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GKD Legend
55ant - 8/12/09 at 04:13 PM

not new i know, but a little feature on it on pistonheads.


Linkydink

surely not the first 6 cylinder?


Blackcab - 8/12/09 at 04:43 PM

Think they have only sold about 5


mr henderson - 8/12/09 at 08:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Blackcab
Think they have only sold about 5


How long have they been selling them then?


sdh2903 - 8/12/09 at 08:04 PM

I have just started building the 2nd!

There is one other non factory one in build by a guy in bristol.


ReMan - 8/12/09 at 08:29 PM

I actually quite like it
Even if it is based on a G27?


Triton - 8/12/09 at 09:46 PM

Another 7 in a sea of 7's...


David Jenkins - 8/12/09 at 09:51 PM

Good luck to them - a new source of fairly common donors can't be a bad thing.

Escorts are mostly long gone, and even rust buckets have a value for restorers. Sierras are hard to find (certainly round Suffolk), and scrapped MX5 parts can be expensive (if you can find a scrappy with one).

I know it's another seven-alike, but it looks like a decent example.


franky - 8/12/09 at 10:19 PM

using higher quality parts that are 10 years or newer can only be a good thing.... engines and box's are a better starting point than a pinto too.

I wonder how long before other kits start using BMW's for parts.


David Jenkins - 8/12/09 at 10:33 PM

Some have been for quite a while - the Marlin Sportster, for example.

Marlin

Their bodywork is better designed to take the fairly tall BMW engines. Not a bad looking car, either!

[Edited on 8/12/09 by David Jenkins]


ashg - 8/12/09 at 11:19 PM

there will be a new edition of the haynes roadster book in about a year focusing on the bmw and mx5 running gear.

i quite like the gkd its a brave move towards what i see as being the future of most 7 based cars.

it would be interesting to weigh the sierra and bmw running gear as see what the difference is. i would hope that a 4 cyl bmw lump is lighter than a pinto. i know the bmw lump looks bigger in the bay but the newer ones are all ali which must claw a bit back.

discuss..........


mr henderson - 9/12/09 at 08:08 AM

I gave deep consideration to using the 3 series as a donor, but decided against it in the end, couldn't see enouh advantage to outweigh the disadvantage.

Most of the 4 cylinder cars are 1.8 and SOHC, the better ones are 16v TC but still only 1.9 and canted over to the (wrong side from the steering POV) to make room for a BIG induction system which we just don't need. The 6 cylinder engines are a bit on the big side, but the power isn't marvellous for the room they take up, compared to other options

The donors are cheap, but cost of donor isn't really the most important aspect by the time you've built an entire car and paid out for test etc

Just my opinion, and Im sure there are many people who will love it, especially people who already own a suitable donor


02GF74 - 9/12/09 at 08:29 AM

more choice is never a bad thing.

if anyone was thinking of 6 cylinder or BMW donor, then they have the hard work done for them.


sdh2903 - 9/12/09 at 09:10 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg

it would be interesting to weigh the sierra and bmw running gear as see what the difference is. i would hope that a 4 cyl bmw lump is lighter than a pinto. i know the bmw lump looks bigger in the bay but the newer ones are all ali which must claw a bit back.

discuss..........


I am using an E36 318is donor with the m42 1.8 140bhp engine which does still have a cast iron block, but speaking to the beemer boys they are extremely reliable. IIRC the weight of the engine with ancilliaries is 100kg. The gearbox is alloy housed and one of the lightest I have ever moved by hand. I imagine the weight of the diff/driveshafts etc to be very similar to the sierra.

Gkd's first IVA used the exact setup i'm using bar the wheels and weighed in at 595kg I'm not sure what a comparable sierra based car would weigh?

With regard to the engine I must admit its pretty snug on the drivers side and you do need to either use a shortened sump or a bonnet bulge.

One thing the GKD has going for it is the customer support, Peter has been extremely helpful and insists he is on call at any time for support if required.