SLROC Forum

Thanks Ian

I want it to be road legal and I going for a small block chevy petrol engine, a aluminium block version, one of the LS series, I start out with a mild 400 bhp! lol

Very keen to use the tomcat panels and maybe go for a limited slip diff in the rear and open diff in the front to start with, help me avoid understeering everywhere

Iam having abit of a dilemma between auto trans or manual trans, not sure which will suit comp safari's better??

But like you say, there will be alot stuff that Iam sure will be wrong, but good fun trying different things

thanks

dave

Next comp is at Bathgate on 17th & 18th September, the best idea is to get along and have a chat with the crews around the service area. Chevvy LS engines, limited slip diffs, all the wheel base sizes, you'll find the lot there and plenty of advice and guidance!

Hi Dave
First thing I would suggest is don't do anything hasty like ordering a new chassis unless you have taken a bit of paper (or very large beer mat) and costed out the project.  It will be much cheaper for you to buy a car that someone else has prepared or semi prepared and lost interest in for example.
You need to cost all the components eg 100" chassis perhaps 2 RRC front ends welded together to get rid of the 'A' frame rear suspension and a spaceframe.  Add a pair of axles eg Td5 Disco 2 (?150+ each) then strengthen them and add Ashcroft shafts and CV's to the front (?600+) and a limited slip truetrac in the front and a locker in the rear (?1500+) and a Watts linkage.  Then you have the engine eg a 290bhp overfinch 5.7 small block chevy (?2000) with 660cfm Holley carb (?400) with a ZFhp22 auto box with HP24 internals (?800?) and a Borg Warner transfer box (?600).  You need some decent shox maybe Fox at ?800 a corner, then the bowler panels (which will never fit properly), then engine, gearbox and PAS oil coolers at ?70 each +pipework and a decent eg Allisport water radiator and fan(s) ?450.  Disco 2 steering box should suffice and strengthened tierods and steering rod etc (?200?) and suitable left hand thread TRE's in your spares box.  Did i mention the custom cut windscreen from plant glazing ?90 or the custom prop shafts at ?150 each?  And you need all the wiring, gauges and switches and exhaust wrap which someone like Demon Tweeks will be happy to supply if you hand over a few hundred quid.  And something to sit on. Decent vinyl buckets will cost ?200-300 each and suitable harnesses about ?150 each.  And an intercom ?80.  And extinguishers ?200.  And helmets ?150+. And a suitable ally fuel tank ?150, a pump ?150 and an Optima battery ?120.
If you haven't fallen asleep by now reading this you will see i havent mentioned wheels and tyres , brakes etc etc.  Think carefully!

Next comp is at Bathgate on 17th & 18th September, the best idea is to get along and have a chat with the crews around the service area. Chevvy LS engines, limited slip diffs, all the wheel base sizes, you'll find the lot there and plenty of advice and guidance!

I will be coming along, thanks for letting me know

Team wasp - Thanks for your thoughts, I totaly agree, these things allways cost lots more than you 1st think, but I really want the enjoyment and satisfaction of building as much of the tomcat as I can, and be able to build it to my own specations(help and guidance needed there), it's going to be fun!

cheers, dave

What Brian (Team Wasp) neglected to mention above, was that he bought a complete and running car and over the following year or two still managed to go out and buy everything he listed there! 

The other option is to buy a mostly complete car with the express intention of finding out what you like & don't like BEFORE you then spend lots of money building a car....

Having spent a year trying out a car, you'll have a better idea of what's important and what's not when you come to build your own....... simple things like :

• Does your passenger need a "Jesus Handle"
• What controls can you delegate to the Navigator & what need to be easy for you to reach.
• Do you want a door, or is a door-bar fine?
• Do you want netting beside you, or a fully enclosed cab?
• Is front engined actually OK for you, or do you find it too nose-heavy?
• 2 wipers or three? What about one on the inside of the window?
• Are you happy with a simple mechanical battery isolator switch, or want a fully electronic system?
• Where does the fire extinguisher go?
• What instruments do you actually use, or want

Finally, if you are actively racing, then swapping manual/auto is pretty easy.... and you can always sit in with the likes of Colin and see how a sequential works in the wild! Try before you buy ;-)
 

Thanks for the idea's Ian

dave

you'll find the lot there and plenty of advice and guidance!

Aye... ask 10 people, and get 10 different answers :chuckle: