What do you people sugest for my locost

a high powered Twin turbo V8 or some form of bike engine?

my driving style will be somwhere along the lines of foot to the floor

i plan on using it for ragging around B roads and occasional track days

no comment, other than what did that add used to say.... ???


oh i remember......."think bike"

That was an unexpected response from Mr Ison

Cheers

Chris

(I'd have the V8 BTW)

twin bike then.........,

i want a MKGT1 anyways.......

well i think the torquey V8 would give some nice arse out action

but id imagine due to the weight of the bike engine it would be slightly quicker off the mark?

at the moment i think the TT V8 looks more attractive

You are going to have to do some thinking about weight distribution (RV8 approx same weight as Pinto then turbos and ancilliaries), cooling (imagine getting turbo's glowing - your feet will roast nicely), probably need massive radiator, and oil cooler, intercooler etc.

hicost has Cossy lump in his - suggest you look at space under bonnet. Believe his car weighs in at 700+ kg (apologies h if I'm wrong).

I'd suggest Turbo'd bike engine as you obviously have quite a budget!! Hayabusa can manage over 400 bhp when turbo'd. Very light - might be able to keep weight of car to 500kgs.

My thoughts anyway!!

ATB

Simon

yeah turbo'd busa engine look in last months ccc with the dax for the power figures


is locodude sick??????? no mention of stickin to a x flow yet!!!!!!!!!

No computer in his tent!!!

He's at Donnington

Cheers

Chris

no but he's gotta pur up wi my snorin....off now....ceya tomorrow Mr G.....

well its not that i have lots of money
its that i spend all the money i have on cars

somtimes i even have money left over for food

i was going to make the locost chassis a bit wider based on the 422? chassis?

the V8 would seem cheaper tho due to the abundance of parts for it and less fragile than the bike engines seem

its not just bhp i want but plenty of torque too

as for cooling ill prolly just have to pinch some intake scoops from a fighter jet or somthing simililar

think if you'd have been at donnington today then you may have changed your mind......with a few exceptions BECS was on top form.....

Fragile.....

And the exceptions were?

the ones that cant handle the stress

nothin lie a big heavy car engine for reliablity by any chance

Exceptions,,,,,,Jame's and his 400hp fire breathing cosworth, (thnx for the ride james) whatever was in the back of the ultima.... can't think of too much else,

the only ones to throw there guts onto the track came from CEC's i'm afraid, this fragile thing makes me giggle....

yeah they'v less tourqe, non a this, can't do that, but iv'e driven mine today with the foot firmly planted to the floor for what must be 50+ laps of donnington at speeds well over the ton, most two up, (including chrisg, lite he is not) and all she does is sit there ticking over crying More, More More, driven like for like the BEC may be a lot o things but fragile it aint....

hoew much is a blade engine anyway??

legal ones from £700 up.....dont forget you get multi plate clutch, 6 speed sequentional box, four flatside carbs, oh and it all weighs bugger all for free.......

no engine numbers, don't buy it.....

For a long time I have been wary, to say the least, about bike engines in cars. I've got to admit, though, that cost for cost, weight for weight and bhp for bhp they are the ideal choice for a light car such as a Locost.
People complain that they have little torque, but what they mean is not much torque at low rpm.

John

hmmm decisions decisions
i see where your coming from tho with the locost being so light n all

gonna have to give this a long hard think
altho it might take so long to decide that i might aswell just build one of each

I'm Back!
Give me an all steel, big valve, lumpy cammed, throttle boddied, omex ignited x-flow snorter any day! (tongue planted firmly in cheek!) Seriously tho' only a Lottery win away!
Chris PTM

well i do have a nice brand new 16v RS2000 engine sitting here but thats going my escort i think
i think for the pure fun factor ill go with V8 in the locost

quote:

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no but he's gotta pur up wi my snorin....off now....ceya tomorrow Mr G.....

