Tuscan racer (long term project)

[BIG COL]

I'm thinking of building a Tuscan racer for road (and maybe the odd sprint/hill climb) I don't have a bottomless pit of money, so here is my idea (please feel free to shot it full of holes!) how feasible is it to buy a bit at a time (when either I have some cash or parts become available) say find a chassis and start from there. I do realize that this will not be the cheapest way of doing it but it will let me spread the cost over say 5 years and sneak it under the 'home radar'

Okay guys do your worst!

Thanks GC

[V8 GRF]

BIG COL said:

I'm thinking of building a Tuscan racer for road (and maybe the odd sprint/hill climb) I don't have a bottomless pit of money, so here is my idea (please feel free to shot it full of holes!) how feasible is it to buy a bit at a time (when either I have some cash or parts become available) say find a chassis and start from there. I do realize that this will not be the cheapest way of doing it but it will let me spread the cost over say 5 years and sneak it under the 'home radar'

Okay guys do your worst!

Thanks GC

Buy one of the ones for sale has got to be the cheapest way I'd have thought.

[BLUETHUNDER]

P.H member Tweety on here had a road registered Tuscan Racer for some time.Give him a P.M for any advice.

[BIG COL]

V8 GRF said:

BIG COL said:

I'm thinking of building a Tuscan racer for road (and maybe the odd sprint/hill climb) I don't have a bottomless pit of money, so here is my idea (please feel free to shot it full of holes!) how feasible is it to buy a bit at a time (when either I have some cash or parts become available) say find a chassis and start from there. I do realize that this will not be the cheapest way of doing it but it will let me spread the cost over say 5 years and sneak it under the 'home radar'

Okay guys do your worst!

Thanks GC

Buy one of the ones for sale has got to be the cheapest way I'd have thought.

Thank you so much for you input, that thought would have never crossed my mind

[teamHOLDENracing]

I've built one from scratch and bought 3 complete cars. The from scratch method is massively more expensive, and I mean massively. It is all the little stuff that you don't think about that mounts up, and before you know it you have spent thousands on fixings and spacers.

For example: did you know that there are £2,000 worth of rose joints on a Tuscan racer?

Plus some parts (not many, but some) are very difficult to get hold of now, so you have to get them made. These can be very expensive.

So in conclusion, buy a complete car, even if it is an old stter.

[tvrolet]

Think very carefully; this will be unlikely to be cheap, and you'll never get back what you spend. Best route is undoubtedly to start with a complete car, and only you can decide what standard you want to build to. I started with a 'complete' car, and to date I guess I could have bought a second hand Gallardo for less money, and that would have more resale value than the Tuscan...but that's not why I did it.

As Andy says, the small things really do mount up. But, it's also never ending. With the engine out I thought I'd re-do the exhausts, so ceramic coat the headers, some nice stainless silencers and enough stainless bends for me to make the system up - there goes another £1K plus.

A great challenge , fun when it's finished, but not a budget project and certainly not an 'investment' for your cash. But, when all is said and done, I fancy building another one with the lessons I learned from the first...so I can't warn against it. But don't expect it to be cheap.

[Omerta]

All good advice here... think carefully before you start. There' a reason why people buy old stters and part them out. You don't see anyone trying to make a living out of buying up parts to build old stters.

[griffter]

I'd have thought a better way to do it (though it might not be quite what you're after) is to buy a Chimaera and spend your time and money getting a Tuscan body to fit.

[TVR_owner]

BIG COL said:

I'm thinking of building a Tuscan racer for road (and maybe the odd sprint/hill climb) I don't have a bottomless pit of money, so here is my idea (please feel free to shot it full of holes!) how feasible is it to buy a bit at a time (when either I have some cash or parts become available) say find a chassis and start from there. I do realize that this will not be the cheapest way of doing it but it will let me spread the cost over say 5 years and sneak it under the 'home radar'

Okay guys do your worst!

Thanks GC

Its exactly as you say, its feasible but not the cheapest way.

The factor of how much extra it will cost you to do it this way is probably what takes some quantifying. To buy say a race Tasmin at the moment would cost 5k. To build one form a road car you already have will cost close to three times that figure.

Race ready race cars are extremly good value, but sadly, thats of no use to you with your current circumstances.

[BIG COL]

Some interesting comments there, thanks, I guess I was thinking of starting with a rolling chassis, any one know if how similar is a tuscan chassis to a chimaera?

[shapeshifter]

I'm more or less re-building one from scratch, never again! I would buy a good car first off, not only is it the costs associated with the build, its the time it takes, everything in the TVR world takes forever.

[Graham]

BIG COL said:

Some interesting comments there, thanks, I guess I was thinking of starting with a rolling chassis, any one know if how similar is a tuscan chassis to a chimaera?

the chimaera /griff wheelbase is a fair bit shorter than a Tuscan challenge car and the speed 6 cars a couple of inches longer...


As has been said if you want a TC car buy one thats largely in one piece..to start with.

working from a bare 2nd hand chassis your' easily looking at 10K plus just to get it to the stage where it has some wheels and suspension on it so you can push it out of the garage!!!!

i.e

chassis 1-2k 2nd hand
chassis acid clean and repaint .5 - 1k
suspension 1.5k ( wishbones)
rear uprights and bearings .5k
front uprights and bearings .5k
dampers 2k
rose joints2k
brakes 2k ( mix new ans 2nd hand)
steering rack .5k

oops thats over 10k already then you need bolts, nuts, spacers, rose joint adjusters
wheels, tyres, diff, drive shafts, more nuts and bolts..

so not that difficult to spent 20k to get to that point !!!! and you've not even thought about engines, and gearboxs at this point !!!



Thats not to say it cant be done. its certainly possible and the parts can be found. I believe there is even a possibility of new chassis soon. the difficult parts are the front uprights and hubs.. plus possibly genuine steering racks as they are bespoke, but nothing that cant have something else adapted to fit..

to build one rom scratch from parts will take a lot more than refurbing an existing car but if you really want to do it it is possible.

I've built one taz racer from scratch and rebuilt one Tuscan Chall car so far, and Im part way through building up a TC chassis from scratch for a new car. I know its expensive, but i've been laying in parts for a couple of years, and I want to build it exactly to my spec with all the lessons I've learnt over the years.. and what I want doesnt exist as a complete car!!!

have fun

G

[Terminator]

Adrian, Thorpey fitted a p/s rack to my car and I forget what he did with the old non-p/s one. It may be worth giving him a call.

[V8 GRF]

Adrian@ said:

I see people that might be able to help replying here.....I have a request from a friend, who owns a Tuscan race car, well, the first ever road going Tuscan race car, converted during the 2nd season of the factories Tuscan challenge series...who has looked at the RACK and thought that this would fit perfectly into his latest project. Soooo I'm looking to purchase a steering rack to send out to USA for him, can any one point me at one (1 1/2 turns lock to lock) OR even a pinion and rack bar. Adrian@

John Reid at Grantura Racing might be able to help

[teamHOLDENracing]

This is not meant in a nasty way, but given this is for fitment to a new project could he not find an alternative solution and leave these spares for Tuscan race cars? That way he will not be dependent on a dwindling supply, which is maintained for those of us still using the cars for the purpose intended. I wouldn't put a part that is no longer available into a brand new build if I was him! Slightly different if it is for his Tuscan....