RAM D type-any good? Lowdrag...?

[thegreenhell]

a8hex said:

The other time I've been in a D was at Goodwood when I was offered a ride for a few laps if I could go NOW. My XK's a fixed head so I don't need goggles and so didn't have any option in the D but to scruch down and keep bellow the screen. I'm not Norman Dewis height, but it was worth it :-)

Yes, silly grin seems to describe it quite well.

D-Type at Goodwood - seems appropriate to post this, even if it takes things slightly off-topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHpUqm7YyNY

[a8hex]

thegreenhell said:

D-Type at Goodwood - seems appropriate to post this, even if it takes things slightly off-topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHpUqm7YyNY

Thank you for that, that was brilliant.

Seems D-Types are rather quicker around Goodwood than XK150s

[dinkel]

Driving a racing spec short nose isn't as simple as it looks!


Getting into an Elise is easier!

[thegreenhell]

XJ13 said:

pacoryan said:

Here's an example where a set of 16" wheels would make a big difference (plus some paint of course)

noooooo Patrick - leave it bare aluminium. It's gorgeous!

Same car?

[a8hex]

I've heard of not painting a car to save weight, but are those the new light weight racing overalls?

[SlipStream77]

Thanks for the replies re. ride height, I will certainly give a Realm some thought again.

[bigblock]

dinkel said:

Getting into an Elise is easier!

Step over the door onto the seat and then slide down holding the door top and steering wheel, its the only dignified way to do it

Edited by bigblock on Thursday 6th March 18:19

[Jagmanv12]

Having built several Realm D types and XKSS and covered about 10,000 miles in a D I'd say they provide an enjoyable drive.

As mentioned the shocks have adjustable platforms so the ride height is easily adjustable.

On early cars the inner sills are square but on later cars the sills are curved and have fake rivets moulded into them, resembling an original.

Changing body panels to aluminium would be a personal choice and may/may not be worthwhile.

[rolymo]

I am not quite sure where this RAM D Type replica is right now. After shipping it to Sebring racetrack in Florida for some high speed track fun, I found the USA then current 55mph national speed limit to be a major embarrassment and most unsuited to this particular type of car for road use . The area around Orlando is a minefield of law-enforcement officers just waiting to ticket such a high profile automobile for the fun of it, it was hardly possible to get out of 2nd gear and still be legal. For all other considerations it was absolutely fantastic to own and enjoy. Sold it to an antique aircraft dealer from Carolina back in the 90's, had a lot of bang for the buck that car !

[grand large]

Apparently the right place for the following question :
could any of the experts help me identify the manufacturer of this replica ?
Apparently an early one :
3,4 liter XK engine.
2 SU HD6 carbs.
Box : Moss
Power : dynamo (not an alternator).
Chassis : see pic
Rear suspension : MK2 S type or XJ6.
Front suspension : MK2 and house made
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/zBnVcKTd[/url]

[jith]

a8hex said:

pacoryan said:

I appreciate that road car suspension might need longer travel, but it puts me right off!

You'd be truly amazed at how well a real D rides on rough British roads. Most modern cars don't get close, some of that comes from a D having tyres rather than rubber bands, but they ride really well. I bet the Lynxes are even better with the IRS, from the passenger seat they are certainly more composed on the track.

That's the torsion bars that give that ride quality a8. An E type and the XKs are almost as good if everything is set up properly. Torsion bars are quite superb and far superior to coils in almost every respect.

J

[lowdrag]

I have never looked at a RAM/Realm from underneath, but looking at the fin it would appear to be one. If the fin is flat and not sloping upwards towards the back it surely is. The only copy D-type I've seen like that. This'll show you the correct profile:-



One of my old ones, now sadly departed.

[jagracer]

grand large said:

Apparently the right place for the following question :
could any of the experts help me identify the manufacturer of this replica ?
Apparently an early one :
3,4 liter XK engine.
2 SU HD6 carbs.
Box : Moss
Power : dynamo (not an alternator).
Chassis : see pic
Rear suspension : MK2 S type or XJ6.
Front suspension : MK2 and house made

That's an LR Roadsters or Ram, same company owned by Adrian Cocking. Front suspension will be XJ6 or XJS as the Mk2 wont fit and the rear can be any of the Jaguar independent versions. S Type is a correct fit whereas XJ6/S etc have to be narrowed. Wasn't the Moss box the earlier version, that one has an overdrive bolted on which I didn't think Moss boxes had although I stand to be corrected.

