Since my aquisitions at the weekend the idea part of my head is in overdrive. I've been thinking of the ultimate road going seven. A motorway cruiser that can change the weather just by starting up. I've still to work out if its possible but I WILL make it work, eventually.

My ideas revolve round the use of the V12 I now have and how the hell I can build a chassis around it and still make it look like a seven. Who needs 12500rpm when you have 250lb ft of torque at 1500rpm. I want to use all of the XJS running gear, along with A/C, P/S and electric seats for that snob effect.

I'm not planning on racing it and Colin Chapman is probably turning in his grave at the thought of this but the whole car should still be less than 1000kg. V8 just doesn't have enough cylinders.

Has anyone else had similar ideas or am I just going loony tunes? I'll need to think of a name for this project and for the badge on the back, sugestions would be welcome.

Dunc.

There used to be a V12 Robin Hood, till one of the kit car mags crashed it, maybe you could find out how they did it, possibly on the RH site?

Cheers

Chris

they probably had a lead foot and wrapped it round a lamp post!! "that's how they did it.."

Good God,

You need to watch every word!

I mean, see how they made the car(obviously)

Cheers

Chris

photo of a recent
west london meet,guess who is who?

you must be now you've passed the SVA, I am obviously cos Chris doesn't like my jokes and as for Bob he must be dribbling over those oh so sexy headlamp brackets!!

9/10 i have rather more hair than that one!

ok but you must admit Bob is a dead ringer!

Helloooooo...

Wow this place has certainly changed since my last visit (when there were about 10 members). This is so much better than that email list. Nice to meet everyone.

Anyway - Dunc (nice brackets - taa muchly), I'm just trying to imagine fitting my V6 in...twice! Well as long as you dont want 4WD and inboard shocks, like me, then I reckon you can do it with close to standard dimensions. Most of my car is tight as a bikini on Pavaroti - in fact my motto ought to be "just enough space is enough space". Dont make it bigger if you don't really need to.

A V12 would be totally cool, and like you say, the thing will still weigh less than a tonne, i.e. less than any TVR (for example). Go for it.

Just make sure there is room for the twin turbo conversion later.

Call it something like the 'Genghis Kahn 5.3 Armageddon'

Happy building,

Liam

quote:

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Since my aquisitions at the weekend the idea part of my head is in overdrive. I've been thinking of the ultimate road going seven.

along with A/C, P/S and electric seats for that snob effect.
Dunc.

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Twin turbo? what's wrong with totally over the top quad turbo? hehehehe.

Liam, I currently running around in a 2.9 v6 4x4 that I'm going to use as a car for my brother once the tax runs out at the end of May. It'll be a shame to cut it up as it's minted but the idea of fitting 4x4 tyres from a Trooper appeals to him. How have you managed to work the inboard shocks round the front driveshafts? I don't want to offset them because it might cause the bottom wishbone to twist.

How about twin softer shocks either side of the driveshaft?

Just a random thought off the top of my head.

Maybe bike shocks?

Twins (turbos that is) will do me fine...seriously, on paper, a fairly simple 10psi system with two garret T2s (from a renault 5 turbo), and standard compression ratio, will give me 270bhp. I want 300 but that will require 12+ psi and a reduction in compression ratio over standard.

Regards inboard shocks...with a front axle in the way, the shocks can't be in the middle of the wishbones whether they are inboard or outboard - they have to be offset infront or behind the driveshafts. My main reason for putting them inboard is to give lots of wheel rate adjustment by having different shock mounting positions on the rocking-arm top wishbones.

Obviously, if you want to be really academic, of course my wishbones will have a twisting load with the offset coilovers, but being realistic, this is practically negligable in terms of affecting the handling of the car. Look at the back of an F1 car - the pushrods can't be central because of the rear driveshafts - so the rear wishbones in theory want to twist, like my fronts. Nothing you can do about it - not a big problem. If it's OK for McLaren, it's OK for me. You can bog yourself down in theory or you can suck it and see - I think I can learn more from the latter .

