akumabito
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 07:37 PM |
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Alternative donor vehicles?
I'm probably going to move to Thailand in about 6 months, and I want to start my own Locost build there eventually. Does anyone have any ideas
for possible donor vehicles that can be found there? There's a lot of Japanese cars out, but the vast majority of those are FWD. And I
don't think using the Toyota Hilux would be a good idea for a Locost.. 
Any suggestions, or would I be better off building a FWD-based middy?
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stevec
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 07:54 PM |
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What about this?
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:QgAGSFOlqri-VM:http://www.tug.org.in/tug2002/final-images/48-Rickshaw.jpg
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JackNco
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:09 PM |
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ARE U FUCKING CRAZY!
ive been to Thailand a few times and the last thing ide want to be in would be a small open top, easily damaged car. ull last about 3 minutes on a
busy road!
Where abouts are you moving to?
John
[Edited on 31/10/06 by JackNco]
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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JackNco
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:12 PM |
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BTW the most common car over there is a toyota pickup... i dunno about a 7 but maybe a cobra based on one? Audi are getting a bit common over there i
think, my uncle lives there n hes got a shiny new A4.
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JackNco
ARE U FUCKING CRAZY!
ive been to Thailand a few times and the last thing ide want to be in would be a small open top, easily damaged car. ull last about 3 minutes on a
busy road!
Where abouts are you moving to?
John
[Edited on 31/10/06 by JackNco]
hahah, no worries, I'm gonna be faaaar away from the craziness of Bangkok. I'll be on Koh Samui.. 
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JackNco
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:24 PM |
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LOL GOOD!
Ive never been to that island but i reckon ur best bet would be to look out for an MX5 although ull e paying WAY over the odds for one of them over
there.
Whats you reason for moving over there anyway
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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ettore bugatti
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:37 PM |
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Toyota Kijang
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JackNco
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:45 PM |
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ooh thats a doozy !
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 08:46 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JackNco
LOL GOOD!
Ive never been to that island but i reckon ur best bet would be to look out for an MX5 although ull e paying WAY over the odds for one of them over
there.
Whats you reason for moving over there anyway
I'll be getting married to my Thai girlfriend..
Got a baby on the way and everything..
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Johnmor
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| posted on 31/10/06 at 09:58 PM |
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Donor
Nissan 200 SX
get a tubo and rear wheel drive,
thats the way to go.
Was in koh Samui in May, cheap beer , good food and nice hotel.
good luck
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Sacal
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:13 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by akumabitoI'll be getting married to my Thai girlfriend..
Got a baby on the way and everything..
Congratulations mate, enjoy building your car in the sun The best of luck to all 3 of you
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 07:24 AM |
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Congrats M8, My uncles got him self a little family over there now ull love it, he does!
John
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 07:27 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Johnmor
Nissan 200 SX
get a tubo and rear wheel drive,
thats the way to go.
Was in koh Samui in May, cheap beer , good food and nice hotel.
good luck
LOL Not likely over there. Be like rocking horse shit! unless u want a 97/98ish onwards in which case they will be worth loads over there.
There are no middle of the road car over there, either ur earning nothing in which case u have a pick up or your worth LOADS and have something a bit
to nice to chop up as a donon..... im trying to think what all the taxis are over there???
Im thinking Scorpio for some reason
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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kiwirex
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 08:36 AM |
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I reckon the toyota lite-ace van will be the thing.
In fact, I think it'll be the next ford escort in the kit car game.
It's rwd, it's got a toyota engine, which go forever and loads of upgrades and the front uprights just about do the job.
I think saker cars use them
http://www.saker.co.nz/works.html
(could be wrong).
the bit that goes forward from the upright to the steering rack bolts on, and if you want to use y shaped wishbones you'll have to get something
fabricated up (the liteace native comes down so the balljoint is level with the bottom ball joint) and probably NDT'd to show they're
safe for the road.
Should be a few liteaces over there?
Cheers,
Greg H
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JackNco
quote:
Originally posted by Johnmor
Nissan 200 SX
get a tubo and rear wheel drive,
thats the way to go.
Was in koh Samui in May, cheap beer , good food and nice hotel.
good luck
LOL Not likely over there. Be like rocking horse shit! unless u want a 97/98ish onwards in which case they will be worth loads over there.
There are no middle of the road car over there, either ur earning nothing in which case u have a pick up or your worth LOADS and have something a bit
to nice to chop up as a donon..... im trying to think what all the taxis are over there???
Im thinking Scorpio for some reason
You're absolutely right, there's hardly any "normal" cars about. Especially in a place like Koh Samui, where you basically
either have the poor construction workers, or the relatively wealthy shop/restaurant owners and the expats. Indeed there's not much in between
beaten up pick-up trucks and classy new sedans... and the taxi's are mostly late-year Toyota Corolla's.
