Ultima Targa Top
Discussion
paradigm said:
GTRCLIVE said: Wieght has nothing to do with it when you've got the Cubic Inches
...
You sound like a drag racer, does your car even turn?
That's an interesting comment, seeing as how larger displacement is directly related to the weight of the engine.
Not when you've got the same outside dimensions on the block.( ie it's still a Small Block Chevy ) The extra wieght of the crank through and the longer rods, are offset buy the ALUMIUM block.
Read it a weep boy.
GTRCLIVE said:
paradigm said:
GTRCLIVE said: Wieght has nothing to do with it when you've got the Cubic Inches
...
You sound like a drag racer, does your car even turn?
That's an interesting comment, seeing as how larger displacement is directly related to the weight of the engine.
Not when you've got the same outside dimensions on the block.( ie it's still a Small Block Chevy ) The extra wieght of the crank through and the longer rods, are offset buy the ALUMIUM block.
Read it a weep boy.
Most of us here are talking about agile race cars, weight has always been a factor and always will be, inertia's a bitch. All other things being equal, larger engine (you can only bore it out a finite amount) = heavier engine, 'nough said...we all know you meant power instead of displacement anyways. Every time I read your writing I weep.
I don't have any hands-on experience with the Ultima, paradigm, but looking at it I don't see why your idea wouldn't work. Anyone out there have evidence that this could fly?
paradigm said:
Ultiman and k wright,
So, perhaps ordering a CanAm car with the larger wind screen and full height windows, but substituting the GTR rear bulk head and engine cover would be the best solution. Fabricating a targa top to fill the void above would basically solve the problem without requiring the changing of parts while giving a targa top look.
The question remains whether the factory will substitute those GTR parts. What do you guys think?
Chill out, take life with a pinch of salt mate, you never know when it's going to end. So Enjoy it while you can. 
I'm finishing up my MS degree, so I don't quite have the money in the bank yet to build an Ultima. However, I've been researching them for about a year and plan on continuing to do so until I finish my degree, start my job, and bring in some real cash. I'm already involved in building cars from scratch, perhaps you've heard of Formula SAE. In the meantime, I'm picking the brains of all the guys like you out there that have first hand experience with Ultimas to get ideas. Do you have anything constructive to say concerning this thread topic that may be of help?
I passed my BTEC (HNC) in Mechanical Engineering, many years ago, and yes my English has never been that good.
Not being a Pro Driver, the fact about driving a 200 mph car without any driver aids, means I would not build it without a Full Cage. A Targa with a full cage may not realy be worth all the effort. Nice thourght but if you want a targa, then you can buy my wifes C5 Corvette.
So good luck with the Degree, and i'm only a Email away if you want a ride in a Heavy Drag Car!!!!!!!
Not being a Pro Driver, the fact about driving a 200 mph car without any driver aids, means I would not build it without a Full Cage. A Targa with a full cage may not realy be worth all the effort. Nice thourght but if you want a targa, then you can buy my wifes C5 Corvette.
So good luck with the Degree, and i'm only a Email away if you want a ride in a Heavy Drag Car!!!!!!!
Being in the US, I often read many things on PH that I don't understand, especially abbreviations...like what is BTEC (HNC)? Is that similar to my MS (Masters of Science) degree in Mech. Eng.? And while I'm at it, what is a Q plate? As for the C5 corvette, no thanks, my father has one...it's fine for strolling around the town 
. I'd rather have a real car from the UK, a place where people know how to make real cars.
. I'd rather have a real car from the UK, a place where people know how to make real cars.But Andy. You've had your roll at 140mph, so you know that you don't want to do it again.
Somebody who hasn't done it, might just feel like giving it a go, so the full tollover protection would come in handy
Have you thought that your roll might just have scrambled your brains a bit? Which would explain a lot
James
Somebody who hasn't done it, might just feel like giving it a go, so the full tollover protection would come in handy
Have you thought that your roll might just have scrambled your brains a bit? Which would explain a lot
James
BTEC is a qualification authority in England and Wales. An HNC is approximately equivalent to 2 years into a US bachelors degree. A US masters degree is pretty much the same as a UK masters. A US bachelors degree is a bit behind a UK one (often abbreviated to BEng (if you are a weanie) or BSc (if you are old)). YMMV. At the end of the day its what you do with it that counts...
