Sierra
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 10:09 AM |
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Newbie
Hi guys/gals my names Steve from Watford Hertfordshire, I'm 26 and completely new to the kit car scene. I've owned a few powerful cars in
the past and currently owned a 300bhp Audi TT which I'm selling to buy my first kit car.
I'm going to have a budget of £4000 to buy a complete car to use on the road and start to do a few track days in.
Really I'm after some advice from you as to what I should be looking for in my budget and will I be able to get a bike engine car for this
money? Also are there any particular brands, engines that I should avoid. I'm 6"2 and haven't even sat in a kit car before but would
imagine there are some that I would fit in.
Thanks in advance for your help
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ReMan
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 11:02 AM |
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Hi and welcome
You might be lucky and get an MK with a Fireblade or R1 in poor shape at this time of year, but £4k is probably a bit thin, your probably looking £5k+
for a half decent one.
You'll definatly fit in an MK.
A BEC MK will not have the same top speed as your TT, but is will be quicker!
Best get a ride in an MK before you buy one though, I'm sure there's someone near you with a BEC MK that will take you a spin. You wont be
disapointd though.
Good luck
www.plusnine.co.uk
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snapper
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 11:07 AM |
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The trick here is to go to the kit car shows where you can look at new and plenty of owners cars.
Entry is free for kit car owners and the big shows get plenty of club stands.
Look for local clubs where you can talk to owners and get a ride.
£4K for a BEC it's possible you just never know what's available on eBay or piston heads
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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bi22le
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 11:48 AM |
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Hi and Welcome.
If your new to this world then you need to get out and about. Put you location up and get out in some cars. People on here local to you will be more
than welcome to take you for a ride and show you around your car. The more cars you see and ride in the more of an idea you will have of what to look
for and what you want.
There are £4K oand less cars about but they wont be as fast as the ones you get a ride in. 1.8 zetecs or 1300 cross flows are out there right now!
Look on pistonheads, kit cars for sale.
The main thing you will notice with these cars is how much fun they are lower speeds and how quick they are on track. On a motorway slip road your TT
will P1SS all over cars costing £8K+. Most of us top out at 120mph, TT is just stretching its legs then!
Use the search facility on this site. Almost every Noobie qustion has been asked many times.
Finally, if your changing cars to get fun time driving and a cheap track day slag to embarrass cars costing lots more than your on the right road.
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
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whitestu
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 12:44 PM |
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Hi Steve
You are welcome to have a look at my Indy - I'm 6'2" and fit in fine.
I'm just round the corner from you as well.
Stu
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Sierra
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 01:00 PM |
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Thanks for all the reply guys much appreciated, as recommended I think I'll try and attend local meets and try and get a ride in some.
Thanks stu, are you going to the classic car meet in Croxley today as I'll be down there myself as I am every year
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loggyboy
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 01:08 PM |
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Might fit your budget?
http://locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=172829
Mistral Motorsport
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Sierra
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 03:20 PM |
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Thanks that is very tempting but I'm ideally looking for a bec for noise and high revs.
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gavinpurvis
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| posted on 1/8/12 at 03:29 PM |
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My bec on eBay for 3900, my bro 6ft and he's drove it plenty
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whitestu
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| posted on 2/8/12 at 07:31 AM |
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quote:
Thanks stu, are you going to the classic car meet in Croxley today as I'll be down there myself as I am every year
I would have but I didn't know it was on until I drove past last night!
Stu
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Sierra
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| posted on 2/8/12 at 08:11 PM |
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shame it was a good little meet and some very nice cars, did see a few kit cars but couldnt find the owners.
found this car on ebay and just wondering what you guys think, how much would it cost for it to be tested as a mk?
Mk Indy - Yamaha Thunder Race 1000cc Bike Powered | eBay
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loggyboy
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| posted on 2/8/12 at 08:21 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Sierra
shame it was a good little meet and some very nice cars, did see a few kit cars but couldnt find the owners.
found this car on ebay and just wondering what you guys think, how much would it cost for it to be tested as a mk?
Mk Indy - Yamaha Thunder Race 1000cc Bike Powered | eBay
IVA is £490 IIRC, Registration is £55, roadtax will be just over £120.
THen you would probably need another few quid for IVA tweeks.
Mistral Motorsport
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ReMan
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| posted on 2/8/12 at 08:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Sierra
shame it was a good little meet and some very nice cars, did see a few kit cars but couldnt find the owners.
found this car on ebay and just wondering what you guys think, how much would it cost for it to be tested as a mk?
Mk Indy - Yamaha Thunder Race 1000cc Bike Powered | eBay
Not a bad engine power wise, but not the best.
Being new to this I'm not convinced with this ones's pedigree you'd be giving yourself the best start
www.plusnine.co.uk
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Sierra
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| posted on 3/8/12 at 09:15 PM |
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Ive been doing a lot of research into bec and cec and just got more confused. The idea behind wanting a bec was, 1 because of the engine noise, 2 the
high revs and 3 for some reason I thought it would perform like a bike were it would just keep going to a very high speed.
I've now come to realise that the bike engine acts very different in a car then it does on the bike and can be quick to around 80 but soon runs
out of puff.