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lol i am real
i just have a habit of thinking out loud

with regards to the v8 idea, if your going to go to bugger around with fitting one, which looks potentially painful (not that i'd know, havnt got that far yet), and aint fitting one) you could simplify the plan quite a bit by using a supercharger. only have to source one and only have to plumb one lot of air through an intercooler and into a plenum... or... how entertainingly silly would an old roots GM6-71 look sticking out the bonnet of a locost....

ok iv been reading around a lot and i think ill have to make a busa blade

they go like poo off a shovel

i think once iv built that maybye i can start on a V8/V10 somthing or another

ok iv been reading around a lot and i think ill have to make a busa blade

So thats two engines from two different bikes and two different capacities?

Sounds like a doddle!
Col

no sorry i was just half asleep when i wrote it
i meant a busa bec

Isn't a 'busa engine about £3K thou?

Or have I been cruelly mislead?

James

that sounds about right

cheaper than the V8 tho

Really? What sort of money is a V8? Or were you including the turbos and stuff in that?

James

If you want lots of power for your money, and from a new or rebuilt engine, then it has to be either bike or Chevy 350 (5.7ltr)V8. The bike engine is definitely smaller, and probably a bit lighter too
Rover v8s can be bought for not much at all but the cost of reconditioning and tuning can make them seem like not such a bargain

John

i worked out by time iv finished with the V8 id either spend 5K on parts

or spend 7k on a new corvette LS1 V8

im working out the fastest bike engine for the money and weight
it seems like the busa, zx-12 or R1 come out on top

im thinking the R1 is better tho due to being 20kg lighter than the busa, higher reving nearly as powerfull and a lot cheaper (more money to spend on lightened parts)

nah.. dunno where your talking about buying bits from, but you can build a reliable 350 chev for not much at all... parts are SOO widely reproduced for these engines that you can get a set of forged pistons for them for under 300 USD, so like £200 for the SET. i'd guestimate you could, even allowing for ripoff machining and headwork, build a 300hp 350chev for about £1500 (cast flattops, lt-1 valve springs, crane cam and lifters, arp rod bolts, 4bbl manifold,600 holley carb ect)
i'd say you could build a reliable 450-500 hp engine for about £3000 (worked heads, solid cam, roller rockers, steel crank, forged slugs ect) as for new engines, the 350 chev out of the holden HSV line of vehicles, producing 400bhp can be purchased in a crate for A$8000, or about £2700 with the atrocious exchange rate, add £500 max for shipping and another £500 for paperwork and tax and you have a new corvette engine for £3700.

ok well you got my attention

where do i find sombody to ship one of these over?

i do like the idea of a bec but the V8's do have a helluva sound to em

alternately, if your set on v8, you can get hold of a lexus 4.0 (toyota) v8 halfcut for nix in japan or about A$2500 in oz, not sure in UK, this is rated at 260bhp, and with the halfcut you'd get some nice big disc brakes ect. or if your not set on v8, better choice would be a toyota 2.5l 1jzgte, little brother of the recent supra engine, about the same money in halfcut form and good for the jap legal max of 280odd bhp, with 500+ available WITHOUT internal mods, ie, just bolt on a bigger SINGLE turbo and intercooler and programmable management system.
the lexus v8 also takes supercharger kits quite easily...
regards
dave

actually iv been mulling over the idea of a Audi V6 turbo diesel engine

but i think one of these would be well out my price range

its all very well having cheap engines in other countrys but id need to find sombody to post it over

I've got a 4 bolt mains ( the one to have ) 350ci/ 5.7 litre small block chevy engine for sale. It's only in Liverpool ( near Chester )Complete and standard!!!!
Col

how much?

wasnt looking at buying till the new year
but if the price is right i might be able to scrape the cash together

Looking at around 4 ton,but will deal.
I'm in no panic to sell but if you are interested will keep hold of it for a month or two!
Col

sounds good mate

can u gimmie some more details on it?

what gearbox will i need for it?
how many miles has it done? condition ect?
running on carbs i assume?

quote:

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as for new engines, the 350 chev out of the holden HSV line of vehicles, producing 400bhp can be purchased in a crate for A$8000, or about £2700 with the atrocious exchange rate, add £500 max for shipping and another £500 for paperwork and tax and you have a new corvette engine for £3700.

