jetpark, Main Road, Newport, Brough, East Yorkshire. HU15 2PR.

APRIL 2011

EDSPEAK

April 2011

Welcome to Complete Kit Car, the UK’s most vibrant kit car magazine

Subscribe to Complete Kit Car and save 15% on the newsagent price.

www.complete kitcar.co.uk (T: 01903 236268)

Ian Stent Editor ian@performance publishing.co.uk

MORE EVIDENCE THIS month that the kit car scene is an everchanging one. Looking back through some old issues of Component Car magazine from the ’80s I was struck not only by the sheer diversity of cars but also the fact that many offered a degree of practicality that few manufacturers trade on today. At its most basic, you need look no further than the variety of Lotus Seven replicas currently available... how many of them have a windscreen, let alone weather protection?

Clearly the kit car industry reflects the demands of the time, so from those early bespoke designs, the scene quickly cottoned onto the appeal of replicas, and more recently bikeengined cars and track focused machinery. Previous big genres such as traditional roadsters and practical GTs are rarely seen today, instead replaced by the latest fad... for body conversions on production cars.

A speedy build of an exotic supercar replica is one appeal for such a conversion, while there’s no doubt that avoiding an onerous IVA test is another. And the irony of this is that the legislation aimed at supposedly making our cars safer is actually encouraging a return to the very earliest incarnation of a kit car... the ’50s special. So in this issue we not only have the cheeky Murciélago replica on a Toyota MR2, but also the Sammio Spyder on a Triumph Herald. Who saw that coming? I know I didn’t!

So after over fifty years of endless change, it appears we’re back where we started! And do you want to know the biggest surprise?

If that means more cars like the Sammio Spyder, we’re all for it.

Editor’s choice...

SAMMIO There’s something utterly honest about this solid return to the ’50s special. p16

AK GETS HEAVY Wilkins was blown away by the power of AK’s latest big hitter. p46

MEV BUILD BEGINS Work in the garage starts, with the stripdown of our rather nice MX-5! p52

£500 CHALLENGE Many of you may have thought it would never happen, but my G26 is back! p80

MURCIÉLAGO LOOKALIKE Surely one of the most audacious replicas currently on the market? p90

MEET THE TEAM Your kit car specialists/contributors EDITOR Ian Stent

FEATURES EDITOR Adam Wilkins

TECHNICAL EDITOR John Dickens

PROJECT BUILDER Ashley Gardiner

AUTO STYLIST Italo Sciacca

MONTHLY COLUMNIST Tiff Needell

CV – Built two kit cars, owned eight others, driven virtually every type of kit car produced over the last 20 years.

CV – Built a Sylva Riot. Raced a Tiger Avon for five years. Kit car journo for 10 years.

CV – Has run a kit car as his only car since 1980! Currently rebuilding a UVA Fugitive. Very clever!

CV – Studied car and product design and has worked as a design consultant on many cars.

CV – Built a Haynes Roadster from scratch and prepared to learn any new skill in order to get the job done.

CV – Presentor for Channel 5’s Fifth Gear. Previously a Top Gear presenter. Been a top flight race driver since the ’70s.

“We love the styling, while the lack of IVA holds obvious appeal.”

“I pass two or three slow moving cars. Scarcely any of the supercharged Chevy LC3’s power is needed to demolish the dawdlers”

“On most vehicles, wheel bearing replacement is an easy job to do and the components are not expensive.”

“I wanted a more sensual design language full of curves that would blend modern design elements like lights and wheels.”

“With the body lifted off, all we had to do was push the running gear out as one unit. It’s really quite something.”

“I’ve already had to accept that the use of manual gearboxes on supercars has all but gone.”

AK 427 p46

Wheel bearings p80

Designer Threads p42

MEV Exocet build p52

Tiff p15

Sammio Spyder p16

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 5

006-007 Contents April 2011:CKC Edit Template

CONTENTS

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April 2011

In this issue

46 16 8 NEWS

28 RACE DIARIES

Exciting IVA news, and much more.

Latest news from our regular racers.

15 TIFF Tiff laments the advance of technology to the detriment of driving enjoyment.

34 SHOW PREVIEW - DETLING A new date promises better weather and more new cars.

16 EXCLUSIVE – SAMMIO SPYDER New Triumph Herald based Sammio Spyder proves its worth.

36 CLUB LIFE More news from kit car clubs around the country.

23 LETTERS More opinions and views from you our readers! Get involved.

39 EVENTS DIARY All the important dates for your kit car enjoyment in 2011.

26 SHOW PREVIEW - STONELEIGH A first look at what to expect at the biggest kit car gathering of the year.

42 DESIGNER THREADS Italo’s latest radical design for a kit car rethink exposed.

46 DRIVEN – AK 427 Wilkins pilots AK’s latest 530bhp LS V8 powered Cobra replica.

90 READER’S CAR – LAMBO MURCIELAGO REPLICA Our first experience of the most audacious replica you can find.

96 CLASSIFIEDS Always worth a look. And who knows... your next kit car may be here.

98 30 DAYS Another busy month for Wilkins.

28

Pick up the May issue FRIDAY APRIL 15TH

EDITORIAL T: 01823 335443 E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk A: Complete Kit Car, 30 Henley Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 5BJ

CLASSIFIEDS T: 01903 236268 E: adam@performancepublishing.co.uk A: Complete Kit Car, 12 Thesiger Close, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2RN

6 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

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workshop 68

52 52 PROJECT MEV EXOCET – PART 2 Ashley strips down the donor MX-5.

61 PRODUCTS The latest gadgets and gizmos for the automotively motivated.

62 KIT CAR BASICS – TOOLS We outline the basic tools you need for your first kit car build.

76

66 TECH TALK John Dickens takes a close look at the workings of a gearbox.

68 DIABLO BUILD Sam Harpa’s build of a DC Supercars Diablo replica.

74 WARP 8 Latest developments on this amazing 1970s one-off.

76 £500 CHALLENGE Stent calls in outside assistance to get his G26 back on the road.

80 REPLACING WHEEL BEARINGS John Dickens explains how to replace wheel bearings.

80 ADVERTISING T: 07000 785423 / 01903 236268 E: karen.ads@performancepublishing.co.uk A: Complete Kit Car, 12 Thesiger Close, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2RN

SUBSCRIPTIONS T: 01903 236268 E: justin@performancepublishing.co.uk A: Performance Publishing, Complete Kit Car, 12 Thesiger Close, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2RN

COMPLETE KIT CAR IS PUBLISHED ON THE THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH

TO FIND YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST NEWSSTAND SALES & MARKETING: Imagine, London T: 0845 612 0092 E: david@imaginemag.net W: www.imaginemag.net DISTRIBUTION: Marketforce, London SE1 0SU GRAPHICS & DTP: Grapevine Design & Print T: 01903 531531 E: justin@grapevineprint.co.uk

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 7

Sorry, but lack of time prevents us answering technical queries over the phone. We would much prefer you contact us by e-mail or write, enclosing an SAE for a reply.

While every effort is made in compiling the editorial and accepting only bona fide advertisements in Complete Kit Car, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any effects arising therefrom. Freelance features and photographs are submitted at the owner’s risk and, whilst every care is taken, no responsibility for loss or damage can be taken by the publisher or their agents.

Copyright Performance Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1754-1271

NEWS

Latest

There’s always loads going on in and around the kit car scene and you can rely on Complete Kit Car to keep you up to date with what’s happening.

Arden Investigates Privatised IVA Testing RTR’s IVA Service

ARDEN AUTOMOTIVE IS currently looking into the possibility of conducting IVA tests from its own facility. It has always been possible for commercial entities to offer IVA (and, previously, SVA) tests, but no company has done so.

This is potentially great news for kit car builders for two key reasons. Firstly, a number of IVA stations have been

Arden’s workshop is always filled with a variety of kit cars at various stages of

ROAD TRACK RACE has offered a new service for builders of MEV Rockets and Exocets. For £599, the company will spend two hours of workshop time checking over the car and making any small modifications that are necessary. For any major alterations, it will advise the customer and give them the choice of fixing it themselves or, for an agreed price, commissioning RTR to carry out the work. The company has MoT/IVA gas analysis and brake testing equipment. The price also includes the test fee and RTR will fill out the paperwork.

Although this is very different to the in-house IVA inspections Arden is looking into offering, the service will add to builders’ confidence when they take their cars for an IVA inspection. When you consider that an IVA test is £450 and the retest is £90, it appears good value. Road Track Race, 42 Mount Street, New Basford, Nottingham NG7 7HX. T: 0115 978 0677. E: sales@roadtrackrace.com W: www.roadtrackrace.com

completion.

Minari is one of the cars Arden has recently prepared for IVA.

closed recently, and more are likely to follow suit.

If the likes of Arden – and other IVA testing is currently only undertaken at VOSA sites – but commercial entities can offer the service. Arden may be the first to do so.

operations in different geographic locations – begin to take on IVA testing, it will take up the slack created by defunct VOSA operations.

The second reason is cost. In the same way that the maximum an MoT garage can charge for an MoT test is £50, so the maximum legal fee for an IVA test is £450. Consequently, commercial operations may be able to offer the test at more competitve, lower prices than we have become used to since the implementation of IVA in 2009.

Russell Cort, Operations Director at Arden Automotive, commented: “As we are already an MoT test centre, it is a natural progression that we should be able to fully test the vehicles we build.

We are now waiting for the paperwork from VOSA.” This is a highly significant step which we will follow as more news emerges.

CONTACT Arden Automotive, 5 The Cobden Centre, Hawksworth, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7HL. T: 01235 813331.

E: contact@ardenautomotive.co.uk W: www.ardenautomotive.co.uk

8 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

BRIEFS

JBA Gets BMW Donor BILL WILCOX HAS owned the JBA Falcon project for a few years and, over the last 12 months or so, has been redeveloping it for a BMW 3-series (E36/E46) donor. He enlisted the help of MK founder Martin Keenan to design the new chassis.

The revised version of the car will be shown in rolling chassis form at May’s Stoneleigh show, and the first demonstrator should be on the road in the summer.

The new operation, JBA Motors, is

based in Norwich and is run alongside Bill’s engineering company. What attracted him to the JBA? With its full weather gear and 2+2 seating, it’s a car that can be used every day.

CONTACT JBA Motors. T: 01508 493205.

E: enquiries@jbamotors.co.uk W: www.jbamotors.co.uk

ROCKET PASSES ADR: For a kit car to hit the roads in Oz, it has to meet notoriously stringent Australian Design Rules (ADR) standards. RTR’s agent, Southam Automotive Engineering, has recently got a pass with the MEV Rocket, and has ordered more kits from the UK firm.

W: www.southam. com.au

QUANTUM KIT CARS NEW NUMBER: Quantum Kit Cars, the firm which owns the rights to the 2+2, has a new phone number.

It’s 01454 227474.

Mirach Set To Return In 2011 REMEMBER THE MIRACH? Previously offered by RJH Panels, which was run by Rob Hancock, it is now being redeveloped for launch later this year by Phoenix Automotive Developments. Rob is managing the project, and a number of changes have been implemented. The chassis has been improved and many areas of the kit have been refined to make assembly easier. Engine options are Rover or Chevy V8.

Phoenix is adamant that the car won’t be shown until it’s utterly complete. Says Rob: “I learned that people can’t see what you don’t show them.” This time around, it will be fully productionised.

The company has ambitious plans to offen a five-car range over the next couple of years. Once the Mirach is ready, Phoenix will relaunch the Ecu (like the Mirach, originally designed by Chris Field), a Seven style roadster, a Lotus Elite replica and one other model which remains secret.

CONTACT Phoenix Automotive Development, Unit 8 Brent Mill Industrial Estate, South Brent, Devon TQ10 9YT. T: 07565 956138.

E: rob@phoenixautomotivedevelopment.co.uk W: www.phoenixautomotivedevelopment.co.uk

CKC SUB WINNER: Mark Abraham of Birmingham is the latest winner of our online competition to win a subscription.

He’ll receive CKC delivered to his door every month for a year – free of charge!

To be in with a chance of winning, log on to our website.

LEXICON WINNER: Our other monthly prize is the CKC Lexicon.

It was won last month by John Moat of Hampshire. He’ll get a binder to keep his collection of CKC magazines in. This month’s comp is on page 10.

WE ASK...

Gary Janes

SAMMIO MOTOR CAR COMPANY

Q

How did you first get involved in the automotive industry?

A

Walking into Smiths at the age of 14 and discovering Custom Car magazine. It was a hobby that turned into a job and I ended up working for a classic car restoration business in Bournemouth with other like-minded people who were into hot rods.

Q

How did the idea for the Dooster come about?

A

It wasn’t an idea unique to me, other people were using Cortina donors for hot rods. It was a way of building the cars cheaply and simply – I figured there were more people with less money than lots.

Q

Why did you decide to sell on the Dooster project?

A

Cortinas were getting more difficult to find and I just felt it was reaching its end. I had jigs for more conventional hot rods, and I sold it as part of that.

Q

Are there any similarities between the Dooster and Sammio?

A

It’s the same ethos of providing something that’s affordable and easy to build. In the current economy, I think the country is ready for something like this.

Q

Do you have any plans for any new models?

A

I’m experimenting with a Scimitar based car for a French customer. The Scimitar was my first idea, but the Triumph is more abundant.

As I was working with an original Ford special, the dimensions were better.

Thinking ahead, I may also offer a version with a spaceframe chassis and MX-5 parts – although that would have to go through IVA.

Sammio Special page 16 APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 9

NEWS

WILKINS Cheap And Cheerful HAS THE ERA of the cheap kit car returned? Of course, the budget end of the market has always been there, but the issue you’re holding in your hands contains features on not one but two cars with a claimed £2000 self-build price.

Not so long ago, it would have seemed preposterous to suggest a new build for such little money. Two grand doesn’t even give you much choice on the second-hand kit car market, yet today we have both the MEV Exocet and Sammio Spyder available for pocket money prices.

The interesting thing is that both cars approach the parsimonious price point from very different angles. With its Triumph Herald basis and 1950s styling, the Sammio is very much the recreation of a special of old. Park it by the side of the road and bystanders would be hard put to distinguish it from a special with six decades under its wheels.

On the other hand, the MEV is a thoroughly modern interpretation of affordable self-build motoring. Its chassis is a trendy exoskeletal affair and it’s amongst the first kit cars to adopt the Mazda MX-5 as a donor (and it has pioneered using its entire underpinning, PPF frame and all).

Like all the cleverest concepts, the secret is its simplicity.

While the two cars couldn’t be further apart in conception, they share more than their claimed self-build prices. Each is a desirable product even before you factor in their pocket friendliness. But they share even more in common than that. Both MEV and Sammio have very healthy order books and plenty of kits flying out of the doors.

It appears that the kit car buying public is ready for the return of the cheap kit car – just so long as the cars appeal to the heart as well as the pocket.

ADAM WILKINS adam@performancepublishing.co.uk

Latest

Vortex Gets Electrified VORTEX AUTOMOTIVE HAS recently supplied a GT3 kit to a customer who is going to build it with an electric motor.

Russ Sciville converted a Lotus Elise to electric power over two years ago, and he enjoys electric motoring so much that he is building the Vortex to replace his conventionally powered BMW M3.

The pictures show the Vortex with the batteries laid in their intended positions to give an idea of the finished car’s weight distribution. The car will use a 30kW Siemens motor which can peak at 67kW (90bhp). By comparison, Russ’s Elise is limited to a 30kW peak but can still reach 90mph.

Charging takes four hours with a 13A supply or three hours using a 16A supply.

Faster charging options can also be used and, at off-peak energy rates, the car will

Customer built Vortex will have an electric motor.

cost just 60p to charge for 60 miles worth. Some councils supply free electric charging points in car parks. Russ estimates the build cost will be around £28,000 to £30,000. Around £1000 of that is for the motor and £10,000 is for the batteries.

Says Russ about his experience with the converted Lotus: “You cannot compare an internal combustion engine with an electric motor as the motor has full load torque at virtually all revs from zero upwards to a maximum of 12,000rpm. No clutch is required and I use the gearbox for the differential only, locked in third gear (no gear shift). Try pulling away in third gear with a 40bhp engine!”

The Vortex will be able to travel faster and further than the Lotus thanks to new technology and larger batteries.

CONTACT Vortex Automotive, 23 Woodmill Meadow, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2XP. T: 01926 857200. E: info@vortex-auto.com W: www.vortex-auto.com

Veranti Project For Sale JOHN BARLOW HAS decided to offer for sale the Veranti project in order to focus on his range of Imperial wedding cars.

Like all cars designed by John Barlow, the Veranti has a very professional, quality feel. It is based on a Toyota MR2 Mk2 in both coupé and convertible formats. The former is exempt from IVA as no changes to the MR2’s monocoque are made. The sale includes the manufacturing rights, moulds and all associated tooling. John is looking for around £3000 for the whole project.

CONTACT John Barlow. T: 07754 891706.

CKC LEXICON EACH MONTH, STENT and Wilkins will attempt to out-do each other by slipping into CKC a polysyllabic, little used or just plain pompous word. If you can spot both of them, let us know where you found them and you could win a CKC binder (worth £8) in which to keep your magazines tidy. If you find both, e-mail adam@performancepublishing.co.uk This month’s words are...

STENT: Primogenial adj Original, elemental.

WILKINS: Assiduous adj Constant in application; working diligently.

10 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

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All prices, technical

Quality • Performance • Style Winner of the 2005 ‘Which Kit’ 750 Motor Club Kit Car Championship Driver Andy Sterling

Car DAX Rush Rover V8 with ‘Camber Compensation & Anti-Roll system’*

information and donor parts lists are contained in our information packs. These are available for £3 each or £7 for all 3. Alternatively, all this information – and more – is available from our website.

DJ Sportscars International Ltd 2 Edinburgh Place, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2DJ Tel: 01279 442661 Fax: 01279 434956 e-mail: post@daxcars.co.uk

• CC&AR is a unique and patented cross-linked doublewishbone suspension system that counters roll (without the need for anti-roll bars) and maximises grip and predictability by cleverly keeping all wheels upright to the road.

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 11

Latest

NEWS

Escort Replica Revealed SHP ENGINEERING HAS been in the business of designing and building specialist cars since 1982. Its vast catalogue of offerings is shown on its website, and it includes diverse products like silhouette race cars and off-roaders.

SHP’s latest creation, the RSR Escort, may look like a Ford, but it actually has a spaceframe chassis and a GRP body.

Despite appearances, it’s definitely a kit car! It’s the first model SHP has offered in kit form.

SHP, which is based in the Fens and headed by Sonny Howard, has been working on the RSR for three years, and the first car is now up and running. Although SHP is aiming the RSR primarily at the track day market, it will be possible to develop the car further to comply with IVA.

RSR Escorts in various stages of completion.

Double wishbone front suspension incorporates bespoke uprights and hubs.

Tubular spaceframe chassis.

Under the skin, the spaceframe chassis can accommodate almost any engine option, although the company specifically lists the Ford Pinto, Crossflow, Duratec and Cosworth V6. Up front, it features double wishbone suspension with SHP’s own uprights and hubs. At the rear, there’s a bespoke axle incorporating a ZF Salisbury diff and a four-link connection.

The car is offered in three formats.

Level one, at £10,880, includes everything that’s made in-house by SHP to build the car to a rolling chassis stage.

The £19,410 level two supplies everything bar an engine to complete the build. On

Nova And M6 Replica Moulds Available DUTCH READER TED Vreman has been in touch to say he has two complete sets of body moulds for sale – one set for a Nova and the other for a McLaren M6 replica.

From the photos we’ve seen of the Nova

(All) McLaren M6 replica moulds for sale. Nova moulds also available.

moulds (which were too low resolution to print), it looks like a very comprehensive set. Ted is looking for €15,000 for the set.

The original manufacturer of the M6 moulds (pictured) is unknown, but it is believed to be of American origin. Ted also has a set of chassis drawings which are available with the moulds if the buyer needs them (there is no chassis jig). The asking price for the M6 moulds is €20,000.

Anyone interested in purchasing either set of moulds should contact Ted via the e-mail address below.

CONTACT

SHORT CUTS

Ted and Anne Vreman. E: tvreman@yahoo.com

JOHN CLARKSON AUTO SERVICES RELOCATES John Clarkson Auto Services is moving to new larger premises. The company has a rolling road and can also carry out wheel alignment, fault diagnosis and other preparation. As of April 4th, you’ll find the firm at Unit AB, Dodd Lane, Chorley Road, Westhoughton, Lancashire BL5 3NA. The new telephone number is 01942 818745. Online communication remains the same. E: andrewc@fsmail.net W: www.johnclarksonautos.com

12 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

top of that, you can add the labour to build the car to any stage, including completion.

A completed RSR Escort is very versatile. As well as track day and road use, it is eligible for a number of circuit racing championships and can also be used for rallying.

CONTACT SHP Engineering, Unit 7 Faraday Road Business Park, Littleport, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 1PE. T: 01353 861168.

E: info@shpengineering.co.uk W: www.shpengineering.co.uk

CBS Online CAR BUILDER SOLUTIONS recently launched a refreshed version of its online shop. As well as looking a lot better than the previous version, it’s also much easier to navigate and features a useful hints and tips page and some great how-to videos (both of which will be further expanded over time). Check it out at www.cbsonline.co.uk

CKC Free Ads DON’T FORGET THAT our classified ads are now free for private advertisers – which is a unique service within the kit car press! If you’re selling your kit car, all you need to do is fill out the form on our website or e-mail the photo and details directly to us – and we’ll include it in the classified section for a month.

Alternatively, if you want your advert to last for three months, you can do so for just £25. There’s never been a better time to advertise your car in CKC!

Found On The Web WEIRD, EXOTIC, UGLY AND BEAUTIFUL CARS FROM AROUND THE WORLD In some American states, open wheels and exposed engines are permitted. The builder of this modified Camaro has taken full advantage of that by creating a kind of 1930s traditional roadster vibe at the front end of the car, while the rear remains almost standard. The result is peculiarly pleasing... we think!

SELL YOUR CAR Complete Kit Car. T: 01795 520877.

E: adam@performancepublishing.co.uk W: www.completekitcar.co.uk

CKC/Omex Track Day: Book Now! IF YOU WANT a place on the CKC/Omex track day at Llandow on Saturday 14th May, you need to book quickly. Places are limited to just 35 which means plenty of track time for everyone, but it also means that it gets booked up swiftly!

As always, it’s a perfect track day for newcomers and the more experienced alike. The morning will be split into novice, intermediate and experienced sessions, while an open pit lane in the afternoon allows plenty of circuit time.

There are never more than 10 cars on the track at any one time, so there will be lots of space to drive at your own pace.

We’ve been running these days in conjunction with Omex Technology for several years. The Llandow circuit, near Cardiff in South Wales, is an excellent venue. The track offers a great mix of fast sweeping corners and more technical

lower speed stuff to test you and your car, and the Llandow staff always run the day in a slick, professional manner.

As is the CKC way, we also add as much value to the day as possible. Each driver will get a free lunch, and we also try to take action shots of every single car.

We can then provide these free of charge – all you need to do is e-mail us after the event identifying your car and we’ll reply with a high resolution image of you and your car in action!

So don’t delay if you want to be there!

Get in touch with editor Stent using the contact details below.

CONTACT

Blitzworld on TV

Blitzworld’s Steve Malpass with Gadget

Ian Stent. T: 01823 335443.

E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk

Show presenter Pollyanna Woodward.

THE GADGET SHOW was filming with Blitzworld last month, and the show was broadcast on February 28th (it’s still available online via Five’s website). At the time of going to press, we haven’t seen the show but it appears presenters Pollyanna Woodward and Jason Bradbury had fun judging by the amount of mud that’s been slung around.

It’s not the only bit of television coverage the company has secured recently. Blitzworld MD Steve Malpass was recently featured on a local ITV programme called Be Your Own Boss, about running his own company.

CONTACT

Cameras rolling...

Blitzworld. T: 01782 208050.

E: sales@blitzworld.co.uk W: www.blitzworld.co.uk

TKC CORRECTION

SOMETHING TO SAY?

In our review of the Autosport International show last month, we wrongly stated that TKCMag no longer sponsors the kit car area of the Pistonheads exhibition.

In fact, TKC did continue to sponsor the kit car pavilion 2011 and has already signed up to do so again next year, helping to promote the kit car industry to a wider audience. Our apologies to Steve Hole and the team at TKC for the error.

Call Adam Wilkins on 01903 236268 with all your kit car related news or e-mail it to adam@performance publishing.co.uk

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 13

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CONTRIBUTOR

April 2011 “My problem with many of the latest [mainstream] machines is that they are beginning to move away from the pure driving experience that is central to my full enjoyment of driving any type of car.”

WHILE SOME MIGHT have seen me make a brief cameo appearance on the motoring equivalent of Three Men in a Boat which caused yet more furious speculation that I was about to be a new ‘Twig’ or something, I am quite happy to report that I’m back with Vicki, Jason and Jonny for a new series of Fifth Gear with a run of ten shows beginning on April 1st – and yes you’d be a fool to miss it!

This begins my tenth year of presenting on the Channel 5 motoring show - which follows fifteen years of Top Gear on the BBC – and I find it hard to believe that I have now been talking about cars on telly for a quarter of a century! The trouble is it all still feels just like yesterday to me but the harsh fact is that the McLaren F1 test that so many still seem to remember was nearly twenty years ago!

I keep on thinking to myself that I must have seen and done it all by now and people keep suggesting that surely I must be getting a bit bored of it all. The honest truth is that I still love every moment of it. While I’m a great admirer of all the iconic classics I’ve driven in the past there’s still nothing quite like getting your hands on the very latest machinery – even if at times it turns out to be something of a disappointment.

I still get a real thrill from that very first drive of something new and when you are talking about getting behind the wheel of machines like the McLaren MP4-12C, the Ferrari FF and the Pagani Huayra it’s hard to imagine it’s going to be a tough day at the office – mind you I have to fight Vicki and Jason first to see who gets what!