Happy building,

Liam

HI DUNK, 100% FOR THE V12....JUST GOT A FREE XJS V12 (DRIVING) WITH SHOT BODY...SOUNDS WICKED..OK..OK..BUST BACK-BOX BUT YEP I NEED TO TRY MAKING A KIT CAR FROM IT!

Hi HB,

V12 = loadsatorque, sure, but how will the chassis handle it? IRS from your donor, I assume, which should cope at the rear, and the diff being anchored to the chassis will "disguise" much of the torque effects. But it will still be there - I speak from experience with a certain manufacturer's prototype (where it was assumed that engine torque wouldn't be a problem, because there was a de Dion rear end).

Dick

Hi Folks,

I have, in the past, had two Rover V8 SD1's and a 3.9 Range Rover. On all the cars, if you blipped the throttle, the shell would rotate. It was only slight, but still noticeable. BMW's m/cycle twins were the same. Also, I fly r/c aircraft and you will find that aircraft roll in one direction, better than the other. All due to torque reaction. Only way to countact act is to have a contra-rotating shaft(same mass as crank) per, for e.g., BMW's K series bikes, or mount engine transversely.

ATB

Simon

Well, on the subject of the Robin reliant, er, Hood, Iain Ayre went off roading in it when he realised you can't hurl a car with a 500lb engine in it around corners. He ripped an oil pipe off the sump, and had to be towed in. The car was still on the road for quite a while afterwards.......

Don't fancy a V12 Locost though. I have a twin turbo Rover V8 that I built for the equivalent of a ferry ticket to Le Mans, that gives me 220bhp and 300lb ft on about 5-6psi of boost, which I would rarther have over more cylinders any day..... (the correct compliment, in my book, is eight )

JM2p

What's the standard bhp of the Rover V8 then?

We're now settled on using the BMW 3.5 big block six and that kicks out 218 as standard, 228 torque...

Rich.

Christ !

Theres bleeding loads of different versions, from the MOD version in my mates cab forward at 92bhp to fire breathing monsters in TVR's etc.

Basically, its all down to the depth of your wallet, same as most things

Nah Tony, the 101fc (forward control) had 135bhp, the Stage 1 Series 3 had 91, because LR fitted restricter plates between the carb and manifold.

Most 3.5 engines around these days are Range Rover spec (no SD1s left now), run on mostly Strombergs (crap), have 135bhp, low compression, and go on forever.

Beware of the later 9.25:1 engine from the RR, it was awful, thank christ it only made an appearance for three years :-(

SD1 3.5s are 150bhp, 3.9s on EFi are 190bhp, and 4.6s are 230bhp.

If you want turbos, which I did, the RR engine with it's 8.13:1 compression will happily take 12psi (300bhp )

Still less than the B*W though...

Ok then, SD1 derivitive...?

Clicked about the same time...

Sorted.

quote:

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Ok then, SD1 derivitive...?

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SNAP!!

Nah, secretly spying through your monitor....

That and the fact I have nothing better to do after me tea than post here

Oh, and buy more V8s

Tsk, you shoud get a nice meaty straight six like me....

Nah, sixes (BMW anyway, as I also have an XR4x4 ) are for pimps and hairdressers.

Nice sound though.

V8 is the engine for me. Shame about the fuel consumption ( <12mpg)

In that case I must be a pimp then, cause I ain't no bloody hairdresser....

And I ain't from Essex with an XRV8x4

I do want to own an E34 M5 though

I'd rather have a Speed 12....

Ugly car! Ugly car!

And this comming from someone who likes Hummers :-)

What you need is a nice used Cerbera. Pull it apart, build it properly, and spend the change on a nice little Ultima GTR

Ugly, yes..

Insane, also yes.

Ok, so I'd crash and burn....

It'd be fun til then though..

Well, in that case, could you buy the M5, kill yourself, with me getting the car in the will?

'cept that'll never happen, because I'm a gas guzzling V8 social outcast (who always upsets my neighbours by setting off their car alarms with unsilenced V8s )

If I left the M5 to anyone it'd be my cat.

He's cool...