N.E. England's second largest car manufacturing plant

[Alan D.]

Here we have a picture of the north east of England's second largest car manufacturing plant. The largest car plant being Nissan near Sunderland with about 3000 employees and about 1000,000 square meters of factory. Never mind we all have to start somewhere!

[manifold]

Will it fit?

[Stuart]

He'll need a very long bonnet to cover that if he leaves it all the way out there!

[Alan D.]

The Idea was not to muck about trying to get it to fit with all that cut and shut stuff! But to attach two ropes and get it to pull the car along, just like a coach & horses!

[Rich]

Is that a Rover K16?

[Alan D.]

Hi

No, it's a Vauxhall 1800cc twin cam!

Alan

[Rich]

Hi

No, it's a Vauxhall 1800cc twin cam!

Alan

Should be an interesting build, how do the dimensions stack up?

[Alan D.]

Should be an interesting build, how do the dimensions stack up?

Not very well at the moment, I've had it in the car once, but it didn't fit! So I've made some alterations to the subframe and engine mountings and I'm going to try and fit it again at the weekend. I don't think it will fit without chopping out the headlight! But I won't know until I try. It's impossible to judge these things without having a go, as there are so many variables . If that doesn't fit I have a single cam 1600cc 100BHP five speed box to go into the same subframe and engine mounts. If that doesn't fit I have a Suzuki 1300GTI 101bhp engine and box to try.

Which I'm assured by Stuart it will fit!

Alan

[manifold]

what we need's a universal engine cradle........ that allows infinate number of engine choices. I think that Z cars has gone down this path to allow different bike engine conversions........

[Alan D.]

I have that all designed in my head for the MK3, tubular like Z Cars. U shaped (in plan view) suspension tower with the same position mounting points for bottom arm, top arm and a new mounting point above for the coil-over shocker. Mini adjustable bottom arms and adjustable tie rods and hopefully the anti roll bar relocated to the top arm.

So looking on the side view of the tower, from bottom to top. fixing for bottom arm, fixing for top arm and fixing for top shock mount, with all loads being transmitted into the subframe. The jig is already made!

The second picture is actually a Mini frame, but it could be recreated as a Metro frame with vertical shockers. It's been said before but that's automotive pornography.

Alan