My only problem with many of the latest machines is that they are all beginning to move away from the pure driving experience that is central to my full enjoyment of driving any type of car. The never ending additions of ABS, ESP, ABD, PSM, DDC, etc, etc are beginning to slowly erode my driving dream and it’s hard not to sometimes act like an old fuddy-duddy and hark back to ‘the good old days’. That F1 had it all and will probably remain my favourite car forever with no power assistance, a manual gearbox and a normally aspirated V12!

I’ve already had to accept that the use of manual gearboxes on supercars has all but gone, with more and more models appearing with flappy paddles only. Then there is the growing fashion to prevent all the traction and stability controls being completely switched off – even assuming you can find the right button and the correct sequence to do it. The result is that you can’t really test the true capabilities of the car but only the capabilities it will allow you to experience – so you might as well do what every PR officer would love and reprint their press pack!

I know I’ll still be thrilled by the outrageous performance of all these cars but I also know I’ll probably have to hide some of my personal frustrations in order to ‘move with the times’. That’s one thing people who choose to build their own cars don’t have to accept!

TIFF NEEDELL Every month – only in Complete Kit Car APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 15

EXCLUSIVE

Sammio Spyder

The Sammio Spyder ushers in a welcome return of the ‘special’. The editor met the team behind it and found a product that may be more relevant now than ever before.

16 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

THE KIT CAR industry has spent the best part of fifty years distancing itself from the heyday of the specials era back in the ’50s and ’60s. Back then a myriad of companies sprang up offering body panel sets designed to drop on the chassis of an old Austin Seven or Ford Pop. It was a way of getting great performance with sports cars looks for affordable cash... not unlike the kit car boom of the early ’80s!

Of course, the specials era effectively ushered in the kit car scene as we know it today, as those pioneers inevitably went on to design bespoke chassis for their bodykits and moved the products ever more upmarket.

The result is a scene that today offers high quality kits with intricately designed spaceframe chassis, race-style suspension and expertly moulded fibreglass bodyshells... usually with a price to match. And while we may be accustomed to the new fad for bodykits on modern donor cars such as the Toyota MR2, Celica, Ford Puma and Mazda MX-5, when was the last time you heard of anyone building anything on an old Triumph Herald chassis? More importantly, who on earth would launch a new kit car into the scene using such prehistoric underpinnings? They must be mad, mustn’t they?

But that’s exactly what the Sammio Motor Car Company did, when it took its Sammio Spyder to last year’s Exeter kit car show. Did the company get laughed out of the exhibition hall? When I tell you that MD Gary Janes came away with four brand new kit sales and has subsequently sold a further twenty (and is averaging a kit sale per week), you know it’s time to take this project seriously. Not quite such a mad idea, after all!

Gary Janes’ background offers a clear explanation of why he’s gone down the route he has, rather than follow the crowd with a conventional modern kit car. For the last twenty years he’s been around the classic car and hot rod scene. It’s the latter that has been a focus, starting a company called Dooster in

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 17

EXCLUSIVE the early new millennium offering hot rods kits using Cortina mechanicals. While the Ford parts weren’t popular with the custom diehards, the affordability of the kits and donor parts was a winner, and he sold over 200 kits before selling the project in 2003. After that he formed Bay Area Rods, a company which ended up specialising on modded VW Beetles. All of which tells us that Gary’s passion has been modifying existing production cars and keeping costs to a minimum... affordability and individuality are two key elements of his formative working years.

As so often happens, the Sammio (named after his son, Samuel Owen Janes) came about by mistake. Gary always liked the idea of a Porsche Spyder, but could never afford one. He wasn’t overly taken by the kits that were available either, and in 2008 had the chance of buying an old Nickri bodyshell from the 1950s. The rear wings were reminiscent of the Spyder’s, and he reckoned he could make up something relatively convincing.

If the rear wings of the Nickri looked about right, the rest of it didn’t, and he set about cutting and remoulding just about

Sammio Spyder Gary Janes of the Sammio Motor Car Company.

Simple bucket seats. Driver’s headrest a nice touch. Centre tunnel created in aluminium over supplied subframe which mounts the handbrake.

Interior is an open book, with builder deciding trim levels and exact dash design.

everything else to create a look that aped that of the Porsche, without being a true replica. Underneath, the Nickri had been designed for a Triumph Herald chassis, so that’s where he stayed.

But as so often happens with these things, before he could complete the car, someone saw it in the workshop and wanted to buy it. Gary let it go, the owner finished the car, drove it to Le Mans and then sold it via eBay. But significantly, as part of his eBay explanation about the car, he included a link to Gary’s Bay Area Rods website, where Gary had posted a few pics on the car’s development.

Having never previously considered offering the car as a kit (it was just something for him to mess about with), e-mails started coming in asking if Gary could make another one...

Having taken a basic mould of the first car, Gary knew he could recreate the panels, but he also knew they’d need

18 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

further work before he could seriously start developing this primogenial interest into sales and a future business. While his original car used a standard Herald 4-cylinder engine, enquiries were coming in for Vitesse based cars, and this model’s longer straight six engine wouldn’t fit under the original bonnet. Gary didn’t feel he could simply extend the existing design, and he found inspiration while surfing the internet, in the form of Lancia’s D24 from 1953. Never heard of it? Neither had I, but it’s a beauty and also goes a long way to explaining the front grille shape... don’t suggest (as I did) that it resembles that of a Cobra. By the Exeter show last year, (and with the help of Mike Hughes) Gary had the new body panels mocked up and ready to reveal.

But to come back to the opening paragraphs of this article. Why on earth would a Triumph Herald based bodykit hold any appeal in 2011? The obvious answers are affordability and IVA exemption. Gary sells the body panels for £795, and when located on the original and unmodified Triumph Herald chassis, there is no requirement for an expensive and onerous IVA test. In 2011 you couldn’t find two more appealing reasons to bring the Sammio towards the top of your kit car shopping list!

And there’s another key element that’s positively in the Herald’s favour. Produced from 1959 and with its heyday in the ’60s, this fits in beautifully with the specials’ era, so the mechanicals are spot on and even the registration number places the resulting Sammio bang in the middle of the genre. It’s a perfect fit.

And talk more with Gary and you’ll find someone who is passionate, not only about offering affordable motoring, but also a product where each and every completed example is different. Gary doesn’t want to offer a productionised, homogenised and pasteurised kit car where, apart from the colour, they all look the same. A perfect example he points to

is the rear lights. It would have been easy at the moulding stage to decide which light unit fits the car best and create a flat plinth on which it would be mounted.

Instead, Gary wanted to leave this area blank, for the builder to select something they wanted, not what the company instructed them to use.

Now I know what you are thinking. I’ve been sold this story because it sounds good, when in reality they couldn’t be bothered to make the plinth... but I’m not buying that either. The dash panel is also supplied as a blank, for the owner to position instruments and switches as they like. Yes, I know that makes it cheaper to manufacture (and that’s a good thing, remember), but you’ve just got to believe me when I say it’s also been done to allow the builder to stamp their own identity on each and every car.

So what’s involved in building a Sammio Spyder? First you need to find a donor car.

Gary has just bought two donors recently, one for £250 and one for £500, the latter complete with MoT and a reliable runner. A quick search on eBay for this feature revealed 14 potential candidates, the lowest at just £81 and a further six that were well under a grand and several of which looked perfectly serviceable (with long MoTs) for around £500.

Gary would certainly advise buying a better donor car, rather than simply the cheapest, but the chassis are rarely beyond repair, and the parts are readily available from a number of vibrant Triumph specialists.

The body tub is then unbolted from the chassis and discarded (sold on, perhaps?), leaving the driveable chassis and bolt-on bulkhead windscreen panel.

While the latter stays on the car, the windscreen area is cut off, leaving the bulkhead, pedals and steering all in place.

The ride needs lowering, and this is achieved by removing the four loose leaves on the rear transverse leaf spring (the rest are clamped together from

Triumph) and cutting down the front springs by approximately two coils.

A rudimentary steel body subframe then bolts down onto the chassis, using the door hinge points on the bulkhead and original body mounting points on the chassis – there’s no drilling or welding required (although you could of course weld the subframe on if you wanted).

The main fibreglass body tub is then lifted over and bonded to both the subframe and Herald bulkhead. The bonnet locates off the original Herald hinge points. With no doors to worry about (although plans are in place to offer an

Sammio is a great looking car in the ‘specials’ style of the ’50s. We like it.

Bare bodyshell awaiting collection.

Note the lack of any rear light positions.

Basic body subframe.

Engine bay scruffy on factory car, but could be made perfect by diligent builder. Straight six will also fit.

optional main tub with doors), or windscreen wipers to install, it’s a simple process, and the interior is completely left to the owner to fit out as they wish.

Typically, this will involve panelling out the inside with marine ply and then trimming as you see fit. Sammio also offers a simple centre tunnel subframe which makes it easier to locate the original handbrake, and in the test car this has been trimmed in a carefully shaped piece of aluminium and painted to match the bodywork.

Seeing a subframe and body in the workshop, both are basic affairs. The bodywork is supplied in a primer gelcoat

SPECIFICATION: SAMMIO SPYDER Engine options: Any Herald or Vitesse engine, 4 or 6-cylinder, from 35bhp to just over 100bhp.

Chassis: Original Triumph ladder chassis.

Bodywork: All GRP supplied in primer gelcoat for painting.

Suspension: Front – Original double wishbones, coil-over dampers, uprights.

Rear – Original transverse leaf spring, swing axle arrangement. Lowered via leaf removal and front spring shortening.

Steering: Rack and pinion.

Brakes: Discs/drums.

Kit prices: Body kit £795, body subframe £300, centre tunnel subframe £80.

Budget build cost: From £2000.

Contact: Sammio Motor Car Company, Unit B2, 46 Holton Road, Holton Heath Trading Park, Holton Heath, Poole BH16 6LT. T: 07970 636986.

E: info@sammio-spyder.com W: www.sammio-spyder.com

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 19

EXCLUSIVE

“

Most importantly, it’s a great looking car, with an obvious period feel and a strong sense that this is a ‘special’, rather than some mainstream offering

and will need painting, but in a period solid colour this can be achieved relatively cheaply (the factory can paint them for you, for just £800). The subframe is rudimentary and the welding isn’t pretty, but its job is to locate the bodywork rather than offer much structural integrity (the Herald’s ladder chassis does that on its own).

Gary reckons the imaginative builder could complete a car on a budget for as little as £2000. He’s a big fan of eBay, where he recently bought a set of wire wheels for £75! We suspect most builders will spend more than that, but even if you were to double that figure, we’re still talking very cheap by conventional kit car standards.

And so to the car in the pictures (built for his partner Jeanette Bartlett).

Magazine production deadlines meant this car hadn’t yet been MoT’d when we visited, so a drive wasn’t an option, but there’s plenty to see and examine...

Most importantly, it’s a great looking car, with an obvious period feel and a strong sense that this is a ‘special’, rather than some mainstream offering. By that I mean that while the Sammio is unquestionably pretty, there are some angles and design elements that you wouldn’t find on a mainstream period offering. This gives it that feeling of a

Sammio Spyder Styling influences from various sources, but front grille is pure Lancia D24 (not Cobra!).

Period headlight has integral indicator.

Original Herald gauge re-used.

Sammio offers a delightful return to the best bits of the ‘specials’ era.

period ‘special’ but in the best possible sense. Quite simply, we think Gary’s done a great job of the styling.

Inside the cockpit, it’s pretty much a blank canvass. This car re-uses the original Herald main gauge, and the donor came with ancillary gauges which have also been retained. Gary simply trimmed the dash around the bigger gauge to emphasise that each owner can stamp their own design on the basic dash panel.

The rest of the interior can be left bare, trimmed in carpet or, as per another car at the works, panelled in aluminium. There are no factory trim kits here as every

20 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

interior will inevitably be slightly different in shape, so it’s another area where owners can indulge their imagination.

Under the bonnet of this example, things are still looking a bit of a mess, so the photograph is of another car on the site (also hardly concours finish!). There’s a 4-cylinder motor in place that left Triumph with around 35bhp under its belt. 6-cylinder Vitesse powered examples come with around 100bhp and there are plenty of tuning options should you feel inclined. Where the fibreglass main tub meets the steel bulkhead the factory fibreglasses one to the other and this can look quite messy if not done carefully. I think private builders will find a neater solution, perhaps bonding with a sealant such as Sikaflex or similar might result in a tidier finish.

But that’s exactly what this project is all about. There is no stringently prescribed route to completion. The Sammio Motor Car Company supplies the basic components needed for the project, and it’s up to you to set the standard of finish from there on, injecting as much or as little as you want in terms of trim, addons and overall finishing touches.

Clearly, such a project isn’t for everyone, in the same way that welding your own chassis from plans to make a Haynes Roadster isn’t for everyone, but in the current climate the Sammio Spyder would appear to hit the spot. We love the styling, while the lack of IVA and ultra cheap build costs hold obvious appeal.

If this is what a return to the specials era means, we’re all for it.

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SAMMIO SPYDER

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Sammio Bodyshell Internal Frame Sammio Screen Painted Grille Insert Recreations of a typical early to mid-50’s car reminiscent of the many European sports and racing cars that dominated motorsports throughout Europe in that decade. Our interpretation uses the humble Triumph Herald or Vitesse chassis and drive train.

THE SAMMIO MOTOR CAR COMPANY UNIT B2, 46 HOLTON ROAD, HOLTON HEATH TRADING PARK HOLTON HEATH, POOLE, DORSET BH16 6LT

✆ 07970 636986 ?www.sammio-spyder.com Hours of business 8.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m Monday – Friday, 9.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m. Saturday VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

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LETTERS

Have Your Say!

Have your say about anything that takes your fancy, although kit car related would be a bonus!

IN THE FAMILY Tiff was bang-on about kits and specials being in the same family. In about 1960, my money was about to go on a body for a Ford special – it could not be a kit because in those days the companies usually only sold bodies. However, the money got diverted to a MG J2 – and what do I see a few pages on but a J2 replica in the form of a Midge. For your amusement I have attached a picture of my real J2 on a trials hill with Yoland doing some entusiastic bouncing.

Roger Brown, via e-mail

WHEN IS A DONOR A FUTURE CLASSIC? Great March issue as always but I am afraid I can not let it pass without comment.

Like some other correspondents, I do not like the way the kit car market is going.

One thing I will never understand is body conversions. Can someone please explain what is the appeal of ruining what is a potential classic in the MR2? You are adding weight, ruining the handling and trying to capture something that it will never be. No badges please!

LETTER OF THE MONTH CKC SIPPY CUP COMING SOON? Do you have any plans to do CKC children’s tippy plastic drink cup as I would love to have one for my newborn. He will have inherited the CKC gene.

Secondly, I think using the MX5 as a donor is wrong, particularly when they do not require any work.

Come on guys, you are destroying another classic! It is not viable to restore a poor car, but to destroy a good one! Shame on you!

Steve Whiting, via e-mail

Your suggestion met with unanimous enthusiasm here at the office, not least when a google search revealed that Tippy Cup is actually an adult drinking game! We suspect what you meant was actually in relation to a Sippy Cup, and we still like the sound of that – Ed.

Rob Glenister, via e-mail

I'm certainly a fan of traditional kit cars with a fabricated chassis and body, but there is absolutely no question that bodykits is where the focus is at the moment. With the ability to avoid expensive and onerous IVA tests, bodykits will only get more popular over the coming years.

The second part of your letter really relates to using potential future classics as donors for kit cars, whether they be bodykits or conventional kits (as per the MX-5 for our Exocet). While I can understand the argument, I don't think it stands up to scrutiny. When was the last time you saw a Mk4 Cortina on the road? And if you did, the chances are it was fully restored and owned by a passionate classic Ford enthusiast.

Did we think twice about stripping old Fords to turn them into kits in the ’80s? Of course not. MR2s and MX-5s have been produced in industrial quantities and many will simply get scrapped when it’s no longer viable to repair them.

Eventually it’s true that, like a Cortina or Mk2 Escort, they will become classics in their own right, but take that to its logical conclusion and there would be no kit car industry at all!

And our donor MX-5 may well not be as good as we thought, if

The writer of Letter of the Month wins a bumper pack of 87 Mikalor mixed diameter worm drive hose clips and a flexi-driver tool worth £75. The full range of Mikalor products is available from Anyclamp.com

initial reports of its strip down are true! – Ed.

HORNSWOGGLED! With reference to the January issue of Complete Kit Car, and picture 4 on page 29...

You’ve been hornswoggled by the clue behind the car (Fairthorpe sign), which is a red herring; the car is a blue Turner.

Robert J Connearney, via e-mail

There's a bit of idle journalism for you! How silly of us to assume something was obvious, when it turned out it wasn’t!

Thanks for the correction... yours is the first we received on the matter – Ed. APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 23

MORE STRATOS, PLEASE! You wrote too little about the new Stratos in your January 2011 issue.

Why not a complete story? I hope there is someone with enough money or the connections to get one to copy!

Helmut Dietz, Germany

The new Lancia Stratos is gorgeous, isn’t it? I agree with you. It won’t be long before someone offers a replica of it... I hope. And if they do, we’ll drive it and let you know what it’s like – Ed

CONTACT US Complete Kit Car, 30 Henley Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 5BJ. E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk

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Who will be there?

Lotus 7 Club of Great Britain Westfield Sports Car Club Rally Design Ltd Rawcus Aidpac Stainless Challenger Owners' Club Alternative Cars Ltd A K Sportscars Kitcarvrienden Toniq Ltd Amphijeep Ltd Electrostatic Magic JZR Pilots Association Championship Power Mosquito Owners Club Make Ends Meet Ltd (MEMFAST) Automobile Association Nidek Club Rotrax Craft People 2000 Steijn Sports Cars Taxaties A T Power Autotrim Direct Pilgrim Car Club Dent Craft Woolies (I & C Woolstenholmes Ltd) The Tool Box (Neil Sutton) East Anglian Kit Car Club Vincent Register J B A Owners' Club Jago Owners' Club Minari Owners' Register Dakar 4x4 Owners' Club Marcos Owners' Club Regent Motor Co. Burlington Owners' Club Banham Owners' Club All Tools Riley's Tuck Shop Robin Hood Owners Club & Register Steve's Stainless L B Restoration Services Scottish Kit Car Club Aristocat Register Rayvolutioncars

Dunster House Ltd Starloc Adhesives BGH Geartech Ltd T/A Cranbrook Kitcars All Car Club UVA Fugitive Owners' Club FuelCat Gemini Register C K W Distribution Ltd Stratos Enthusiasts Club The Spire Owners' Club Club Nova / Avante Car Builder Solutions Midland Wheels Ltd J B Cutting Tools Keith Gilbert Royale Owners' Club Wildcat Owners' Club Raw Striker Ltd LEC (Locust Enthusiast Club) Premier Power Race & Performance Engines Elite Racing Transmissions Dave Davies Trillogy Ltd Martrim Ltd Beugler Stripers Mini Marcos Owners' Club A B Tools Locost Car Club Dunsmore Motor Club JPSC Demon Tweeks MEV Owners' Group Digital Speedos Footman James & Company Ltd MR2 Kits Kid's Clocks Dax Rush Owners' Club Hamilton Classic Ltd Magenta Register The Eagle Owners' Club G K D Sportscars Judd Ltd N K Trading Covin Owners' Club Madgwick Cars Ltd

Hawk Cars M K Owners' Club MGA Motorcycles Apple County Kit Car Club Chiltern 7's The Beauford Club D & J Factoring Southern Kit Car Club Strongman Tools Road Track Race Ltd Herts and Beds Alternative Car Club GTM Owners' Club Hawke Owners' Club P4 Replica Register R V Motoring Enthusiasts Spencer Ashley Ltd Colin Storr Italian Replica Club GT40 Enthusiasts Club Ltd Simon Clues & Co Ltd (Auto Glym) S & D Simulator Triton Race Seats RS200 Replica.co.uk Blitzworld Ltd Imperial Motor Company S & J Motors Typhoon Sports Cars M N R Ltd Martini Car Parts Mongrels Car Club R N R Aluminium HTM Products Ltd T/A Milligrip Moss Owners' Club QCC McGurk Performance Cars Easy Choice Ltd Carbon Mods Tiger Racing Ltd MNR Owners Club Ian Toon N G Owners' Club Spire Sportscars Sussex Kit Car Club Glynn Jones Type 48 Spyder Register

Citroen Specials Club Parallel Designs Spitfire Multi Spark Stafford Vehicle Components Ltd M H Textiles Outdoor World Alutight Interiors Foam Ltd National Street Rod Association H & H Ignition Solutions DNA Owners Club Wessex Kit Car Club Shropshire Alternative Car Club (ShACC) Tifosi Sportscars Team GTM Total Kitcar Magazine South Wales Kit & Specialist Car Club Bristol Kit Car Club S & R Picker Intatrim Gazzmatic International Ltd Vindicator Owners' Club Team X Tiger Owners' Club Wrights Auto Supplies Luego Owners' Club Autotune (Rishton) Ltd A G M Sportscars Mills Extreme Vehicles Ltd (TEAM MEV) Road Runner Racing Ltd Powertorque Engineering Sebring Owners' Club Vincent Hurricane Register Capital City Abrasives Custom Chrome Ltd Midas Owners' Club Europa Specialist Spares Ltd Formula 27 Owners' Club The Gentry Register Tool Stop Historic Specials and Classic Kit Car Club Merlin Owners' Club Quantum Owners' Club Suffolk Coastal Kit Car Club Blackjack Cars (Richard Oakes Ltd) DJ Sportscars International Ltd

Premier Garage Doors Pounds Leathers Trigger Wheels Ltd Top Gear Speed Shop G M Partsworld Performance Dakar 4x4 Noggin End Metals Millingtons Models & Collectables Birkin Owners' Club Ultima Sports Ltd UK Sports Eyewear Rickman Cars Owners' Club Ginetta Owners' Club Viper Performance Kent Kit Car Club Irish Kit Car Club Spalding Fasteners Sebring International Quantum Sports Cars Ltd Sabelt UK Teal Owners' Club Leather Forever Pop Parts Plus Ltd Piper Cams Westfield Sports Cars Ltd Luego Sportscars Ltd M & M Classic Car Components Vortex Club N D Racing Components North East Kit Car Club Sun Leisure Ltd Speedsters & Spyders The Club Cable Tec Ltd M K Sportscars SWR Motorsport Ltd John Hallas Dutton Owners' Club Opel Manta Owners' Club Max-T Engineering Supplies Russell Lloyd Scamp Owners' Club Clan Owners' Club Automec Equipment & Parts Ltd

Cobra Replica Club Dynoflow UK S M S Autospray Guild of Motor Endurance Spartan Owners' Club Coachtrimming Supplies Revotec Ltd G & T Tools Gardner Douglas Sports Cars Furore Formula One Kit Cars Ultima Park Club Marcos International Powervamp Racing Batteries Performance Publishing Northern Roadsters Vortex Automotive Ltd B & B Inflatables Chesil D N A Automotive M K Engineering Brasscraft Muddybuggies Bailey Morris Greycar Great British Sports Cars Ltd The Gentry Motor Car Company Blesk Automotive Adrian Flux Insurance Marlin Owners' Club Autoleisure Bryan Jones Autoquip Accessories Spirit Owners' Club Auto Hose And Restoration Products Suffolk Sportscars Ltd Automotive Solutions & Racing Triking Sportscars 7 Tips Racing Ltd Faroux Sportscars Aspire Kit Cars Fury Sportscars ATV 4x4 World.com Toolbay

show sponsor

THIS EXHIBITOR LIST IS TAKEN FROM THE 2010 SHOW CATALOGUE AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

w wShows w . g rLtd. o s v e n o r e x h i bwww.nationalkitcarshow.co.uk itions.co.uk Organised by: Grosvenor

XXXXXXXXXX SHOW PREVIEW

Stoneleigh

FREE

NATIONAL KIT CAR MOTORSHOW Now the show season opener, there’s even more anticipation for the world’s largest kit car event... Stoneleigh.

THIS IS IT! Stoneleigh has always been the largest kit car show on the planet, and now it’s also the season opener.

Manufacturers, traders, ourselves and no doubt you, can’t wait to get there.

Everyone we speak to is readying a new demo car or launching something brand new at this year’s show – there’s really quite a buzz about Stoneleigh 2011.

If you have never been to a kit car show, then Stoneleigh should be your introduction. Never seen a GT40 replica before? Then here you’ll typically find over a dozen. Want to see how cool Cobra replicas can look in the flesh? Well on a sunny day it’s not unreasonable to expect around 150 examples to be parked outside (yes, it’s not a typo, we did mean 150!). Looking for a sevenesque replica? OMG! You’ll find hundreds of the things out in the club area. It’s almost impossible to overstate how impressive the outside club displays are at Stoneleigh. More kit cars than you can shake a stick at.

So once you’ve gorged yourself on the outside stands you can then make your way into the main exhibition halls and get up close to the manufacturers’ own demo cars. Here’s where your research can take a more serious turn, checking out the brochure, chatting to the people in charge and looking over a factory built example of the breed. Most of the UK’s active kit car industry attends Stoneleigh and there’s a

question to be asked of those that don’t attend our industry’s premier event.

And as we’ve already suggested, expect to see lots of previously unseen new cars being revealed. One that has already broken cover is the new JH Classic’s DGT Dino replica, which is a simple body conversion for your Mk2 MR2.

We’ll reveal several others in next month’s issue.

Of course, a big reason to get along to a kit car show is to stock up on the parts that you need in order to progress or repair your existing kit car, and there are whole halls at Stoneleigh dedicated to the parts specialists. From a single nut to a complete engine, from a roll of vinyl to a leather covered bucket seat, you’ll find pretty much everything

CKC WORKSHOP LIVE @ STONELEIGH The CKC Workshop Live returns to Stoneleigh in 2011 – we’ll be holding a series of two seminars each day.

11am TBC: We’ve still to confirm the first seminar of the day, but it will definitely be worth coming along to, whatever it is.

Mark Blundell will be at the show on Monday.

Perry

McCarthy (aka The Stig) will be around on Sunday.

Dino body conversion (seen here during the prototyping stage) will be revealed at Stoneleigh.

you need (and didn’t know you needed) here in the accessory halls.

If you are in the market for a secondhand kit car, then there’s even a dedicated hall for cars for sale. Even if you are not in the market right now, it’s always worth a look.

