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Post by lowender on Aug 15, 2019 9:50:29 GMT
400kg Just the Daimler V8 is 225kg already, leaving 175 for the rest of the car. Massively impressive if true. I see 475kg dry figures for stock Bucklers with a 1.5l 4cyl, so a huge amount of work must have been done. Sorry, my mistake, senior moment, got my numbers mixed up. The V8 DD2 is around 500kg dry (according to it's builder Simon, who is Derek Buckler's grandson), the BB2 Backbone with 100E is 385kg. There is no such thing as a stock Buckler, they're all very different as they were in essence a kit car with a bespoke space frame tailored to your engine/running gear/body choice, and not many with BMC or Coventry Climax 1.5 engines - most had Ford 1172cc 100E/E93A engines and swing axle ifs to comply with the 1172 clubmans racing formula of the time. There is a Jaguar powered one, and a record of someone putting a Lincoln V12 in one. Around 400 chassis were made in total, less than 20 are still active in the UK. Here's the Backbone, only 2 were made, this one was exhibited at the 1961 racing car show:
If you're interested, you're welcome to come down to Bristol and take a look. We have two 90s, a mk10, the V8 DD2, and Backbone in the garage at the moment.
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Post by V6 on Aug 15, 2019 10:53:15 GMT
Amazing. Looks like an aluminium slipper
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Post by V6 on Aug 15, 2019 17:10:52 GMT
I have to say I'm rather dissapointed by the sound of this. Looked so good on paper too. Just lacks the sexy sounds of old school American V8s. I guess because it's so small...
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Post by dadbif on Aug 15, 2019 17:16:13 GMT
Proper panel beating
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Post by V6 on Aug 15, 2019 17:17:50 GMT
Headphones on, volume up...
Ho. Lee. prarrie canoe. Need
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Post by Zed. on Aug 16, 2019 12:24:23 GMT
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Post by V6 on Aug 16, 2019 14:13:23 GMT
Hilarious!
Concerns about mass and balance... F**ks given... Zero LOL
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Post by Vindi (Russell) on Aug 18, 2019 21:06:32 GMT
Spent the day at Retro Rides getting inspiration ... saw a 5 with a Volvo T5 engine in it, looked like a decent conversion as well, interesting!!
Still don't really like the idea of a turbo setup because of all the cooling problems they seem to have, but it's maybe an option I should think about some more. Anyone know anything about them? First thing ought to be finding out what they weigh I guess
Russell
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Post by Whistler on Aug 19, 2019 8:03:32 GMT
I thought the T5 engines were pretty bullet proof as long as you stop the liners from moving by fitting dowls around them. If you fitted a larger crossflow rad I doubt you'd have any cooling issues.
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Post by niklas on Aug 19, 2019 17:11:59 GMT
Spent the day at Retro Rides getting inspiration ... saw a 5 with a Volvo T5 engine in it, looked like a decent conversion as well, interesting!! Still don't really like the idea of a turbo setup because of all the cooling problems they seem to have, but it's maybe an option I should think about some more. Anyone know anything about them? First thing ought to be finding out what they weigh I guess Russell Large rad, ducting, vented hood, large oil cooler. Works fine. You'd need cooling for anything powerful driven hard. Most people who have problems run with a small rad and/or without an oil cooler. A tracked 5 needs an oil cooler with a standard engine if driven properly.
