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Help Please
chewitt37 - 22/3/12 at 08:31 PM

Help!

Looking to buy a Mk Indy (bike engined)

I have a really crap drive way.The path goes up and the drive goes down!

My normal car when driven over the drive has a 105mm difference as i drive off the drive, to the underside of the car

What is the normal ride height on a Mk Indy? what is the average dimension in the centre of the car to the ground?

Better to check before I buy

brookie - 22/3/12 at 08:35 PM

4/6 inch

matt_gsxr - 22/3/12 at 09:25 PM

Could you perhaps consider altering your driveway?

chewitt37 - 23/3/12 at 08:54 AM

Not as easy as that, wish it was

it's took me long enough (3 years) to get a yes from the Mrs for a toy

it would take me another 3 years to get a yes to completely change the drive!

Fisher Fury may be an option, they look higher than the others, not sure how much room they have inside?

loggyboy - 23/3/12 at 09:32 AM

quote:
Originally posted by chewitt37
Not as easy as that, wish it was

it's took me long enough (3 years) to get a yes from the Mrs for a toy

it would take me another 3 years to get a yes to completely change the drive!

Fisher Fury may be an option, they look higher than the others, not sure how much room they have inside?


I doubt the fury will have anything more than any other 7 or similar chassis'd kit car. Whats as important as ride height is wheel base, as a shorter wheel base car will be effected less by a 'peak' between drive and path.
Find the wheel base of a MK or similar, make up a wooden pole that same length and add 2 small bars pointing down at either end about the ride height (100-120mm or so), see how close the centre of the main bar is to catching the peak when you place the bar with front small bar on the drive and the rear small bar on the path.

bobinspain - 23/3/12 at 09:43 AM

My drive on the way out slopes upwards quite markedly and then the road outside's level, so I have to negotiate an inverted 'V' shape.
My MK (Busa) chassis rail had 2mm clearance, (even though I'm a fat-b, the suspension's so rock hard, my weight barely alters the ride height). The exhaust would have fouled, but I managed to relocate/raise it 5mm.
Rather than dig everything out and re-do the drive, I've fitted a metal-plate ramp so that the rear of the car is raised on exiting the drive and I now have around 1.5cm clearance.

Best thing to do is to have a mate with an MK or similar, give your drive a try. Have some wooden planks to act as 'shims' handy and that way you'll know what you're taking on.

Take a look on the MK Indy Owners Facebook page and you'll see the makeshift arrangement I used originally, (planks). I'll add a photo of the permanent jobbie this w/e if you're interested.

Bob.

Edit--Just been out to measure. Lowest point on chassis rail gives 11.2cm ground clearance, (15" TD wheels).

[Edited on 23/3/12 by bobinspain]

[Edited on 23/3/12 by bobinspain]

chewitt37 - 23/3/12 at 11:21 AM

Thanks for all your help

Yes I thought about using car ramps (the ones used on the transporters) to bridge from the drive over the path and onto the road.

I think if the side of the car is about 110mm to 120mm from the ground, I think it will just go??

Am I right in saying that the bike engined cars don't hang lower than the car? or less than a sump on a car engine

I cannot wait to get my hands on something! been a long time wishing!

Any one in the Northampton area with a MK Indy? I could come and have a look to see what I am dealing with

bobinspain - 23/3/12 at 11:58 AM

Mine's got a billet sump to give maximum clearance, having anticipated the drive problem. The lowest point on the car is actually the electic reverse motor, which is centrally situated about a metre from the rear of the car. It protrudes about 3 or 4 cm below the rest of the sheeted underbody. It's nowhere near fouling though.

Loggyboy's wheeze seems a good one if you can't get your hands on a car.

Simply measuring an 'guesstimating' is hopeless.

Bob.

bobinspain - 23/3/12 at 12:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by chewitt37
Thanks for all your help

Yes I thought about using car ramps (the ones used on the transporters) to bridge from the drive over the path and onto the road.

I think if the side of the car is about 110mm to 120mm from the ground, I think it will just go??



My ramp's a bespoke one. It took us two days bu66ering around using trial and error (and skinned fingers) to get the maximum clearance we could. (It's definitely a two man job unless you want to write off the underside).
Originally I was all for a left and right ramps on the road, but due to the asymmetry of the drive, (steeper on the lhs) the best solution turned out to be a driveway ramp and a road ramp for the lhs only (where the exhaust's situated).
We bent the plate and supported it at various heights with wooden wedges and once we'd got the optimum clearance, the wedges were replaced with angle-bar. All decorated with a liberal application of rust-proof paint.

Bob.

jacko - 24/3/12 at 06:34 PM

I have never hit a speed bump in my indy if that helps

As you asked in your u2u
the front wheels out to out are 66ins
and center to center back to front are 93ins approx
Jacko
ps
Its not the sump you need to watch its the bell housing there the same in depth but more to the rear of the car

[Edited on 24/3/12 by jacko]

[Edited on 24/3/12 by jacko]

Hellfire - 25/3/12 at 04:57 PM

There is no bell housing on a BEC gearbox Graham

Phil

jacko - 25/3/12 at 06:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
There is no bell housing on a BEC gearbox Graham

Phil


O yes i forgot you only get half a engine/box with a B---i---k--e engine

How are you keeping Phil and how is your Oil Man
Graham

Hellfire - 25/3/12 at 06:29 PM

U2U 2U

Phil