Other activities to keep you entertained at Stoneleigh abound, from a ride in at Westfield at the impressive slalom experience, to heading off-road in a Dakar 4x4 or simply keeping the younger ones happy in the kids’ entertainment area, there’s plenty to do.

And watch out for this year’s celebrity visitors. On Sunday you might find yourself bumping into Perry McCarthy – the original ‘black’ Stig on Top Gear and otherwise a highly successful racing driver. On the Bank Holiday Monday you’ll find Mark Blundell doing the rounds, meeting visitors and learning about kit cars.

Complete Kit Car will once again be running free seminars in the morning on both days of the show, as outlined opposite. And on our main stand we have a massive display planned of all the current CKC project cars, including the bonkers Warp 8. Don’t miss it!

Where: CKC Workshop Live will be held in a seminar room just between the two main exhibition halls, near to the restaurant. It will be well signposted.

Tickets: Space is limited. You can prebook via CKC or take your chances on the day.

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE CKC seminars once again in action this year.

Come along, it’s free!

26 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

When: Sunday 1st/Monday 2nd May Where: Royal Showground, Stoneleigh, nr. Kenilworth, Warwickshire How much? In advance (until April 21st): Adults £12, under 16 free. On the day: Adults £15, under 16 free.

Contact: T: 01406 372600.

E: grosvenorshows@btconnect.com W: www.grosvenorshows.co.uk

The brand new MR2

workshop

E: adam@performancepublishing.co.uk T: 01903 236268.

CONTACT

based JH Classics DGT

Cost: It’s FREE! 12am Carbon Fibre Laminating: CKC’s John Dickens will be doing a practical demonstration of laminating with carbon fibre and epoxy resin. A must for any budding kit builder.

32-page show preview with next month’s issue

Finally, please don’t forget that free with the next issue of Complete Kit Car will be a massive 32-page show brochure for Stoneleigh outlining all the important new cars to see and where you’ll find them.

Don’t miss it!

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The Deal Includes:G Extremely rigid, cross braced Jig built tubular chassis, of race proven design, fully bracketed for all ancillaries.

Send for our new 48 page catalogue for full details of the great sportscars from Tiger

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contact Tiger for full details

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APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 27

RACE DIARIES

Motorsport Round-Up

Race Diaries isn’t about any one championship. Our reporters run in events as varied as autotests and hillclimbs. CKC’s bi-monthly diary follows their progress.

PROFILE

Reporter: Chris Allanson Races: ZCars Mini Championship/series: BARC North West Saloons Age: 51 Occupation: MD, ZCars

BY THE TIME you have flicked through this shiny new magazine detailing all these motoring dreams and new projects, as well as all the nicely anodised ‘must have’ parts, I will have donned my trusty race overalls, lined the car up on my allocated starting position, raced for twenty minutes and then finally

taken my helmet off to relive the first adventure of the season.

However, as I sit here now, that all feels a long way off. The car is sitting forlornly in the workshop with its entrails hanging down as the engine is still on the stand nearby being rebuilt to its new turbocharged specification. The wheels and tyres are around somewhere but I’m not sure where and I’ve noticed that Steve has been putting some fancy electronic bits and pieces to one side labelled ‘Chris’s race car’.

Don’t get me wrong, things are on schedule. We are just awaiting delivery of a few final engine parts and I’ve filled in numerous club memberships, applications, entries and medical forms. I’ve even booked a testing day prior to our first race on 26th of March at Oulton Park in the North West Sports and Saloons Championship.

Wheel speed sensors are part of the new engine management system. ECU also includes traction control – will Chris stick to his principles and not switch it on during a race?

PROFILE

Reporter: Jo James Races: Caterham Seven Championship/series: Caterham Mega Grads Age: 32 Occupation: SE for Juniper Networks

Chris’s ZCars Mini is stripped down for a winter rebuild. All the parts to rebuild it are in the workshop... somewhere! It will be ready for the season start very soon.

It is just that right now it doesn’t feel as imminent as it actually is. It is that time of year when it’s still dark when I start and finish work and 4in of snow fell near here yesterday. I haven’t even sat in the car for the best part of half a year and right now I can’t remember where my race helmet is! The sunshine and smell of burning engine oil and barbecue smoke still feels a long way off.

I’ve mentioned earlier that I’m going to turbocharge my Hayabusa engine for this season and hopefully that will give me a relaible 380 to 400bhp with a nice torque boost – but here’s the thing, as Mr Clarkson would say. I will need a new engine management system to control all that’s going on in the twin injection engine. As I would like to have a reliable engine, I thought it might be good to utilise a couple of engine maps, as I know from running a standard engine my ZCars Mini is as quick as anything else on the track when starting, stopping and cornering.

It is only at the end of long straights when the 1300cc used to have to yield to the big litres of the

BEFORE TAKING THE Seven back on track, I wanted to give it a checkover so I recruited the help of a friend, and spent a day running through a scrutineering checklist. Generally everything was fine (bar tightening up the wheel bearings) and I learnt a lot about the car. Feeling better about the car (little did I know…) I booked another day at Brands Engine being hoisted out during the preseason preparation. Gear selection problems prompted the operation.

28 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

BMWs and Chevrolets and whatever else was out there. I had thought that a small ‘boost’ button just for the straights would be just the job. It would allow reliable power most of the time but then give me the extra boost when required. So when I asked Steve to set up the ECU with this facility he said: “OK I’ll put traction control and launch control on it as well then.”

That set me thinking. I have always regarded myself as a traditionalist and thought that racing was all about driver skill and not driver aids. Then all of a sudden there was my choice. I could take it or leave it. Now let me think...

400bhp in a 500kg car, it has just started to get damp, do I stick to my principles and not turn on the traction control? Mmm... I wonder.

Well I’ve decided to fit it of course, so that we know how it all works and can fit it to customers’ cars with confidence and learn a few base settings to start people off but is it right? Is it fair? Do I agree with it? Have driver aids spoiled things? Will I race with it? That’s the question I guess... watch this space.

Gear selection problems due to damaged synchro.

Gearbox oil smells like cat pee!

Difference in weight between Subaru and Caterham dampers is amazing.

Hatch in January, but this time with a day’s tuition from Jamie Stanley to work more on my confidence and general ‘seat time’.

PROFILE

Reporter: Henry Carr Races: Fisher Fury Championship/series: 750MC RGB Championship Age: 30 Occupation: Turbocharger design engineer

WE VISITED THE Autosport International show in January to see what’s new in the world of motor racing and to meet up with some of our sponsors. We had a great time at the show and have returned with many ideas and some new contacts who are interested in assisting us in 2011, which will be a great help. Whilst we were there, we checked out various racing harnesses as my current ones are out of date (they have to be replaced every few years for racing). We decided that the easy adjustment offered with the aluminium adjusters was worth the extra cost, and placed an order with TRS for a set of bespoke harnesses.

The car ran OK overall except for some gearchanging problems and the vibration which started showing at the previous trackday came back

It was good to see a growing number of kit car manufacturers at the show, despite it being smaller than previous years.

This year, the regulations for RGB are changing, allowing wider rear wheels to be fitted, which may offer a small advantage in rear end grip as the tyres won’t move around so much on the wider rim. We acquired a suitable pair of wheels which were a bit scruffy and set about removing the copious layers of paint with lots of paint stripper. The kerb marks on the outer rim were removed by putting them onto a large lathe and taking a shallow cut from the rim.

We have also lightened them by removing the material from the centre that doesn’t add any strength – best not to do this at home unless you really know what you’re doing.

The gearchange and throttle cables have been replaced as the existing ones weren’t quite right due to being standard off the shelf items (gearchange cable was too long, throttle cable a bit short). RCS Cables supplied the bespoke push-pull gear change cable (which doesn’t really cost any more than a standard length cable) and a throttle cable kit that allows it to be trimmed to the correct length. Using a push-pull cable for bike engine gear changes offers a APRIL 2011

with a vengeance. Part of my gearchanging problem related to a badly adjusted clutch pedal which, with the help of Jamie, was adjusted to bring the bite point much higher.

The rest of it related to having problems changing between second and third gears – especially down into second which was taking two or three attempts every time.

A friend stepped in again to help (thanks Adam!) and took out the gearbox and diff for me. This is no small feat as it requires removing the engine, and I took them to Road and Race in Sevenoaks to be checked.

Other than a missing breather pipe, the diff was fine, but the gearbox wasn’t as happy – some damage to the synchros was the obvious cause of my second gear issues, plus a new input shaft bearing and some other bits and pieces. Huge thanks to R&R for turning it around so quickly. Another couple of days back in the garage to put everything back together – filling a gearbox and diff while in situ with nasty oil which smells like something horrible (OK, it smells of cat wee) is really unpleasant. I was fortunate enough

to only get it on my hands, Adam pulled the short straw of lying underneath and getting it up his arms and generally everywhere.

You just can’t say thank you enough for that sort of help.

While putting it back together, I noticed a leaky damper which required another evening of fettling to remove and replace – obviously both front dampers were replaced. I had to replace the front dampers on my Subaru road car recently and they are in a different league – I can hardly lift the Subaru ones!

So now there’s just a bit of wiring for the datalogger to do, get the wheels rebalanced to make sure they aren’t causing my vibration problem, and then take it to DPR next week for a geo set-up.

The ride height is all wrong after fitting the dampers and because it has been in the garage for 18 months it makes sense to have it set up again. It should be a completely different driving experience now and I’m really looking forward to the next trackday – in a week’s time on the new Snetterton layout.

New wheels stripped and machined ready to be powdercoated.

New throttle cable

(top) and push/pull gearchange cable (middle). Old cable was far too long.

www.completekitcar.co.uk 29

Motorsport Round-Up

RACE DIARIES number of advantages over a solid linkage, being lighter in weight, very smooth in operation and being easy to install by allowing some flexibilitiy.

We have also been busy outside of the workshop, having created a Wild Carr Racing page on Facebook to keep everyone up to date with what we’re up to, in addition to the

PROFILE

Reporter: Matthew Lewis Races: MNR VortX Championship/series: 750 Motor Club Kit Car Championship Age: 51 Occupation: Chartered surveyor

I DIDN’T HAVE any great plans for the winter break with regards to the car and preparation. After the Birkett relay race, a front mud guard wing stay needed to be repaired. The annual strip down and overhaul of the engine was needed. The regulations had changed which allowed rose joints/spherical joints to be used on the suspension, allowing me to revert back to the MNR standard rose-jointed wishbone set-up.

I actually started out well before Christmas with the engine out and

website (link on www.WildCarrRacing.com). And I’m aiming to improve racing performances by raising my fitness level, this should help improve reaction times, energy levels throughout the racing weekend and upper body strength. It already appears to have had an

stripped down. Unfortunately, the old last season problem with the main bearing caps reared its ugly head. This time it was number four main bearing cap that had cracked and failed. I find it absolutely amazing and rather lucky that no other damage was apparent.

Internet research has shown that revving the old Rover V8 hard and producing a certain amount of power does result in main cap weaknesses primarily caused by the block flexing. Of course, the later 3.9-litre blocks were all cross bolted main caps but as we are limited to a three and a half litre ‘production engine’ I believed that it would be illegal to try and re-sleeve a 3.9 block so as to bring it down to 3.5 litres. It would also be very expensive.

There were a few ‘ice berg’ cross bolted blocks although I believe that these were mainly produced for the TR7/SD1 racing department. Not many were made and they have got to be as scarce as hens’ teeth now. Arguably also not a ‘production’ engine.

Rover V8’s number four main bearing cap broke. once power is upped.

Standard item isn’t up to the job

Steel replacement should prove more durable.

30 www.completekitcar.co.uk

New TRS belts replace out of date harnesses. Seats have been recently converted, too.

effect, as I managed to help win a team endurance kart race by quite a big margin without the usual aches and pains that usually follow such intense races.

Recent regulation changes allow Matthew to revert is MNR VortX back to its original rose jointed suspension set-up.

The solution – and I will have to wait to see whether it works – was to have some steel bearing caps made. Dave Bennet my local engineering chap made the steel caps for me. Roland Alsop who does the engine machining has line bored the new caps into the block, a job which was not particularly popular with him. Apparently, it is very difficult to line bore steel caps onto an alloy block. The line boring machine always wants to dig into the block. The job was finished with the main cap bearing journals being line honed. All very nice and neat.

The block and caps now went back to Mr Bennet to have them made flush with the bottom of the block so that I could fit a fairly crude girdle to the bottom of the block and join the main cap bolts with the main block sides. This is what I am waiting for now. Pressure of work and the Christmas break seem to have delayed the project beyond all belief. I still have not got an engine anywhere near ready.

The intervening time has been taken repairing the front upright wing stay and also fitting the rose jointed suspension. I have taken on a lot of trouble trying to get everything square and parallel. It is great having this amount of adjustability. The previous ‘bush’ ends were not hugely adjustable. If APRIL 2011

you did anything to move the wishbones around they inevitably started to bind up as both wishbone bushes were not in line.

I can see a great panic developing for the April Mallory Park meeting. I have never been a great fan of late nights in the garage. As I get older the motivation does seem to get more difficult. Mrs Lewis always says that it is a hobby and should be fun although sometimes I do doubt it.

See how we get on at Mallory.

Never my favourite circuit.

PROFILE

Reporter: Will Herbert Races: Sylva Striker Championship/series: BTRDA/Demon Tweeks Autotest Championship Age: 32 Occupation: Newsagent

NO UPDATE THIS month from Will. His car is in bits in the garage and will be put back together in time for the start of the autotesting season. We should hear from him in time for the next installment of Race Diaries.

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CKC/OMEX TRACK DAY IS BACK! VENUE: Llandow Circuit, just west of Cardiff DATE: Saturday 14th May 2011 COST: £95 per car and driver, only £75 to CKC Subs Club Card holders CONTACT: Ian Stent. T: 01823 335443 E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk

Kit Car Specialists I.V.A. Compliance Work >>> Complete Build Service >>> Modern & Classic Cars >>> Factory Built Cars >>> Kit Car Upgrades >>> Service & Repair >>> M.O.T Work >>> >>>

Come and join the CKC team at the fabulous Llandow race circuit in Wales where we have just 35 exclusive places available and the whole track to ourselves.

It’s a great fun day and we’ll even treat you to lunch!

This could be you!

Join us on May 14th

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www.completekitcar.co.uk 31

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magazine

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034 Show Preview Detling:Layout 1

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Detling

KIT AND CAR BUILDER SHOW All change for the Detling show in 2011, with a new date in May and broader focus on the world of specialist cars.

THE KIT AND Car Builder Show, otherwise known as the Detling show on account of its location, is the premier kit car showcase for the South East of England.

What used to be the traditional show season opener has had a significant date change for 2011, moving from the Easter weekend to May 21st/22nd. According to show organiser John Cooke, there are two important reasons for the change, which will benefit visitors. The first is the warmer weather, which should not only give a better chance of a dry weekend, but also encourage visitors to camp at Detling, something that previously had not been available. The better weather should hopefully build the outside displays into a major attraction this year, with significantly larger numbers of cars, and also more outside attractions put on by the organiser...

One of those will include a display of hot rods put on by the local Invicta Roadsters club. The work that goes into these cars is extraordinary and the

Hot rods will form a significant outside display in 2011.

Ashley Gardiner’s Locost on our stand last year. This year we should have his MEV Exocet.

The inside hall is always jam packed with the latest machinery.

Detling always attracts an interesting spread of home built machines, and a later date in 2011 should make this part of the show even better.

passion for unique creations is something we obviously all share.

The second big advantage is that by May, most of the kit manufacturers have completed development of any new models they are planning to launch, so the show should be jam-packed with 2011’s hot new cars rather than the familiar machines left over from 2010!

Several manufacturers will also be taking advantage of the show organiser’s new emphasis on turnkey cars, rather than simply kits. In an attempt to broaden the appeal of the industry, at Detling manufacturers will be actively encouraged to promote the fully built side of their businesses (something that most companies now offer, but don’t always push very hard).

In terms of new cars, it’s simply too early to be specific, but Detling always

34 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

CONTACT When: May 21st/22nd Where: Kent County Showground, Detling, ME14 3JF How much?: £11, children under 12 £2, kit car drivers get in free Contact: T: 01233 713878. E: cookie@carshows.co.uk W: www.kitcar-shows.co.uk

attracts enormous support from the manufacturers and, coming hard on the heels of another big kit car show in the Midlands, many companies are bound to have exciting new products to reveal.

Hopefully we can be a bit more specific on those in our full preview next month.

One thing we can be sure of is that we’ll be there, and we’re almost certain to have our completed MEV Exocet on the stand. As you can see from elsewhere in this issue, the donor MX-5 has now been stripped and we’ve already collected the comprehensive kit from the manufacturer. Ashley Gardiner is doing the spannering and we don’t expect him to hang around! This car will be on the road in no time at all. So if you’re thinking of an Exocet build and want to see ours, then get along to the show and we’ll happily show you around it. As you’d expect, elsewhere on the stand we’ll have the brand new June issue, all our back issues, guides, books and DVDs. Come and say hello if you are passing.

So Detling 2011 promises to feel like quite a different event. We’re looking forward to it already.

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CLUB LIFE

Living It

Kit car clubs are the life blood of the scene and CKC is committed to showcasing what you’re up to with your cars and clubs. The editor rounds up the latest goings-on.

Pecorama Meet

Minari Rescue

KIT CAR ENTHUSIASTS in the South West gathered at Pecorama at Beer, near Seaton in Devon last summer, and the venue is now trying to build the event for 2011. Not only is it a great drive out to the East Devon coastline, but the venue is a good one and the event has a relaxed low-key feel. Last year the event was organised by local kit car owner, Bill Goodey, but in 2011 the Pecorama team will be organising it themselves.

The East Devon Kit Car Display will take place on Sunday September 11th and those wishing to attend are asked to contact Pecorama for a registration form so that organisers can keep an eye on expected numbers. Those who attend will be sent a ticket allowing free entry to the Peco gardens and model railway exhibition.

NOT ALL KIT cars last forever, and sometimes they succumb to serious accidents that render them a fast track route to the scrappie! One eagle eyed member of the Minari Register was horrified to find a scrapyard offering parts off a fire-damaged Minari via eBay. After some frantic e-mails and phone calls to other members of the club it was agreed that the club itself didn’t have the necessary funds or storage options to buy the car itself, and that’s when Minari owners Steve Mallatratt and Dave Cook stepped in. They went over to see what remained of the car and were encouraged enough to buy the whole thing from the scrappie. While damage to the front end has been reasonably severe, there’s plenty that can be salvaged from the Minari, and even the fibreglass monocoque is being held onto, even though a rebuild may not be feasible.

Well done to Minari Register members Steve Mallatrat and Dave Cook for rescuing this fire

CONTACT Mark Ridgers, Pecorama, Beer. T: 01297 21542. E: pecorama@pecobeer.co.uk W: www.pecorama.info

damaged Minari from the crusher!

Join kit cars later

CONTACT ME I WANT TO hear from you whether you’re in a club, or simply proud of your car! If you have a great story, a gigglesome picture or simply want to get the word out about your club, please contact me.

CLUB editors: Please check I’m on your database and that you have the correct address.

E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk What’s really useful for club members is that Steve and Dave have completely stripped the car and what bits they don’t need for their own projects are now being offered to other members, with many of the parts being specific to the Minari and not just Alfa donor parts. With just over 130 Minaris made, it’s so important to look after those that remain and that’s where the benefits of an active club really come to the fore. Well done guys.

TO JOIN IN John Hammond. E: m1nar1@yahoo.co.uk W: www.minari-register.org.uk

this summer if you’re in the South West.

Early Leg Stretch For GT40 At Brands

Pic: Jeremy Taylor

TORNADO GT40 OWNER and all round good egg, Desmond Finnan has been having a busy winter. A pre-season rolling road run at Power Engineering in Uxbridge revealed a disappointing 240bhp, but a subsequent tune of the Holley carb and a new filter yielded a massive increase to 315bhp!

Desmond then joined members of the

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Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club for a Brands Hatch track day, alongside racing XJSs, saloons, a D-Type replica and much more.

TO JOIN IN W: www.gt40enthusiastsclub.com

Another Jago Milestone Approaches THE FABULOUSLY ACTIVE Jago Owners’ Club is gearing up for another year of celebrations, after a bumper 12 months in 2009 to mark the club’s 25th anniversary. 2011 witnesses another important milestone, this time being the 40th anniversary of the launch of the original Jago Geep.

As you might expect, plans are well in hand, including a massive turn out for this year’s Stoneleigh kit car show in May and a special commemorative issue of the club magazine Transmissions. There will also be a T-shirt produced using the winning design from a competition run within the club and given free to all club

Parts Bargains From Westfield

members. That’s a great effort by the club and a good use of club funds.

Digging through the old Which Kit? archives I’ve found several ancient black and white pictures of early Jagos, including this one, with a suitably beardy owner. I don’t think it’s Jago founder Geoff Jago, but I’m sure one of you knowledgeable lot can set me right!

TO JOIN IN Helen Scott, 7 Coronation Avenue, Nordelph, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 0BN. T: 01366 324360. E: helenjlee1@aol.com W: www.jagoownersclub.co.uk

Now that’s what we call a beard! Early Jago picture from the Which

Kit? archives.

WESTFIELD SPORTS CARS is having a Parts Open Day on Saturday April 2nd where the company is clearing out old stock, some used parts and offering discounts on many current stock items.

Vitally, the company is happy to welcome non Westfield owners who may also be able to take advantage of some of the parts being sold. If you’re building a Haynes Roadster, Striker, MK or anything else that might benefit from parts also used on a Westfield, get along and grab a bargain. All those attending will also be entered for a free draw to win a full Westfield Activity Day.

Head

over to Westfield on April

CONTACT

2nd for some parts department bargains.

W: www.westfield-sportscars.co.uk

Classic Kits Rise Again At Arden I DROPPED INTO Arden Automotive the other day, and discovered a bevy of old and new kit cars being assembled by the kit car build company at its impressive Oxfordshire workshop.

Most intriguing of these is a Tripos R81 from the early 1980s. This unfinished kit is owned by Hugo Gordon, whose father was a partner in the original company that launched the car in 1985. Hugo felt it was time to get the car finished, and delivered it to Arden shortly before my visit. Always highly acclaimed at its launch, the Tripos is beautifully made, and the quality of the bodywork is exceptional.

Elsewhere in the workshop is a GTM Coupé kit that was bought in the late 1980s and never started. Still owned by the person who ordered it all those years ago, it’s finally being built up into the car he always wanted. Like the Tripos, it’s a great story and the level of finish achieved

by Arden looks impressive.

Completing the ‘Golden Oldies’ selection is not one, but two Minaris, both still owned by their original kit purchasers and now being completed by Arden.

But it’s not all old stuff, as witnessed by the builds of a brand new GT40, Mustang replica and two Murtayas.

APRIL 2011

Mustang replica being completed in readiness for IVA. Unstarted GTM Coupé project now well progressed.

New

GT40 replica build is

CONTACT

another interesting project.

Ultra rare

Tripos R81 chassis has been modified.

www.completekitcar.co.uk 37

Arden Automotive. T: 01235 813331 E: contact@ardenautomotive.co.uk W: www.ardenautomotive.co.uk

CLUB LIFE

Living It

Lost and Fo

und

I’ve found. ..

Carlton Com mando O&C Sport Carlton Car rera Pelland Spo Kingfisher rts Pilgrim Haw Countess thorn Reflex JBA Javelin Rotrax Latham Spo rts S&J Milano Magic Sheldonhurs MCA t Silhouette Midtec Spy der SC5000S Nyvrem Nir vana UVA Fugiti ve F33 I’m still look ing for...

AVA K1 Pace Maels DMS Bullit trom Panache Eagle M2 Regis Mohaw GP Talon k Scorpion Gilcolt Shelsley Griffin S timulator LMC Roads ter

Lost And Found SWEDISH CAR ENTHUSIAST Anton Schön contacted me recently, sending pictures of the 1950 Enzmann 506 he’s currently restoring. His is one of just 100 ever produced between 1956 and 1969, and one of the 70 or so that left the Swiss factory in a kit form (the rest being factory assembled).

Anton bought the car in a very decrepit state two and a half years ago, the car having been ‘stored’ since the late ’70s in various locations, including a scrapyard!

Underneath the very pretty bodyshell is the ubiquitous VW Beetle floorpan and, while some cars originally featured Porsche motors, Anton’s example will run a 1600cc VW air-cooled unit.

As you can see from the pictures, the restoration is ongoing, but Anton tells me he’s being meticulous, with only period components being used and not modern reproductions. The aim is to have the car complete for October this year, in time for the Enzmann 506 Car Club’s annual get together. I’ll try to get some pictures of the car when it’s complete. And if you fancy having a brand new Enzmann, then Anton’s pointed me to a website where a new company has started producing bodies from the original moulds. Check it

This is a Lancia Beta based Reflex from the late ’80s. It’s currently for sale if you’re feeling brave!

CONTACT

This Enzmann 506 is a piece of Swiss

out at www.enzmann-506.ch Much closer to home I’ve had the organiser of the Detling and Exeter kit car shows send me some pictures of an old kit car he came across recently, languishing in a car park in Ashford, Kent. John Cooke may be a show organiser, but he’s also a dedicated kit car enthusiast, Hawk 289 builder/owner and active member of the Kent Kit Car Club.

What he’s come across is a very sad looking example of a late ’80s Reflex.

This Lancia Beta based mid-engined kit car was a great looker at the time and still looks pretty striking now. As you can see from the pictures, the bodywork is badly

Send me details and pictures of a long forgotten kit car you’ve found or own and, if I print them, we’ll send you a CKC mug!

E: ian@performancepublishing.co.uk

faded, but the exciting part is that the car is for sale and John has the contact details if you’re interested! He reckons there’s a comprehensive restoration job needed before the car can be roadworthy again, and indeed we’re not sure whether the car was ever registered or not. If you fancy finding out more and rescuing what must be a very rare kit car indeed, then contact John on cookie@car-shows.co.uk

kit car history, currently being lovingly restored

by Anton Schön in Sweden.

