Discussion
Long post but if I don’t tell you where I am you will tell me that what I’m looking at is prohibitably expensive.
Planning to build a car to run in Endurance Races in SE Asia next year. Current favorite is an XKR, as all the drivers will be British, a Jag would fit in and be different from the Jap rubbish. Price is good, and build cost would be acceptable, can import duty free as a race car. But obvious problem is the Auto box, not too worried about this in itself. I’m sure I can find a Holden or Ford box and diff in Australia, and a dog box is available at a realistic price, and have access to the machinery and skills to make a bell housing, peddle box etc. Rules allow for the suspension to be fabricated and rose jointed, and will fabricate all our own suspension arms wishbones and upgrade the brakes using Japanese’s parts, done all this on previous cars.
But my research tells me I need an electrical 'black' box to ‘fool’ the ECU into thinking it has the auto, otherwise the ECU shuts down, this appears to be a potential show stopper as they were hugely expensive when the car was current and would I assume be very hard to find today.
Again my research suggests that this is due to needing the original ECU to run all the auxiliaries. I don’t want to use the instruments, or the ABS, simple rev meter, water oil temp etc, obviously things like immobilizers central looking will not be used, will probably use Japanese fuel pumps as these are available and spares etc will be easier and cheaper, exhaust will be fabricated as a one off.
All the ECU will run is the engine, and at last my question. Is there any reason I can’t run an aftermarket mapable ECU like Haltech and get rid of the Jag ECU? Thereby removing the need for ‘black box’.
As we will be striping the car and there is no market for the spares here I am also thinking about stripping in the UK, and selling everything but the shell, engine, doors etc, this would aid the import a car then obviously not be seen as a fiddle to get in a road car duty free. What’s the market like for XKR spare in the UK would it be worth the expense to strip it there? Or better to ship complete to a lower labour cost area and dump the spare? I am reluctant to dump spares that other people may use.to keep cars on the road.
Planning to build a car to run in Endurance Races in SE Asia next year. Current favorite is an XKR, as all the drivers will be British, a Jag would fit in and be different from the Jap rubbish. Price is good, and build cost would be acceptable, can import duty free as a race car. But obvious problem is the Auto box, not too worried about this in itself. I’m sure I can find a Holden or Ford box and diff in Australia, and a dog box is available at a realistic price, and have access to the machinery and skills to make a bell housing, peddle box etc. Rules allow for the suspension to be fabricated and rose jointed, and will fabricate all our own suspension arms wishbones and upgrade the brakes using Japanese’s parts, done all this on previous cars.
But my research tells me I need an electrical 'black' box to ‘fool’ the ECU into thinking it has the auto, otherwise the ECU shuts down, this appears to be a potential show stopper as they were hugely expensive when the car was current and would I assume be very hard to find today.
Again my research suggests that this is due to needing the original ECU to run all the auxiliaries. I don’t want to use the instruments, or the ABS, simple rev meter, water oil temp etc, obviously things like immobilizers central looking will not be used, will probably use Japanese fuel pumps as these are available and spares etc will be easier and cheaper, exhaust will be fabricated as a one off.
All the ECU will run is the engine, and at last my question. Is there any reason I can’t run an aftermarket mapable ECU like Haltech and get rid of the Jag ECU? Thereby removing the need for ‘black box’.
As we will be striping the car and there is no market for the spares here I am also thinking about stripping in the UK, and selling everything but the shell, engine, doors etc, this would aid the import a car then obviously not be seen as a fiddle to get in a road car duty free. What’s the market like for XKR spare in the UK would it be worth the expense to strip it there? Or better to ship complete to a lower labour cost area and dump the spare? I am reluctant to dump spares that other people may use.to keep cars on the road.
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