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scrap injection
slap on some webbers

I removed the motor out of a chevy blazer, it was showing 87k on the clock?
It was running,I believe you can fit the cossy T5 box to them and it is runnuing standard carb.If you are serious about one of these engines get a catalogue from Real Steel etc. and check out the prices of parts/tunning.Std pistons 75 pound. For all eight!!! Top end gasket set 18.62 How does that compare to the rover?
Col

sounds great mate

a nice seasoned block for when i blue print it aswell
consider it sold (just gimmie a month to get the cash)

btw is it the block thats made of iron or alloy?
where abouts are you mate? im just over the water near birkenhead

oh and that GM 6-71 blower thing was exactly what i was looking for to stick out of the bonnet
i just didnt know its name

okey, firstly, with regards to the older gen 350s, i'm pretty sure if you have a quick look online you'll find a company in the states in a coastal city whom would be more than happy to find you a base 010 4 bolt motor (pay no more than $3-500 US for a complete rebuilder) and, since you'd get it cheaper shipping all in one go, order the rest of the parts you'd want at the same time, alternately you probably CAN get them cheap enough in the UK if you hunt around. if you want a fully built motor, depending on how much money you want to spend, try COME (chev offroad and marine engines) engineering, in australia, they have a good website with a comprehensive list, and all of thier engines arrive g'ted to produce the power on the dyno, they have a good variety starting at about £1800, with the current exchange rate, all fully rebuilt motors. they'd prolly be happy to organise shipping as well. they have a stomper of a 383 stroker for about A$13000, or £5000, puts out almost 600bhp, natrually aspirated..
if you do want something from australia, which the company you want it from wont organise shipping, i know of an export broker who will secure whatever you want and ship it for you, but they do charge... in the region of 5-10% ofthe value of whatever your getting..

with regards to the jap import halfcuts, i'd expect there would be someone in the UK bringing them in, if not, its a bloody good business for anyone who wants to set it up, they're 20-50000 YEN in japan, and would end up in the UK for a few hundred quid, and sell for at least a grand. if not, the same thing, ring an aussie jap importer and i'd say they'd be happy to ship, or contact the broker i mentioned earlier.

with regards to the new crate motors, i believe i've made a liar of myself... your right, the 8000 buck ones are the standard LS-1 ones, good for 320hp standard, and no, they dont come with ECUs, but do come with injection, but if you were going to go to the effort of importing one, you could easily get a Hawk programmable management system for an additional 1000, or £350, half of what you could get one for in the uk.
with regards to the HSV, if anyone is interested in them, but doesnt like the concept of forking out £50000, you can get a BRAND NEW commodore SS 5.7, effectively the same car without the bodykit and options for A37000 NEW, or £12500, prolly have it on the road in the UK for under £20K, the calloway tweeked LS1 (vette) engines, as used in the HSV, are about A$13000 i think.
there is also BULK tuning parts available for them now in aus, pretty good prices too.
regards dave

ye gods...
in order to run webbers on an engine of that size you generally have to use 4X48mm IDA, as in detomaso pantera style (on a 351 clevo in that example)
that setup is just fine, provided you want to tune it every weekend.. keeping 4 carbs in simultaneous tune is not my idea of fun..
holden/chev injection is quite good, not too restrictive, and can be improved on, but if you MUST use a carb, a single 750cfm square bore holley would do nicely.

yea, the T5 goes okey on a 350, provided you keep power at a REASONABLE level... they dont cope with high power smallblocks that well.... personally, if you've got a big budget, i'd get hold of a T56 6 speed, should be able to get one for not much more than £1000, if you can find one.

i THINK that'd be a gen II 350, good solid cast iron......

finally, (this is only like my 7th post on this topic) i did track down the COME website, www.comeracing.com, and here is part of their pricelist, if you go to the site and check out the individual packages, then you'll have a better idea as to whats done to each...
350 STREETMASTER S.T-2 – 240-280 BHP
A$3410