YOUR TUBE

For our full events listing please go to: www.completekitcar.co.uk ENZMANN 506 IN ACTION

BUGATTI VEYRON REPLICA...

The only bit of footage I could find online showing an Enzmann 506 (mentioned above) in action. It’s not in English, but worth a watch, just for the sheer bizarreness of the footage! http://tinyurl.com/5r6crqt

Bugatti replica that seems immaculately finished, except that it really isn’t Veyron shaped at all! Oh dear. After all that effort. http://tinyurl.com/4fytunu

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DESIGNER THREADS Shooting Break ITALO SCIACCA

This month, Italo Sciacca gets his head around an idea for a kit form shooting break, taking inspiration from GKD with its BMW powered Evolution convertible.

As well as being a die hard fan of specialist cars, Italo Sciacca has worked as a design consultant on many mainstream production cars. His flair for designing cars is undoubted.

I ALWAYS CONSIDERED a personal design project of mine a new shooting break sports car. To get the chance to do it this month for Designer Threads gave me the chance to visualize how it would look if I wanted one for myself.

We realised we hadn’t seen a kit form shooting break in a long while and it was time to work on something new. We couldn’t find an available donor, but then we thought about the GKD Evolution and its BMW inline six.

Shooting breaks have seen a comeback in recent years in the mainstream, from BMW with the old Z3 to the higher end bespoke Aston Martin, Bentley and now even Ferrari with its new FF. I looked at old classics like the Reliant Scimitar for design inspiration, but wanted a more sensual design language full of curves that would blend modern design elements like lights and wheels.

The updated design uses modern lighting units. The rear are Alfa 147 Mk1, the front are Hella units. I decided early on which areas of the GKD body that I wanted to keep. The main body tub for example, with its doors and screen surround even though the Apillars have been rounded off. By shortening the rear end of the car and adding a side air vent, the new shape is now more dynamic and svelte.

The final design in my opinion is modern enough to appeal to a kit car buyer who is looking for something unique enough in its design but also practical to appeal to your other half, with a comfortable and usable rear hatch to carry some bags for a weekend tour or go shopping with style.

FEEDBACK: CKC We like Aggressive stance Modern detailing Practicality We’re not so sure about Coupés often expensive to manufacture What do you think?

E-mail your thoughts and opinions to adam@performancepublishing.co.uk

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FEEDBACK: GKD GKD’s Peter Lathrope comments on Italo’s design: “There is always something in Italo’s designs that impress me. I’m a huge fan of curves. I personally think that curves can create a timeless look to a car as opposed to some ‘contemporary’ angular or wedge style designs. This design retains the curvaceous nature of the Evolution but adds a good mix of retro and modern styling... I like it! The modern rear lights are a nice touch and, taking into account all the bad weather we seem to get on a regular basis these days, I can see why some people would like the idea of a fixed coupé style roof, although I personally prefer the flexibility that a removable hardtop gives.

“In the real world the side windows need to be taller for visibility and access. Also one of the major benefits of the Evolution over many of the other kit cars is its increased practicality. The short stumpy rear would seriously limit the amount of touring equipment that could be carried.”

APRIL 2011

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Weapons of Mass

Distraction Rocket

Exocet

Get the ride of your life from MEV www.mevltd.co.uk

Graham Sykes Ltd. is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Calls may be monitored or recorded to help improve our service.

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 45

IMPRESSIONS

Supercharged AK 427

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APRIL 2011

By the time AK’s supercharged LS3 powered 427 has been finally mapped, it will produce almost 600bhp. Even its current 530bhp is plenty, as Adam Wilkins finds out.

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 47

IMPRESSIONS A GAP OPENS in the oncoming traffic and I seize the chance to pass two or three slow moving cars. Scarcely any of the supercharged Chevy LC3’s power needs to be summoned into life in order to demolish the dawdlers. This thing is seriously quick.

So quick, in fact, that I find myself on the brakes and scrubbing some un-needed speed in anticipation of the upcoming roundabout before I’ve passed all the cars.

AK’s Jon Freeman had a very clear remit when he set about speccing this latest demonstrator. It would feature every option, top spec everything... and its Chevrolet LS3 engine – not exactly lacking in power with 430bhp as standard – would have an Edelbrock E-Force supercharger. The result would illustrate just how far the AK concept can be taken.

The idea for the new car came about when Jon was surfing the net and came across the supercharger kit for a Corvette (which uses the LS3). Edelbrock claims that 550bhp is possible, using the standard GM ECU with a remap. The AK uses an Omex 700 ECU with Jenvey throttle bodies and, once it has had its final map, it should produce something near 600bhp. Even on its current set-up, it has a healthy 530bhp. Plenty on a cold, damp February day on the parkways of Peterborough.

There are two versions of the LS3. One has 430bhp as standard, the other produces 480bhp. The E-Force is only suitable for the former. The supercharger itself locates neatly inside the V of the cylinder banks, meaning it stays low and doesn’t necessitate any bonnet bulges.

Once the inlet manifold and plenum chamber have been removed, the kit can be fitted. It’s reassuringly complete. For instance, the new water pump goes where the horn was located in the

Supercharged AK 427

Plenty of activity in the AK workshop.

Optional hard-top is factory fit only.

Corvette, and you even get a new bracket to relocate the horn.

With all that power, it makes sense that AK went to town on the appearance of the latest demonstrator. The livery isn’t a replica of any particular historic car but, with its Shelby stripes and red detail on the wing, it has a historic feel. Meanwhile, the slight metallic element to the Audi white

brings it bang up to date. It sums up how most AK builders approach their build – they’re attracted to the classic shape, but don’t go to great lengths in terms of authentic replication. It strikes a pleasing balance between the old and the new.

With the additional three air scoops, small splitters and supersize 18in Halibrand alloys, the AK looks more menacing than ever. The addition of the removable hard-top adds to the effect, making the car appear somehow lower and wider. The whole intention of this car is to draw attention at kit car shows amid the many other Cobra replicas that will be on display. As a piece of automotive eye candy, it ticks the boxes.

On the way to the photo location, Jon drives and I settle into the passenger seat tangling my legs around my tripod.

(I could have put it in the sizeable boot).

The air is cold and the roads are damp.

It doesn’t feel like the natural choice of days to be taking a 530bhp Cobra replica out, and we’ve already heard of one AK leaving the road this morning. To be honest, I’m a little relieved to be spared the responsibility of getting the car to the photo location. Jon deploys the power sparingly, but even so he’s not hanging about.

Curved dashboard and transmission tunnel are a recent revision. Instruments are LED lit.

Decent

sized boot makes a Cobra replica quite practical.

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APRIL 2011

“ Every now and then, this job provides you with a drive that leaves a long-lasting impression. AK’s supercharged 427 is one of those cars.

By the time the photos are in the bag, the roads have dried a little and it’s time to swap seats. Jon gets cosy with the tripod (for some reason, we’re still not using the boot) while I settle into the driver’s side. The driving position is good, and the pedals feel less offset than I’m used to with Cobra replicas. There’s plenty of space around the pedals, too.

The curved dash and transmission tunnels are a recent revision which sympathetically update the Cobra theme.

Fit and finish is good throughout, as is the detailing. The holes in the bodyshell through which the door hinges protrude, for instance, are trimmed with a metal detail. Elsewhere, the BMW sourced column switches have metal caps and the gas rams mount to the bootlid and bonnet with neat bespoke metal brackets.

A twist of the key lights up the LEDs in the Flight dials and the needles flick through a test sweep. Firing the V8 requires a prod of the starter button and

the engine starts with a surprisingly muted but nearby rumble. AK has recently upped the size of its silencers to 6in (previously they were 5in) to allow for freer breathing. They’re now a standard fitment and have become a popular upgrade for owners of existing cars.

You expect a car of this magnitude to be hard work at parking speeds. The trade-off for all that power should be heavy control weights and reluctant, spluttery idling. It certainly would have been with an old iron-block V8 producing this kind of power. So it’s a pleasant surprise when the AK proves as easy to manouevre as a Nissan Micra.

OK, the clutch has a bit of meat behind it, but it’s nowhere near the heaviest I’ve had under my left foot. Ditto, the shift action of the Tremec TKO600 (necessary with this level of power) requires firm input, but I’d stop short of describing it as strenuous.

Conversely, the throttle and brakes are light, while AK’s own power steering ensures the wheel is light at parking speeds. The most remarkable thing, though, is how docile the LS3 can be. At little more than tickover, it’s so refined. As we head towards the more major roads, I quickly settle into the rhythm of things and realise there was little to feel anxious about.

You need to treat it with respect, obviously, but for something so powerful and with no driver aids, it is remarkably well behaved.

Incidentally, the Omex engine management allows traction and launch control to be fitted, and the former will be APRIL 2011

Edelbrock E-Force supercarger is a neat installation and ups the Chevy LS3’s power considerably. Near 600bhp will be possible in the AK.

added to the demonstrator at a later date.

Having tickled along the smaller roads, we reach the main routes which have dried substantially since first thing this morning. I have the measure of some of what the AK can offer after a few exploratory prods of the throttle. At present, the throttle is a little too progressive. The linkage will soon be modified so that more throttle is applied in the first half of the pedal’s travel.

As I said in the opening paragraph, though, you don’t need to conjure much of the AK’s potential in order to be travelling very quickly indeed. The way the power is delivered is so progressive – yet rapid – that it’s easy to be going more quickly than you intended. That’s why I ended up on the brakes before I’d even completed that overtaking move.

SPECIFICATION: AK 427 Engine as tested: Chevrolet LS3 V8 with Edelbrock E-force supercharger.

Engine options: Almost any V8, including Chevrolet, Ford and Rover.

Chassis: Ladderframe chassis with additional backbone structure.

Bodywork: GRP body supplied in primer gelcoat. Bonded in main tub, boot and inner arches.

Suspension: Front – Fabricated double wishbones, coil-over dampers, modified Jaguar XJ40 stub axles. Rear – Fabricated lower wishbones, shortened XJ40 driveshafts and hub carriers, coil-over dampers.

Steering: AK’s own rack, BMW upper column.

Brakes: Jaguar XJ40 front and rear discs and calipers, servo assisted.

Demonstrator uses upgraded Black Diamond front discs and pads.

Kit prices: Generation 2 (XJ40 based) body/chassis kit £4595 plus VAT. XJ6 based body/chassis kit £3595 plus VAT. Budget build cost: From £40,000 as tested. Typical build £25,000 to £28,000.

Contact: AK Sportscars, Unit 51 Ivatt Way, Westwood Industrial Estate, Peterborough PE3 7PN. T: 01733 267633. E: mail@aksportscars.co.uk W: www.aksportscars.co.uk

www.completekitcar.co.uk 49

IMPRESSIONS Every now and then, this job provides you with a drive that leaves a long-lasting impression. AK’s supercharged 427 is one of those cars. It’s blend of raw, outrageous performance and refined civility has to be experienced to be believed. On a dry day with some heat in the tyres, it will be phenomenal.

Arrive at a corner, and the standard Jaguar XJ40 based braking, using upgraded Black Diamond discs and pads, is up to the job for spirited road use. For circuit work, a more comprehensive upgrade may be in order.

To build a car at home to the same spec as the demonstrator would cost a little more than £40,000. Big chunks of the budget are accounted for by the LS3 engine (around £4300), Edelbrock supercharger (around £4500 plus VAT) and the hard-top (factory fit only at £2750 plus VAT). The power steering is actually cheaper for LS powered cars (at £675) than it is for those with iron blocks because a pump comes with the engine.

Aside from the reconditioned differential, the car is made from all-new parts.

There’s no doubting it’s an expensive car, but it has been fitted with every possible option. An AK buyer will more typically spend around £25,000 to £28,000 on a 427, while the next demonstrator is going to show what can be achieved on a budget of £20,000.

Supercharged AK 427

Rolling chassis features another supercharged LS3.

Demonstrator features all AK’s options. Matching its spec with a build at home would cost just over £40,000.

Whichever way you go about it, you can be assured of AK’s friendly customer service and a quality base product. Jon and Wendi Freeman took full control of the company when Jon’s parents, Ken and Linda, took retirement around 18 months ago. The company aims to average 30 kit sales per year, which allows for around four in-house builds. In 2010, the company had a bumper year of 38 kit sales and on, the day of my visit, the

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company appeared typically assiduous.

Bodies and chassis are all made in-house, as are all the stainless steel components.

When we visited, the workshop was busy with cars in various stages of build and some older cars in for upgrades.

Just like the supercharged demonstrator, AK is a company that gets the job done with the minimum of fuss. It’s a formula that seems to be working better than ever in tough economic times.

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APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 51

MEV Build Pt2

Kit Car Basics Tools

Tech Talk

Ask John

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

PROJECT MEV EXOCET

Part 2

Ashley Gardiner begins his MEV Exocet build by first stripping down the MX-5 donor car.

FOLLOWING IAN’S ARTICLE last month where he went and collected my MX-5 donor I thought I would rewind a little and tell you how this all come about. Having built the Roadster last year, then covering a fantastically fun three thousand miles over the summer without any problems… one came along. I was getting some major workshop session withdrawal symptoms.

This wasn’t really helped by Adam and Ian at the Exeter show raving on about how good the new MEV Exocet was and that it could be built for around £2000. Now me being my usual no-nonsense sceptical self found this too hard to believe, especially when my scratch built car cost me £3000.

Well that was it, off I went to the MEV stand ready to grill Stuart Mills, the director of MEV, on how a kit could be purchased and built for £2000… let’s just say he is a very good salesman because I came away impressed and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bonnet swiftly removed.

2

With the £800 donor collected by Ian sitting on my drive, it was time to get a move on. Due to Adam’s enthusiasm for the Exocet I felt it totally necessary to rope him into stripping the donor along with my mate Chris.

Now here is the catch. In order to build the Exocet for the claimed £2000 I need to sell nearly everything that is not used from the donor to offset the cost of the kit and the donor. This meant the strip down of the MX-5 would need to be a careful, well-planned exercise… unlike the whirlwind destruction I did on the Sierra donor for the Roadster (achieved in six hours flat).

The real key here is that all the parts have to come off nicely and be stored carefully in order to get the best sale price possible. Now I have to be honest; I have stripped quite a few cars over the years and being gentle with their deconstruction has never been one of my strong points.

Looking at the MX-5 it can appear quite a daunting task, but it’s really not all that difficult, as Adam, Chris and I quickly discovered.

Our first barrier of the day was the weather – it had been raining hard all night and showed no signs of easing up as the morning progressed. Adam and I constructed a rather ropey looking

Doors are heavy, so take care not to damage them.

3

Battery located in the boot in an MX-5.

5

1 Hasty protection against the elements.

makeshift shelter using my non waterproof gazebo, modified with a top of the line Screwfix bargain bucket tarpaulin. It worked quite well but occasionally decided to dump water all over us without reason or warning. Nonetheless we soldiered on with the task at hand.

Roughly following the MEV build

Ash gets comfortable... but not for long!

4

Bootlid removed. Panels on our car in excellent condition.

6

52 www.completekitcar.co.uk

Surprising amount of space in an MX-5 boot!

7

APRIL 2011

manual instructions, we started with the easy bits first. Out came the cordless impact driver that I got for Christmas. The doors, bonnet and boot lid were first in line. To remove the bonnet all you need to do is disconnect the window screen washer pipe then undo the four bolts securing it to the hinges.

Next were the doors. First remove the retaining bar roll pin by

knocking it out with a punch from the bottom up, disconnect the wires by either cutting them or disconnecting them inside the door.

We went for the cutting option as there was only a speaker wire. If you have electric windows and central locking it may be better not to cut them as you can sell the door loom separately.

Finally remove the four hinge

We soon had a large stack of panels that can be sold on.

8

Ash starts pulling out the interior carpets.

bolts and it’s off. It’s best to get someone to take the weight of the door before the last hinge bolt comes out as they weigh a fair bit and can be easily dropped and damaged. The boot lid is a simple affair again… remove the four hinge bolts and it’s off. So far things were easy, maybe too easy. It couldn’t last, could it?

Now at this point we went off on a

Rear lights and other sundries unbolt easily.

bit of a tangent. The MEV manual is pretty good, but is aimed at getting the donor bits off without stripping every single little thing off the shell. I think MEV's idea here is to get what you need, then remove all the other bits as you sell them. Since I don't have the space to keep the shell hanging around, totally stripping it in one go was the only option. Reading through the MEV manual, there is

Wilkins removes the seats. We hope to re-use these.

10

9

Seatbelts are perfectly servicable.

Hood held on by lots of fasteners. Care needed to find them all before trying to remove it. Ash will sell this.

11

12 13

Lifting the hood away. Glass screen will add value.

14

Everything unplugs from the centre console.

17

Levering off sandwich plate which retains fuel filler neck.

Centre console cover panel first thing to be removed.

16

15

Wilkins gaining access to more tricky bolts!

18

Dashpod cowling next to come away.

19

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 53

MEV Build Pt2

Kit Car Basics Tools

20

The dash is next up. Held on with endless fasteners...

27

nothing wrong with this approach to break the car slowly. But as I want to sell absolutely everything as quickly as possible, we decided to work methodically from the back of the car to the front, carefully removing everything from body panels to the smallest little plastic clip.

I have found in the past that, no

Pedal assembly unbolted.

...but it was never going to stay there for long.

31

Ash shows off his culinery skills!

54 www.completekitcar.co.uk

...and it’s soon out of the car to join a big pile of bits.

There’s not much more to come out of here.

Struts unbolted from

the bodyshell.

matter how insignificant, every component has a value. Even if it is just a pound here and there, by the time it’s all sold off you can make quite a tidy little profit. Which all helps with keeping the build cost down.

Starting at the back, out came the spare wheel, tool kit and battery, swiftly followed by the boot carpets,

Wheel Bearings

28

30 29

£500 Challenge

25

24

It doesn’t take many hours to get to this stage.

Warp 8 Pt6

22

Ash unbolts the steering column assembly....

23

Heater and main wiring loom now exposed.

Diablo Build

21

Dash pod is used in the Exocet.

26

Tech Talk

Ask John

Fuel pipe inlet also needs unbolting before the body can be removed.

saving all the little clips, nuts and bolts. Due to the constant rain these went straight into the shed to stop them getting soaked. With the boot clear we moved into the interior.

First out were the seats, followed by the belts – you need to get the front bolts out first then slide the seat forward and remove the rear bolts.

Being an older car there are no seat APRIL 2011

belt pre-tensioners, but newer models may have them, so be careful if you have a newer donor.

Usually there is a locking pin that you have to install before removing a seat with pre-tensioners, we didn’t have to worry but watch out for it.

The soft top was next. It’s easy to remove, but there are lots of fixings holding it from the inside of the car.

33

32 Front bumper held on with endless fixings...

...there’s some more in here.

And here’s a reminder that grinders are not finger friendly!

36

35 Bumper eventually removed with the front wings attached.

37

MX-5 now looking very sorry for itself.

39

38 Anything bolted to the engine bay sides needed removing.

It’s critical that they are all removed before attempting to remove the roof. If you miss one there is a risk of ripping the cloth. Usually a good roof will fetch £200 on the second hand market. Mine has the optional glass rear window so I’m hoping to get a little more. Adam and I took extra care, as any damage would completely devalue it.

With the roof off, access was a lot easier to the dash and the area behind the seats. The dash can be pretty tricky to remove – first job is to remove all the instruments, then the steering column. The cover over the top of them is held on with a few screws but needs a firm tug to release the plastic clips that also hold it in place. The main dash is held in by lots of hidden bolts and clips. Just when you think they are all out, there is always another hidden fixing that you missed.

Adam being the smallest team member curled himself up and squeezed into the footwells in order

34

Headlights deconstructed.

40

Time to start removing the wiring loom...

to get at some of the more tricky to reach fixings. Eventually, with a bit of gentle persuasion, the dash came out in one piece, exposing the car’s main loom behind.

The area behind the seats is covered in carpet but once removed there are a terrific number of bolts holding the covers on. With them all removed you have easy access to the main battery wire that needs to be pushed down through the floor and the fuel pipes that need removing from the top of the tank.

At this stage we had been going a good four hours so decided to stop for a spot of lunch. As we walked away we noticed that the little Mazda was starting to look really sorry for itself.

Back to work it was time to hit the engine bay. There is quite a bit going on at the front, but not a lot of room. We split the jobs up – one of us finished getting the last few interior bits out like the carpets, heater system, pedals etc while the APRIL 2011

...by modern car standards, it’s quite small.

rest of us worked on removing all the loom and the engine connections. Surprisingly, the Mazda wiring loom is quite small and simple, which should make it ideal for reuse on the Exocet without many modifications.

So far the day had been going really well. In fact too well… the car was almost fully stripped, ready to have the bodyshell separated from the running gear.

Surprise surprise, we ran into a problem. I wanted to get the front wings and bumper off the car before we attempted to lift the body off. I didn’t want them damaged so it was the only option. The bolts in the wings come out nicely but we just couldn’t get the bumper to shift no matter what bolts we took out. On further investigation, looking down the half removed wings we could see that there were two bolts connecting each wing to the bumper. They had to come out but they were rusted solid.

www.completekitcar.co.uk 55

The only method of removal would be to grind the bolts off. Out came the grinder and all was going well until I managed to chop into my finger nail with the cutting disc.

Surprisingly it didn’t hurt but boy oh boy did it bleed. A little warning to all, you really shouldn’t use an angle grinder as a nail trimmer – it’s not big or clever, and fingers don’t tend to grow back! All patched up, we managed to get the bumper and wings off as a single piece and separate them on the ground.

With darkness quickly closing in, off came the radiator and the rest of the wiring loom, followed by a tidy up of the tools just before complete darkness. We decided to call it a day and went in for dinner.

The next day Adam decided he was going to be inconvenient and move house so it was down to Chris and me. The weather was a vast improvement from the previous day, allowing us to crack on at quite a pace. Going through the MEV build

MEV Build Pt2

Kit Car Basics Tools

41

Piles of other parts now in the dry in Ash’s shed.

48 Lifting from seatbelt mounts makes body nose heavy. MEV

body to the subframes, the rear ones came out easily but one of the front nuts put up a really good fight.

Eventually, with a bit of persuasion and a big breaker bar, it was dispatched to the bin. When unbolting the subframes from the shell, be careful not to be under the car at the time of the last bolt coming out, as even though my stays were in place it still dropped down a little.

Removing the bodyshell is quite straightforward. I went for the method I thought was recommended by MEV, which is to lift the shell off using an engine hoist and strops bolted to the seatbelt mountings. I found it a little tricky as the shell tended to be nose heavy, making the engine lift a bit unstable. While this method worked fine, it was only in 56 www.completekitcar.co.uk

Wheel Bearings

A look underneath reveals a surprising amount of rust.

Some little props made to hold the suspension up.

49

recommends using seat mounts which balance shell perfectly.

manual at this stage was very beneficial. Using it as a check list for critical parts that need to be removed to get the body off, it highlighted that we had forgotten to remove the fuel lines from the engine fuel rail. With that done it was time to get under the car and start the body removal process.

Following the MEV manual, first I removed the hand brake cable, followed by the rear brake line at the T-connector block and finally the exhaust mounts.

When you unbolt the subframes from the body, the suspension struts are no longer taking any weight meaning that I had to make up a couple of props to jam in the suspension in order to prevent the front and rear ends collapsing.

Time for the final bit. Out came the big main bolts that hold the

£500 Challenge

46

45

All the body panels carefully stacked in the greenhouse.

Warp 8 Pt6

43

We’re just about ready to lift the body off the subframes.

44

Body raised and running gear removed.

Diablo Build

42

Radiator removed carefully. It’s in good condition.

47

Tech Talk

Ask John

This is the heart of the MX-5. Exocet chassis is dropped over it.

later discussion with MEV’s Stuart Mills that I realised we had misread the instructions and we should have used the front outer seat (not seatbelt) mount on one side and rear outer seat mount on the other side which would, we’re assured, have balanced the shell far more convincingly.

Either way, there’s a lot of weight suspended by the engine hoist, so it’s well worth having some helping hands at this stage, and obviously take all sensible precautions.

With the body lifted off, all we had to do was push the running gear out from underneath as one unit. Its design is really quite something. If you wired it back up and fitted a seat and pedals, I’m sure you could drive it around without any bodyshell. To be honest, reading through the manual APRIL 2011

I can’t believe how easy this car is to build. The pure simplicity of the Exocet’s construction is something I didn’t expect. It is a real testament to its designer and his clever use of the MX-5 as a single donor.

Next month I am planning to check over the running gear, clean it all up and renew any worn out bits. If all goes to plan I should be able to start installing it to the chassis.

