paul the 6th
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:12 AM |
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Ford Sierra Donors... They're either too far away or too expensive... debate
I've been trawling ebay for suitable sierra's for about 2-3 months and everything I've come across is either 400-500 quid, or
it's over 180 miles away (usually london or further south) = problem is it has no mot/tax and is unable to drive itself home. I really
don't want to pay for a transporter as it will bugger up the cost..
As a result, I've started to think about maybe using a more readily available donor. The only pro seems to be that it'll be more readily
available, but the con is that it will be significantly more expensive for parts & tuning components (such as for a mazda mx5 or e36 based bmw
donor)...
Also, I've no mechanical experience of engines/gearboxes, and although one of the main attractions of the project is that it's a learning
project (with a nice car at the end), I was keen to take the most established route through the project: pinto or cvh, type9 box, ford diffs etc...
common stuff which as been done a million times
Can anyone point me in the direction of a suitable donor for under 200 quid which is near to york (within a hundred miles ish) or should I start
saving and consider something crackers like a bmw?
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Paul TigerB6
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:17 AM |
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When looking at a different donor, dont forget to factor in the likely reduction in cost of reconditioning your parts with buying a more modern donor.
If you bought a really cheap sierra, you may end up spending a fair few hundred on the reconditioning parts to get them up to standard. £500 or so for
a newer MX5 donor might prove more cost effective (and lighter)
Worth consideration??
[Edited on 6/2/09 by Paul TigerB6]
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stevebubs
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:22 AM |
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ebay item 220356728847
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mcerd1
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:24 AM |
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so if none of these are any good:
http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/items/Cars_?Manufacturer946977f1=Ford2180db&ModelYearf0c65f14=1993172342%7C1992172341%7C1991172340%7C199017233
f%7C1989172329%7C1988172328%7C1987172327%7C1986172326%7C1985172325%7C1984172324%7C1983172323%7C1982172322&CarTypeff9e9c46=Estatescdbc687%7CFourWhe
elDrives37a72968%7CStandardCara2c05ff1%7C!&Transmission3431604=Manual88efd3e6&Model4710b09=Cortina9c28394e%7CG47%7CGranada73ed4726%7CSierra939
98312%7C!&_dmpt=Automobiles_UK&_fln=1&_sacat=9801&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=0&_udhi=500
have you looked in the local paper / free adds etc.....
[Edited on 6/2/09 by mcerd1]
[Edited on 6/2/09 by mcerd1]
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paul the 6th
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:25 AM |
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fair point  I really need to read up on other peoples' builds to find out how they've got on using bmw's and mazda's. The
bmw thing really appeals to me because of the whole solid german engineering type thing, and the stock power output ain't bad - although I think
the powerplant could be considerably heavier and larger (not to mention the gear box)?
I'll have a good searching sesh on here today since I'm sat at the back of a conference stage set on technical support... waiting for
something to go wrong (but it won't cos I've checked absolutely everything  )
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MikeR
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:30 AM |
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why not have a word with a scappy? With the price of metal dropping so much they'll probably look out for one for you and deliver for a suitable
fee.
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chrsgrain
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:31 AM |
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The kind of people that will be selling a near dead sierra may well not use ebay... try the small ads, free ad papers and notices in newsagents...
much more likely to get what you're after.
Chris
Spoing! - the sound of an irony meter breaking...
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deezee
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:37 AM |
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I've been looking for the ideal donor for a while now. I'd started looking at BMW and Toyota donors instead, due to availability. But
there are loads of Sierras available if you ignore the engine and source the engine separate.
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Duncan_P
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:41 AM |
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If I were scratch building then I would be seriously be looking at an MX5 I'm seeing more and more with terminal body rot at the scrappy etc so
it should be possible to get one fairly cheaply. As already mentioned the components are going to be in a lot better condition than a 20+ year old
ford.
Pesonally I would steer clear of using BMW bits for a seven'esque car... the sheer size and weight of most of the bits puts me off.
Having said that I can see why you would want to stick to the well trodden Sierra route. A few kit companies were offering donar packages such as
GBS which you would pay a premium for but at least they would fit in the boot of a car 
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paul the 6th
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:41 AM |
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mcerd1 - cheers for that search ... everytime i run a search i get nowt but expensive sierra's or they're hundreds of miles away.
Just emailed the seller about a sierra on the search results
I will stop moaning now
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tomprescott
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:43 AM |
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I found pretty much the same when looking for sierras, five door models seem to sell for less but I've found people selling them have a couple
of accounts and will upbid at any chance, I had been outbid (to about 380) by one other ebayer days before ithad ended, I just left it and eventually
got an email from the seller saying that the original buyer was a timewaster, eventually I said id give him 150 for it and he accepted. On another
note 4age engines seem popular so maybe a mk1 mr2? I think quite a few americans use rx-7s, but that might be quite expensive!? On a wierder note, the
sierra is the oldest, scabbiest looking car on my drive and I've had about half a dozen people asking if I had plans to sell it!
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idl1975
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:49 AM |
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BMWs aren't especially solid - I'd stick with Ford Sierra engineering or Japanese engineering. Certainly the durability of suspension
components is not something the 3 series chassis are known for! Rear strut mounts and front wishbone balljoints and bushings have been expiring
prematurely on those cars since the E30, and they didn't bother to fix it until (maybe?) the E90. Probably because replacing them was a
money-spinner for the dealerships.
