scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 09:56 PM |
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IVA'ing Ex-Formula Car...
Has anyone taken a single-seater ex-race car (any formula) and converted to road use?
I seriously considered doing it to my Formula Vauxhall Lotus, but just never got round to it.
Would be interested to hear how anyone got on!
Ta!
It's Evolution Baby!
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johnston
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 09:59 PM |
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Wasn't there a formula VW car in last months PPC
Must have a look
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:01 PM |
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Cheers Johnston... would be great if you could let me know if it was.
It's Evolution Baby!
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will121
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:05 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Cheers Johnston... would be great if you could let me know if it was.
yes there was, think ive heard of couple, think a formula Vauxhall be a bit harder though, is it like this??
[img] [/img]
[Edited on 8/1/10 by will121]
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:07 PM |
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Sorry - should have explained - the FVL was sold a while back. It just struck me as it was lying in my garage that it may be an interesting exercise
to convert to road use.
It's Evolution Baby!
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:12 PM |
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I am not usually the one to shoot down someone's whacky dreams/ideas, but I feel that there would be absolutely no point.
Road cars for the road (fast or slow)
Race cars for the track....
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:18 PM |
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Is it really that whacky? Surely not in the context of what we (LCB's) get up to!
For me it's a viable venture... your starter for ten is a ready built, good handling car!
It's Evolution Baby!
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will121
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:19 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Sorry - should have explained - the FVL was sold a while back. It just struck me as it was lying in my garage that it may be an interesting exercise
to convert to road use.
if you fancy another one, there's one on ebay at me on bids 23hrs to go £5995
FVL ebay
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:29 PM |
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Is that your car Will?
It's Evolution Baby!
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:37 PM |
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Ps - yes, that's a FVL Will.
I have to ask - why do you reckon it would be any harder than another Formula car to IVA?
It's Evolution Baby!
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:39 PM |
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According to the ebay ad, the car is approx 150 miles away from his LCB address?
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:41 PM |
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Good work Detective Hignett! 
It's Evolution Baby!
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:56 PM |
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With regard my "whacky" statement - I wasn't saying that the exercise of actually doing it should be dis-encouraged, more to the
point that if you wanted to go down a road in this country quickly, you'd probably be a LOT better off with something like a £2k Subaru, than
£10k into a converted Formula car. Hence my statement, race for track and road for road...
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MikeR
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 10:59 PM |
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Thingy who build the fureo did it with a f3 car first. From that experience he built his car.
i've seen an old (20 year + old) photo of a forumla ford on the road + the vw racer in ppc last / this month.
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:04 PM |
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Cheers... will check the mag out!
It's Evolution Baby!
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matt_gsxr
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:10 PM |
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I think we all know that we could IVA something like this. But it costs you £500 for a test, and £100 for a retest (or whatever), and a whole load of
effort most of which makes the car worse.
And finally, after all that effort, you end up with a car that is not much use on the road and you feel like a prat at the supermarket (or more likely
when overheating in traffic). You are also always going to get pulled by the police.
I am borderline with my Phoenix (see left) which has no screen which makes me most self conscious.
I think I agree with the "racecars for the track" principle.
Matt
p.s. if you do end up doing the conversion. Then the only big benefit is that you can actually drive to a track-day, do the day and drive home. But
realistically that is the only benefit (to my mind).
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scootz
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:15 PM |
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Some good points there Matt... especially the bit about ruining the handling (ride height would have to be significantly raised).
I'm not actually looking to do this - was just wondering if anyone had, how they got on, and if the car was a 'real-world' success.
It's Evolution Baby!
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daniel mason
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:17 PM |
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they are not massively different to things like roadrunner sprint R's are they? and plenty of them are on the road!
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matt_gsxr
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:28 PM |
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Scootz,
I am relieved.
I don't like pissing on other peoples bonfires.
Matt
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zilspeed
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| posted on 8/1/10 at 11:55 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
they are not massively different to things like roadrunner sprint R's are they? and plenty of them are on the road!
I'm a bit confused about the Sprint R.
One seat, so you can't take the missus / mate / kid / workmate / guy around the corner / guy at the trackday out for a passenger ride. Yes I
know, obvious.
So, as a road car, quite compromised compared to any of the two seaters in that respect.
As a track car, fair enough, you could use it non competitively and have a bit of fun with it.
Used competitively ? Well, it's a single seater - beginning and end of that discussion. As it turns out, due to being big enough to have stuff
like seats, for having road car ground clearance and for having non wings, it'll get pi**ed upon by all the proper single seaters.
It's a pretty specialised tool really isn't it ?
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RK
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| posted on 9/1/10 at 12:02 AM |
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don't the pointy bits at the front - ie the wing - cause problems for projections?
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D Beddows
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| posted on 9/1/10 at 01:07 AM |
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quote:
I'm a bit confused about the Sprint R. One seat, so you can't take the missus / mate / kid / workmate / guy around the corner / guy at the
trackday out for a passenger ride. Yes I know, obvious. So, as a road car, quite compromised compared to any of the two seaters in that respect. As a
track car, fair enough, you could use it non competitively and have a bit of fun with it. Used competitively ? Well, it's a single seater -
beginning and end of that discussion. As it turns out, due to being big enough to have stuff like seats, for having road car ground clearance and for
having non wings, it'll get pi**ed upon by all the proper single seaters. It's a pretty specialised tool really isn't it ?
Never seen the point of it myself either and everyone who's ever built one seems to have put it up for sale after a couple of track
days......... I can see the same thing happening to the cars built from Chris Gibbs next book too sadly - unless you're going racing, single
seaters aren't the way forward and if you're going racing building 'locost' single seaters from a Haynes book aren't
really going to get you anywhere unless someone decides there's a race series in it.......
[Edited on 9/1/10 by D Beddows]
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Wadders
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| posted on 9/1/10 at 01:14 AM |
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Truth is they only handle well at speed, and they certainly don't like bumps or uneven road surfaces, the 40mm ground clearance might cause a
few headaches too  By the time you've raised the ride height sufficiently the geometry will be completely screwed.
The only similarity with the sprint R is they both only have one chair.
Al.
Originally posted by scootz
For me it's a viable venture... your starter for ten is a ready built, good handling car!
[Edited on 9/1/10 by Wadders]
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scootz
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| posted on 9/1/10 at 05:17 AM |
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Ah Wadders... it's been too long dear fellow - been getting withdrawls from your avatar!
It's Evolution Baby!
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scootz
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| posted on 9/1/10 at 05:19 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by RK
don't the pointy bits at the front - ie the wing - cause problems for projections?
AFAIK the wing is not a problem so long as the edges are correctly radiused.
It's Evolution Baby!
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