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Post by Vindi (Russell) on Aug 19, 2019 20:27:55 GMT
Spent the day at Retro Rides getting inspiration ... saw a 5 with a Volvo T5 engine in it, looked like a decent conversion as well, interesting!! Still don't really like the idea of a turbo setup because of all the cooling problems they seem to have, but it's maybe an option I should think about some more. Anyone know anything about them? First thing ought to be finding out what they weigh I guess Russell Large rad, ducting, vented hood, large oil cooler. Works fine. You'd need cooling for anything powerful driven hard. Most people who have problems run with a small rad and/or without an oil cooler. A tracked 5 needs an oil cooler with a standard engine if driven properly. That's a good call on the oil cooler, I might have a bit more of a look at FI as an option Russell
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Post by Vindi (Russell) on Aug 25, 2019 21:20:02 GMT
Really interesting conversation here ... grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/k-miata-vs-v6-miata-vs-ls-miata-vs-rotary-miata/138113/page1/Similar to the conversation here ... Keith Tanner (runs Flyin Miata) made some very interesting points (whether you agree with them or not is a different matter) ... basically, if you're within the stock drive train power levels (250 BHP / 250 ft/lbs), stick with a turbo. For anything above that, essentially you may as well go to a V8. If you've got to swap the gearbox, there's a lot of work involved ... the same amount of work to get you to 300bhp as to get to 400, so you may as well do it properly. He does concede the slight weight saving from a V6, and also mentions he's biased as he has to justify how much profit he would make out of any money he puts in ... Interesting read anyway, just take it with a pinch of salt because of the differing costs if base cars, values once completed and availability of parts / donor engines in the US Russell
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Post by V6 on Aug 26, 2019 6:43:56 GMT
As said a few times here, Honda engine gives you: Reliability. Engines running with 1000-1300 boosted. Or two of my low mile mazda engines which died on oem power. One top end, one bottom end. No thanks. Ease of maintainence - belts not timing chains. Sensible mass - car ends up only +4kg with heavy large Honda intake. Less without (Holley). Good distribution - V6 is shorter than a four so mass is further back. V8 will be much worse. Good sound. It's not a four pot. OK fuel. Compared to a V8. I've had both and the difference is large. Transmission can be kept - lovely five speed and Torsen diff, if up to 300 of smooth NA power. Downsides mentioned... You need to add a sump guard or go dry sump for improved clearance. Easily do able. Bonnet cut for the lower mass and more effective intake. But you also have to do this on the best alternative: K24. As before... Best for track: K24, at huge cost. Best for sound and ignore ALL of above (weight, handling, cost, etc): V8 Best bang per buck: bung a turbo snail on. Best for me: different from yours no doubt At a certain point though, you have to consider the alternatives to an MX5. At the very top level V8 swaps etc... Maybe it's best to buy a car intended for them. Such as a Gardner Douglas Cobra which was developed for racing. That's my future goal. Ps If you want a high revving K24 style engine... You can always just buy an S2000
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Post by Vindi (Russell) on Aug 26, 2019 22:51:48 GMT
I agree with some of that, but if the K24 was the best on track they would be the fastest cars out there ... but they're not, the LFX cars are faster. The thing I'm not sure of is why ... are they just better, or is it driver / setup etc ... hard to work out.
It's also hard to say how that converts to the UK, as our tracks are a lot tighter than theirs. In theory the V6 should get even better compared to the 4 pot, but it's probably not that simple!
I'm not sure the Honda engines have enough go in them to make them worth the cost ... whether K24 or J, you won't get past 300 without FI ... and at that power, a turbo, forged internals and a 6 speed box will do that with as much reliability and about half the cost. I know the Honda engines are reliable, but when pushed they seem to blow up as much as anything else. The only working J engined 5 in the UK is currently off the road ... blown engine. I've never managed to blow up an MX5 engine ... well over 100,000 miles under my belt and all of that has been with various power mods up to about 285bhp. Not that my experience proves anything, but it does give me a certain confidence with them.
It's a good thing that I haven't got the money to spend yet ... I think for the moment I'll stick with a simple MX5 setup and see how it all pans out. Ideally I get a drive in one of each ... I'm gradually ticking them off my list, the main gap is a properly done V8 conversion ... I know there are a handful of LS 5s in the UK, I'm just not sure where they are at the moment
Russell
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Post by Vindi (Russell) on Aug 26, 2019 23:23:04 GMT
Other alternatives ... apart from an MX5, what would I have? I've had a lot of cars over the years, including quite a few kits, and although they're nice they're just not as useable as a 5. I've had something like 4 or 5 Vindicators, 2 Westfields, a Jago, 2 Ginettas, a Quantum, 2 Daxes, an Ultima and a Valeno. GD make some nice cars ... but useable? No, not even slightly ... track days and nice weather only, which is exactly why I'm selling the Elise. All the other smaller sports cars suffer from the same sorts of problems ... too small, twitchy, leaky, not enough luggage space etc. I think the only cars that could be considered truly useable are a decent way out of my price range ... mostly made by Porsche
The MX5 actually ticks more boxes for me than most things, weird but it's where I'll stay for a bit.
Russell
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