Board logo

Which car to BEC?
smart51 - 16/4/12 at 01:05 PM

My mind has idley wandered onto the idea of putting a bike engine in a hatchback of some sort. Maybe I'm getting old, but a roof and a heater sound like nice ideas. I've been thinking but can't pin down a the right donor car. Minis are common conversions. A Cinquecento Sporting or AX GT or 106 GTi might do but I'm not excited. What other small cars are light weight and known to be nimble?

ross05 - 16/4/12 at 01:09 PM

have a look on you tube R1 Smart car that looks loadsafun

flibble - 16/4/12 at 01:18 PM

Always thought the Smart Roadster would be more fun to BEC than those ^^ type of smart cars.

[Edited on 16-4-12 by flibble]

jossey - 16/4/12 at 01:34 PM

Saxo.

Been in one and apart from it being deafening it was so fast and great fun.

smart51 - 16/4/12 at 01:38 PM

Aren't Saxos a bit heavy? They were 150kg heavier than the AX and a BEC has to be light.

sheepish0001 - 16/4/12 at 01:50 PM

Well a 106 is a saxo basically and i happen to have a 106 GTi shell in need of a home or a scrapman if your interested not much with it though just a bare shell(read blank canvas)

Sheep

T66 - 16/4/12 at 02:06 PM

When I first started planning this car of mine in 2009, I fancied a fiat 500. But they had all got expensive due to the new 500.

I moved on and started looking at the following. Cinco still attract good money for nails, Tje autograss lot like them. Bear in mind most of it gets cut out and binned.

x19
Fiat 600
imp
Zastava. 600 lookalike.
Early Renault 5.

I ended up with a 1974 126.

Zcars minis are good but common IMHO.


http://www.zanga106.it/

StrikerChris - 16/4/12 at 02:19 PM

Imp...

roadrunner - 16/4/12 at 02:21 PM

Renault 5

A1 - 16/4/12 at 02:33 PM

I wouldnt think theyd handle as well as a seven-y car

scootz - 16/4/12 at 02:46 PM

Smart Roadster

twybrow - 16/4/12 at 03:12 PM

Another vote for a Smart Roadster - that is my long term plan, along with a twin bike engined classic mini!

T66 - 16/4/12 at 03:25 PM

Me and Scott had a look at a twin Suzuki 1000 rwd mini last year.

Not sure what diff it used as the back was full of engines. I think it had a drd drivebox and no diff.


I don't why people would assume a 7 will handle any better than a rwd rear engine car, it's worked for Porsche long enough.


Engine at the front, driver at the rear is hardly a balanced situation.

theduck - 16/4/12 at 03:27 PM

Fiat Barchetta
Renault Clio 16v (mk1 shape with the wide arches)
Renault 5

JekRankin - 16/4/12 at 04:39 PM

How about the Suzuki Cappuccino?

smart51 - 16/4/12 at 04:47 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JekRankin
How about the Suzuki Cappuccino?


I've got one. It's too nice to do that to it

TimC - 16/4/12 at 05:29 PM

Yugo.

StevieB - 16/4/12 at 05:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TimC
Yugo.


Now that's a bit of a different idea and I like it.

Now I'll be spending the rest of the night looking at Yugo's and plotting myself...

Benzine - 16/4/12 at 05:55 PM

Invalidka SMZ Doubt a bike conversion has been done and they are pretty small. Head over to eastern europe with a trailer and win @ life

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMZ_cycle-car

dlatch - 16/4/12 at 05:57 PM

what about a VW lupo or even a Ford KA

Hellfire - 16/4/12 at 06:24 PM

Triumph spitfire.........

Phil

bi22le - 16/4/12 at 07:38 PM

Lightened MGB?

coppins999 - 17/4/12 at 10:54 AM

sensible = Toyota Aygo - 800+ kg, bit pricey donor but wolf in sheeps whatsits

oddball = Reliant Ketten - very light (500+ kg ?)

totally mad = Bedford Rascal Van !! - 800kg, rear wheel drive, fit the engine in the back - handling will need work

smart51 - 17/4/12 at 11:32 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coppins999
Toyota Aygo - 800+ kg,


And there in lies it's problem. It is a tidy handling car and with more oomph would be great. I can't see where you would lose the 300kg needed to make a good BEC.

