Single Seater Road Legal
Discussion
Steffan said:
Incidentally the plate on the photos does not exist in the DVLA database.
I wonder why this is?
Have a look at this-I wonder why this is?
https://www.mycarcheck.com/check/E192KHK/
I personally wouldn't get too hung up on little things like the number plate not being right. As long as they meet the regs at the time you have the car IVA tested, there's nothing to stop you changing them subsequently.
For example , the wheels on my Sabre foul against the bodywork on tight turns. But when it was SVA'd it had narrower wheels on and didn't foul. The wider ones that are on it wouldn't have passed but who's going to check it now?
Same with the number plate. Put it on the front dead vertical for the IVA test and then change it to whatever you want within reason after. If BiB ever question you (unlikely??) plead a)it's always been like that; b)sorry the old one got broke and this was all I had I'll fix it today officer, or c)go boil your head and give me the ticket. You choose.
For example , the wheels on my Sabre foul against the bodywork on tight turns. But when it was SVA'd it had narrower wheels on and didn't foul. The wider ones that are on it wouldn't have passed but who's going to check it now?
Same with the number plate. Put it on the front dead vertical for the IVA test and then change it to whatever you want within reason after. If BiB ever question you (unlikely??) plead a)it's always been like that; b)sorry the old one got broke and this was all I had I'll fix it today officer, or c)go boil your head and give me the ticket. You choose.
Don't forget that at the time of the IVA, you won't have a front plate to fail with. And they don't have to be vertical, merely as vertical as is possible. If you have a read of the sticky number plate thread, you'll see that you're worrying unnecessarily over something that isn't and never has been an issue.
As for sorting the body out, I'd guess the best bet is to try and find out how supplies some of the classic/vintage racers. That or try something like the ERA of RoadRunner.
As for sorting the body out, I'd guess the best bet is to try and find out how supplies some of the classic/vintage racers. That or try something like the ERA of RoadRunner.
Looking for Roadrunner on the web I came across this
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Suggests to me the Roadrunner ERA project is unavailable.
Anybody know different?
Once again thanks for the advice.
I take the point on the practicalities of post IVA use and I will see how it goes.
As yet though I have not found a shape/body I am totally happy with and I am still hoping someone knows an existing car that looks reasonable and can actually be bought as a body kit?
Any help would be much appreciated Thanks Steffan
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Suggests to me the Roadrunner ERA project is unavailable.
Anybody know different?
Once again thanks for the advice.
I take the point on the practicalities of post IVA use and I will see how it goes.
As yet though I have not found a shape/body I am totally happy with and I am still hoping someone knows an existing car that looks reasonable and can actually be bought as a body kit?
Any help would be much appreciated Thanks Steffan
Hi Steffan
First let's clear up some confusion, the Roadrunner is no longer available, I believe the project is still owned by road runner racing (roadrunnerracing.net) they make the SR2 which is a 7 clone & renamed the sprint as the SR1, they say on their website they sometimes have second hand SR1's but I doubt they'd be anywhere near your budget of £5k, you might be able to persuade them to make you a chassis or bodywork if you ask nicely!
The ERA is made by Tiger racing, but TTBOMK no one has ever put one on the road - no idea why as I'm quite sure you could get one thro' IVA if you wanted to - not sure what the ground clearance is like - if it's race car low you immediately have a major prob. The price tag at around £18k (I think) might also be slightly off putting.
I manufacture the Furore F1 & can assure you that both cars in that pic were/are most certainly road legal & were both SVA'd & the no. plates should certainly both be on the DVLA database, they both have lights & personally there's no way I would ever want to drive a car with no lights!! Re the front no. plate it is something which isn't tested at IVA & it's placement is somewhat open to interpretation. I've been driving Furore F1's on the road now since 2005 & I had never been stopped by the police until December 2010 when I was returning from a DVLA inspection with no numberplates on the car & Mr Plod gave me a tug, but as soon as I showed him the DVLA paperwork & explained the position he was perfectly happy & started asking all the usual Q's (tho' he missed out "how fast is it?")
