Caterham enging choices

[Moxey77]

Hi guys n gals, I'm looking at building a Caterham over the coming winter/spring, but I can't decide between motorcycle engine power or a conventional car engine.

I know I have to sorce seperate drive gear if I go for motorcycle power, so using a RWD donor car would be easier, but I'm finding it a tough decition.

A friend has a 1996 BMW 316i that he's planning on selling next year which would be a good choice, but a 900cc motorcycle engine would be lighter and more powerful. Not that I'm bothered too much about the overall weight.

Some of the engines I've considered;

Kawasaki ZX9-R Ninja (900cc 4 cyl)
Honde Fireblade (900cc 4 cyl)
BMW 316i (1600cc 4cyl + g'box, drive shaft and diff)
Ford CVH (1600cc 4cyl + Sierra Type 9 'box and diff)
Rover K-series (1400cc 4cyl + Sierra Type 9 'box and diff)

Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks peeps.

Moxey77

Edited by Moxey77 on Tuesday 27th June 21:10

[Paul Drawmer]

Is it actually a Caterham you are going to build? Or a Lotus 7 type car?

The engine choices for a Caterham are pretty much settled (all Ford now I think).

If it isn't a Caterham, but some other make, then it's a good idea to see what has already been fitted by other builders to your chosen chassis, so that you can use their experiences.

[Sam_68]

Bear im mind that the Caterham market is not as tolerant of non-standard engine installations as the rest of the 'Seven' market...Caterham buyers will usually want to see an engine used by the factory - Ford Crossflow, Lotus-Ford Twin Cam, Vauxhall Twin Cam, Ford BDA, Rover K-series or, currently, Ford Duratec. There is a limited market for the Blackbird and Fireblade engined cars, too, as these were 'factory authorised'.

You'll have difficulty shifting anything else when it comes to the time to sell.

If you are looking at a more adventurous engine installation, you might be better off with one of the other '7' style kits, rather than paying through the nose for a 'genuine' Caterham Seven which nobody else will want when you have finished with it.

[Moxey77]

Well maybe not a Caterham, but yes it will be a "Seven" type car.

I've just bought the book by Ron Champion "Build Your Sports car for As Little as £250" and I'm gonna be going by that chassis design, with maybe a few tweeks to suit. The chassis diagrams in the book are great and just what I've been looking for.

I don't really want to go with a Ford based car as there are loads of them about, I want something a little different, that's why I'm considering a BMW 3-Series donor car (or maybe even an MGB/Midget) as I can use pretty much everything mechanical and electrical from it.

[ferg]

Sounds like you need to be over at :

www.locostbuilders.co.uk

[MR2Mike]

Moxey77 said:

Well maybe not a Caterham, but yes it will be a "Seven" type car.

I've just bought the book by Ron Champion "Build Your Sports car for As Little as £250" and I'm gonna be going by that chassis design, with maybe a few tweeks to suit. The chassis diagrams in the book are great and just what I've been looking for.

I don't really want to go with a Ford based car as there are loads of them about, I want something a little different, that's why I'm considering a BMW 3-Series donor car (or maybe even an MGB/Midget) as I can use pretty much everything mechanical and electrical from it.

That car is known as a "Locost", and you have probably offended many Caterham owners by comparing them (nice one ). Look thoroughly through the Locost Builders forum before you cut any metal! The book is riddled with mistakes.

The Midgets A series will be a little underpowered, especialy if it's not a 1275 and chopping up a Midget would be silly with the prices that even rough ones fetch. The B series is heavy and not particularly powerfull either. Also bare in mind that if you want to use the front suspension of these cars you are pretty much on your own with fabricating suitable wishbones etc. whereas if you use Cortina or Sierra front uprights you can buy these very critical chassis parts.

You might want to keep your eyes peeled for a cheap Mazda MX5/Eunos roadster. They make ideal donors, and there is even an equivalent book to Ron Champions published in the US about constructing a locost from an MX5 donor.

The reason that there are lots of Ford based cars is that it's a well trodden path with no suprises, and there is a vast range of tuning parts for them. The K series is a great choice due to it's lack of weight, but you will need to fork out some money on a bellhousing to mate it to a (Ford!) gearbox.

I'm putting a Vauxhall 16v into mine (unless I can resist the urge to put it in my newly acquired Striker). They are relatively cheap and provide impressive amounts of power.

[westyman]

Westfield are currently developing thier SDV (single donor vehicle) kit around the Mazda MX5. Nice & light quality Japanese components. Finished kit will be approx 80-100kg lighter than sierra based equivalent.

[Moose.]

MR2Mike said:

You might want to keep your eyes peeled for a cheap Mazda MX5/Eunos roadster. They make ideal donors, and there is even an equivalent book to Ron Champions published in the US about constructing a locost from an MX5 donor

I've often thought the 1.8 MX5 engine and gearbox would be a good doner set for a Se7en. Especially as the gearbox is one of the best in the business with a fantastic rifle-bolt change and short ratio gears

Not to mention there are plenty of turbo and supercharger kits for them

[Alex]

I built a Locost using a Stuart Taylor chassis and a Kawasaki ZX9R engine.

If I built another one, I would use a car engine.

[Moxey77]

Moose. said:

MR2Mike said:

You might want to keep your eyes peeled for a cheap Mazda MX5/Eunos roadster. They make ideal donors, and there is even an equivalent book to Ron Champions published in the US about constructing a locost from an MX5 donor

I've often thought the 1.8 MX5 engine and gearbox would be a good doner set for a Se7en. Especially as the gearbox is one of the best in the business with a fantastic rifle-bolt change and short ratio gears

Not to mention there are plenty of turbo and supercharger kits for them

Now there's a thought! I'd forgotten all about every hairdressers favourite car, great little cars. Could I use all the drivetrain from the MX5? Or would I need to source a prop/diff from something else?

Edited by Moxey77 on Thursday 29th June 16:16