Can a zetec engine be as quick as a bike (r1) engine or is it simply for higher top end.
Also I read this on another forum which clearly states that bec an be useless on the road.
There's no clear answer to this one: each type has it's protagonists, some of whom can be obsessively evangelical!
As a rough guide (even individual cars of the same make and model vary):
If you say a Vauxhall engined Seven will weigh around 575 kilos and a Fireblade engined Seven will weigh around 420 kilos.
Allowing for a 75kg driver and 25kg of fuel in both cases, the Vauxhall engined car will give about 296bhp/ton (with much better torque), laden, the
'Blade engined car will give about 240bhp/ton, laden.
BUT, the 'Blade engined car will have much shorter, closer gearing (6 closely stacked, sequential gears, and you'll be bouncing off the
limiter with the engine screaming at 12K revs at maybe 115mph, whereas the 5th top in the Vauxhall might be geared for cruising and give a theoretical
top speed of 150+ mph at about 2/3rds of the 'Blade's revs), so if you keep it in the right gear, in the right part of the powerband,
you'll be able to make very rapid progress.
What this means in practice is that the Vauxhall will give much 'stronger' (more accessible and more relaxed) performance on the road; you
will be able to overtake by simply pulling out and flooring it, rather than having to prepare by changing down two gears, and you won't have to
concentrate on being in the right gear quite so much, or drive everywhere with the engine screaming at big revs to make progress on the twisty bits.
On the road, the sequential gearbox can be as much of a pain as a benefit (they're pretty clunky in slow traffic) and you can't make as
much benefit from the low weight (what you gain from the reduced inertia, you lose skipping about on the ruts and the potholes!).
On the track, you're not worried about 'relaxed' performance, so the 'Blade will gain an edge, because of the lighter weight
(better cornering and braking, if set-up properly) and may well be able to lap a circuit as fast as the Vauxhall car, despite the lower power:weight
ratio. The lack of inertia and the sequential geabox is very nice, on track, too, in terms of feel and sensitivity. Both would be pretty quick,
though: to be honest, it would be as much down to driver skill anyway and you do need to remember that track days are non-competitive, so the last
fraction of a second on lap time isn't really that important either way.
Personally, I tend toward the car engined camp - I'd only want a BEC (particularly a 'Blade engined one) if it was pretty much exclusively
for track use - but there'll be someone from the bike engined church along shortly to say that they're the best thing since sliced bread
and superior to a car engine in every way!
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ReMan
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| posted on 3/8/12 at 09:36 PM |
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I think you've about got it rumbled, IN THEORY at least.
But you REALLY need to experience both, now you are wavering and FEEL the difference
www.plusnine.co.uk
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eddie99
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| posted on 3/8/12 at 09:40 PM |
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Yeah, not far out, only thing i want to point out is that in a seven, no matter what engine you will struggle to see 120 ish+ because of the
aerodynamic disadvantage.
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ReMan
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| posted on 3/8/12 at 09:45 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by eddie99
Yeah, not far out, only thing i want to point out is that in a seven, no matter what engine you will struggle to see 120 ish+ because of the
aerodynamic disadvantage.
Which brings us back to a BEC which when geared for 120, gives so much below it
www.plusnine.co.uk
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Sierra
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| posted on 3/8/12 at 09:56 PM |
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Ok thanks guys so in short the bec will be quicker but constantly pushed to its limits and not to comfy round town, cec will be slightly slower but
engine not being pushed and comfier round town.
Bec sounds like more fun but possibly too much hassle
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ReMan
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| posted on 4/8/12 at 08:45 AM |
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You have arrived at the conclusion that most do, having not driven or been in a BEC.
A properly set up one is no more uncomfortable, difficult to drive or troublesome than a CEC, less so than some.
You must get to try both before you decide, else you will miss out
www.plusnine.co.uk
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Sierra
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 05:32 PM |
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Hey guys I've still not had any luck with finding the right one, maybe I'm too fussy. I've seen a few nice bec examples but without
reverse gear and that's one thing that I would like as I can't imagine anything more embarrassing than having to push it back in public
lol.
If anyone finds a good example while looking around please let me know.
£4k-£5k budget, ideally bec with reverse and wet gear.
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Hellfire
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 06:03 PM |
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I wouldn't hold out for one with reverse. With a little bit of forward planning, you're unlikely to really need it. Having said that, our
old man got stuck in a car park recently.  The car park was surfaced with shale and he couldn't get sufficient foot grip to push it backwards.
He had to wait until someone turned up to give him a helping hand........
Phil
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Sierra
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 06:07 PM |
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I know there's not many with reverse but I'd like to use the car on the road a lot and even simple things like parking outside my
girlfriends would be impossible without reverse.
I take it all cec still have the reverse
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Hellfire
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 06:49 PM |
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Yes, all CEC have reverse gear. We've had our BEC on the road since 2004 and haven't missed reverse gear but I guess if you need
one, then you have no choice........
Phil
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ReMan
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 07:19 PM |
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I think your going to struggle to get weather geared and reversing BEC for 4-5k
www.plusnine.co.uk
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gavinpurvis
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| posted on 21/8/12 at 07:52 PM |
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Mines 3.5k with wet gear spend a couple of quid and fit your own reverse
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