Sadly there's no way you'd get one on the road with a £5k budget.
With regard to some of the other points, if you go with a car engine, unless it's inline (expensive) you are stuck with a bulky rear end - my car engined Furores have a substanttial bulge in the engine cowling to accomodate the car lump, the bike engined variants are a lot neater & more svelte, but at a cost. Personally I don't think you'd find any reliability/clutch issues with a bike engine if you use the right one, but even something as cheap as a ZR1100 will still need a chain diff & reverse gear which will add substantially to the budget. Re the weight again unless you start throwing large amounts of money at lightweight bits I very much doubt you'll get anything car engined under 500kg - probably nearer 550.
If you want to come take a look at a Furore, you're very welcome, just give me a bell beforehand as I work from home - 07905 879407, I won't try to flog you a car & I'm quite willing to give advice/ideas etc - I do have some old Formula Ford bodywork which might be of interest, it's scruffy but all there & would be cheap.
Whatever you do, good luck with the project, always nice to hear of someone doing something a bit differentt
First let's clear up some confusion, the Roadrunner is no longer available, I believe the project is still owned by road runner racing (roadrunnerracing.net) they make the SR2 which is a 7 clone & renamed the sprint as the SR1, they say on their website they sometimes have second hand SR1's but I doubt they'd be anywhere near your budget of £5k, you might be able to persuade them to make you a chassis or bodywork if you ask nicely!
The ERA is made by Tiger racing, but TTBOMK no one has ever put one on the road - no idea why as I'm quite sure you could get one thro' IVA if you wanted to - not sure what the ground clearance is like - if it's race car low you immediately have a major prob. The price tag at around £18k (I think) might also be slightly off putting.
I manufacture the Furore F1 & can assure you that both cars in that pic were/are most certainly road legal & were both SVA'd & the no. plates should certainly both be on the DVLA database, they both have lights & personally there's no way I would ever want to drive a car with no lights!! Re the front no. plate it is something which isn't tested at IVA & it's placement is somewhat open to interpretation. I've been driving Furore F1's on the road now since 2005 & I had never been stopped by the police until December 2010 when I was returning from a DVLA inspection with no numberplates on the car & Mr Plod gave me a tug, but as soon as I showed him the DVLA paperwork & explained the position he was perfectly happy & started asking all the usual Q's (tho' he missed out "how fast is it?")
Sadly there's no way you'd get one on the road with a £5k budget.
With regard to some of the other points, if you go with a car engine, unless it's inline (expensive) you are stuck with a bulky rear end - my car engined Furores have a substanttial bulge in the engine cowling to accomodate the car lump, the bike engined variants are a lot neater & more svelte, but at a cost. Personally I don't think you'd find any reliability/clutch issues with a bike engine if you use the right one, but even something as cheap as a ZR1100 will still need a chain diff & reverse gear which will add substantially to the budget. Re the weight again unless you start throwing large amounts of money at lightweight bits I very much doubt you'll get anything car engined under 500kg - probably nearer 550.
If you want to come take a look at a Furore, you're very welcome, just give me a bell beforehand as I work from home - 07905 879407, I won't try to flog you a car & I'm quite willing to give advice/ideas etc - I do have some old Formula Ford bodywork which might be of interest, it's scruffy but all there & would be cheap.
Whatever you do, good luck with the project, always nice to hear of someone doing something a bit differentt
Edited by Russ Bost on Wednesday 26th January 20:12
I think absolutely excellent post Russ.
You have already answered my next questions without me asking. Well done.
Your bodywork is most certainly of interest and I would like to discuss and view ASAP. My email is Lanciapc@hotmail.com if you could update me with your contact info please.
You are quite right about the Roadrunner it seems to be a dead duck.
The ERA is clearly outside my budget.
I look forward to taking a look at your panels and I am sure I can find a use for them.
Regards
Steffan Hughes
You have already answered my next questions without me asking. Well done.
Your bodywork is most certainly of interest and I would like to discuss and view ASAP. My email is Lanciapc@hotmail.com if you could update me with your contact info please.
You are quite right about the Roadrunner it seems to be a dead duck.
