Want to build a Tuscan Racer not for the track for the road.
Want to build a Tuscan Racer not for the track for the road.
Author
Discussion

Mr Tank

Original Poster:

5,799 posts

304 months

Sunday 30th March 2008
quotequote all
Hi

I have always wanted to build a Tuscan racer for the road, has any one got any advice (Good or bad) on how to do it, i. e. car specs etc. I want to build it from the basic chassis up, at least or from a rolling chassis.
Any help would be greatly apprecated.

Andy

Graham

16,381 posts

313 months

Sunday 30th March 2008
quotequote all
If you want to do it from a basic chassis, its going to cost a lot !!! as you essentially building a complete car from scratch.

to get from a basic chassis to a rolling chassis, with suspension/ brakes/ diff / gearbox/ steering rack etc your looking at 10k ( trust me I know !!!)

Then you'll need to add, engine and gearbox, body, roll cage, seats, pedals, instruments, windcreen, fuel sustem, ecu, wiring easily another 20k plus...


engine choice is quite wide, you could go original spec carbed v8, later fi rv8, ajp road or race, or tweek the chassis slightly and put an old school chevy or a later ls motor in it...

I quite fancy a turbocharged bike engine derived v8 myself hehe

For a road car probably easiest to start with something already converted I believe there is already one in northern Ireland. look on race cars direct and places like that

cheers

G

tvrolet

4,748 posts

311 months

Sunday 30th March 2008
quotequote all
It can be done wink

But I'm just off on holiday for a week, so PM me after that if you want.

Doing it 'properly' isn't cheap though...

rigga

8,805 posts

230 months

Sunday 30th March 2008
quotequote all
This is the way id want one too......

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...


Stunning........

teamHOLDENracing

5,105 posts

296 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
Building a car from components will be much more expensive than converting and refurbishing an existing car. It is entirely possible to do it, it just doesn't make financial sense unless you already have most of the components.

Do not underestimate the cost of all the little things - rose joints for the car can be up to £2,000 for the top spec Goldline joints, steering arm brackets are now impossible to find and would have to be re made, front uprights are TVR specific and no longer made, rose joint spacers and wishbone quick adjusters are all custom made and a few hundred quid... the list goes on and on.....

heightswitch

6,322 posts

279 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
teamHOLDENracing said:
Building a car from components will be much more expensive than converting and refurbishing an existing car. It is entirely possible to do it, it just doesn't make financial sense unless you already have most of the components.

Do not underestimate the cost of all the little things - rose joints for the car can be up to £2,000 for the top spec Goldline joints, steering arm brackets are now impossible to find and would have to be re made, front uprights are TVR specific and no longer made, rose joint spacers and wishbone quick adjusters are all custom made and a few hundred quid... the list goes on and on.....
Echoing the above...

Why would you want to build a racing car for the road?

A racing car is a truly horrible thing to drive? They are designed to go flat out or stop. Everything in between they do very badly. The Tuscan is an example of a stripped down, lightened car where everything is designed to shave weight and maximise a lap time.

On the road it will be too hard. It will bang crash and shake. Its harder suspension will make it handle more poorly than a well set up road car since pot holes , drain covers etc are not found on circuits. the bodyshell is thin, single skinned, flexes.

Why not just go out and buy a nice Griffith 500 and enjoy a road car.

Failing that build a tuscan but don't waste its potential by softening it for the road, race it.

N.

Edited by heightswitch on Monday 31st March 13:11

tuscrv8

427 posts

251 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
just finished mine and i agree with whats been said
best to find a complete car rather than spend a fortune and a long time trying to find all the missing bits
the cars them selves are pretty easy to work on and are rather simple machanicly
putting aside body work which could be bad on these cars as they where raced
you need to relocate the petrol tank {i put mine in the boot between roll cage} get the car rewired so it meets mot {sva} fit an engine i went with a rover v8 mainly because i already had a full tuscan rover v8 exhaust system but a cerbera engine would probbably be the easiest.
mount a pasenger seat plus mounting points for seat and harness.
i fitted mine with a set of springs and shocks from grantura racing who are the best people for info on these cars{as john made most of them first time around} and you will need the longer top arms for the front suspension
as to comfort and ride i havnt driven mine much but its not that bad certainly no worse than my old tr6 yes it creeks and groand a bit and maybe its a bt niosy but what would you expect for an evening thrash it beets the griff but i am having second thoughts about going to leman
but even if you buy a complete car you will totaly strip it down if you are going to convert it into a road car ,as mine which had apparently been set up ready for its next race before the team went bust was full of get it back on the track quick bodges things held on with 3 different stlyes of bolts 4 pop rivits and a bit of evostick so to make a decent car it will all need doing

trackcar

6,453 posts

255 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
As an idea why not put a tuscan race body onto another tvr chassis.. has been done before .. a nice front ended chimaera 450 or 500 would be a great donor .. you can use all the road wiring for lights, wipers etc, keep the heater etc etc. makes much more sense.

Mr Tank

Original Poster:

5,799 posts

304 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
Hi

Thanks for all your replies!
This has given me some ideas!
Has any one got a Tuscan which needs work for sale. I am not worried how much work.

Thanks again
Andy

teamHOLDENracing

5,105 posts

296 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
Yes, I have one for sale - up to you how much work you do on it and it is cheaper than building one from scratch.

cobdoo

339 posts

238 months

Monday 31st March 2008
quotequote all
tuscrv8 said:
just finished mine and i agree with whats been said
best to find a complete car rather than spend a fortune and a long time trying to find all the missing bits
the cars them selves are pretty easy to work on and are rather simple machanicly
putting aside body work which could be bad on these cars as they where raced
you need to relocate the petrol tank {i put mine in the boot between roll cage} get the car rewired so it meets mot {sva} fit an engine i went with a rover v8 mainly because i already had a full tuscan rover v8 exhaust system but a cerbera engine would probbably be the easiest.
mount a pasenger seat plus mounting points for seat and harness.
i fitted mine with a set of springs and shocks from grantura racing who are the best people for info on these cars{as john made most of them first time around} and you will need the longer top arms for the front suspension
as to comfort and ride i havnt driven mine much but its not that bad certainly no worse than my old tr6 yes it creeks and groand a bit and maybe its a bt niosy but what would you expect for an evening thrash it beets the griff but i am having second thoughts about going to leman
but even if you buy a complete car you will totaly strip it down if you are going to convert it into a road car ,as mine which had apparently been set up ready for its next race before the team went bust was full of get it back on the track quick bodges things held on with 3 different stlyes of bolts 4 pop rivits and a bit of evostick so to make a decent car it will all need doing
as john made most of them first time around
NO HE DID NOT !!!!!!

teamHOLDENracing

5,105 posts

296 months

Tuesday 1st April 2008
quotequote all
teamHOLDENracing said:
Yes, I have one for sale - up to you how much work you do on it and it is cheaper than building one from scratch.
Of course the one I have for sale is a complete car in every respectpaperbag

Neil_S

95 posts

272 months

Tuesday 1st April 2008
quotequote all
I've got a spare chassis for sale if you really want to go for it !

RetroWheels

3,399 posts

300 months

Tuesday 1st April 2008
quotequote all
Neil , are you entered Sports/Saloons 26th May ?

(sorry for thread hijack)

Neil_S

95 posts

272 months

Thursday 3rd April 2008
quotequote all
RetroWheels said:
Neil , are you entered Sports/Saloons 26th May ?

(sorry for thread hijack)
Darren

No, I'm doing Snet in May with TVRs and then possibly Oulton June 21 with NW Sports/Saloons.

tuscrv8

427 posts

251 months

Thursday 26th June 2008
quotequote all
my road legal tuscan challenge car is now up for sale if anyone is interested

spent a fortune on building it but now dont have the time to drive it spint/trackday it {[work plus ever growing family}
so a bargin if you read the above posts, could be used on the road or easily put back on the track