As for the powerplants, the common or garden four cylinder petrol engines are nothing special (especially not the older ones), and the petrol sixes
are simply enormous. I don't know about pricey, though. If you don't buy from rip-off merchants (aka BMW dealers!), parts are fine.
quote:
Originally posted by paul the 6th
fair point I really need to read up on other peoples' builds to find out how they've got on using bmw's and mazda's. The
bmw thing really appeals to me because of the whole solid german engineering type thing, and the stock power output ain't bad - although I think
the powerplant could be considerably heavier and larger (not to mention the gear box)?
I'll have a good searching sesh on here today since I'm sat at the back of a conference stage set on technical support... waiting for
something to go wrong (but it won't cos I've checked absolutely everything )
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splitrivet
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 11:34 AM |
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I wouldnt bother with ebay at all for a donor most sellers seem to think they got some sort of collectable antique, local ads is the way to go or buy
from a scrappy.
Cheers,
Bob
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
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mr henderson
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 11:53 AM |
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I assume you are planning to build the chassis yourself, as adapting a ready-made chassis to suit a different set of donor components would be very
difficult.
I think that you need to have a plan for exactly what you are going to want in terms of the finished car.
For instance, will you want to use the donor car's brakes? If you do then you will either be budgeting for complete replacements, and simply
need the donor brakes for exchange purposes, or you may want to use the existing brakes after a clean up and check over.
The same questions apply to the other components such as engine, gearbox, differential etc etc
It's considerations like these that make the choice of whether to buy an mot failure scrapyard refugee or a running car in decent condition
important.
If it was me I would buy the best donor I could afford, and expect to make the extra money back in not having to replace so many components, and in
having less hassle about purchasing, collecting, transporting, legal worries re tax and mot etc etc.
John
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mcerd1
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 12:14 PM |
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I should have said that I got one donor from an add in a free-adds paper (XR4x4) that his wife had put in without his knowledge  (although when
I turned up with cash he was more than happy to sell it)
and the other 2 (89' granadas) came from next door for free
its actually one of the granada's I'm using for the dax
the 86-93 granada's are normally cheaper btw and post parts are the same as sierra's (but 5 stud hubs, sligtly different front uprights
and different steering column / rack)
[Edited on 6/2/09 by mcerd1]
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iscmatt
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 12:47 PM |
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Just thought i wold add that being from york also, i found it very hard to find a donor! actually impossible, it must be the area. The scrappies round
here are pretty useless too, from my own experience anyway.
I ended up buying a donor of ebay that was in liverpool - £100
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Hellfire
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 01:01 PM |
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Go for a walk or drive around some of the houses/estates around your area. You may find one easier this way.
Phil
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Schrodinger
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 01:49 PM |
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You could try signing up to your local http://www.freecycle.org/
or http://groups.yahoo.com/phrase/cheapcycle
or http://www.gumtree.com/
Keith
Aviemore
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 02:11 PM |
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Actually that's a point, how do you just randomly ask someone if they're selling their car? I mean what do you say and are you ready to
give it legs if the guy roars?
I've pretty much given up on the idea of a donor, there's a link somewhere around here for a new ford engine on ebay and I figure
it'll probably be cheaper in the long run to get as many new parts as possible, partially for space/cash requirements and partially to save
frustration when that bolt just won't f*!%ing move! I've pretty much ruined 3 cars that way 
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RK
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 03:25 PM |
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Just speaking from my own, very frustrating experience, I went through this in my search for a suitable donor in Canada, and I came to the conclusion
that it simply cannot be done here without getting into Westfield money. I'm over that already. In fact, I'm over what second hand
Caterhams go for, and I have NO carbon fibre.
A couple of hundred extra $$ (LLL then...) is not going to make or break your build budget, and if it is, then I would honestly say you can't
afford it right now. You will end up spending double what you think, unless you are an expert mechanic. This is the reality, not the drug induced
idiocy of Uncle Ron. For legal purposes, I have no proof of that.
[Edited on 7/2/09 by RK]
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 03:42 PM |
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True the £250 target is a bit of a push, and iirc it involved a lot of scrounging metal, having the tools already and searching autojumbles (never
seen one of them) for suitable parts. It could be done but you'd be damn lucky, and you wouldn't get it exactly how you want.
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RK
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 04:32 PM |
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If it were me in the UK, I'd go find people to help you look for suitable donors, or just call one of the kit suppliers and get them to sell you
a pallet full of all the proper parts ready cleaned and ready to go. No time wasted and you can get on with building. Forget cheap in any of this:
it's always cheaper to buy a car already made by somebody else.
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martyn_16v
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| posted on 11/2/09 at 10:21 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Actually that's a point, how do you just randomly ask someone if they're selling their car?
Stick a note on the windscreen saying if they want £200 for it give us a ring. Hell, if you're really desparate buy a £150 Mondeo and start
offering to swap it.
Scour the small ads, put in a friendly word at the MOT centre/motor factors/etc to let you know if they get anything.
Don't bother with looking in vehicle dismantlers, with the price of scrap steel over the last couple of years it wasn't worth them keeping
hold of old crap cars, they'll have been cubed straight away.
Seriously, finding a Sierra will not be the hardest thing you have to do in the build by a country mile...
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paul the 6th
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| posted on 13/2/09 at 08:46 AM |
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Collection the 1.8 cvh sierra today if royal mail bother to deliver insurance docs... They were meant to be here yesterday
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DarrenW
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| posted on 13/2/09 at 09:16 PM |
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Some are a tad expensive arent they
http://www.adtrader.co.uk/item_detail.php?aid=29868441&class_id=110&hdl=FORD+SIERRA+2.0+EFI+GHIA
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