The ERA is clearly outside my budget.
I look forward to taking a look at your panels and I am sure I can find a use for them.
Regards
Steffan Hughes
Sam_68 said:
Your budget, and the use of the Focus drivetrain, will enforce some significant constraints on your design: the engine and gearbox is transverse, which will dictate a fairly wide chassis at the rear...................a transverse car engines like the Focus', which has the gearbox bolted to one end of the engine. It's going to be tricky to come up with something that looks 'right' as a single seater.
Unless of course it was a transverse-engined single-seater. 1965 F1 Honda would fit the bill nicely. 
Alan
I have a f3000 reynard 88d single seater that I plan to make road legal at some point, I have posted about it before on here, its a long term project only worked on as and when I have some spare time. Its much easier to make a historic single seater road legal, firstly you need to establish its age of manufacture then as long as its over 10 years of age then no IVA required, you just need to get it through a daylight MOT, present your evidence of age to DVLA and off you go if accepted.
There is an Indy car in the states thats road legal as well a a reynard like mine in Japan plus a number of old formula fords over here as well.
A good car to convert would be an old Formula Lotus reynard as it uses the vauxhall red top engine so not a lot really required to get it roadworthy and they are cheap enough to buy.
Good luck with your plans
There is an Indy car in the states thats road legal as well a a reynard like mine in Japan plus a number of old formula fords over here as well.
A good car to convert would be an old Formula Lotus reynard as it uses the vauxhall red top engine so not a lot really required to get it roadworthy and they are cheap enough to buy.
Good luck with your plans
PAUL. S said:
A good car to convert would be an old Formula Lotus reynard as it uses the vauxhall red top engine so not a lot really required to get it roadworthy and they are cheap enough to buy.
how do you think the planks would hold up use on the road? I have hers storys of them being replaced very regally on the race cars, I do not know if that was just because or if there was a need.CanAm said:
Unless of course it was a transverse-engined single-seater. 1965 F1 Honda would fit the bill nicely.
Alan
Even then I suspect you'd struggle. The RA271 engine was like a bike unit with the gearbox behind the engine, not bolted to one side.Alan
The best pic I could find from a quick Google is this one (obviously of a model):
It was a V12, but only 1.5 litres, so tiny cylinders and even though it is 6-cylinders wide, I doubt the actual block would have been much wider than a big 4-cylinder modern superbike engine like the Hyabusa... effectively you're comparing the width of a 750cc, 6 cylinder block with that of a 1300cc 4 cylinder block.
If you use a transverse car engine, you're talking about a 1.8/2.0 litre, 4 cylinder block with a bellhousing and gearbox bolted to one end.
With the possible exception of Formula Vee (as the ride height is easily changed) I would strongly recommend against converting a race car, it is very very difficult to increase the ride height to anything sensible for road use without either modifying or remounting pickup points to the extent that it's easier to start from scratch & build your own chassis. Also most old race cars don't have collapsable steering columns, have unsuitable braking systems, no handbrake, unsuitable seat belt mounting points for IVA, will require a complete rewire, have no light mounting points etc etc.
The above comment about IVA not applying to vehicles over 10 years old is correct ONLY if the chassis remains in a completely unmodified form - not likely in this instance unless you want to run 1" ground clearance!
The above comment about IVA not applying to vehicles over 10 years old is correct ONLY if the chassis remains in a completely unmodified form - not likely in this instance unless you want to run 1" ground clearance!
I agree that a race car is not an ideal road car, but in my case its only to prove to myself it can be done. The car will mainly be for track days, but it will be a bit of fun if I can run it up and down the local dual carrigeways every now and again on a nice sunny day so ground clearance wont be a problem, and there are a number of ways of temporarily raising the ride height in car to get over obstacles without altering the chassis.
Edited by PAUL. S on Thursday 27th January 20:52
All very informative and interesting.
I really think we are getting somewhere.
Clearly I need to review the Formua Vee opportunities, look at the Lotus Reynard possibilities and chew over the possibility of using another former racer.
One thing is crystal clear most of the contributors have a great deal of knowledge and this is most useful advice. My thanks to everyone.