USEFUL CONTACTS Kit package: Mills Extreme Vehicles, Ratcher Hill Quarry, Southwell Road, Mansfield, Notts NG21 0HJ. T: 01623 655522. E: info@mevltd.co.uk W: www.mevltd.co.uk Further reading: MX-5 Miata 1.6 Enthusiast’s Workshop Manual. £25 plus postage. W: www.completekitcar.co.uk

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• Engines up to 227Kg Only £44.99 EX VAT £53.99 INC VAT (S SHOWN)

• Rotates through 360˚ • Engines up to 340Kg • Includes tool tray Only £59.98 Ex VAT £71.98 Inc VAT

ENGINE CRANES

FROM ONLY

EX.VAT 139.98 £ INC.VAT 167.98

£

MODEL DESC. CFC500F 1/2 ton folding CFC500 CFC100 1 ton folding CFC1000LR 1 ton CFC1000 long reach CFC1000 1 ton folding HDFC2 1 ton pro folding

EX VAT £139.98 £149.98 £179.98

EX VAT INC VAT £17.99 £21.59 £21.99 £26.39 £26.99 £32.39 £29.98 £35.98 £29.98 £35.98 £36.99 £44.39 £44.99 £53.99 £49.98 £59.98

TWIN BLADE SAW PRICE CUT

EX.VAT 79.98 £ INC.VAT 95.98 WAS £119.98 inc.VAT

£

VIDEO

WET & DRY VACUUM CLEANERS ‡

CES7 750A

17EX.VAT CAT27B INC.VAT 21.59

MODEL DESCRIPTION CAT29B Air Hammer CAT36B Die Grinder Set CAT24B 6" Dual Action Sander CAT22B 1/2" Sq. Drive Ratchet 3/8" Air drill CAT27B CAT221B 14pce 1/2" Ratchet set CAT32B High Speed Saw CAT73 Hydraulic Riveter

CVT1

Full tested to proof load

FROM ONLY .99 £ £

ON-LINE

• Tests state & condition of 6v & 12v lead acid batteries • Ideal for garages & fleet use £

AIR TOOLS

• Twin counter rotating blades cut through metal, wood and plastics with ease SAVE £24 • Leaves a clean burr free finish • 28mm cutting depth • 230v, 650w motor

500A 44EX.VAT CES5 • Rotates INC.VAT 53.99 through 360˚

• Safety locking device • Hinged ramp for easy loading • Table size 2200 x 685mm • Fully mobile • Max lift height 770mm AIR ASSISTED VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE only £379.98 EX VAT £455.98 INC VAT

KIT INCLUDES Patio Cleaner, Drain Cleaner & Fixed Wash Brush WORTH £72.37 INC.VAT

£

£

C120.3-6

101INC.VAT

13EX.VAT INC.VAT 16.79

HUGE CHOICE IN-STORE/ ONLINE

FROM ONLY .99 £

£

FOLDS FLAT FOR EASY STORAGE

VOLTAGE HEAT EX VAT INC VAT OUTPUT (Kw) Devil 4055 400v 3ph 2.5-5 £84.99 £101.99 Devil 6009 400v 3ph 4.5-9 £139.98 £167.98 Devil 6015 400v 3ph 5-10-15 £199.98 £239.98

FROM ONLY .99 £

BATTERY TESTER

£

INDUSTRIAL AIR COMPRESSORS

• Cast iron pumps on SEV11C, SE16 and SE19 • Twin cylinder pumps (except SE11) • Motor overload protection • Petrol models available MODEL CFM MOTOR RECEIVER KIT1000 (HP) (LTR) EX VAT INC VAT SEV11C* 9 2 100 £359.98 £431.98 .98 £ SE16C100 14 3 100 £379.00 £454.80 19EX.VAT SE16C150‡ 14 3 150 £469.00 £562.80 .98 £ 23INC.VAT SE16C200* 14 3 200 £499.00 £598.80 SE19* 18 4 200 £499.00 £598.80 SE25‡# 23 5.5 200 £759.00 £910.80 • Paraffin spray gun • Blow gun • Paint Spray SE36‡# 30 7.5 270 £969.00 £1162.80 Gun • Tyre inflator • Recoil hose with quick 28 2x3 270 £939.00 £1126.80 couplers Also available 3 pce Air Tool Kit - KIT600 SE29*# SE70‡# † 70 15 300 £2399.00 £2870.80 Paraffin spray gun, tyre inflator & blow gun Only £13.99 EX VAT £16.79 INC VAT #Supplied with starter *230v supply ‡ 400v, 3 phase PRICE CUT †Was £3118.80 inc. VAT

WAS £119.98 inc.VAT

£ EX.VAT 99.98 INC.VAT 119.98

PRESSURE PRESSURE WASHER WASH HER KIT

• 120 bar, 1800psi max. pump pressure • 1700w motor • 2 year guarantee • 520 ltr/hr water flow rate

• Rugged fan heaters ideal for workshops, garages etc FROM ONLY £ • Adjustable EX.VAT 84.99 heat output £ .99

STRUT SPRING COMPRESSOR

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY Built for tough daily use in automotive/industrial FROM ONLY workshops £ • All models EX.VAT 199.98 .98 include guage £

E PACKALG DEA

21EX.VAT INC.VAT 26.39

MODEL DESCRIPTION EX. VAT INC. VAT CMC36 Car creeper £21.99 £26.39 CMC45 With adjustable headrest £26.99 £32.39 CMC50 Folding car creeper £39.98 £47.98

HYDRAULIC AULIC PRESSES SES

BATTERY Y CHARGERS ENGIN NE FROM ONLY STARTER RS .99

MODEL

£

LOW ENTRY ONLY 79MM

8/44

MOTOR CFM TANK EX VAT INC VAT 1.5 Hp 6.2 24ltr £79.98 £95.98 2 Hp 7.8 24ltr £114.99 £137.99 2 Hp 7.8 50ltr £164.99 £197.99 2.5 Hp 8.7 24ltr £149.98 £179.98 2.5 Hp 8.7 50ltr £189.98 £227.98

SPRAY GUNS

• Oil resistant vinyl covered padded backs & headrests • Swivel castors for easy manoeuvrability

EX.VAT 49.98 £ INC.VAT 58.73

£

79EX.VAT INC.VAT 95.98

5 PIECE AIR TOOL KIT

CPSB100

CAR CREEPERS

CWH6

£

• Big 50 litre air receiver, 14cfm air displacement • Suitable for powering all commonly used air tools & spray equipment

£

ALUMINIUM M RACING JACK

EX.VAT 54.99 £ INC.VAT 65.99

ALSO AVAILABLE TIGER 14/100 WITH BIG 100LTR AIR RECEIVER. ONLY £299.98 EXC.VAT £359.98 INC.VAT

CSB205

• Heavy duty steel construction sandblaster for the quick removal of surface rust, paint, dirt/ grease etc. • 32 litre tank • 65-125psi working pres pressure

PARTS WASHER FLUID AVAILABLE FROM £4.99 EX.VAT £5.99 INC .VAT

FROM ONLY .98 £

EX.VAT 249.99 INC.VAT 299.98

£

PRESSURISED SANDBLASTER

PART TS WASH HERS

FROM ONLY .98 £

3HP V TWIN AIR COMPRESSOR £

MODEL DESC. TYPE EX VAT INC VAT CSB20B Compact Cabinet Bench £109.98 £131.98 SB30 Large Lar Cabinet Floor £299.98 £359.98

ARC WELDERS For home user, automotive and industrial applications.

CLARKE 8MM AIR HOSE FROM ONLY £5.99 EX VAT £7.19 INC VAT

MODEL BT-AC200 Tiger 8/44 Tiger 8/64 Tiger 9/24 Tiger 9/60

BLAST CABINETS

• Used for ARC & TIG welding, utilising the latest technology • Low amp operation ideal for auto bodywork & mild/stainless steel

EX.VAT 169.98 £ INC.V AT 203.98

• Can be converted to use gas with optional accessories

SUPERSTORES NATIONWIDE

WHERE QUALITY W COSTS LESS

NO GAS MIG WELDERS

£

• Superb range ideal for DIY, hobby & semi-professional use

INC VAT £167.98 £179.98 £215.98

£219.98 £263.98 £499.00 £598.80 • Folding and fixed frames available Fuullllll tested Ful Fu Full tessted te tes tedd • Robust, rugged too proof proof loa loadd const construction• Overload safety valve

FROM ONLY .99 £

44EX.VAT

£ • A range of INC.VAT 53.99 compact, high performance wet & dry vacuum cleaners for use around the home, workshop, garage etc.

MODEL MOTOR CAPACITY EX. INC. WET/DRY VAT VAT CVAC20P 1250w 12/16ltr £44.99 £53.99 WD1000‡ 1000w 13.5/12ltr 5/12ltr £49.98 £59.98 CVAC25SS 1400w 00w 17/19ltr £64.99 £77.99

TOOL CHEST E T EST AND TOOLS LS LS SAVE OVER £50 £50

OFF OUR NORMAL PRICE RICE ALL THIS ONLY .98 £

249EX.VAT INC.VAT 299.98

£

• This great value set includess CTC900 9 drawerr chest & CTC500 5 drawer cabinet • Includes the most popular sockets, spanners, s, pliers, drivers, wrenches etc

E PACKALG DEA

Machine Mart 3pp Ad – CKC April 2011:Layout 1

JUMP STARTS

10,000

EX VAT INC VAT £44.99 £53.99 £54.99 £65.99 £89.98 £107.98 £114.99 £137.99

PR ROD DUC CTS

42EX.VAT INC.VAT 51.59

900

0844 880 1265

SOLD IN PAIRS

7EX.VAT 9.59

MODEL EX VAT INC VAT 8 tonne £17.99 £21.59 12 tonne £24.99 £29.99 20 tonne £34.99 £41.99

2 TONNE TROLLEY JACKS FROM ONLY .98 £

19EX.VAT £ INC.VAT 23.98

• Tables tilt 0-45° FROM ONLY left & right £ EX.VAT 59.98 • Depth gauge £ INC.VAT 71.98 • Chuck guards B=Bench mounted F=Floor standing MODEL WATTS/ EX VAT INC VAT SPEEDS CDP5DD 250/5 £59.98 £71.98 CDP101B* 245/5 £74.99 £89.99 CDP151B# 300/5 £99.98 £119.98 CDP-10B 370/12 £119.98 £143.98 CDP301B 510/12 £184.98 £221.98 CDP451F 510/16 £224.99 £269.99 CDP501F 980/12 £399.98 £479.98 PRICE CUT *Was £93.59 inc. VAT #Was £125.99 inc.VAT

EX.VAT 44.99 £ INC.VAT 53.99

BIG

DRILL PRESSES

# voted Best Buy in Car Mechanics Test MODEL TYPE EX VAT INC VAT CTJ2B DIY £19.98 £23.98 CTJ2Q Quick Lift £25.99 £31.19 CTJ2QLG Pro Instant £67.99 £81.59 CTJ2001G Pro Garage £69.98 £83.98 CTJ2GLC # Pro Long High Lift £149.98 £179.98

£

3" CASTORS

• Four swivel castors for easy movement in confined spaces • H/D steel construction - load rating 500kg per dolly

10 TON KIT H/Duty pump,

ram, wedge ram & accessories, in a tough steel case.

ONLY £149.98 EX VAT £179.98 INC VAT

£

18EX.VAT INC.VAT 22.19

MODEL

CAX-3TBC CAX-6TBC

FROM ONLY .99 £ £

Spreader wedge ram & accessories ONLY £84.99 EX VAT £101.99 INC VAT

• High quality tungsten steel • Supplied in metal storage case, except 16pce TYPE EX VAT INC VAT CHAIN 16pce Metric £14.99 £17.99 BLOCKS 24pce UNC/UNF/NPT £19.98 £23.98 FROM ONLY • Hardened alloy steel £ .98 28pce# Metric £19.98 £23.98 chain • Mechanical load 39EX.VAT 33pce# Metric/UNF/BSP £29.98 £35.98 .98 £ brake • CE approved INC.VAT 47 32pce Metric £39.98 £47.98 MODEL CAP. LIFT HT. EX VAT INC VAT #28pce Best Budget Buy, 33pce CCH500 500Kg 3.2m £39.98 £47.98 Recommended: CCH1000 1000Kg 3.2m £49.98 £59.98 CCH2000 2000Kg 3.3m £69.98 £83.98 CCH3000 3000Kg 3.4m £89.98 £107.98 CCH5000 5000Kg 3.5m £109.98 £131.98

6 SPEED META AL LATHE WITH 12 SPEED MIILL DRILL - CL500M

EX.VAT 13.99 £ INC.VAT 16.79

5000KG CAPACITY

METAL LATHE FULL RANGE OF ACCESSORIES AVAILABLE

• 430mm between centres • Compound slide with 4 way tool post • Power fed screw cutting facility • Forward/reverse lathe operation • Clutch for independent mill/drill operation ALSO AVAILABLE: CL430 - As above but without the Mill/Drill head £649.00 EX VAT £778.80 INC VAT

• 300mm between centres • LH/RH thread screw cutting • Electronic variable speed • Gear change set • Self centering 3 jaw chuck & guard • Power feed CL300M

CRT40

26EX.VAT INC.VAT 32.39

£ £

EX.VAT 439.00 INC.VAT 526.80

.99

£

Kit includes: • Height adjustable stand with clamp • Rotary tool • 1m flexible drive • 40x accessories/consumables

SOCKET SETS Top quality chrome vanadium steel • 18 x standard sockets 6-24mm • 9 x deep sockets from 8-19mm £ £

£

• 24v available CAPACITY EX VAT 907kg £79.98 1360kg £249.98 1814kg £299.98 2268kg £349.98 4082kg £439.98

79EX.VAT INC.VAT 95.98 INC VAT £95.98 £299.98 £359.98 £419.98 £527.98

ANGLE GRINDERS

MODEL DISC (mm) CAG122 115 B&D CD115 115 CON115 115 CAG232 (9") 230

INC. DISC & HANDLE

MOTOR 900w 710w 1010w 2000w

EX VAT INC VAT £19.98 £23.98 £29.98 £35.98 £29.98 £35.98 £34.99 £41.99

OPEN MON-FRI 8.30-6.00, SAT 8.30-5.30, SUN 10.00-4.00

BARNSLEY Pontefract Rd, Barnsley, S71 1EZ B’HAM GREAT BARR 4 Birmingham Rd. B’HAM HAY MILLS 1152 Coventry Rd, Hay Mills BOLTON 1 Thynne St. BL3 6BD BRADFORD 105-107 Manningham Lane. BD1 3BN BRIGHTON 123 Lewes Rd, BN2 3QB BRISTOL 1-3 Church Rd, Lawrence Hill. BS5 9JJ BURTON UPON TRENT 12a Lichfield St. DE14 3QZ CARDIFF 44-46 City Rd. CF24 3DN CARLISLE 85 London Rd. CA1 2LG CHESTER 43-45 St. James Street. CH1 3EY COLCHESTER 4 North Station Rd. CO1 1RE COVENTRY Bishop St. CV1 1HT CROYDON 423-427 Brighton Rd, Sth Croydon DARLINGTON 214 Northgate. DL1 1RB DEAL (KENT) 182-186 High St. CT14 6BQ DERBY Derwent St. DE1 2ED DONCASTER Wheatley Hall Road DUNDEE 24-26 Trades Lane. DD1 3ET

01226 732297 0121 358 7977 0121 7713433 01204 365799 01274 390962 01273 915999 0117 935 1060 01283 564 708 029 2046 5424 01228 591666 01244 311258 01206 762831 024 7622 4227 020 8763 0640 01325 380 841 01304 373 434 01332 290 931 01302 245 999 01382 225 140

EDINBURGH 163-171 Piersfield Terrace 0131 659 5919 GATESHEAD 50 Lobley Hill Rd. NE8 4XA 0191 493 2520 GLASGOW 280 Gt Western Rd. G4 9EJ 0141 332 9231 GLOUCESTER 221A Barton St. GL1 4HY 01452 417 948 GRIMSBY ELLIS WAY, DN32 9BD 01472 354435 HULL 8-10 Holderness Rd. HU9 1EG 01482 223161 ILFORD 746-748 Eastern Ave. IG2 7HU 0208 518 4286 LEEDS 227-229 Kirkstall Rd. LS4 2AS 0113 231 0400 LEICESTER 69 Melton Rd. LE4 6PN 0116 261 0688 LINCOLN Unit 5. The Pelham Centre. LN5 8HG 01522 543 036 LIVERPOOL 80-88 London Rd. L3 5NF 0151 709 4484 LONDON 6 Kendal Parade, Edmonton N18 020 8803 0861 LONDON 503-507 Lea Bridge Rd. Leyton, E10 020 8558 8284 LONDON 100 The Highway, Docklands 020 7488 2129 MAIDSTONE 57 Upper Stone St. ME15 6HE 01622 769 572 MANCHESTER ALTRINCHAM 71 Manchester Rd. Altrincham 0161 9412 666 MANCHESTER OPENSHAW* Unit 5, Tower Mill, Ashton Old Rd0161 223 8376 MANSFIELD 169 Chesterfield Rd. South 01623 622160 MIDDLESBROUGH Mandale Triangle, Thornaby 01642 677881

• Suitable for copper, brass and thin aluminium with range of 3-30mm diameter • Tube vice • Storage case • Includes Includ cutter EX.VAT 22.99 INC.VAT 27.59

• Sup Supplied with 4 metre outlet hose fitted with pump pu connector & high flow delivery nozzle • 24v and 12v available

• Ideal for polishing paintwork on cars, boats, etc. • Inc. 3 polishing bonnets & 3 wax applicator bonnets • 230V

230V £ £

FROM ONLY

EX.VAT 159.98 INC.VAT 191.98 19

CFT230 O ti l 4M inlet/extension fuel hose (CFH4M) Optional Only £17.99 EX.VAT £21.59 INC.VAT

TORQUE WRENCHES 3/8" TORQ QUE WRENCH - CHT204

GENERATORS

• Reversible ratchet FROM ONLY • 120-960 Lbs/in £ EX.VAT 14.99 • 1.4 - 11.1Kg/m £ INC.VAT 17.99 £14.99 EX VAT £17.99 INC VAT 1/2" TORQ QUE

FROM ONLY 98 £

79EX.VAT INC.VAT 95.98

£

CHECK FRAME TYPE WHEN ORDERING

- CHT141

• 5" Extension bar • 1/2" - 3/8" adaptor • 28-210 Nm only £18.99 EX VAT £22.79 INC VAT

BENCH GRINDERS & STANDS

STAND AVAILABLE FROM ONLY £36.99 INC.VAT £43.46 EXC.VAT

Honda engine models available MODEL KVA HP EX VAT INC VAT G850 0.85 2 £79.98 £95.98 FG2000 2.4 6.5 £189.98 £227.98 FG3000 2.8 6.5 £209.98 £251.98 FG3050 3 8 £359.00 £430.80 FG4050ES 4.5 11 £459.98 £551.98 FG5100ES* 5.5 13 £539.00 £646.80 PRICE CUT * Was £658.80 inc. VAT

•Stands come complete with bolt mountings and feet anchor holes 6" & 8" AVAILABLE WITH LIGHT

PRICE CUT NOW FROM .99 £

21EX.VAT INC.VAT 26.39 WAS £27.59 inc.VAT

CBG8W features 8" whetstone & 6"drystone. # With sanding belt MODEL DUTY WHEEL EX VAT DIA. CBG6RP* DIY 150mm £21.99 CBG6RZ PRO 150mm £34.99 CBG6SB# PRO 150mm £43.99 CBG6RWC HD 150mm £49.98 CBG8RSC HD 200mm £54.99 CBG8W (wet)‡ HD 150/200mm £47.99 PRICE CUT! *Was £27.59 inc.VAT ‡ Was £59.988 inc.VAT

PRICE CUT IG1000

INVERTER GENERATORS

EX.VAT 239.00 .80 £ INC.VAT 286 WAS £311.98 inc.VAT

£

£

INC VAT £26.39 £41.99 £52.79 £59.98 £65.99 £57.59

*NEW NEW STORE

MANCHESTER

OPENSHAW OPENS APRIL

NORWICH 282a Heigham St. NR2 R2 4LZ NOTTINGHAM 211 Lower Parliament ment St. PETERBOROUGH 417 Lincoln Rd. Millfield PLYMOUTH 58-64 Embankment Rd. PL4 9HY POOLE 137-139 Bournemouth Rd. Parkstone PORTSMOUTH 277-283 Copnor Rd. Copnor PRESTON 53 Blackpool Rd. PR2 6BU SHEFFIELD 453 London Rd. Heeley. S2 4HJ SIDCUP 13 Blackfen Parade, Blackfen Rd SOUTHAMPTON 516-518 Portswood Rd. SOUTHEND 1139-1141 London Rd. Leigh on Sea STOKE-ON-TRENT 382-396 Waterloo Rd. Hanley SUNDERLAND 13-15 Ryhope Rd. Grangetown SWANSEA 7 Samlet Rd. Llansamlet. SA7 9AG SWINDON 21 Victoria Rd. SN1 3AW TWICKENHAM 83-85 Heath Rd.TW1 4AW WARRINGTON Unit 3, Hawley’s Trade Pk. WOLVERHAMPTON Parkfield Rd. Bilston WORCESTER 48a Upper Tything. WR1 1JZ

CHT229

FUEL TRANSFER PUMPS

EX.VAT 24.99 INC.VAT 29.99

VISIT YOUR LOCAL SUPERSTORE

EX VAT INC VAT £379.98 £455.98 £569.00 £682.80

PIPE FLARING KIT

£

FROM ONLY .98 £

19EX.VAT £ INC.VAT 23.98

MAX ENGINE PRESSURE HP 2697psi 6.5 3625psi 13

£

CP254

29EX.VAT WRENCH INC.VAT 35.98 .98

HUGE RANGE OF RATCHETS, SPANNERS & SOCKET SETS

FROM ONLY .98 £

EX.VAT 69.98 INC.VAT 83.98

PLS190 PLS260

£

£

MODEL LT2000 GP3000 S4000 S5000 Epi9.0

Honda & Diesel engine models available

£

NE EW

ROTARY TOOL KIT

CAR TRANSPORTER LASHING £

£

• Pro Sander/ polisher includes wool bonnet, pad for polishing & Velcro rubber pad for sanding

MAX MIN/MAX TONS HEIGHT EX VAT INC VAT 3 300-430mm £18.49 £22.19 6 400-615mm £27.99 £33.59

PRO 23

£

3 TON & 6 TON MODELS

£

4 TON KIT T

14EX.VAT INC.VAT 17.99

MODEL

POLISHERS

FROM ONLY

EX.VAT 379.98 INC.VAT 455.98

MODEL SHOWN PLS190

CP180

FROM ONLY .49 £

£ £

100 BAR 1450 PSI LONG-LIFE INDUCTION MOTOR

AXLE STANDS

FROM ONLY .99 £

84EX.VAT INC.VAT 101.99

£

PETROL POWER WASHERS

JET 7000

EX.VAT 119.98 INC.VAT 143.98

£

• Ratchet action for quick height adjustment • Sold in pairs

BODY REPAIR KITS

TAP & DIE SETS

POWER WASHER • 1800w motor • 5M hose length • Includes integral hose reel for easy storage

INC.VAT WAS £10.79 inc.VAT

MODEL EX VAT INC VAT 2 tonne £7.99 £9.59 4 tonne £11.99 £14.39 6 tonne £14.99 £17.99

• INSTORE • ONLINE • PHONE

PRICE CUTS & NE EW PRO ODUCT TS

AUTOMOTIVE WHEEL DOLLY SET

£

CTJ3000G SADDLE HEIGHT EX INC MODEL TYPE MIN-MAX mm VAT VAT CTJ3000QL Quick Lift 195-520 £42.99 £51.59 CTJ3000G Garage Jack 120-520 £79.98 £95.98 CTJ3QLG Pro Instant Lift 145-520 £84.99 £101.99

V

Over

PRICE CUT NOW FROM £ .99

JACKS ALSO IN STOCK UP TO 10 TONNE

EX.VAT 749.00 INC.VAT 898.80

GET YOUR FREE COPY NOW!

CATALOGUE CA AT TALOGUE TALOG

www.machinemart.co.uk www k

HYDRAULIC C BOTTLE JA ACKS

FROM ONLY .99 £

£

Page 3

OV VER

3 TONNE JACKS

£

15:01

ORDER OR R ONLINE

HEAVY DUTY 17KG

• Integral work light • Extra long 1M leads FROM ONLY • 910 includes air £ EX.VAT 44.99 compressor £ • Long life battery INC.VAT 53.99 MODEL START BOOST PEAK AMPS MPS 900 400A 900A A 910 400A 900A A 4000 700A 1500A A 12/24 1000A@12v 2000A@12v @12v 500A@24v 1000A@24v @24v

£

4/3/11

01603 766402 2 0115 956 1811 1 01733 311770 0 01752 254050 0 01202 717913 3 023 9265 4777 7 01772 703263 3 0114 258 0831 1 0208 3042069 9 023 8055 7788 8 01702 483 742 2 01782 287321 1 0191 510 8773 3 01792 792969 9 01793 491717 7 020 8892 9117 7 01925 630 937 7 01902 494186 01905 723451

£ £

IG2200

EX.VAT 399.98 INC.VAT 479.98

Produces pure sine wave & stable power, essential for computers & sensitive equipment • Max output: IG1000, 1000w Max output: IG2200, 2200w • 4 stroke engine • Super quiet running (only 64dBA at 7M 1/4 load) • Low oil shut down • Ideal for caravanning, and boating etc.

OPEN 7 DAYS DAYS

3 EASY WAYS TO BUY...

IN-STORE 57 SUPERSTORES

ONLINE

www.machinemart.co.uk

MAIL ORDER 0844 880 1250

Minimum call charges from a BT landline are 5p/min to 0844. Calls from mobiles and other networks may vary.

For security reasons, calls may be monitored. All prices correct at time of going to press. We reserve the right to change products and prices at any time. All offers subject to availability, E&OE.

057:CKC_APR_11

7/3/11

13:15

Page 57

OUR NEW 276 PAGE CATALOGUE

IS HERE

AND S N IT'S O I T U L O S R E FREE D L I 6 U 1 B E R U CA ISS TO UK POSTCODES ONLY

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OR POST IT TO: CAR BUILDER SOLUTIONS, REDLANDS, LINDRIDGE LANE, STAPLEHURST, KENT TN12 0JJ

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3 3618 3 4 96 R 07 ne.co.uk O 9 i 0 sonl 8913 b dom 0 c .

8 5 w King 1 d 3 w 0 e t i w : 9373 Un p el 80 8 T o J 5 J 1 h 0 R s #44 N12 Fax: RDE line n ent T O onal K o i t , t a O r s n T u ur Inter pleh 09 sit o i , Sta v 8913 e 0 r n 8 a 5 o L 41 idge l: #4 l Te

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To order Tel: 01580 891309 or 07964 336183 or Fax: 01580 893733 or online at www.cbsonline.co.uk

ISSUE 16

Page 1

061 Products version 2:CKC Cover copy

MEV Build Pt2

Kit Car Basics Tools

7/3/11

12:54

Page 61

Ask John

Tech Talk

PRODUCTS Our monthly highlight of products for you and your kit car.

Durofix Impact Wrench DURAFIX R12058-4 IMPACT WRENCH PRICE: From £216 inclusive AVAILABLE FROM: Cray Bell. T: 01772 700751.

E: sales@craybell.co.uk W: www.craybell.co.uk

From £216

THESE DURAFIX IMPACT wrenches are super useful, and come with a wrench-to-driver adaptor, allowing you to also use them for conventional screw bits etc. The R12058-4 features a 1⁄2in drive offering 180Nm of torque and a maximum rpm of either 2300rpm or 3000rpm with a variable speed reversible function. It also comes with a separate LED light bar as well as integral LED ilumination of the workpiece.

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

£500 Challenge

Products

Wolfrace Alutec Poison Alloys NEW ALLOYS FROM WOLFRACE PRICE: From £107.95 each AVAILABLE FROM: Wolfrace Wheels. T: 0845 330 9896. Dealer locator on website. W: www.wolfrace.co.uk WOLFRACE IS UK distributor for the Alutec range of alloy wheels, and the company has just released this, the new Alutec Poison range, which we think could be a great kit car option. Wheel sizes are perfect (from 15in upwards), with either four or five stud fitment and a variety of offsets, from ET25 to ET 47.5.

From £107.95

GADGET OF THE MONTH!

Electrical Connector Protector NYE LUBRICANTS UNIFLOR 8917 PRICE: £131.88 inclusive for 100g tube AVAILABLE FROM: Newgate Simms. E: info@newgatesimms.co.uk W: www.newgateonline.com ANY ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR needs protection from moisture and potentially heat, and this new product from specialist manufacturer Newgate Simms offers the answer. For the technically minded, this is a melamine cyanurate thickened, perfluoropolyether grease. As you will see from the price above, this is not a budget product, instead being classied as a ‘lube for life’ because it will not dry, evaporate or dribble away. It will be a fit and forget product.

DISCARNECT PRICE: From £9.95 AVAILABLE FROM: Richbrook. T: 01328 862387. W: www.richbrook.co.uk THIS PRODUCT HAS been around for many years now, but it’s a really cunning little device that acts as both a security measure when the car is in use, or as a quick battery disconnect when your car goes into any extended period of storage. Connected directly to the battery, when the plastic knob in the middle is unscrewed it disconnects the battery. A small fused link allows power to run a clock and other minor ancillaries, but the fuse will blow if the car is started. It’s a great thing!

From £9.95

£131.88 61 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

062-064 Kit Car Basics - Tools:CKC Cover copy

MEV Build Pt2

Ask John

6/4/11

Kit Car Basics

10:50

Page 62

Tech Talk

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

KIT CAR BASICS Essential Tools What tools do you really need if you are about to undertake your first kit car build?

Let the CKC’s editor guide you through the second in our Kit Car Basics series.

BUILDING YOUR FIRST kit car can be a daunting task. Last month we looked at the place in which you might consider building a kit car, and this month it’s time to decide what tools are essential for the average (if such a thing exists!) kit car project, and which are luxuries you might want to add later. So what garage tools can you simply not do without?

Workbench – You might think you can get away without a work surface, especially if space is tight, but we’d certainly

recommend it (see Vice entry below). If space is at a premium, then you can get fold down work surfaces, but they need to be sturdy and capable of supporting heaving donor components. You might also consider a portable workbench (see picture top right).

A workbench can be cheap to buy or, of course, you can make your own. I’ve just managed to move some unwanted kitchen units into the garage and, with a new laminate work surface from Wickes for £20, now have a work surface stretching the width of the garage.

A simple steel framed workbench with wooden top is a perfect starting point and needn’t cost a great deal. really small garage.

This fold down work surface from PAF Systems could be handy in a Recycling old kitchen units and worktops is a cheap alternative.

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Vice – Another reason to have a permanent work surface, is to have somewhere to sturdily locate a decent size vice. A vice is utterly invaluable, but it’s only any good if securely located. You’ll use it to hold donor components when cleaning them with a wire brush, and a million other

seemingly insignificant jobs. A vice can be relatively expensive to purchase, but is just the sort of thing you might pick up at a car boot sale.

Jack – A trolley jack is what you are after, with a lifting capacity of at least two tonnes (so you’ll then be able to use it on your daily driver, as well as the kit car). A conventional production car jack is not really suitable and bottle jacks are usually too tall to fit under the chassis of a low kit car.

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Axle stands/Trestles – When the kit chassis arrives, it obviously isn’t on wheels, and you’ll need to get if off the floor to complete certain jobs. Four sturdy axle stands will do this job perfectly and will always prove invaluable for later servicing when the car is being used.

Increasingly popular these days is to use taller trestles, which lift the chassis higher off the ground. This means you are not constantly bending over the chassis while working on it. Ideally made of metal, it is also possible to make them in wood, but safety is paramount here. They’re not always easy to find through conventional retailers, but your kit manufacturer may be able to make you some.

Electric drill (plus centre punch) – There are lots of great cordless drills around these days, and they are brilliant to use because they are often light and the body of the drill itself is small, making it easy to reach awkward places. But there are also times when the power of a mains operated drill takes some beating. We’d consider the latter an essential kit builder’s tool, where a cordless drill comes a close second.

A vice is a kit building essential, and needs sturdy mounting on your workbench. stands needed for any kit project.

Mart is very low, with a rubber plinth perfect for sliding under a low chassis rail.

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Axle

Trolley jack well worth buying. This one from Machine

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SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS There are several items of important safety kit that you must have to hand. These include eye protection, ear defenders (both essential when using a power tool such as a grinder), sturdy gloves (not too loose so as to catch in moving parts of a drill etc) and lightweight inspection gloves for removing and servicing grubby donor parts.

None of these should cost more than a few pounds. You should get a basic safety kit with plasters etc, and supplement this with an eye wash (which is rarely included in the basic kits). Finally we’d recommend you get a sensible size fire extinguisher (filled with powder) to have permanently in the garage.

It’s very likely that by the end of the build, you’ll have both! I mention a centre punch here, because this really helps maintain positional accuracy when drilling holes in metal and stops the drill bit skating off position.

Rivet gun – There cannot be many kit builds that have been completed without the use of rivets. The most obvious use comes when aluminium panelling the prepared chassis. Having drilled all the holes with your mains powered drill, you then need to rivet on the panels, and that will mean hundreds and hundreds of rivets. Rivet guns come in various different shapes and sizes and require varying amounts of physical effort to operate. A basic rivet gun is essential and will get into more confined areas later in the build. If

A cordless drill is handy to have, but you may well need the added power offered by a mains powered drill.

Screwdrivers – You’re likely to have a few of these already. Both slot head and crosshead style screwdrivers are vital, in a good selection of sizes. Once again, there you can borrow something more substantial for the panelling part of the build, that would be perfect.

Files – You’ll typically find you can buy individual hand files or a set of four or five together. All will prove useful, so go for the set. Aluminium will clog up files quite quickly, while fibreglass will blunt them fast too.

Don’t expect files to last forever. are some great sets available these days, and it’s always better to buy the best you can, since quality can vary enormously.

Spanners – A standard set of open and closed end spanners in both metric and imperial will prove invaluable. As always, buy the best you can afford.

Cordless drills are much improved these days, being light, small and powerful. of files will prove invaluable. height.

You may already have some of the basic tools.

A set

Trestles allow you to lift the chassis up to a better working

The editor’s old Halfords socket set has proved sturdy and reliable.

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Socket set – The sets of sockets you can buy on tool stands at shows may well get you by perfectly, but

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we’d recommend buying a dedicated socket set which comes with its own wrench and accessories. I’ve got by with a Halfords professional set for many years, but there are endless options and you don’t need to spend a fortune. Consider the case construction too – it’ll get bashed around and you want it portable – brittle plastics are not recommended.

Clamps – There are all sorts of clamps you can get these days, and they’ll prove invaluable when holding panels in place before permanent fixing.

Hacksaw – You will use one for

062-064 Kit Car Basics - Tools:CKC Cover copy

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Kit Car Basics

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Tech Talk

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

USEFUL CONTACTS Car Builder Solutions. T: 01580 891309. W: www.cbsonline.co.uk Clarke. T: 01992 565333. W: www.clarkeinternational.com Draper. T: 01704 8049 4333. W: www.draper.co.uk Facom. T: 01142 917266. W: www.facom-tools.co.uk Garage Pride. T: 01743 860736. W: www.garagepride.co.uk Halfords. W: www.halfords.com Laser. T: 01926 815000. W: www.lasertools.co.uk Machine Mart. T: 0871 4101280. W: www.machinemart.co.uk PAF Systems. T: 01933 403555. W: www.pafsystem.com Rapid Racking. T: 01285 686869. W: www.rapidracking.com Screwfix. W: www.screwfix.com Sealey. T: 01284 757500. W: www.sealey.co.uk Toolbay. T: 0845 4500 615. W: www.toolbay.co.uk

There are quite a lot of wiring products you may end up needing, depending on the wiring loom you buy or make from scratch. These crimping pliers produce a far better join than the regular ones (used with pre-shrouded blue connectors) you find in most auto factors.

various jobs during the build, but typically for cutting brackets from either aluminium or mild steel.

Wiring tools – You can get quite carried away in this sector of the build but it rather depends on what

TOOL TESTS IN CKC We’ve tested many of the hand tools you’ll need, and you can buy PDF articles (or the complete back issue) via our website. Head for www.completekitcar.co.uk or go straight to the page at http://tinyurl.com/4s474un

wiring harness you begin with. We’d suggest that you’ll probably need some form of crimping pliers and the relevant connectors. Try and avoid the pre-shrouded ones you find from Halfords and their associated pliers. I’ve just moved over to a ‘proper’ crimping tool and it’s a revelation!

Power tools – In addition to drills, the other power tools I have in the garage include a grinder (used very seldom), a Dremel hobby drill which I use surprisingly often and a jigsaw which I’ve rarely used in kit building (but there are now quite good blades for cutting aluminium).

Hole cutting set – For use in a power drill, hole cutting sets make a great job of cutting tidy holes in fibreglass.

You can also get some very neat hole cutters for aluminium.

Micrometer – Our own John Dickens did a feature on micrometers in

WORTH CONSIDERING None of the following tools are essential, but all will prove useful if you have them. They’re perhaps the extras you buy as the build progresses...

2010, and they’re more useful than you might at first think. Don’t need to be expensive, either.

Aluminium cutting tools – Aluminium can be cut with a variety of tools which may include a hacksaw, tin snips, cutting blade on a grinder, jigsaw or manual or power ‘nibbler’. Each produce a slightly different finish and may or may not be suitable depending on how visible the finished cut will be.

There are hundreds of tools that could be considered useful in a typical kit car build and I can’t hope to cover them all here. Hopefully, I’ve highlighted the items that will genuinely make life easier when undertaking your first project.

NEXT MONTH This isn’t a vital kit building tool, but it’s one of the extra items you may end up with and can be used for a surprising number of jobs.

How to budget for your kit car.

Electric grinder and jigsaw may not be

essential, but there are times when you may need them.

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Tech Talk

Warp 8 Pt6

Diablo Build

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

TECHTALK CKC Technical Editor John Dickens looks beyond the major engine components, to explain the intricacies of what makes a gearbox work.

Gearbox GEARS ARE USED to transmit power from one rotating shaft to another.

They can also be used to change the speed or direction of rotation of the shafts and to magnify or reduce the force transmitted. Not all types of engine need a gearbox.

Steam engines generate a high torque at very low or even zero rpm so, in a locomotive for example, the pistons can be coupled directly to the driving wheels.

A car engine, by comparison, generates very little torque at low rpm but has a much wider range of operating speeds. Maximum torque is often produced at 3000 to 4000rpm and even higher on tuned engines. The gearbox is needed to match the engine speed to the required road wheel speed and to magnify the engine torque to enable it to move the car from

stationary up to the high speeds now possible in modern vehicles.

GEAR RATIOS If two meshing gearwheels are the same size and have the same number of teeth on each gear then the gear ratio is said to be 1:1.

Both gears will rotate at equal speeds but in opposite directions and will transmit equal amounts of torque. The real benefit comes, though, when we use gears of differing sizes (Fig 1).

The output gear has twice as many teeth as the input gear giving a gear ratio of 2:1. It will revolve at only half the input gear’s speed but it will be carrying twice as much torque to the road wheels. Due to the high speed at which a car engine operates, the gears are always used to reduce speed but

How gear ratios are calculated.

2 A basic form of gear engagement using ‘dogs’ to lock the gears.

to magnify torque to the wheels.

A typical 4-speed gearbox may have the following ratios:

together so they are rotating at the same speed and transmitting the engine torque directly.

1st

2.544

2nd

1.731

GEAR SELECTION

3rd

1.258

4th

1.00

All car gearboxes use the constant mesh design in which the all the input and output gears are meshed together at all times but are free to spin on their shafts so no drive is transmitted. Pairs of gears are selected by locking them to their shafts using ‘dog’ clutches which engage with protruding teeth or ‘dogs’ on the sides of the gears (Fig 2/3). These dogs not only engage the gears but also carry the torque from the gears to the shafts.

The dog clutch is splined onto the shaft and selects a gear by sliding

The higher the numerical ratio the greater the speed reduction of the output gear but the more the torque is magnified. So in first gear the road wheels rotate slowly at a given engine speed but a high torque is available to move the slow moving or stationary car. In the higher gears the numerical ratio is lower, so the road wheels are moving faster but less torque is available. In top gear the input and output shafts are normally locked

The engagement dogs and splined shaft are visible on the central gear.

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Constant mesh gears with two double sided dog clutches on the upper shaft.

Selector forks

with a dog clutch in place.

sideways to engage with the matching dogs on the chosen gear (Fig 4). This locks it to the splined shaft causing it to transmit the power. The dog clutches are moved by selector forks which are connected by a linkage or cables to the gear lever (Fig 5).

In normal gearboxes the gear teeth are cut onto the gears at an angle and are also slightly curved.

These are helical gears. They drive with a sliding action and have a smaller contact point than straight cut gears. This makes them much quieter in operation but straight cut gears are stronger so they tend to be used in competition gearboxes.

Simple dog change gearboxes do not always change gear cleanly.

They often clunk or grind as the spinning dogs come into contact.

Sometimes the dogs meet end to end, completely preventing engagement.

Double de-clutching, now a disappearing skill, was often needed to match the speeds of the

engaging gears when changing down in an early gearbox.

SYNCHROMESH To overcome this problem synchromesh was developed. Cone synchromesh, the type most commonly used, was introduced by Porsche in the early ’50s for its 356 model. The engagement dogs are replaced by a taper machined on the gear face and a ring of small teeth around its perimeter. The dog clutch is replaced by a synchro hub which has matching internal teeth and a matching taper (Fig 6).

Between the two tapers is a bronze synchro cone.

When a gear is selected the synchro hub moves sideways, trapping the bronze synchro cone between the tapers on the hub and the gear. The friction between the surfaces causes the gear to spin up until the two speeds match. At this point the synchro hub slides easily into place over the engagement teeth and the gear is selected (Fig

A typical synchromesh unit. The straight cut gear is reverse.

A cone type synchro hub.

7). After a high mileage. the bronze cones may start to show wear and the synchronising action will become less effective. In older gearboxes, first gear was often unsynchronised as it was normally only selected when the vehicle was at a standstill.

GEARS For many years a four-speed manual gearbox was the industry standard, possibly with an overdrive unit fitted on higher end models. As fuel economy became a concern in the ’80s a fifth gear was added and the overall gearing was raised to provide more economical cruising. More recently, as engines have become highly tuned they tend to produce their torque and power at higher revs and over a narrower rpm range. To accommodate this six and sevenspeed gearboxes are now in use and eight-speed transmissions are in development.

The most extreme examples though were found in Japanese racing motorcycles of the ’60s.

Suzuki developed a three-cylinder two-stroke 50cc racer which produced 19bhp at 20,000rpm

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(380bhp/litre) and had a top speed of 105mph, but its power band was so narrow that 14 gears were needed (Fig 8).

LUBRICATION Modern gearboxes are very reliable and require very little in the way of maintenance. Many are supposedly ‘sealed for life’ and do not even require fluid changes, although personally I would be inclined to change the oil in a modern manual transmission every 50,000 miles as a minimum.

Gearbox oils are generally more viscous than engine oils, being typically EP 80w/90 grade rather than the 10w/40 oils commonly used in engines. They have different additives too. The ‘EP’ designation indicates the use of extreme pressure additives which are needed to maintain an oil film despite the point contact and sliding action of helical gears. They are also formulated to allow sufficient friction for the synchromesh action to work effectively. Synthetic gearbox oils are also available which are claimed to extend service intervals even further.

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Tech Talk

Ask John

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

Diablo Detail – Sam Harpa’s DC Build Take one Diablo replica, add four turbos, air suspension and endless electronic gadgets and you have a highly ambitious first build!

IT WAS A chance visit to the Detling kit car show in 2006 that set Sam Harpa on the course of building a kit car. He stumbled across a DC Supercars Diablo replica owned by Garry Biddiss (which we featured in 2007) and, after a chat, decided he wanted to embark on his own build.

A background in marine engineering and more recently property development armed Sam with the necessary hands-on experience to tackle the build. More specifically, he has also built a few bikes and worked on classic cars, while a large workshop complete with a four-post lift would provide a

great environment in which to build this large supercar.

The kit arrived in November 2006 and Sam followed DC’s advice in fitting the engine and building it up to rolling chassis stage. He had already bought a running BMW 750 donor for £500, removed its V12 engine and had it running on the bench on its new stand-alone Emerald ECU. Early on, Sam decided against using the Ford Granada brakes.

Instead, he took the wheels and wishbones to Rally Design and figured out the largest calipers, bells and discs that would fit. The bells

There are a lot of body panels in a Diablo replica!

Sam Harpa’s passed its IVA test last November, but he’s in no hurry to get it into action. A few details need finishing off ahead of its appearance at the Stoneleigh show in May.

come as ‘blanks’ and had to be machined on Sam’s lathe to get the correct offset. It was clear from the outset that this car was on course to

Suspension is the first thing to go onto chassis.

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Hijacker air suspension was an early addition. Allows car to be lowered for show and raised for speedbumps.

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BMW V12 engine ready and waiting.

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Granada brakes were shunned in favour of the largest Wilwoods that would fit. Wilwood logos later removed.

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be a very high spec Diablo replica.

At around the same time, Sam saw Hijacker hydraulic suspension for VW camper vans advertised

Upright assembly from the Granada as it came from the donor car...

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online. He thought it would be perfect for the Diablo, allowing it to be slammed to the ground for show use and to rise up for speed bumps and other obstacles. It turned out that the VW items wouldn’t fit, but further investigation threw up a job lot of units for various cars which were available. He bought 12 sets and mixed and matched pairs front and rear to fit his unusual application.

But it still wasn’t perfect. They

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...and cleaned up and ready to be fitted to the car. Shot

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GRP panels held on with self-tapping screws while their position and shape are fine-tuned.

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Sam made this ‘spitroast frame’ to help prep the body...

No body filler was used – only GRP paste.

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required a footpump to raise them, which isn’t convenient every time you reach a speed bump. Sam incorporated the pump from a Toyota Land Cruiser air suspension system which comes with a 20psi tank. Now the car can be raised at the press of a button (the button in question being the redundant rear windscreen wiper switch on the Rover steering column).

Rolling chassis achieved, it was time to start on the bodywork. “It

blasting got it tidy before it was painted.

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helps to be methodical,” says Sam. “I started with the windscreen frame and fitted everything else around it.”

The bodywork is supplied in a lot of separate pieces, and it requires a lot of work from the builder. Sam spent a lot of time fibreglassing the panels to ensure that the shutlines were uniform.

Building the doors is a miniproject in itself. You can buy the metal frame from DC or, as Sam did, make it yourself. The inner and outer

Windscreen frame is the first panel to go on. It then dictates the position of the other panels.

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GRP skins are then fitted and bonded together. It’s areas like this where you need to spend time to achieve a good result. Throughout the initial fit, Sam held all the panels in place with selftapping screws while gradually getting them looking right.

Once the bodywork had been fitted, trimmed and filled for fit, it was time to prepare it for paint. During the build, Sam had two hip replacements so, prior to the op, he built a ‘spitroast frame’ that the body

Interior is all based around GRP panels. Here, they are positioned roughly in place to give an idea of finished result.

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The car is really taking shape now! Looks like it only needs paint, but there’s a lot of preparation to do first.

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Mid-way through the build, Sam bought this UVA McLaren M6 and treated it to the light restoration it needed.

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...after a hip replacement. Zach helped with the process.

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V12 removed several times during build. Turbos added later.

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Base coats were applied in Sam’s workshop...

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...as was primer.

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Diablo Build

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19 Final colour was added in Zach’s spray booth.

After just one weekend it was back with Sam.

Sam made the exhaust manifolds himself. He sourced a

could be mounted on. This would give him easy access to the whole body and allow him to get on with the project almost immediately after the operation.

By now, another donor car had been bought. The original Diablo used Nissan 300ZX headlights, and the DC follows suit. It also uses the brake master cylinder and servo from the Nissan. Sam was struggling to source the parts and ended up buying a whole car for a couple of hundred pounds. He removed the parts he needed and sold the rest on eBay. A man called Zach came to buy some of the parts and, being an automotive spray painter by trade, arrived at just the right time for the DC project. He helped out with the preparation, which took place in Sam’s garage, before applying the final coat in his spray booth.

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Doors refitted. Shutlines are neat – time well spent!

Sam used the DC loom as a basis, but had a lot of his own additional electrical items to wire in.

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Sub-loom behind dash serves 18 warning lights.

Zach insisted that no body filler should be used – the panels were all treated with fibreglass paste to ensure a long-lasting finish. The main body tub was only away for a weekend, and once it was back all the separate panels went to be sprayed.

Zach’s involvement wasn’t the only unexpected consequence of buying a complete 300ZX. Sam liked the way Nissan had fitted a turbo to each of the V6’s bank and figured he could fit four turbos to the BMW V12 in a similar way. He sourced another pair of Nissan turbos and began the process of fitting them.

This involved making up bespoke manifolds, silencers and tail pipes.

Sam knew he had to make the pipes equal length, and had the parameters for where the pipes would need to start and finish and therefore knew roughly what shape

Wheel Bearings

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sack of off-cuts from eBay and welded them up.

Stitched leather was outsourced to an upholsterer.

£500 Challenge

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Warp 8 Pt6

Metal support frame for dash clearly shown here.

they would need to be. He bought a sack of stainless steel offcuts from eBay that provided him with a variety of different bends and straights which he could weld together to his requirements. For more specialised items, such as cross-over joins, he turned to Demon Tweeks.

The process of making the exhausts is experimental. At first, it sounded too quiet, and now he doesn’t like the way each pair of pipes (there are four outlets) makes a different tone. “I’ll just keep playing with it until I get it right,” he says.

Aside from the paint, there was only one other task where Sam enlisted outside help. For any trim that required leather stitching, he sent the parts away to an upholsterer.

The dash panel, doorcards and seats were all sent away to be trimmed, but not until Sam had modified the APRIL 2011

GRP panels beneath to suit.

The biggest example of tweaking here was to the seats, which incorporate the electric motors, adjustable lumber and heating taken from a Ford Granada Cosworth. This was donor car number three, an MoT failure which Sam was given.

The Granada was also relieved of its rear hubs, brake calipers (for the DC’s handbrake) and electric window motors. The engine was sold on and the rest was scrapped.

Donor car number four, incidentally, was an Audi that provided its 6-speed gearbox and driveshafts.

Once the interior trim was back, it was time to assemble the interior.

But it was at around this time when another upgrade was incorporated into the build. Sam had bought a Clifford G5 alarm system. With the addition of the optional Coolguard

068-071 Diablo Build:CKC Cover copy

module, it gives the option of controlling five functions from the key. Add in a SIM card and they can also be controlled from your mobile phone. It was at this stage when Sam started to get carried away with electronics. The doors, engine cover and bonnet are all electronic and can be opened and closed from the car’s centre console or via the key.

All the relays for these have been soldered in place and wrapped in heatshrink (that’s Sam’s marine background showing) and neatly located behind a removeable panel in the dashboard.

None of this came as a complete kit. Sam went to Maplin for the relays and had to solder up the circuit boards himself. It required forethought and know-how all the way. For instance, the doors are timed to open only once enough time has passed for the gas rams to have been primed.

The Clifford system can also be set up to send a text message when certain parameters are breached. It will let Sam know if anyone is in too close a proximity to the car, and will also let him know when the battery is getting low on juice. He can also disable the fuel pump from his mobile phone.

Elsewhere, you’ll see a screen in the centre console. This is a TV, sat nav, monitor for the rear view camera and also works the stereo.

The stereo’s amps are located in the luggage compartment, beneath the panels that Sam trimmed in leather Warning lights mounted to back of panel.

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Heated seats are also on motors.

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himself. He has fitted aftermarket stereos to cars before, and found installing all the kit in the Diablo no greater a challenge.

When the ignition is switched on, no fewer than 18 warning lights illuminate through the Perspex panel above the main instrument binnacle.

This has its own custom subloom and the lights shine through a painted screen with the paint etched away to reveal the relevant symbols.

All the extra electrical systems are run from an auxiliary battery to prevent Sam finding he needs a jump start at the end of a day at a show.

A more recent addition is the Alfa Romeo steering wheel. Sam spotted it in a breaker’s yard and thought it would suit the Diablo replica. He made his own adapter that would allow it to fit the Rover column, and it also brings the wheel a couple of inches closer to the driver. More electrickery took place when he wired up the buttons on the steering wheel to control the stereo. He bought a kit from the internet that matches the Alfa wheel but, because he wasn’t using the Alfa loom, each wire had to be individually identified to get it working.

The car was IVA’d just ahead of its appearance on the DC Supercars stand at the Newark show last June.

It failed on a few items, including the field of vision in the rear view mirrors, the position of the side repeaters, windscreen wiper speed,

SAM HARPA’S DC Engine: 5-litre BMW V12 with four Nissan 300ZX turbos.

Gearbox: Audi 6-speed manual.

Suspension: Front – Double wishbones, coil-over dampers, Hijacker air suspension.

Rear – Double wishbones, coil-over dampers, Hijacker air suspension.

Brakes: Wilwood four-pot calipers all-round, Ford Granada handbrake calipers.

Interior: TV, sat nav, stereo, electrically adjustable heated seats, Alfa Romeo steering wheel, leather trim.