Twin40 - 17/4/12 at 11:44 AM

this one was built a while ago - mk1 golf - very quick!




[Edited on 17/4/12 by Twin40]

fesycresy - 17/4/12 at 12:08 PM

Midget

bi22le - 17/4/12 at 12:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Twin40
this one was built a while ago - mk1 golf - very quick!




[Edited on 17/4/12 by Twin40]


i read the review on this. its got a 500bhp ish turbo busa engine iirc.

that sort of power allows for heavier cars to be used eg aygo.

smart51 - 17/4/12 at 05:23 PM

I notice that all the mini kits use R1 engines as it is apparently the biggest engine that fits in the engine bay. The all use pre2004 engines and say the post 2004 engines don't fit their cradles. Is the 2004 engine bigger somehow or is it just that they haven't made a different cradle for the later engine?

T66 - 17/4/12 at 08:58 PM

FIAT 500 YELLOW | eBay

Minicooper - 17/4/12 at 09:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51
I notice that all the mini kits use R1 engines as it is apparently the biggest engine that fits in the engine bay. The all use pre2004 engines and say the post 2004 engines don't fit their cradles. Is the 2004 engine bigger somehow or is it just that they haven't made a different cradle for the later engine?


The post 2004 yamaha R1 engines are longer front to rear than the earlier R1's, probably only about 1.5~2 inches but as the earlier R1's are already extremely tight, that small difference makes it not possible, unless you use an extended round front or the clubman that is.

You could use another 1 litre engine, I'm looking at the gsxr1000 engines or perhaps the cbr1000rr, but as all these engines are 1 litre and very similiar in power output why develop several kits when they are so very similiar in performance.

Engines like the Hayabusa/Blackbird and other similiar large bore bike engines are massive compared to the R1 and are longer from front to back than the mini bay is, so a very differcult engine to try and fit

Cheers
David

swanny - 17/4/12 at 09:38 PM

what about GTM coupes? kit, car with heater, lightweight, roof etc, fibreglass so no rust. projects cars can be found cheaply?

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
CLASSIC 80'S GTM ROSSA 1275 CC KIT CAR MINI BASED | eBay
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

woodster - 18/4/12 at 07:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by T66
FIAT 500 YELLOW | eBay [/quote


I'd love a classic 500 but prices have gone as bonkers as classic minis , even a bag of bolts and a box full of rusty panels seems to be commanding a hefty price ..... The guy selling the fiat 500 yellow will want near the £1700 he says he paid for it ......... They must be 10 a penny in Italy .

Davey D - 18/4/12 at 07:45 PM

How about a Suzuki alto? They are small and lightweight

froggy - 18/4/12 at 07:49 PM

probably a bit biased but my kitten in single tl1000 engine form on 10"wheels was 480kg wet and most fun to drive of all the re builds ive done on it since .


[Edited on 18/4/12 by froggy]

T66 - 18/4/12 at 09:16 PM

Citroen Van


eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r7Z_c5l1Fo

Hellfire - 19/4/12 at 01:05 PM

NOT a Reliant Robin........

Phil

MikeCapon - 19/4/12 at 02:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by T66
Citroen Van


eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r7Z_c5l1Fo



Good call. Any 2CV variant fitted with a BMW flat twin bike engine.

There could even be one for sale on here soon in the Caledonia region.

renrut - 26/4/12 at 11:21 AM

quote:
Originally posted by fesycresy
Midget


Now there's a nice idea

T66 - 30/4/12 at 04:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by T66
FIAT 500 YELLOW | eBay




By strange coincidence, the 500 shell I posted on this thread and now sold, was bought by a guy local to me, who Ive just sold a Fiat 126 column too.

He's coming to mine to collect tomorrow, he doesnt sound too impressed with the state of his 500 shell...


Ive been offered it hahahha



Scott - I must not buy it, I must not buy it