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:22 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by kiwirex
I reckon the toyota lite-ace van will be the thing.
In fact, I think it'll be the next ford escort in the kit car game.
It's rwd, it's got a toyota engine, which go forever and loads of upgrades and the front uprights just about do the job.
I think saker cars use them
http://www.saker.co.nz/works.html
(could be wrong).
the bit that goes forward from the upright to the steering rack bolts on, and if you want to use y shaped wishbones you'll have to get something
fabricated up (the liteace native comes down so the balljoint is level with the bottom ball joint) and probably NDT'd to show they're
safe for the road.
Should be a few liteaces over there?
Cheers,
Greg H
Hmm, LiteAces are actually pretty common. They're a popular choice for little shuttle-busses. I believe they are quite low on power though,
about 85 to 100Hp or so. The majority are also diesels.. 
The Toyota HiAce is also pretty abundant, although a fair bit more expensive. Earlier models have a 2 liter engine with about 110Hp, late models have
a 2.4l engine with 120Hp.
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:37 PM |
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If its not something you can fit 15 families on then they don't see the point over there.
Its a pure tool over there
And i wouldn't get ANYTHING made up for you. get ur self a *balanced* Prop shaft over there n bye bye kneecaps!
Exhausts maybe. and be VERY careful buying an engine. the police wll not take kindly to a forang (thai for forrener ) having a stolen engine.
How much have you got to spend BTW? if you dont mind me asking. might be worth buying a second hand mac1 or MK and shipping it over.
John
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:50 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JackNco
If its not something you can fit 15 families on then they don't see the point over there.
Its a pure tool over there
And i wouldn't get ANYTHING made up for you. get ur self a *balanced* Prop shaft over there n bye bye kneecaps!
Exhausts maybe. and be VERY careful buying an engine. the police wll not take kindly to a forang (thai for forrener ) having a stolen engine.
How much have you got to spend BTW? if you dont mind me asking. might be worth buying a second hand mac1 or MK and shipping it over.
John
I can not import a car to Thailand, they have this silly rule that ANY foreign-built car has to pay a 200% import duty on the original showroom value
of the car, plus VAT over that total amount. It makes no sense whatsoever,and it's one of the reasons why the offer of vehicles is so limited,
you basically just find vehicles that have been built in Thai factories.
If I'd buy a Mk for 6k, I'd have to pay 12k in import duties, plus VAT over 18k!
Anyways, I'm not sure if it's even possible to build your own vehicle under Thai law, although I suspect it is (seeing the miraculous
vehicles that you sometimes encounter on the roads there, lol!) I'm just brainstorming about the possibilities really..
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 01:54 PM |
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Why not buy a part build n register it over there, then its a thai build?
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 02:04 PM |
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That would be an option, though shipping would still cost an arm and a leg..
I've also thought about going down the BEC route, as sportsbikes are fairly common, and get crashed all the time (you can rent a Hayabusa for
about 15 to 20 quid a day, and many rental agencies don't even check your license.) BEC engines should be quite easy to find. Though a BEC still
would not solve any problems with regards to uprights, brakes, etc. It would be much easier to find a single donor vehicle.
On the other hand, I'd much prefer a BEC in this situation. The island is quite mountainous, and even while traveling the relatively level
ring-road, most vehicles have to shift way back to second or even first gear to make it up the hills. I don't think a BEC would be long lived
under those situations. Poor quality fuel is another obstacle, seriously, I don't know how they keep all those bikes running sometimes!
Oh well... I guess if I can't work something out I'll start messing about with those Suzuki Samurais! (or Suzuki Sporty as they're
called there, basically a LWB Samurai)
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 02:09 PM |
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is it technically a car b4 theres an engine in it, u could always buy one pull the engine out n then buy a hayabusa over there. i still reckon a
rolling chassis would be the best bet, even if u have to grease the wheels with the port officials if you know what i mean. ill get mum 2 ask my
uncle if he can find out any details for you.
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 02:58 PM |
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Well, I'm now also looking into vehicles such as the NCF Outbak [LINK] . Although I
love the Locosts, in all fairness, a vehicle such as the Outbak would probably be more suited to the circumstances there. Vitara's are quite
plentiful, so there shouldn't be much of a problem in that respect either.. then there's just the matter of getting a kit shipped to
Thailand..
Perhaps they'd be willing to sell the drawings so I could have the parts manufactured locally.. (wishful thinking, I know)
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 04:07 PM |
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May as well get a jeep!
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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JackNco
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 04:13 PM |
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what about VW buggy, those things are everywhere!
Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
O'Rourke, P.J. (1989), Holidays in hell. London (Picador)
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akumabito
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| posted on 1/11/06 at 04:13 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JackNco
May as well get a jeep!
Where's the fun in that?
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