If anyone has direct knowledge of a racer for sale or a body set that is available I would appreciate the contact information.
Equally if anyone can suggest a car which might be used as a base I would be most grateful.
Any more ideas are always welcome!!
I really think we are getting somewhere.
Clearly I need to review the Formua Vee opportunities, look at the Lotus Reynard possibilities and chew over the possibility of using another former racer.
One thing is crystal clear most of the contributors have a great deal of knowledge and this is most useful advice. My thanks to everyone.
If anyone has direct knowledge of a racer for sale or a body set that is available I would appreciate the contact information.
Equally if anyone can suggest a car which might be used as a base I would be most grateful.
Any more ideas are always welcome!!
fella to talk to is Dermot Healy, he regularly gets in all sorts of budget single seater projects inc the reynard lotus cars
Here is a link to him, and he is a nice guy to chat to on the phone.
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listing/35401/Unused...
Here is a link to him, and he is a nice guy to chat to on the phone.
http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listing/35401/Unused...
Sam_68 said:
CanAm said:
Unless of course it was a transverse-engined single-seater. 1965 F1 Honda would fit the bill nicely.
Alan
Even then I suspect you'd struggle. The RA271 engine was like a bike unit with the gearbox behind the engine, not bolted to one side.Alan
Hi
In addition to the potential of a formula vee, I would add the 1.7L tube framed Formual Renaults (late 80's to mid 90's??)
These things have a bog standard (wet sumped I believe) 1.7l Renault engine and use a gearbox from the renault range too, which means they're very unloved in the old racing car fraternity and therefore cheap..
Also as they were designed to run at a 40mm ride height but with low profile (for the day) tyres then getting something like a sensible ride height should be do-able.
Not sure about the 'over 10 years' old bit above but they would certainly fall well into that catagory too..
In addition to the potential of a formula vee, I would add the 1.7L tube framed Formual Renaults (late 80's to mid 90's??)
These things have a bog standard (wet sumped I believe) 1.7l Renault engine and use a gearbox from the renault range too, which means they're very unloved in the old racing car fraternity and therefore cheap..
Also as they were designed to run at a 40mm ride height but with low profile (for the day) tyres then getting something like a sensible ride height should be do-able.
Not sure about the 'over 10 years' old bit above but they would certainly fall well into that catagory too..
Once again an excellent range of observations and ideas. Most helpful.
I will contact the various racing suggestions but I do want to hold this to my budget.
I have sourced a 1200 cc Kawasaki which is now my main hope for a drive source. Lightweight and diminutive should fit the bill.
I have also been looking closely at the Samio bodies on Ebay and the Fiorino bodies both of which were designed to fit the Triumph Herald.
I AM NOT USING A HERALD CHASSIS transverse leaf with power NOT a good idea. I am sourcing a square tube chassis to fit this car with the Kawasaki engine and box a purpose made diff and double wishbone all round etc using Ford components brakes etc.
Engine position has yet to be determined but I do think I can build this and come close to my budget.
I am also looking at the ex racing cars but finding one without suicidal ground clearance is proving tricky. However use of higher profile tyres and ultralight components may obviate the grounding problem. Or it may not!
Any more idea's?
I will contact the various racing suggestions but I do want to hold this to my budget.
I have sourced a 1200 cc Kawasaki which is now my main hope for a drive source. Lightweight and diminutive should fit the bill.
I have also been looking closely at the Samio bodies on Ebay and the Fiorino bodies both of which were designed to fit the Triumph Herald.
I AM NOT USING A HERALD CHASSIS transverse leaf with power NOT a good idea. I am sourcing a square tube chassis to fit this car with the Kawasaki engine and box a purpose made diff and double wishbone all round etc using Ford components brakes etc.
Engine position has yet to be determined but I do think I can build this and come close to my budget.
I am also looking at the ex racing cars but finding one without suicidal ground clearance is proving tricky. However use of higher profile tyres and ultralight components may obviate the grounding problem. Or it may not!
Any more idea's?
Gassing Station | Kit Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff