I'll hopefully be starting building my car in March and over the last month or so have been starting to look at acquiring a donor car. So far I have only found one cheap (<£300) Mk2 Escort for sale within 100 miles of me (Leeds) and I am now seriously considering using a Sierra instead. As I'm not now doing it by the book I'm thinking of using a 2.0l engine. Can anyone tell me what kind of performance this will give me as standard? And what kind of problems it will cause?

Also if there is anyone who lives close by who would like a hand building their locost drop me a line. I'm no mechanic but I make good tea and I like learning from other peoples mistakes ;¬)

Rich

Just some figures for standard single ohc pinto's

1.3 57bhp @ 5700 98Nm @ 3100 133kg
1.6 71bhp @ 5700 120Nm @ 2900 133kg
1.6E 71bhp @ 5700 120Nm @ 2900 133kg
2.0 100bhp @ 5200 157Nm @ 2900 137kg

Dunc

get a bike engine in it, nuff said

bloody bike engines thats your answer to everything

Get a vauxhall engine, y'know it makes sense

Bike engines are great if you want your 'car' to sound like a fart in helium.

Dunc.

Don't give in on searching for an Esc donor.
I live in Bradford and searched loot.com and adtrader.co.uk for a fortnight looking for my Esc.
There were around half a dozen inside the M25 for £75 or less, but we hung about for one closer to home. Eventually we found one in Kent (I know, but at least we didn't have to drive it through London) drove down, paid my £50 and drove it away. It was a bit of a trek to get home but it ran fine (bar the binding calipers). It had 2 RS alloys on the rear, when we got it home I forced open the boot (no key), as a bonus it had another 3 alloys in there

Don't settle for a Sierra, the pinto engine is a compromise, wait for an Escort, you know it makes sense

Tony Bond

Love is like a snowmobile, speeding across the frozen tundra.
Which suddenly flips, pinning you underneath.
At night the ice-weasels come...

well pass me the helium, I think I'm gonna paint the Vauxhall lump green to reflect my jealousy of the boy Ison and his bike engined cronies

Just wait till the Gixer is in place next year
he he he

Don't be nasty Dave, it did start life as an humble pinto after all, wot on helium ?, if thats the case i want some, 12000rpm full chat sounds good to me, each to is own, but you knows you want one , now then where's that hill so i can turn round, changed up to 6th latley Dave ??? lmao
i'm home all weekend if you fancy a drool

Yeah I'll be over, how's me tank then?

If you deviate from an escort donor, it will add a lot of work as i found by experience. the closer you stay to the book, the more straight forward would be the build. But then that would be just too easy!

ATB

Steve

So what the going rate for a bike engine and loom these days then?

Dunc

there is one on ebay at the moment, GSXR1100 top bid £325, don't know how straight it is, well under a grand gets you a Blade, but when you consider it comes with a six speed box that's not over the top is it ? I know Dave, i paid more for mine, but you seen the dyno sheet have you not.

Oh, just so you can compare Dunc with your figures above, mine puts out 158bhp and weighs 55kg complete with box, clutch, starter ect...... thats where the performance comes from, tourque is obviously down, 82' lbs at a dizzy 8700rpm, max power is at 11400rpm, red lines 12600rpm, like i said not every ones cup o tea, but i love the sound and can live with 10 thousand gear change's a mile since A) there clutchless, and B) require one tiny pull or push of the lever, it is a fun car after all, total cost including engine, well under 2K.

Lend us £330 for the engine mate, i've just bought one for the Rover and the Midas has to be MOT'd this week, and the kids need a new pair of shoes!!!!

Just wait till next year when I've got me Gixer 11 engine, you'll need everyone of you poncey blade horses just to smell my exhaust fumes

I realise that torque will be down and you'd need to use the gears more often and also the top power figure can be misleading since it is heavily dependent on the high engine revs. I would probably use a bike engine if I was going to be using my car for the trackdays but mine would only be for leisure driving, and I'm even considering using a turbo diesel locost for the daily drive to work, all 3500 rpm of it. Go on laugh, but for this I can travel in relative comfort along the M9 at a legal 70mph with any gear torque at my disposal, and the bonus of halved fuel costs. Might go down the route of a bike engine in the future.

Dunc

Ah but Dunc, you fail to see the point, speed limits should only be seen as guidelines and using your Locost as everyday transport, will only dull your driving pleasure, in the same way as enjoying coital love with Jordan would become boring after a bit.
Consider my decision to buy a Midas as everyday transport, cheap tax, 40mpg, roof over your head stereo and you still get the admiring? glances you crave you attention seeking devil.
That way you CAN have that bike engined monster AND have sensible transport
Bring on Britney I fancy a change
ps you can have my Midas for a respectable £600 at Stafford

Yes but Dave, with a diesel I can get cheap insurance, 60mpg+, and with my new found fibreglassing skills can create a roof. Yet I can also build another car with a more powerful engine to keep the driving pleasure without getting bored. But I know what you mean about getting bored with a powerful car. I've got a 200SX and I've had it 5 years now, at first the performance was incredible but now I'm used to it I'm bored at being able to beat almost everycar on the road. Even Evo's can't pull away from me above 80mph due to the fact they have the drag of a brick.

Dunc

Dunc,
I have walked a mile in your moccasins and understand where your at .
Drive on brave Locoster into the sunset, belching your oil fumes, cocconed in your fibrglass teepee.
Oh well, onwards to next sap who has yet to sample the individualistic delights of Midas ownership

No offence mate but the Midas is ugly. No wonder you want rid of it. I think I'll stick to my slow, oil belching seven, dancing my raindance every night as to not get pissed on the following morning.

Also, with such a light bike engine up front, what is the weight distribution of a completed seven? Can't help thinking with all the weight towards the rear, understeer will be a major problem for the hard driven.

Dunc.

Hey, dunc, you should see Dave in the midas, talk about shoe horn, thats why he wants rid, lmao

Ha, just read your post again Dunc, i've cut away 8" of the passenger footwell to get the engine as far back as possible, not been on any scales but would geuss that weight is pretty much 50/50 front rear, you steer with the throttle anyways don't you ? or am i doing it wrong. Sterering wheel is for parking only.

Yep!!
Steering wheel is only there to get a grip when your flat out into Redgate!

old hairpin is worse <---well thats wot i looked like 1st time i hit it over 90mph, oh, i change down 2 dave 6th to 4th for the old hairpin