Discussion
As I posted earlier I have bought a bascket case 130/4, in Malaysia, one of only two cars in country. The more I look at it the more I fancy it as a daily driver, so my thoughts are to go Mazda MX5, for all the running gear.
The basic law here is I can't change the chassis, no problem there I can repair/replate the chassis, and I can not change the engine to one that increases the engine CC, although engine swap for same (oe close) cc is possible.
My thoughts are a 1600 MX5 to provide everything, diff, 5 speed, engine, uprights brakes and wheels. Fabricate new wishbones to go from the lotus chassis to the uprights, replica minilights, that would give me modern 4 pot brakes, decent wheels etc.
The rest of the car will be upgraded with leather interior. Now none of the work is a problem I can get it all done for a resonable cost. But does any one have experience of putting a MX5 into the chassis, does the gear box go?
I will then sell all the lotus bits uprights, hubs wheels etc, but I'm thinking of rebuilding the engine and putting into an Escort, I can get a MK1 2 door shell for peanuts, I've got loads of twin cam/crossflow bits as I have a caterham. I know real twin cam escorts fetch huge money but is there market in the UK for twin cam clones?
I've no problems shipping the car or parts to the UK i know people who do it all the time.
Comments advice appreciated,
The basic law here is I can't change the chassis, no problem there I can repair/replate the chassis, and I can not change the engine to one that increases the engine CC, although engine swap for same (oe close) cc is possible.
My thoughts are a 1600 MX5 to provide everything, diff, 5 speed, engine, uprights brakes and wheels. Fabricate new wishbones to go from the lotus chassis to the uprights, replica minilights, that would give me modern 4 pot brakes, decent wheels etc.
The rest of the car will be upgraded with leather interior. Now none of the work is a problem I can get it all done for a resonable cost. But does any one have experience of putting a MX5 into the chassis, does the gear box go?
I will then sell all the lotus bits uprights, hubs wheels etc, but I'm thinking of rebuilding the engine and putting into an Escort, I can get a MK1 2 door shell for peanuts, I've got loads of twin cam/crossflow bits as I have a caterham. I know real twin cam escorts fetch huge money but is there market in the UK for twin cam clones?
I've no problems shipping the car or parts to the UK i know people who do it all the time.
Comments advice appreciated,
I do agree with you on breaking it, and I'm not decided, Thanks for the encouragement not to break it, that what I need its eassier to re-engine here maybe to easy.
I had a ELan Sprint and a JPS Europe in the 70's, and I currantly have a Lotus Carlton and a Caterham so I know about the Chassis issue, I remember all the fuss when people started to change chassis and eventually DVLA agreed the number was the body shell,
The problem is here we have a thing called JPJ, which is exactly the same as the DVLA there is no way I could get a chassis into the country, I would need an approval permit (AP)and that in nearly impossible, But as I say I have no big issues with the chassis I can repair the old one, I bet I could even get one made up as a copy from the original. A few months ago I shipped in a cyl head for my wifes Porsche you would not believe the custom problem, the duty was only 20 pounds, but they wanted an AP because they opened it up and treated it as an engine, because an engine has a number (like a chassis) it needed and AP. An AP cost about 200 pounds but are only given to certain people, on the back market they start at 2 grand, eventually we re-wrote the custom decleration as mechanical parts and got in no problem,
The problems I have are not the same as in the UK, I can get body/chassis repairs done easily, e.g I have a 400 BHp Sylva which is running my own design IRS, made locally, my caterham is carbon fiber, I know a guy with the moulds, I can get the interior done in leather for less than 500 pound. But getting engine parts takes for ever, and building a strange engine is not easy, I used to run an Esprit the engine was a nightmare.
But Japanese engines I can get anything done, and I can buy them cheap. We can buy 'half cuts' from Japan, so yesterday my mate bought a B10 Alpina as two 'Half Cuts' for 1500 pounds, that is all the Alpina riunning gear, engine trnsmission, diff brakes, ECU, he is now going to put in his E39. So I could buy a complet MX5 for a grand.
The twin cam I have has LCP2 cams and the car has spyder drive shafts, so its a good basis, as I say not decided yet. Long post but it lonley having classic lotus out here.
I had a ELan Sprint and a JPS Europe in the 70's, and I currantly have a Lotus Carlton and a Caterham so I know about the Chassis issue, I remember all the fuss when people started to change chassis and eventually DVLA agreed the number was the body shell,
The problem is here we have a thing called JPJ, which is exactly the same as the DVLA there is no way I could get a chassis into the country, I would need an approval permit (AP)and that in nearly impossible, But as I say I have no big issues with the chassis I can repair the old one, I bet I could even get one made up as a copy from the original. A few months ago I shipped in a cyl head for my wifes Porsche you would not believe the custom problem, the duty was only 20 pounds, but they wanted an AP because they opened it up and treated it as an engine, because an engine has a number (like a chassis) it needed and AP. An AP cost about 200 pounds but are only given to certain people, on the back market they start at 2 grand, eventually we re-wrote the custom decleration as mechanical parts and got in no problem,
The problems I have are not the same as in the UK, I can get body/chassis repairs done easily, e.g I have a 400 BHp Sylva which is running my own design IRS, made locally, my caterham is carbon fiber, I know a guy with the moulds, I can get the interior done in leather for less than 500 pound. But getting engine parts takes for ever, and building a strange engine is not easy, I used to run an Esprit the engine was a nightmare.
But Japanese engines I can get anything done, and I can buy them cheap. We can buy 'half cuts' from Japan, so yesterday my mate bought a B10 Alpina as two 'Half Cuts' for 1500 pounds, that is all the Alpina riunning gear, engine trnsmission, diff brakes, ECU, he is now going to put in his E39. So I could buy a complet MX5 for a grand.
The twin cam I have has LCP2 cams and the car has spyder drive shafts, so its a good basis, as I say not decided yet. Long post but it lonley having classic lotus out here.
The Chassis not an issue, I am certain it can be repaired but I can get one made up if I needed one, same with the body I could get a new shell made, as I said my Sylva runs an IRS I designed, and has a body made locally, I also have a caterham which runs a carbon fiber body made locally. You would not belive what you can get made in Asia and if you pay a fair price and source material yourself the quality is fantastic, I can buy a carbon fiber Elese body almost of the shelf locally.
Same with parts I have a caterham super sprint, and a Lotus Carlton, so I know most of the contacts for lotus spares, first time I dealt with paul Matty he was in cradley Heath. I had an Elan Sprint in 74 and a JPS Europe in the Early 80's.
My real quustion is about fitting the MX5 engine and box, any one done it.
Same with parts I have a caterham super sprint, and a Lotus Carlton, so I know most of the contacts for lotus spares, first time I dealt with paul Matty he was in cradley Heath. I had an Elan Sprint in 74 and a JPS Europe in the Early 80's.
My real quustion is about fitting the MX5 engine and box, any one done it.
Lotus 50 thanks for that, I think you've persuaded me to keep the twin cam, I opened the cam cover the weekend, top end looks good, engine is seized, but don't think that is major, oil is clean. Biggest problem to date has been removing rat skeletons, 4in the transmission, several behind grill and under back seats, 70years stood in the tropics.
For an escort shell look at Amudha.my 2door Mk 1 come up on regular basis, and the od 2door cortina, Malaysian British ford car group on face book also worth a look.
For an escort shell look at Amudha.my 2door Mk 1 come up on regular basis, and the od 2door cortina, Malaysian British ford car group on face book also worth a look.
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