In the UK we mostly all run age related plates. In the pre-2001 scheme these advanced a letter every 12 months and looked like V12 TOY (local Aston Martin) or W814 GOX (silver Ultima demo car). The numbers didn't mean anything but the last two digits represented roughly where in the country it was from. If you have a new car or import a type approved car whose date of manufacture is known then you get one of these plates (Virtually all Ultimas fall into this category).
For cars whose age cannot be determined - for example two wrecks that have been welded together..or a kit car made with several different donor car parts (or not enough of a donor to inherit its age related plate) - are given a Q plate (i.e. something like Q123 ABC). Most top end kit cars in the UK try to avoid these things like the plague.
Hope this helps.
In the UK we mostly all run age related plates. In the pre-2001 scheme these advanced a letter every 12 months and looked like V12 TOY (local Aston Martin) or W814 GOX (silver Ultima demo car). The numbers didn't mean anything but the last two digits represented roughly where in the country it was from. If you have a new car or import a type approved car whose date of manufacture is known then you get one of these plates (Virtually all Ultimas fall into this category).
For cars whose age cannot be determined - for example two wrecks that have been welded together..or a kit car made with several different donor car parts (or not enough of a donor to inherit its age related plate) - are given a Q plate (i.e. something like Q123 ABC). Most top end kit cars in the UK try to avoid these things like the plague.
Hope this helps.
davefiddes, thanks for the clarification on the abbreviations.
Why do people care about having a Q plate on a kit car, is there some shame associated with it?
As you may know since I've seen the whole discussion of plates discussed in other PH topics, plates in the US have nothing to do with year or make or anything (at least in the numbers/letters). And, luckily custom plates seem to be dirt cheap compared to those in the UK. I know where I live in Virginia they are only $10 more than a random, standard issue plate, so about $35 total a year (last time I checked). So you can have anything you want on your plate as long as someone else didn't think of it first.
Why do people care about having a Q plate on a kit car, is there some shame associated with it?
As you may know since I've seen the whole discussion of plates discussed in other PH topics, plates in the US have nothing to do with year or make or anything (at least in the numbers/letters). And, luckily custom plates seem to be dirt cheap compared to those in the UK. I know where I live in Virginia they are only $10 more than a random, standard issue plate, so about $35 total a year (last time I checked). So you can have anything you want on your plate as long as someone else didn't think of it first.
Paradigm
'Custom plates' or 'cherished numbers' are expensive because they are a 'one off' and cannot be created as you can over there. A plate you think says everything about you means nothing to the current holder so they don't even think about offering it for sale.
The 'Q' plate has a stigma to it for some reason, it may stem from the fact that unlike any other registration it can never be changed to a cherished plate or even to another 'Q'. I'm not sure but I don't think you even have an option to choose something you like in the 'Q' register.
'Custom plates' or 'cherished numbers' are expensive because they are a 'one off' and cannot be created as you can over there. A plate you think says everything about you means nothing to the current holder so they don't even think about offering it for sale.
The 'Q' plate has a stigma to it for some reason, it may stem from the fact that unlike any other registration it can never be changed to a cherished plate or even to another 'Q'. I'm not sure but I don't think you even have an option to choose something you like in the 'Q' register.
I visited the UK about 2 years ago and while I was there I think I remember being told that you are assigned a plate number, but you actually buy the letters and numbers and stick them to the plate yourself, is this correct? I was (am) amazed by this as I can only imagine the criminals having quite a good time faking plates to assist them in other devious actions. Is this not a problem in the UK, is there a penalty stiff enough to strongly discourage this behavior?
Our plates are stamped metal with raised numbers, somewhat hard to reproduce, and are kindly manufactured by state prisoners...and they get paid, is there something wrong here???
Our plates are stamped metal with raised numbers, somewhat hard to reproduce, and are kindly manufactured by state prisoners...and they get paid, is there something wrong here???
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