Exterior: Nissan 300ZX headlights, Lamborghini badging, metallic orange paint, electrically operated doors, engine cover and front bootlid.

the lack of codes on the fuel lines and a few loose wires in the luggage compartment. The inspector also wanted to see spring washers on the rear brake mounts.

None of these items were too troublesome to resolve, although changing the fuel lines was a little time consuming. The retest took place in October and, while the car got a clean bill of health on the previous fail points, the inspector found some new fail points. It’s the first time we’ve ever heard of new failure points being introduced at a retest. These included the efficiency of the handbrake and the windscreen demister.

The former was fixed by altering the pedal ratio (and testing the result at a local MoT garage). The latter was remedied by concentrating the airflow in two areas rather than letting it blow across the whole width of the windscreen. Ironically, it’s probably less effective as a result!

Nevertheless, Sam still looks back at the IVA experience as an

Taking shape now! TV/sat nav unit in centre console.

enjoyable part of the build. He’s also determined that his next kit car build will pass first time!

The day after the IVA pass, Sam went to his local DVLA office and was immediately allocated a registration number and tax disc.

The quick service saw it on the road just in time for all the snow. Not that he’s in an immediate rush to hit the road – there are one or two jobs to attend to before the car is perfect.

The target is to get it ready for the Stoneleigh show.

On the day of our visit, Sam pointed out a few areas where he wants to get the rubber trim tidied up. The main one across the windscreen header is from a Ford Escort convertible, while others have been made from aftermarket trim.

He has since got hold of some genuine Lamborghini items which will add to the high-class feel throughout the rest of the car.

Next month, we’ll take a detailed look at the finished car and find out why Sam chose to tackle such an ambitious build as his first kit car.

Instruments and column switches in place.

29

28

Alfa steering wheel wired up to the stereo.

31

The car ready to appear at Newark last year.

32

APRIL 2011

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APRIL 2011

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074-075 Warp 8:CKC Cover copy

MEV Build Pt2

4/3/11

Kit Car Basics Tools

12:00

Page 74

Tech Talk

Ask John

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt 6

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

BeamMe UpSCOTTY PART 06 Mark Jenkins continues his build diary of restoring the seriously bonkers Warp 8 – a classic slice of ’70s kit car exotica. The end is in sight for the doors, which have been a major challenge.

Day 49 The offside door is bolted on, and the first thing we notice is that it will not close properly. This is because of the build up of fibreglass mat used to bond the skin to the frame. This is easily corrected by carefully grinding the problem areas – it doesn’t weaken the structure in any way, I had just got a little over excited at the time I was applying it.

Another problem that has shown up is across the top of the door.

Because the doors were cut out a bit roughly many moons ago, the top of this door is too wide and because of this will not lift up very far before the skin catches the hinges.

I measure the other door and trim off the required amount and this is an improvement. The door will still not open to its maximum due to the skin still catching the hinges. I can see the problem straightaway, and it’s completely my fault.

Having never made gullwing doors before, or any other type come to that, I’ve made a mistake on the hinge design… bugger.

Never mind, I can see what I’ve done wrong and can put it right without too much trouble later on.

For the moment I’ll carry on with the door alignment.

The nearside door is fitted and excess fibreglass removed as needed. Very pleased at how well they line up with the rest of the body, but I suppose they would because the skins were glued in the opening when I bonded them to the frame.

Day 50 Come in today and start measuring the doors to see how far out they are from each other, the offside door frame is a lot wider at the top front than the nearside in the same area.

So with a lot of checking and

Warp doors open on their hinges, but top edge catches the roof before they can be full extended. Needed trimming.

1

double-checking, it is decided to trim the offside door rather than add to the nearside. With the frame trimmed, the front side window frame will have to be made wider to compensate. It’s at this point I realise this is going to be a long, long day… cutting from one area and adding to another to make everything match on both sides.

With the offside doorframe and window pillar cut and rebuilt, a skin of filler is spread over the door gaps to ensure they line perfectly with the rest of the body (not forgetting to remove the excess filler from the gaps or I’ll have a big problem getting the doors open then, and that wouldn’t be very clever!).

Day 51 While I’m back and forth with the filling, I decide to start the templates for the offside front side windows.

Once again, this is all about

Each door a completely different size. Evening them up involves both adding and taking away material.

2

Yet more adjustments.

Mark Jenkins with the 1970s Warp 8.

checking and double checking the measurements to see how far out everything is, and to make sure they follow the same line as the door windows. After what seems like a lifetime, it’s decided where they will be positioned and how big.

The original cut outs are very crude, too big and not in the same place on both sides!

The templates are made, stuck into position with the trusty glue gun and the large gaps covered

Balancing the adjustments across the car is very tricky.

Note front window has no window mounting edge yet.

3

Here you can see the fibreglass matting added to build up the relevant areas.

Card template shows how different the new window will be, once the space around it has been filled.

4 5

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6

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A little reminder that there were two Warps made originally. Mark is still trying to track down the second car, so if you know where it might be, please get in contact with us.

with extra card and tape. Both window templates are then laminated from behind as before, to create the lip for the windows to fit into. This is a horrible messy job in such a confined space, so I’m glad to get it finished.

Day 52 Remove templates and refit into nearside, again measuring to check they go in the correct position, and then laminate into position. It’s a bit easier this time because there’s no steering wheel in the way. When that’s

done I move back to the offside and trim off the waste to leave a nice lip and start applying fibrefill to fill in the areas that the fibreglass mat didn’t get into. By the end of the day this side has been shaped and had a thin skin of filler over it all. Thankfully there’s not many windows left now.

Day 53 Now it’s time to remove tape from the outside of the templates on the nearside and fill areas that the fibreglass didn’t get to with fibrefill again. While this is

Templates for both top and bottom windows, plus packing tape to blank the gaps prior to fibreglassing from inside.

7

Mark cut in this panel line to follow the detail in the main tub. Strange that it was never there on the original panel.

10

going off I move from door to door rubbing down and reapplying filler where needed. When the templates are removed it’s much of the same again to tidy the window frames.

All that’s needed now is to make sure the gaps are even and check the doors again for minor differences, and there are a few. I stay on the nearside for now, making the gaps the same all round by adding or taking away material as needed. You may notice in the pictures that the very top of the doors/roof area has not had the gaps sorted out, and this is only because I’m finding it easier to work in sections… so I will concentrate on the doors and sides for a minute and will sort out the door tops when I do the roof.

Day 54 It’s just the slow and dusty job of filling now. I’m taking a lot of care with the nearside to get it as perfect as possible before moving to the offside to match them up. I create a body line into the door, above the handle, which follows the shape of the rear wing and brings them together nicely – can’t

When the tape and template is removed, this is what

understand why it wasn’t already there. It takes time but by the afternoon this side is almost done, so I make a start on the offside again.

Day 55 I decide that today I’m going to aim at getting the offside door to about a 90 per cent match for the nearside. I figure that with a coat of primer on both sides it will be far easier and quicker to see and correct any differences. So after a few more hours with the filler and measuring tape, I’m happy to leave it for now. A flat down with some 240-grade paper and it’s ready for some primer.

After three nice coats it really is starting to look good now. We can see how nice the gaps are and how the doors sit flush with the rest of the body, it almost looks like a factory fit! I am confident that by the time it’s finished the door fit will put some ‘real’ cars to shame.

Forgot to mention earlier, that the doors open and close perfectly, a nice little ‘click’ when they shut, and one finger is enough to operate the interior handle to open.

But we do need to get some rams to hold them open, you may have noticed various things propping them up in the photos.

CONTACT A&A Spraying Services T: 01495 248442 E: markjenkins1966@aol.com

One side completed. Only the other side to do!

remains. The edges can then be trimmed for a neat finish.

8

9

With a few coats of primer, and pushed outside, the Warp’s dramatic ’70s design is revealed again. Blimey!

11

This has been a marathon, but the finish on the doors is terrific. Progress elsewhere will be easy by comparison!

12

APRIL 2011

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076-077 £500 Challenge:CKC Cover copy

MEV Build Pt2

Kit Car Basics Tools

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12:02

Ask John

Page 76

Tech Talk

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

£500 CHALLENGE Remember this? Stent and Wilkins’ Ginetta and Treka haven’t gone away... and now the editor has brought his G26 back to life!

TEAM STENTINETTA

Challenge contender: Ginetta G26 Costs this month: MoT £54, slave cylinder £8.82, exhaust gasket £3.50, Buns and Cakes £6 Miles this month: 0 Breakdowns this month: 0 Total score to date: 125

HUGE NEWS ON the Ginetta front this month. Actually, it has been in the planning since well before Christmas, but the battle stations commenced only in the last few weeks. Calling in the help of the local Apple County Kit Cars club, the aim was to get the Ginetta over to local garage owner (and ACKC member) Panos Gerontis where he could put the Ginetta through an MoT, discover what needed attention and, on the following weekend, various members of the club would descend on the garage and blitz what I expected to be a lengthy

failure sheet!

First challenge was to get the car started and then off my gravel front drive. Starting was easy with a charged battery... the faithful old friend fired up and ran perfectly, first time! Getting the Ginetta off the soft gravel drive was more of a challenge, but eventually successful.

It wasn’t sensible for me to drive the car to the garage, so I hired a trailer and dropped the G26 off at Panos’ garage midweek. The following day, the call came back.

The exhaust needed attention (but not as much as I expected), a brake line had badly corroded, one rear drum brake appeared to have seized and various bulbs and other minor sundries warranted attention.

Wow, I’d got off considerably lighter than expected...

Which gave an expectant Apple County team rather more time on their hands for other adventures!

Could we repaint the car? Clean the alloys perhaps? In the end, we landed on a rather different idea...

So when Saturday came around I stopped at Tescos and bought buns and cakes (well, you’ve got to keep the troops happy!) and met up with seven members of the club – Panos,

Panos gets brutal with the G26’s rusty exhaust system.

Trevor (with son Jordan), Bill, John, Greg, Mark and Brian.

Initial work concentrated on sorting the blown bulbs for indicators and other exterior lights, while John and I stripped out the offending brake line from the front of the car that had corroded badly. All the while, Quantum Xtreme owner Bill was watching the Ginetta’s faded bodywork, initially drying off the remnants of the overnight rain with an enthusiasm that soon became worryingly obsessive... the Ginetta

hadn’t had this much pampering since it was built!

The car was then up on the ramps for more serious examination of the exhaust and also the offending rear brake drums. Closer inspection of the latter suggested a seized slave cylinder and Panos was quickly on the phone to order another, for delivery later the same morning. But we could get the old cylinder out in readiness, and GTM Libra owner Greg was the man for the job, almost instantly destroying the perfectly

Trevor and Greg sort out the G26’s many dodgy bulbs.

Finally moved from the front of Stent’s garden (much to the pleasure of his other half!), the Ginetta is ready for the short trailer ride to ACKC member Panos Gerontis’ garage.

76 www.completekitcar.co.uk

Up front, Panos and John get

stuck into removing a corroded brake line... while Bill continues polishing. remove the bonnet to improve access.

APRIL 2011

Stent and Bill

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Quantum Xtreme owner Bill gave the Ginetta more care and attention than it has ever seen under Stent’s ownership.

serviceable brake line feeding the faulty cylinder... add another job to the morning’s worksheet!

The exhaust wasn’t proving much easier. The main area of concern was actually the downpipe from the manifold. Thankfully the studs on the manifold held firm and the system could be unbolted, but freeing the section that needed work from the rest of the exhaust system was trickier. Eventually it was down to Panos to step in with a blowtorch and Robin Hood owner and modifier Trevor to get brutal with a mallet before the offending part was free.

Closer inspection revealed some large holes, but getting new sections of exhaust the right diameter wasn’t going to be easy. Again, Panos to the rescue with the welder and some neat patches were soon in place. Putting everything back on the car was similarly frustrating, but eventually achieved.

Meanwhile Bill had moved from drying the Ginetta to polishing it, first with T-Cut in a machine polisher, then onto polish. The Ginetta’s badly faded panels were, one by one, being restored to a wondrous sheen.

At the back of the car a new brake line had been made, the replacement slave cylinder had

arrived and the whole job reassembled. Up front, the offending rusty brake line (the only steel brake line on the car) had also been remade and installed. Time to bleed the whole system... except that the new rear brake line was leaking... badly. Panos identified a cross-threaded fastener on one end of the pipe and this time it was John who owned up. It would all have be taken off again and remade. Thank goodness I hadn’t gone near it!

Finally all the brake lines were back on the car and a rebleed soon had everything working as it should.

As far as the MoT was concerned, the team appeared to have dealt with all the offending items... only a retest the following week would reveal if we’d been successful.

By now the Ginetta was almost looking showroom fresh after Bill’s meticulous and loving attention.

The team could now consider the car’s external upgrade...

Having discounted the idea of hand-painting the whole car in matt black for a new stealth look, in the week leading up to this escapade I’d unwisely suggested to Trevor that Starsky and Hutch side stripes might work well! It’s easy to be enthusiastic about such ideas when it’s not your own car, and Trevor loved it!

So I’d dropped into a sign shop and bought some white vinyl, after printing off some pictures from the internet showing how the stripes

Having done little, Stent tucks into the cream cakes.

Greg seemingly untroubled

by destroying a perfectly good brake line!

should look.

With the measuring tape out, John and I marked on the shapes and cut the vinyl by hand – from the outset, it looked like a very bad idea!

And things only got worse when the whole Apple County crew got involved in applying the vinyl to the Ginetta’s near pristine flanks. Mark initially stood out as the man with an eye for this sort of thing, and on one side the end result almost looked respectable. But on the opposite side it all went a bit Pete Tong and, well... looked considerably less good!

Actually, looking good is not something that springs to mind at all, now that I can see the finished example. Rarely am I embarrassed to drive a kit car (and I’ve driven quite a few that might warrant such an emotion) but the G26 is going to push my enthusiasm to the limit when it returns from Panos’ garage in the next week or so.

Of course, the one huge consolation is that the Ginetta is back on the road (having subsequently passed it’s MoT

Charlie Stent and Jordan Rolfe begin masking up for the Starsky and Hutch side stripes.

Stent, Mark, Trevor and Brian all have an opinion on how the stripes should be applied.

Stent, son Charlie, Mark, Trevor, Jordan, Panos, Greg, Bill and John, with Brian in the car.

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 77

retest)... and Adam’s Treka continues to crumble into dust outside his house. I’ve a sneaking suspicion his will never see action again, but I’m hoping to have the Ginetta up at the Stoneleigh show this year... so come and have a laugh at my expense.

Huge thanks must go to everyone from my local kit car club who gave up their time and helped in this escapade. Helping out fellow club members with their cars is a relatively easy thing for any local club to arrange and it’s a great excuse to get together and see tangible benefit from membership.

Thanks one and all, and especially Panos of Wilton Garage (01458 252166) in Langport Somerset, for allowing us to mess up his lovely garage.

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www.southsidearc.com APRIL 2011

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MEV Build Pt2

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Kit Car Basics Tools

Page 80

Ask John

Tech Talk

Diablo Build

Warp 8 Pt6

ÂŁ500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

Wheel Bearings Theory & Servicing John Dickens explains what wheel bearings do, and then shows you how to change them in a typical wheel hub.

MODERN CAR WHEEL bearings are pretty much a fit and forget item.

They no longer have a routine service requirement and their design life is in excess of 100,000 miles under normal driving conditions. Nevertheless it is worth knowing how to remove, clean, regrease and replace wheel bearings as it is one of the jobs you may want to do while you are building your kit.

Wheel bearings rotate at speeds up to 2000rpm and carry very heavy loads. When the car is moving in a straight line they support the entire weight of the vehicle and are also subjected to

shock loadings as the car rides over bumps. When the car is cornering, centrifugal force exerts side loadings on the bearings too. These two forces are known as radial and axial loads (Fig 1).

The different types of bearings in use handle loads and speeds differently and are carefully selected for their specific use.

Wheel bearings are always fitted in pairs and mounted in opposite directions in the hub, brake drum or brake disc so that they can absorb axial loads in both directions.

Ball bearings (Fig 2/3) have very little friction so they are suitable for

The construction of a deep-groove ball bearing.

high speed use but they have very limited axial load capability. In use the two ball bearings are normally separated by an accurately machined spacer to control clearances. When the securing nut is fully tightened this forms a rigid

A typical deep-groove ball bearing.

2

3

Taper roller bearings use conical rollers with matching races...

5

1 The loads acting on a wheel bearing.

assembly, supporting the wheel (Fig 4). There is no means of adjustment so when wear occurs the bearings and spacer must be renewed as a set. Early Minis used

Early Minis used ball bearings in their rear hubs.

4

...This one is showing typical wear marks but no pitting...

6

80 www.completekitcar.co.uk

...They have no spacer and are adjustable for wear.

7

APRIL 2011

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ball bearings in their wheel hubs.

Taper roller bearings (Fig 5/6) have a greater contact area on their bearing surfaces so they can tolerate much higher loadings in both the radial and axial directions.

Their increased friction limits their ultimate high speed capability but they are still ideally suited to automotive use. They are normally mounted without a central bearing

12:04

Page 81

spacer and the hub nut is used to adjust the bearing clearance (Fig 7). It must then be locked in position using a split pin or a clamping system. The nut can also be used to adjust the bearings to take up small amounts of wear.

Angular contact ball bearings (Fig 8) have the high speed capability of standard ball bearings but have a greater axial load capability due to

Angular contact bearings have offset grooves in their races.

the angle at which the balls and races make contact. Some vehicles use one wide double row angular contact bearing in the wheel hub instead of two separate bearings (Fig 9). These can be very difficult to service often requiring a hydraulic press to remove and replace them. I once broke a very large engineering vice trying to remove one of these from a Montego front hub.

Double row angular contact bearings have a high load

No matter what types of bearings are used they will last no time at all without lubrication. Some bearings are supplied pre-packed with grease and have rubber or metal seals at each side to retain the lubricant for life. Open bearings need to be packed with grease before use and the grease needs to be sealed into the hub to keep the bearing lubricated and to prevent possible

The construction of a typical oil or grease seal.

capacity.

10

8 9

This oil seal has a single sealing lip.

Ian wanted to remove the discs from his hubs...

...Unfortunately one Allen screw had rounded off and could not be removed.

11

12 13

I drilled the centre of the bolt out to 11mm...

...then drove in a 12mm splined bit.

The bolt then unscrewed easily. The blue colour on the bolt is thread lock.

14

15 16

The hub was placed on a piece of scrap wood to avoid damaging the threads.

17

The oil seal was prised from its seating. This usually

The seal will be replaced as part of the service.

damages the seal.

18

19

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Ask John

Tech Talk

Diablo Build

21

20 The taper roller bearing lifts out easily once the seal is removed.

Wipe out the old grease so that you can see inside the

Drift alternately on both sides to prevent the bearing race

The bearing outer race should drift out fairly easily. Do

Turn the hub over and drift out the larger bearing race in the same way.

28

27

The bare hub with its internal components removed.

The two small cut-outs are there to allow access to drift

25

the smaller one first.

26

Wheel Bearings

out the bearing race.

24

tilting and jamming.

ÂŁ500 Challenge

22

bearing cavity.

23

Warp 8 Pt6

Clean the bearings with white spirit or petrol.

Pitting and flaking of the case hardening is visible on this outer bearing race.

30

29 This kit contains the bearings, a seal, a new split pin and

31

A typical high melting point Lithium bearing grease.

grease.

contamination of the brake surfaces. The seals used are essentially the same as oil seals (Fig 10/11). The main sealing lip needs a sharp edge to work effectively and if this edge wears the grease can leak out. Some, but not all seals have an extra lip designed to prevent dirt entering and wearing the sealing lip prematurely. It is

The bearing, new or used, should be scrupulously clean and dry.

good practice to replace the seals whenever wheel bearings are serviced or replaced.

SERVICING OR REPLACING WHEEL BEARINGS This guide refers specifically to the front wheel bearings of Ian’s CC Cyclone which uses Vauxhall Cavalier hubs and brakes, but it will 82 www.completekitcar.co.uk

also apply to wheel bearings in other vehicles where there is access to both sides of the bearing carrier.

Cars with beam axles normally carry their bearings in the axle tubes and they are removed in a different way.

The first step is to remove the component carrying the bearings from the car. They may be mounted in a separate hub, as on the APRIL 2011

Cavalier, or may be in the brake drum or disc itself. Refer to the specific manual for your car and take all the usual precautions when you jack the car up. It may also be worth using a brake cleaner aerosol to wash away any brake dust before you handle the hubs.

It is not necessary to remove the disc from the hub just to replace

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12:04

32

Work it well into the bearing leaving no air cavities.

35 Position the outer bearing race carefully. Make sure it is

Repeat the process with the second bearing race.

40

39

Keep the bearing race square as you drift it in.

Bearing Boys Ltd, Unit 1 Ashford Road, Bethersden, Kent TN26 3AT. T: 01233 820863.

W: www.bearingboys.co.uk

A large socket makes an ideal drift. Seat the bearing race firmly.

38

Simply Bearings Ltd, 386 St Helens Road, Leigh, Lancashire WN7 3PQ. T: 01942 269 837.

W: www.simplybearings.co.uk

Add more and rotate the bearing to spread the grease.

37

36

the correct way round.

USEFUL CONTACTS

34

33

Start with about a tablespoon of grease.

the bearings but Ian needed to change the discs too. Unfortunately he was having trouble with a seized bolt (Fig 12-16). With the bolt and the disc removed the bearing service could begin.

Place the hub on a firm surface (Fig 17). Remove any dust covers and prise out any oil seals (Fig 18/19). Make a note of how they are fitted. If the bearings are taper rollers, the actual cage and rollers will lift out easily (Fig 20). Do not mix components from different hubs. Wipe out as much of the old grease as possible so that you can

Page 83

Grease the working surface before you fit the bearing.

inspect the mounting system (Fig 21).

Check for bearing retaining circlips. These must be removed before the bearings can be drifted out. Make a note of which way round the bearings are fitted. The bearings are normally mounted with their outer races located against steps machined in the inner surface of the hub. They are usually an interference fit in that the bearing is very slightly larger than the housing it fits in. This ensures a tight fit with no possibility of the bearing spinning in its housing.

Look carefully at the inner hub.

The bearing locating ledges normally have two diametrically opposite cut outs machined in them so that a small drift can be used on the bearing outer race (Fig 22). If there is a spacer between the two bearings you may need to push this to one side to find the cut outs.

Using a small but sturdy drift and a large hammer carefully tap out the APRIL 2011

Place the bearing carefully in position.

smaller bearing in small increments working on each side alternately (Fig 23) until the bearing falls free (Fig 24). Do not allow the bearing to tilt in its housing or it may jam solid. Do not allow the drift to damage the walls of the bearing housing either.

Drifting out a bearing will not damage it providing you drift only on the race which is locating the bearing. If you try to drift out a wheel bearing by hammering on the inner race the impacts will be transferred to the working surfaces and the bearing will be useless afterwards. When the first bearing has been removed, turn the hub over, remove the spacer if fitted and repeat the process on the second bearing (Fig 25). It may be easier this time as you will have better access.

Any grease remaining in the hub can be wiped out and the hub can be fully de-greased using petrol, paraffin or a water soluble degreaser such as Jizer or Gunk. If

www.completekitcar.co.uk 83

you are re-using the bearings they also need thoroughly cleaning.

Petrol or white spirit works best here with a small stiff brush (Fig 27).

Remove all traces of grease and any dirt and allow the bearing to dry thoroughly. Inspect the balls or rollers and bearing surfaces for signs of pitting, flaking or grooves (Fig 28). Replace both bearings if there is any sign of wear whatsoever.

The oil seals should also be replaced as a matter of course.

They are very difficult to remove without damage anyway.

You may find that everything you need is available as a kit (Fig 29) including bearings, seals, retainers, split pins etc at a reasonable price or you may prefer to source the bearings and seals yourself from a bearing factors. New bearings should always be cleaned before use. They are often coated with sticky grease for protection in storage and this must be removed before they are put into service.

080-084 bearing:CKC Cover copy

MEV Build Pt2

4/3/11

Kit Car Basics Tools

12:04

Ask John

Tech Talk

Diablo Build

Pack more grease in the space under the oil seal.

Position the oil seal carefully. It is easily damaged.

44 This is the oil seal fully seated. This type has an external

£500 Challenge

Wheel Bearings

A piece of soft wood makes a good drift.

46

45

flange.

Warp 8 Pt6

43

42

41

Pack the cavity between the bearing outer races with

Grease the second bearing surface too.

more grease.

49

48

47 Place the second roller bearing into position in the hub.

Once again petrol or white spirit is ideal. Remove all traces of this storage grease and allow the bearings to dry completely.

Now comes the messy part. The bearings, new or used, must be repacked with grease. There are many suitable greases and people will have their own favourites. I use a high melting point Lithium based grease, normally Castrol LM, but any good quality bearing grease will do (Fig 30). (Don’t use copper based grease. This is not designed for lubrication. It is an anti-seize thread compound).

There are special tools which allow you to use a grease gun to pack bearings without so much mess but I prefer to do it manually.

It is easier to see when the job is done properly. The technique is not difficult but cleanliness is essential

Page 84

The area behind the hub nut and washer should be greased.

(Fig 31). Wash your hands first or wear rubber gloves then scoop up a ball of clean grease and work it through the bearing using your fingers (Fig 32/33). Rotate the bearing to spread the grease and continue to work in more until the bearing is fully packed with clean grease (Fig 34). Don’t drop it on the dirty floor or you will have to clean it out and start again.

When both bearings are packed with grease wipe any excess off your hands, the bench, the floor and anywhere else it has managed to creep. You are now ready to refit the bearings.

Place the hub on a firm surface and place the outer race of the bearing on its housing (Fig 35).

Make sure it is the correct way round (refer to the note you made earlier) and perfectly square. If it is 84 www.completekitcar.co.uk

This is the rebuilt hub ready to fit.

standing proud of the housing, gently tap it into place making sure it does not tilt. You will need to use a drift again to fully seat the bearing. A large socket is ideal but you can also use the same drift that you used to remove the bearing (Fig 36). Drift on the outer race only. When the bearing is fully seated all round, turn the hub over.

Pack the cavity between the two bearings with more grease and don’t forget to refit the spacer if used (Fig 45).

Drift in the second bearing as before (Fig 37). Refit any retaining circlips if they are used in the installation. The new oil seals may just push in or they may need to be drifted into place. Smear a small amount of grease around the housing and on the outer surface of the seal. The drift must APRIL 2011

only bear on the outer edge of the seal so I prefer to use a large socket or even the old seal as a drift to prevent any damage, but a block of soft wood can also be used (Fig 43). The seal may locate against a step or a flange (Fig 44) or it may simply fit flush with the housing. Before you fit the hub back onto the car put a smear of grease on the lip of the seal so that it does not run dry on the axle or drive shaft.

On most vehicles, wheel bearing replacement is an easy job to do and the components are not expensive so it is something which I would always do as a matter of course when building or rebuilding a car. I can then rest easy knowing that there should be no further maintenance necessary for a very long time.

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WORKSHOP TECHNICAL DIRECTORY

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WORKSHOP TECHNICAL DIRECTORY

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WORKSHOP TECHNICAL DIRECTORY

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made in the u.k

www.completekitcar.co.uk 89

090-094 Lambo Murcielago:Layout 1

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READER’S CAR

12:09

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Murciélago Replica

Having already built a Ferrari 430 replica, one CKC reader decided he’d tackle the UK’s most exotic lookalike... a

Lamborghini Murcielago

90 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

090-094 Lambo Murcielago:Layout 1

4/3/11

12:11

Page 91

THE VOLVO ESTATE cruising towards us as we take pictures at an empty industrial estate is white, with blue and yellow squares down the side, lots of aerials and blue lights on the roof. Brilliant... now we’re going to get nicked by the rozzers!

Turns out the two coppers aren’t interested in the car’s lack of a displayed tax disc or our unauthorised use of the location... they’ve just come to have a gawp at the car. As they’re traffic cops, they know their motors, and they’re keen to have a close look at the blue Lamborghini Murciélago in front of them. When the owner, Darren, tells them it’s a replica, they can’t quite believe it.

It’s easy to understand their confusion, because Darren’s car really, really looks the business. The glass, grilles, rear lights and even the massive 20in (19in fronts) rims are genuine Lamborghini fare. And unlike so many replicas these days, this bodykit (it’s not a conventional body/chassis kit) has not been massaged to fit its Toyota MR2 underpinnings... it’s dimensionally identical to the original. No wonder, then, that it looks convincing!

Darren is used to building show-stopping cars. Years ago he assembled a wide-bodied Renault 5 GT Turbo that was tidy enough to feature in the pages of Max Power magazine. An Impreza went the same way, as did an Evo IV that was made to look like a VI. More recently, his eye was caught by a Ferrari 355 replica based on a Toyota MR2 Mk2. Made by BAD, if was already assembled and in the classifieds. Darren bought it, tidied it up, sold it on and liked the concept of building something exotic on relatively humble underpinnings. The more modern 430 replicas were just coming onto the scene, but Darren wasn’t wild about the late Mk3 MR2 based kits, thinking the 1.8litre 138bhp engine was hardly a match for the 200bhp available from an imported turbocharged Mk2. That meant the MR2 Kits GTF 430 lookalike was the main contender. Just three months after collecting the kit in early 2010, his car was on the road. Sold shortly after for a useful profit, Darren was instantly looking for his next challenge, and he got wind of a part started Murciélago kit where the customer had already done some conversion work to the donor and bought all of the original Lamborghini components.

With receipts for £25,000, yet with little to show for it, Darren made a cheeky offer and the whole lot was his.

But before he could even begin work on this new challenge, he also heard of another Murcielago replica, largely complete, but looking scruffy. It was an opportunity for him and his Dad Paul to quickly sort it out and sell on for a profit that

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 91

090-094 Lambo Murcielago:Layout 1

4/3/11

READER’S CAR would help fund the other kit. Already on the road, this second car was in need of a lot of TLC, including a complete respray (done by Darren) in Lamborghini metallic orange. The end result looked amazing, and delivered the profit margin that allowed him to really go to town on the example you see here.

Unlike the MR2 Kits GTF 430 lookalike, which retains the utterly standard MR2 and simply reclothes it, the Lambo replica is more involved and made by a different company altogether (Extreme Sportscars).

Most significantly the MR2’s windscreen is ditched in favour of the original Lamborghini item. And to get the correct wheelbase, the rear suspension is modified to move the wheels back in the arches, with corresponding mods in the engine bay to keep everything in line.

12:11

Page 92

Murciélago Replica V6 engine conversion done by Woodsport.

Gives a unique feel to this MR2 conversion.

Seats have modified headrests and are retrimmed. Note ‘Murciélago’ wording in carbon-effect sill panel.

Interior completely retrimmed.

Hides Toyota dash pretty well.

Thankfully, much of this work had already been done when Darren took on the project, including what is perhaps this car’s most significant mechanical

92 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

development, a conversion to a 3-litre V6 Toyota engine found in either the Camry or Lexus...

It’s a conversion perfected by a company called Woodsport, who’ve been putting V6 engines in the back of Mk1, Mk2 and even Mk3 MR2s since 2002.

The engine is Toyota’s widely used 3VZ FE 3-litre V6 engine, typically producing around 185bhp, 200ft lb of torque and a far improved soundtrack. In Darren’s car it also benefits from a Link ECU upgrade to further pep up the power.

As well as the mods to the existing shell

090-094 Lambo Murcielago:Layout 1

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Page 93

USEFUL CONTACTS Kit package: Extreme Sportscars.

T: 01482 222793.

E: sales@extreme-sportscars.com W: www.extreme-sportscars.com Engine conversion: Woodsport. T: 0191 3770962. E: paul@woodsport.org W: www.woodsport.org ECU: Thor Racing. T: 0330 555 4545.

E: sales@thor-racing.co.uk W: www.thor-racing.co.uk Paintshop: Acclaim Motorsports, Sheffield.

T: 0114 278 7978.

Interior trimming: EA Ponsford Leather, Sheffield. T: 07795 025456 Wiring: Sub Zero. T: 07561 895515.

to accommodate the new windscreen, the Murcielago copy also ditches the standard MR2 doors in favour of bespoke fibreglass doors with internal frames and that allimportant scissor action. They were, unquestionably, the most challenging part of the whole project for Darren, with a week spent on each door to get the alignment correct and the window winders etc all working as they should.

The Murcielago’s rear ‘ears’ which rise at a certain speed on the original, are operated by a dash-mounted switch on Darren’s car, using the headlight motors from the MR2 to lift and lower them – a cunning bit of donor recycling.

Fitting the original Lambo alloys to the Toyota hubs would inevitably require some sort of spacer/hub adaptor, but Darren hadn’t seen anything that was quite right and finally had some adaptors made to his specification by a local engineering shop. It was the same situation when it came to the dummy brake discs and calipers. He wasn’t happy with anything readily available, so had 3-piece brake ‘discs’ and bells made specially which not only conceal the hub adaptors but really give the car the sense of purpose it needs. They look superb.

No surprise it looks convincing when panels moulded from original car.

Engine cover

louvres trimmed in vinyl carbon effect trim.

Works well.

Front

headlights are not original, but look almost identical.

Painting the car with the help of his mate Chad (and using the facilities at Acclaim Motorsport in Sheffield) Darren had to decide on a colour scheme.

Having done one car in the Lambo’s distinctive Arancio orange and seen several cars already done in white, Darren was looking for something different. And while metallic green would have looked good, he fancied the practicality of a solid colour that would be easy to touch up if needed. Original Lamborghini Nova blue was the result, offset with carbon effect highlights and the satin black wheels.

Inside, he wanted to conceal the MR2 Darren’s pleased with the end result.

I BUILT THIS...

dash as far as was practical, and he achieved this by making a cover for the centre console and moving items such as the heater controls into the glove box.

Completely retrimmed in leather, with matching seats including modified headrests, it’s a good effort that certainly hides much of the Toyota furniture.

Unlike the previous projects, this one wasn’t completed in a matter of weeks, but rather eight months. It’s still no mean feat and the result of that work is mightily impressive. If we’re being picky, then some of the panel shuts aren’t 100 per cent true, and the finish in and around the engine bay area could do with additional panelling to conceal some of

DARREN’S MURCIELAGO REPLICA

Name: Darren Age: 33 Occupation: Manufacturing plant manager

Engine: 3-litre Toyota Camry V6.

Gearbox: Toyota 5-speed

Best thing about your car? The engine

Best bargain? Rear tyres

Suspension: Front – Standard Mk2 MR2 with lowered springs. Rear – Mk2 Escort live axle located via a Panhard road and four trailing arms, coil-over dampers.

Favourite film? Armegeddon

Brakes: Discs/discs, servo

Thanks to: Darren would like to thank... Robin West for help with the bodywork, Tom Galton for general assistance, Tom for mechanical help, Danny Hardy for welding, Ed Ponsford for leather trimming, Chad for paint, Paul and Az at M Conversions, Legan and James at Juncton 30 Cars and Roger Bell for help with the electrics.

Wheels/tyres: Front – 19in Lamborghini alloys, Falcon 235x35 R19 tyres.

Rear – 20in Lamborghini alloys, Dunlop 315x35 R20 tyres.

Worst thing? The gas struts

APRIL 2011

Interior: Heavily modified Toyota interior, retrimmed in leather, modified seats with new headrests, bespoke door cards, gear lever gate, new lcd display.

Exterior: Lamborghini Nova blue with carbon effect highlights, lambo rear lights, grilles, glass and badges.

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090-094 Lambo Murcielago:Layout 1

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READER’S CAR

the fabricated framework. But when you watch this car moving around for the pictures, it’s utterly convincing. No wonder the boys in blue thought it was a genuine car. Even the V6 engine sounds amazingly rorty.

But what’s really impressive is the experience from inside the cabin. From the passenger seat, Darren’s car rides really well, with a sensible level of damping that avoids the crashing of other lowered cars – and with speed humps liberally scattered around the area of Darren’s home, even the ride height isn’t an issue.

The quality of his build also shines through from inside, with no rattles or shakes when on the move. Combined with the ride quality, this is one body conversion that really doesn’t appear to

12:11

Page 94

Murciélago Replica

Original alloys cover fake discs and calipers.

CKC’s Ian

Stent discusses the V6 engine conversion with Darren.

suffer unduly from the fitment of huge wheels and lowered ride. Impressive.

The V6 engine conversion also makes itself heard in here... a lot! It’s by no means a cheap conversion (expect to pay around £2950 including engine for the complete job) but it does give the car an exotic aural quality that a 4-pot can’t hope to match. The performance is also pretty brisk, even if nowhere near what’s available from the original car.

94 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

But that’s hardly the point is it? As the two policemen have aptly demonstrated (along with just about every other person who has stopped to watch us pass by), it’s how this car looks that matters.

Darren’s done a great job of a project that sounds pretty challenging by comparison to more conventional body conversions, and the result is a car that everyone thinks is, well... a Lamborghini.

Job done!

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PART BUILT CARS

DIABLO SV (PARALLEL DESIGNS) Rebuilt uprated BMW V12, new Audi gearbox, Brembo brakes, full Lamborghini instrumentation. All mechanicals and electrics done. Trim and paint to finish, £29,995 including private plate.

T: 07831 338847 (Cheshire).

ROBIN HOOD Lotus Seven style kit, unfinished project, 80 per cent complete, 1600cc Ford Crossflow engine, £1500.

T: 01375 403201 (Essex).

DAX COBRA BODY AND CHASSIS Ford 302 V8, Borgwarner T5 gearbox, E-type limited slip diff, 60 per cent complete, unpainted replica Halibrand wheels with Goodyear tyres. Will consider part exchange, £3495.

T: 07808 927690.

E: mandbford@talktalk.net (Oxfordshire).

YKC JULIETTA 60 per cent complete, all wheels on, engine and gearbox in. 2-litre Sierra engine, 14in alloys. Body panels, trim, carpets and seats included to finish, £2500. T: 01803 528486 (Devon).

WESTFIELD ALUMINIUM EXHAUST COVER Unused, £40. Stainless steel silencer, unused £45, two Norma stainless steel exhaust clamps, 47mm to 51mm, £5 each.

T: 01983 613208 (Isle of Wight).

PARTS FOR SALE FIREBLADE MANIFOLD To suit Fisher Fury. £30 or £50 with UK p&p. T: 07817 861951 (Kent).

TWO ROVER V8 HEADS PLUS MANIFOLDS Plus SU carburettors. MGB lined brake shoes, asbestos free, £50 the lot.

T: 01903 539521 (West Sussex).

VARIOUS PARTS Caterham bonnet £60.

Ford MT75 gearbox £60, pair of twin 40 Weber carbs, good condition £150, Westfield screen wide body new £70. T: 07504 683208 (West Bromwich).

PAIR OF FORD CORTINA UPRIGHTS Hubs, discs and calipers complete with pads and Goodridge brake pipes. All only done 3000 miles, £165. T: 01305 834994 (Dorset).

PIRELLI TYRES One pair, brand new P600.

235x60/15 98W rating. Offers? T: 0208 651 5711. E: cu.jimmy@tiscali.co.uk (Surrey).

4-LITRE TVR V8 ENGINE Removed from written-off Chimaera at 5500 miles and fitted in a Westfield SEiGHT. Complete with new Edelbrock 4-downdraft carb on Offenhauser manifold, starter, alternator, and gearbox.

Believed to be very low mileage, approx 8500.

For sale due to abandoned Dax Rush project, £2550 ono. T: 0115 846 2993 (Nottingham).

Up to £2000

‘FROGEYE’ REPLICA Banham Sprint. Are you rebuilding, repairing or wishing to start a Sprint? Buy my body kit and separate chassis kit for £1200. T: 01947 841177 (Teeside).

GINETTA G26 PROJECT Rolling chassis, correctly registered on a Q-plate, stripped ready for rebuild and respray, galvanised chassis, original build manuals, no engine or box, £500. T: 01522 809905 (Lincolnshire).

WESTFIELD EXHAUST HEAT SHIELD Brand new, £40. Decibel meter, only used for IVA, cost £35 will take £20. T: 01983 613208.

ROBIN HOOD 2B All stainless rolling chassis, bodywork near complete, carbon fibre nose and mudguards, single donor Sierra, 2-litre Pinto. Everything to finish, £1500 ono. T: 01424 736328 (East Sussex).

WESTFIELD NARROW BODIED SCREEN ASSEMBLY £60. RS2000 baffled alloy sump, £100. T: 01380 729033 (Devizes – collection only).

TEAM DYNAMICS MOTORSPORT WHEELS And tyres 195x45R15, two tyres new, £300. T: 01566 86004 (eves) (Cornwall).

WANTED GTM SPYDER Factory built or very high standard build. Preferably 1400cc engine (not essential). The newer the better.

E: gillianmacmillan@btopenworld.com WESTFIELD SE PARTS Roll-over bar and windscreen and pillar assembly for early 1991 narrow body Westfield SE. T: 07752 881423 (Grampian, Scotland).

Absolutely Kit Cars Always a good selection available Kit cars always wanted Tel: 01702 231319 or (m) 07710 266882 (Essex area) See current stock and details at www.absolutelykitcars.co.uk

CKC Advertisers Terms & Conditions Our full terms and conditions can be found online at www.completekitcar.co.uk/adtermsandconditions For further details please call:

01903 236268 All advertising purchase is done so in accordance with English Law

MISCELLANEOUS SNAKE TORQUE MAGAZINES From 1992 onwards, mint condition, buyer collects please due to work. Offers. T: 020 8651 5711. E: syzygy66@tiscali.co.uk (Surrey).

HAYNES MANUALS Thirteen in all covering Jaguar 4.2, Ford Sierra, Ford Granada, Vauxhall Cavalier, Triumph 2000, Rover 3500, Range Rover, Ford Cortina. £7 each. T: 020 865 5711. E: syzygy@tiscali66.co.uk (Surrey).

96 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

cars for sale

Up to £2000

KIT CARS

UNFINISHED TIGER AVON Unfinished project, 2-litre Pinto and Sierra running gear, at rolling chassis stage.

Almost everything to complete. Please phone for more info, £2000. T: 07882 121238 (Ceredigion).

F0211

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GTM ROSSA 2

X0511

cars for sale JAGO JEEP 2-litre Pinto, Weber carb, 4-speed box. Lots of new parts including rad, spark plugs, HT leads, dizzy cap. Correctly registered on Q, no passenger seat, no MoT or tax. Starts first time and drives. Would suggest using a trailer or courier, £650 ono. T: 07599 626643 (Middlesex).

F0311

£2001 to £5000

1380 MED engine, ex-factory demo, build manual. New battery, throttle and choke cable, track rod end and wheel bearing. MoT October 2011, tax April 2011, £2000 or near offer.

T: Mike – 07970 045 649.

E: mikeread1441@talktalk.net (Northants).

ROBIN HOOD S7 All Ford running gear with a nice Fiat 2-litre twin-cam engine. Sports seats, Sabelt seatbelts, hood and tonneau. Non Q-reg, MoT, taxed, £3495. T: 01895 624554 (Middlesex).

F0311

LOCOST

Tel: 020 8500 1991 or 07984 460014 www.hallmark-cars.com

KIT CAR BUSINESS

TIGER CAT XL

£10,001 and Above

2-litre Zetec, 2006 factory built car, only 1500 miles. Full weather gear and tonneau, owned by myself from new.

Beautiful condition, MoT May 2011, tax April 2011. Ready to enjoy at £7000. T: 01536 762788 (Northamptonshire).

X0211

X0111

0870 444 6320 No. 1 to be with!

BEAUFORD TOURER Two-door, four-seater, soft-top.

Rover V8 3.5-litre, new brakes, wheels and tyres. Spares included – wheels, tyres, engine parts etc, more pictures available by e-mail. £13,500. T: 01697 473615 or 07815 565881. E: richard.elton@ btinternet.com (Gateshead area).

X0311

X0211

LOTUS LOOKALIKE FORD SPECIAL

Factory built replica, Parallel Designs V12, registered May 2009. SmarTrack and Clifford G5 alarm, hands-free phone, air conditioning, ABS, Brembo brakes, £48,000 ono.

T: 07713 117805.

E: harry@wells.uk.com (Yorkshire).

Ford Crossflow 1300 doonor, long MoT, engieer’s report.

Aluminium and fibreglass body, 15in wheels, period registration, any trial. Featured in magazine, £12,000 ono.

X0211

X0111

APRIL 2011

www.completekitcar.co.uk 97

E: jscottdavies51@msn.com (Surrey).

£10,001 & Above

DAX RUSH MC

Graham Sykes Insurance

Sierra running gear, 5-litre Mustang engine. Car built in 2001, beige leather trim, blue wet weather gear, MP3 CD stereo. Chrome bumper kit not fitted, baby forces sale, £15,000. T: Greg – 07951 764147.

LAMBORGHINI DIABLO SV

Fireblade engine, super lightweight chassis, camber compensation front, De Dion rear.

2007, all fibreglass panels in Jaguar racing green with bare aluminium. 2300 miles, Audi 17in wheels, Quaife reverse box. Dry miles, no track use, £15,500. T: 07783 895394 (Norfolk).

F0111

F0211

Midas to Cobra

MEV R2 project including moulds, jigs, drawings, chassis, body etc.

Nearly everything to complete a demo car build including all new Gaz shocks, Wilwoods, LCD dash etc. Ford Focus donor included. £Offers. Selling due to emigration. T: Adie – 01522 859259 or 07523 495450.

E: on.track@ntlworld.com

PILGRIM SUMO

cars for sale

TIGER CAT 2004, 3050 miles, built to a high standard, 2-litre Pinto, 5-speed gearbox. Discs all-round, XR4x4 LSD, four good tyres. MoT October 2011.

T: 07879 660365 (Northamptonshire).

£5001 to £10,000

Great choice of cars always in stock!

cars for sale

£2001 to £10,000

Aluminium bodied, 1600cc Mexico engine, only 50 miles.

Minor details need finishing, no IVA but has a year’s MoT. Oil catcher, painted black, Ripspeed wheels, 225-section tyres on rear, new clutch, detachable steering wheel, VDO dials. Cream piped seats, no expense spared, £3,900. T: 01692 405411 or 07825 448853 (Norfolk).

Britain’s premiere specialists in Cobras and kit cars

098 30 Days:Layout 1

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30 DAYS Adam Wilkins recounts the highs and lows from the past month.

He likes to pretend it’s all work, but really it’s just one party. those three boxes it’s usually time for the drive home, but at AK I took root in the office and enjoyed plenty of tea and banter. Despite the fact they have retired, Ken and Linda Freeman were around, and Ken made a phone call for a chat with fellow Cobra replica maker Gerry Hawkridge. We were all more than a little surprised when we heard Ken talking of Ruby, a new, 18-week old arrival within Gerry’s household. The surprise turned to amusement when Gerry finally let on that Ruby was, in fact, a new pet dog.

SATURDAY 19TH: Went round to Ashley’s today to help him dismantle the MX-5 donor for the MEV Exocet he’s about to build. As well as being a dab hand with the spanners, it turns out he’s also pretty well developed in his domestic duties. He was able to juggle work outside with preparing a full roast dinner (including home-made Yorkshire puddings). When he almost put a grinder through his finger, it provided a useful juncture at which to put the chicken in the oven.

TUESDAY 8TH: Visited Sam Harpa today to get the lowdown on his Diablo replica build (page 68). I’m always amazed when someone takes on such a complex build as a first kit car project, and Sam added complications with his seemingly endless electronic gizmos. I’m looking forward to a return visit next month to grab the shots for part two of the story, on the finished car.

WEDNESDAY 16TH: Photos in the bag, car driven, notes taken. Once there’s a tick in

MONDAY 21ST: I’ve vacated my solitary office at home to move into CKC’s main hub at Worthing. The pic at the top left of this page will be the last taken in my orange office, ending four years of 30 Days continuity. The move will mean I’m more involved in the day to day running of the mag, and also working on additional projects such as more frequent updates

AK founder Ken Freeman on the phone to Hawk’s Gerry Hawkridge.

Moving

into CKC HQ. 98 www.completekitcar.co.uk

APRIL 2011

of the CKC website. Keep an eye online to see how it develops over the coming months...

WEDNESDAY 23RD: Now that I’m based in the main CKC office in Worthing, the first I see of Stent’s features is when they turn up in our graphic designer’s e-mail inbox.

So I was intrigued to see a feature entitled £500 Challenge turn up. There was no mention of it on the flatplan (the list of features we abide by) and Ian certainly hadn’t mentioned anything about getting his Ginetta MoT’d.

His underhand tactic was obviously designed to steal a lead in the £500 Challenge, while my old Treka continues to languish unloved. Well, it worked. I need to galvanise myself into action – and quickly!

MONDAY 28TH: Ian was worringly proud of the shot below, which he found of his youthful self (plus Which Kit? publisher, Peter Filby). Once you’ve got over the baggy trousers, the thing that really strikes you is the glasses. Worringly, Ian was able to lay his hands on the offending eyewear almost immediately, and wore them to the office to sign off the magazine. Although it’s the first time anyone here has seen them (hence the obvious surprise on Justin’s face), we can’t help suspecting he wears them regularly throughout the sunny months.

099 Rolling Road Directory:CKC Cover copy

YOUR LOCAL...

7/3/11

08:25

Page 57

Rolling Road Services

Kit Build Services Directory To get your car’s engine running correctly, there’s really no better solution than a full rolling road setup. Here are some kit car friendly companies around the UK.

There are lots of reasons why taking your car to a rolling road may prove useful. At its most basic, you may want to know exactly what power your carefully assembled engine is producing, and a single power run will tell you. Alternatively, you may be running a modern twin-cam engine converted to throttle bodies, and an extended rolling road session may be the only way to accurately map the aftermarket ECU. Running traditional carbs? Once again, a good tuning company will soon have them sorted with the help of a rolling road.

Increasingly popular these days is the use of bike carbs on all manner of car engines. To get these working smoothly it’s almost essential that you invest in a rolling road set-up. It’ll be money well spent.

Inverness

Glasgow

NORTH YORKSHIRE

Edinburgh

DAYTUNER PERFORMANCE LTD Unit 1a, Killinghall Stone Quarry Ripon Road Harrogate HG3 2BA T: 01423 523 323 E: info@daytuner.co.uk W: www.daytuner.co.uk

Newscastle Belfast

LANCASHIRE

JOHN CLARKSON AUTOS Unit AB, Dodd Lane, Chorley Road, Westhoughton BL5 3NA

Hull

Leeds

T: 01942 818745 E: ajcmimi@tiscali.co.uk

Manchester

Derby

Birmingham

JOHN CLARKSON AUTOS

Cambridge

Oxford

Swansea Cardiff

Reading

London

Brighton

WARWICKSHIRE

THOR RACING 894 Charter Avenue Canley Coventry CV4 8AT T: 0330 555 4545 F: 0330 555 4546 E: sales@thor-racing.co.uk W: www.thor-racing.co.uk

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

TIGER RACING LIMITED Ecco New Toll Service Station Wisbech Road Thorney Toll Nr. Wisbech PE13 4AX T: 01733 849328 (Paul) E: jim@tigerracing.com W: www.tigerracing.com

Plymouth

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

NORTHAMPTON MOTORSPORT Unit 52 Rothersthorpe Crescent Northampton, NN4 8JD T: 01604 766624 E: northamptonmotorsport@btconnect.com W: www.northamptonmotorsport.com

Subscribe today and get the CKC membership card and receive discounts to many kit car services. www.completekitcar.co.uk

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Hawk Cars

the collection..

. .a motoring icon may be closer to reality than you ever thought

F.I.A

Official Build Agents for Hawk Cars www.talonsportscars.com E: enquiries@talonsportscars.com T: 01509 842740

HF 2000/3000

427

For the ultimate in authenticity, quality & engineering integrity All parts available for original 289 & 427 cars

289

Workshop

Supplier of coffin spoke and FIA Mk2 & Mk3 427 wheels

Tel: 01892 750341 / 750282 Oakdene, Riverhall Hill, Frant, East Sussex TN3 9EP

gerry@hawkcars.co.uk www.hawkcars.co.uk