350 STREETMASTER S.T-3 – 280-340 BHP
A$3850

350 BRACKETMASTER DART SR HEADS – 350+ BHP
A$ 7700

350 BRACKETMASTER ALUMINIUM HEADS – 380+ HP
A$ 9350

350 BRACKETMASTER "WEEKEND WARRIOR" ALUMINIUM HEADS (OUTRIGHT) – 450 BHP
A$ 13200

383 STREETMASTER S.T-2 – 250-300 BHP
A$5500

383 STREETMASTER S.T-3 – 300-360 BHP
A$
6050

383 BRACKETMASTER DART SR HEADS (OUTRIGHT) – 360-400 BHP
A$ 11000

383 BRACKETMASTER ALUMINIUM HEADS (OUTRIGHT) – 360-420 BHP
A$ 12650

383 ULTIMATE RACER PRO ALUMINIUM HEADS (OUTRIGHT) – 500+ BHP
A$
16500

383 "TERMINATOR" (OUTRIGHT) – 600+ BHP
A$24200

with regards to conversion, with the rubbish exchange rate, 1 pound- $3 is the current rule of thumb.. last week $500AUD got me 168.37 GBP. so you can get a 350 fully rebuilt through them for 1200 quid, prolly 1500 if they have to source you a basic motor, plus say 500 packaging, and 500 tax ect at the UK end.

Yank V8 in a locost??? yeah loadsa power that
you'll never use. The chassis will most likely spin round the crank
I'll wave bye bye at the first corner.
Long live mr kawasaki san!

Macca... if rallyslag changes his mind about the engine, let me know cause i'm interested.

Thanks.

John.

here we go, i'm about to step onto my soapbox on a topic i have zero experience with, apart from knowing how various engines perform in regular, non locost vehicles.
(i've defended yank v8's more times than i can remember now, i cant help having a soft spot for them)
as far as i can tell, there are positives and negatives for both applications for use in a locost type vehicle. MYSELF, if i was building a big dollar locost, would PROBABLY end up using a jap import turbo job, possibly a nissan SR20DET, which, with a decent amount of work ($5-10000AUD), can punch out 500hp plus whatever shot of gas you want to put into it, ridiculous amounts of work can generate 700+bhp AT THE WHEELS from that engine, plus gas, but spending 40-50K USD on an engine is just beyond me. using that engine, you'd get the benefits of it still being a 4cyl in size ect, with high output. With regards to BEC, from what i can tell/guess, they have the ability to be very quick, effective track tools if you want no comfort and no practicality, effectively a road registered go-kart, then BEC sounds good. In the case of the v8, then you have ground thumping torque and bhp, at the expense of weight and potential handling, this can be assisted somewhat, since as you dont have to be stripped out to save weight, you can run power steering, and therefor big, wide sticky tyres. another negative particularly applicable in the UK, due to cost of petrol, is economy, from a mildly worked chev, expect no better than 15mpg, and a seriously worked one, start calculating in gallons to the mile. on the positives, with the V8's torque, you can have every concievable luxury in your locost with an absolute minimal loss in performance. if mild versions of these engines can do 0-60 in mid 4 secs in 1700kg cars, then how quick are they in luxury fitted out locosts which, id guess, would still come in at 900-1000kg. as for never using the power, how long are the straights and high speed sections on tracks in the UK?
as far as i have read, BEC tend to top out at 120 or so, and take a bit to wind out after 110, so on any straight longer than a few hundred metres, they'd be starting to top out wouldnt they? the v8, on the other hand, will accelerate from 100-XXX depending on your gearing, at a similar rate or acceleration that it went from 60-100. on the other foot, the v8 would be a big handful on the track.. anything that can smoke the tyres at 60mph when you put your foot down will require some caution to drive.
anyhow, i could ramble on all day, but my point is that there is potentially a use for a SB chev in a locost, in my humble opinion.

deffinatly gonna have that engine mate

100% BEC guy ere, but can i have 1st ride in the V8 yank tank locost when its done.....should be awsome.........

i want the first mad max locost

and jon sure thing