[grand large]

jagracer said:

That's an LR Roadsters or Ram, same company owned by Adrian Cocking. Front suspension will be XJ6 or XJS as the Mk2 wont fit and the rear can be any of the Jaguar independent versions. S Type is a correct fit whereas XJ6/S etc have to be narrowed. Wasn't the Moss box the earlier version, that one has an overdrive bolted on which I didn't think Moss boxes had although I stand to be corrected.

Thanks. Sorry, I forgot to mention the overdrive.
The rev gear is forward left so I thought it was a Moss box and not a Jaguar.
Any idea of the production year of this car ? I read that RAM began their business in 1984 with AC Cobra replicas. Then they produced a D Type.
Could it be an early production ? What puzzle me is the presence of a dynamo (instead of an alternator).

Edited by grand large on Friday 6th March 14:15

[a8hex]

jith said:

a8hex said:

pacoryan said:

I appreciate that road car suspension might need longer travel, but it puts me right off!

You'd be truly amazed at how well a real D rides on rough British roads. Most modern cars don't get close, some of that comes from a D having tyres rather than rubber bands, but they ride really well. I bet the Lynxes are even better with the IRS, from the passenger seat they are certainly more composed on the track.

That's the torsion bars that give that ride quality a8. An E type and the XKs are almost as good if everything is set up properly. Torsion bars are quite superb and far superior to coils in almost every respect.

J

Yeah the front ends of the XKs are great, the back end is just cart springs. E-Types, Mk10s, S-Types and then everything till recent times had a great back end. The Lynx cars have the E-Type rear end. I'm not sure whether this was modified much, is a D-Type narrower than an E? The rear of a D is rather different. Despite having spent enough time looking at the stripped down rear of XKSS701 I can't remember how it worked, I know it's a solid back axle, perhaps I should go and look it up.

[jagracer]

grand large said:

Thanks. Sorry, I forgot to mention the overdrive.
The rev gear is forward left so I thought it was a Moss box and not a Jaguar.
Any idea of the production year of this car ? I read that RAM began their business in 1984 with AC Cobra replicas. Then they produced a D Type.
Could it be an early production ? What puzzle me is the presence of a dynamo (instead of an alternator).

Edited by grand large on Friday 6th March 14:15

They started off as LR Roadsters in the late 70s or early 80s with the Cobras and then the Dtypes. Then came Ram in the 90s, I had dealings with him from around 1995 until the business folded again and later he formed Realm engineering which is still going.
The chassis design has remained the same throughout until Revival cars started building these under licence for their own race series, these chassis had modifications to the suspension geometry which made it more suitable for racing and also straightened out the bent and misaligned chassis that the earlier cars had.
One way of telling the era is to look at the pedal box, if it's an MGB one then it's an early one, from the mid 90s Adrian fabricated his own style, I would imagine the one you have seen has a dynamo either because that's what the engine came with or to make it look more authentic.

Here's a couple of mine during one of it's rebuilds.

Edited by jagracer on Friday 6th March 20:06

Edited by jagracer on Friday 6th March 20:07

[mph]

jith said:

That's the torsion bars that give that ride quality a8. An E type and the XKs are almost as good if everything is set up properly. Torsion bars are quite superb and far superior to coils in almost every respect.
J

Not much difference really. A spring is just a coiled torsion bar.

Not so easy to get progressive spring rates on torsion bars but somehow they do seem a more elegant solution.

[IroningMan]

Torsion bars confer the advantage of allowing you to locate the fixed end nearer to the middle of the car, allowing the supporting structure for the suspension to be lighter for the same overall torsional stiffness.

[dinkel]

jagracer said:

Here's a couple of mine during one of it's rebuilds.

Tim?

[jagracer]

dinkel said:

Tim?

Yes Albert, how are you?