Hi all my first post on here so go easy but hopefully the first of many!!

Ok a mate and i are looking into building a MK Indy kit car EACH and the donor car which im sure your all familiar with is the seirra, but were not to sure which model to use or which is best, can someone point us in the right direction!!

also were finding it very hard to find cheap seirras at the mo, (unless you know of one in the Hampshire area) were starting to look into getting a seirra from the scrappers but as pointed out to us we would only be able to get the running gear etc and have to give the rest of the car back as obviously being as though it was in a scrapyard it should have been scrapped. wot we were wondering was what are the implications of doing this as obviously you would have to register the car as a new vehicle and cannot use the doners identy etc. is there extra costs involved.

thanks in advance to anyone who can shed sum light on this.
Greg

Although my first statement is a relatively obvious one, it's worth saying:

The better the donor car, the better the donor parts!

Get yourself on ebay and start searching for any sierras in your area and then keep on widening your searh region.

You are best to try and get a sierra that already has the parts that you want in your car. So particular models are better than others but it depends on what other running gear you are using.
I take it from your username that you want a relatively quick fun car to drive, so you will be wanting to stick a bike engine in it for sure it depends on which engine you want will denote which diff is best (ie a 2004 R1 engine would be well suited to a 3.62 LSD diff from an XR4x4).

That same car would then also provide you with it's rear discs and calipers, saving you time and money in the long run.

I fitted a 3.62 Open diff in my car, because it (and it's driveshafts) weigh over 10 kilos less than an LSD diff, and I don't think the handling is worth the weight!

Quite a few things to think about really!

Another thing to be aware of is that when you are finished with the car, you will way it in and get money back for it. I would guess at between £50 - £90 at the moment!

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum,
Steve

edited

[Edited on 18/8/08 by worX]

The XR4i as standard does'nt have an LSD - They don't have disc's and calipers either, only drums

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Originally posted by Mr G
The XR4i as standard does'nt have an LSD - They don't have disc's and calipers either, only drums

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First, if you are planning on using all the major components and engine then I would personally go for a 2 litre Sierra with the Pinto Engine (Later models had the DOHC, which is not the best option).

There are also a number of variations, some models did have an option of rear disc brakes (bonus!). Note; you can convert to disc with adaptors at a later date, but you also need to replace the MK rear uprights with the disc version to clear the calipers.

Have a look a the Haynes book for the variations, and there are a few!

There is also the XR4x4: Good for the LSD and disc brakes, but you would still need the front uprights from a 2 wheel drive car, plus the 2.9 engine is not the best for an Indy.

You should also go for a car without ABS, as the rear ABS teeth will not fit the MK hub carrier. That said, I had some, but I got the teeth machined off and they fit perfectly.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Ian

As Ian says, if you are building with all the major components then the 2.0L Pinto variant is the one to go for. If you are using a different engine, then you may be better off just looking for the components you want if having difficulty finding a car.

So whats the plan??

Can I recommend the 1.6CVH Sierra... perhaps one with only 86,000miles on the clock. Manual rack, Type 9 gearbox, 3.92:1 Diff, alloys, 10 months MOT, a couple of month's tax, new HT Leads, Air and Oil Filter, used daily etc etc...

Where abouts in Winchester are you?

<<<<< see location


There was one in the Winchester Extra last week with tax MoT etc but with a £400 asking price. Southern Free-Ads is also a good source for this kind of vehicle.

The other route is to look for them parked outside peoples houses and make a polite approach to see if the owner has any interest in selling. I know of at least 3 sat on peoples drives looking like an eye sore - always worth an ask. U2U me for loactions if you're interested.

Another option is Dase Engineering (scrappy) in Bishops Waltham. It's an old fashioned scrappy where you can go and strip off what you want from cars piled 3+ high. No health and safety considerations and the very hard looking family who own have a penchant for playing golf in the yard while you're trying to strip the part you want. All that said, they did have 3 or 4 Sierras in there last time I went an they're pretty cheap too.

finally, as above, keep a close eye on Ebay. I picked up my 2nd donor (Sierra Estate 1.6 Pinto) for £25.

Hi all thanks for all your info its much appriciated!!

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Can I recommend the 1.6CVH Sierra... perhaps one with only 86,000miles on the clock. Manual rack, Type 9 gearbox, 3.92:1 Diff, alloys, 10 months MOT, a couple of month's tax, new HT Leads, Air and Oil Filter, used daily etc etc...

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I take it from your username that you want a relatively quick fun car to drive, so you will be wanting to stick a bike engine in it for sure

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If you're fitting a Fireblade (good choice of engine BTW ) then you'll be needing either a 3.62 or 3.38:1 diff, LSD or open. XR4x4 has the 3.62 LSD and 2.3 Diesels generally have the 3.38 open.

An easy way to check with Sierra diffs, is to find out what the diff code is. This is stamped on the VIN plate in the section labelled 'AXLE'

V = 3.38
U = 3.62

Ours had a 3.62 LSD fitted but I'd go for the 3.38 open diff if building again.

Phil

thats exactly wot i was after thanks mate!!

Out of interest, how do you find the diff code on one already fitted to a BEC? I cant see a code on the case anywhere?

There should be a small metal tag under one of the rear cover bolt heads. It's usally pretty corroded and dirty, but if you clean it up and get the numbers/letters this will tell you the ratio. I don't have a list of the different codes though I'm afraid.