I'm a new builder, and i'm busy sourcing the parts i'm going to build the car with. I have got a cheap sierra with a 2.0Dohc engine, i know people have built using the engine even though it has it's floors. Can anyone help me with this problem - I want to stick to the book chassis. obvioulsly i have to occomodate the extra room for the engine, but i don't want IRS this seems too complicated. In my opinion a live axle would seem a better idea.

What axel should i source? as Escort II's just don't exist any more. Would a cortina, capri do the job, even though the wheel base would be longer.

Any ideas would be a great help

hi and welcome.you can use either the capri or cortina axles.plenty of people on here are useing them.when i started my build i had a axle and i didnt know what it was out of,placed a breif description of it on here and within a couple of hours found out it was a capri axle and was given loads of info.very freindly people

You are one step in front of me if you have your donor as I am still looking out for mine. I have however, already suffered headaches trying to make sence of it all and that has given me a brief glimps of what is to come.
The conclusion I have come to with help from this forum is that there is no easy way forward. If you can sourse all the parts as to the book then things should be reasonably straightforward with plenty of suspension and body parts available off the shelf.
Once you start to deviate from the book you unearth a real bucket of worms. For example if you go with a capri rear axle you would have to build the shassis + 4 That in turn would mean that either the escort steering rack would need extensions on the TRE or the sierra rack would have to be shortened, or at least I think, please correct me if I am wrong because I am still trying to get all this straight in my own mind. I am also prety sure from reading other posts on the forum that building +4 makes finding the correct size body panels difficult too.
Personaly I want a 2ltr pinto if I can get the right donor, my plan is to build as to the book but make the sides 14" instead of 13 to accomodate the pinto and then just sit it out for a rack and axle.
I am sure that more experienced members will be able to put us both right on these points.

Thanx
Is that + 4 (i presume inches) to accomidate the extra wheel base? I know what you mean about the worms. Sourcing a escort mkII is hard enough, but finding one that hasn't been stripped of locost parts is a lot harder. But i want the exra power and speed. I was planning to make my own body panels any how, so there shouldn't be a problem. I need to sit down with all the bits measure them and design a suitable frame for them using the book as a guide. mammouth task, but thats what makes it all the better. I'm up for the challenge (just have to keep telling myself that) once i get the dimensions right and the chassis built the rest will fit together with 'relative' ease. but i'm sure i'll come back here a lot.

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Originally posted by andyjack
You are one step in front of me if you have your donor as I am still looking out for mine. I have however, already suffered headaches trying to make sence of it all and that has given me a brief glimps of what is to come.
The conclusion I have come to with help from this forum is that there is no easy way forward. If you can sourse all the parts as to the book then things should be reasonably straightforward with plenty of suspension and body parts available off the shelf.
Once you start to deviate from the book you unearth a real bucket of worms. For example if you go with a capri rear axle you would have to build the shassis + 4

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That in turn would mean that either the escort steering rack would need extensions on the TRE or the sierra rack would have to be shortened, or at least I think, please correct me if I am wrong because I am still trying to get all this straight in my own mind. I am also prety sure from reading other posts on the forum that building +4 makes finding the correct size body panels difficult too.
Personaly I want a 2ltr pinto if I can get the right donor, my plan is to build as to the book but make the sides 14" instead of 13 to accomodate the pinto......

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.......and then just sit it out for a rack and axle.
I am sure that more experienced members will be able to put us both right on these points.

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A Cortina axle will fit ok on a book chassis it'll just stick out a little further. This means that with the correct offset wheels and a pair of wider (than book) rear arches you can have the arches filled nicely with some luvly wide rubber!

If you search for posts by Jasper or myself with the word Cortina or offset you'll get a few threads that may shed light on any problems you'll face. However the problems are minimal and not really because of the extra width of the axle itself.

HTH

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Originally posted by jonnyg0klj
Thanx
Is that + 4 (i presume inches) to accomidate the extra wheel base? I know what you mean about the worms. Sourcing a escort mkII is hard enough, but finding one that hasn't been stripped of locost parts is a lot harder.
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Originally posted by leto

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In short: If you want a higher frame, you will have to redesign the entire front end.
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Yes I had thought about the suspension mounting being 1" higher than it should be and had decided that I would work round that one way or another, or as james suggests cheat by adding an extra inch round the top rails. To be honest I havnt even started to plan on paper my aproach, as it will be a waste of time until I get a doner and know what I am up against.

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Originally posted by andyjack
Yes I had thought about the suspension mounting being 1" higher than it should be and had decided that I would work round that one way or another, or as james suggests cheat by adding an extra inch round the top rails. To be honest I havnt even started to plan on paper my aproach, as it will be a waste of time until I get a doner and know what I am up against.

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Call me daft but i planned mine by sitting beside the gear box and working out where i wanted the gear selector! Got a seat and then planned some mounting points, bodged it from there. I was worried about it being flimsy but i think i overkilled the triangulation, i can barely lift the spaceframe! Seems ok though...

Thanks for the link I am sure that will come in very handy. Can you recomend any of the programs listed for a CAD virgin. I havnt a clue wich one to download or how to use it once it is downloaded.

jonnyg0klj:

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Would a cortina, capri do the job, even though the wheel base would be longer.

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andyjack/
Haven't used any of them my self, so i really don't know. Why not drop a question on some list
I use Pro/Engineer at work, it is very powerfull and a real pain to run (but it pays well ) I guess Pro/Desktop isn't powerful but still a pain to run, so stay away.
TurboCAD is/was used by some on the Yahoo-list.

Happy drawing!
Leif

andyjack don,t worry about escort axle, use cortina fine on 42 inch chassis, stronger diff with rear access, bigger better brakes, thicker half shaft tubes better for welding, and fills up the arches better. carry on. cheers davef.

I have been pondering the problem of the cross over point of LB and FU1 as highlighted by leif. And have come up with a potentialy simple solution. My plan is to simply weld a sort section of 1inch RHS at either end of LC and below where fu1&2 are welded to S&T. This should keep the relationship between LB and FU1 as per the book. See the image below for a rough idea of what I mean. Sorry about the crap drawing but I just did it quick to illustrate my idea. What do you guys think can anyone spot any further potential problems?

Looks and sounds right, though i aren't using the book design myself.

Just make sure that its all capped braced and triangulated! or something like that...

I don't have the book plans in front of me, but I believe that the upper A-arm mounts may have to be wrestled with in order to get the proper Castor angle (which will have to be done regardless of scrict adherence to the book or otherwise).

I don't really understand the need for a taller frame... If it's regarding engine size, why don't you just make the mounts 1" taller and make the appropiate bump-outs where needed rather than try and re-arrange the entire top plane of the frame? (it might also look pretty slick to have a hood bulge if your motor is tall enough to require it)

-MR

To be honest the reason for wanting to make the side rails 14 inch is to accomodate a 2ltr pinto while still keeping the option (funds allowing) of using off the shelf nose cone, bonnet and scuttle.

Escort rack extensions not a problem.
See my photo archive ; wishbone asy.

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Originally posted by andyjack
..........What do you guys think can anyone spot any further potential problems?

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The changes to fit the front end for a 14" chassis looks to be samler then I expected

Drawing is based on 22 mm from the centre of the hole to the mounting surface on suspension bracket. Is this correct?
Cheers! Leif

[Edited on 10/8/03 by leto]