Front Knuckle Assembly Kit, including wheel hubs and bearings £223.
Rear, no kit but the hubs, bearings and bearing carriers total £161.
Would need two of each of these, so that's £768 (inc' VAT).
PREPARATION ~ JUNE 2002
1 to 4/06/2002
Queen's Jubilee has provided a long weekend, which has meant I have finally uploaded some of this website.
Joined the Dax Rush Owners Club (DROC). Well sent off the form anyway.
Have written to V8 Developments, as it is now over two weeks since I emailed the query to them.
8 and 9/06/2002
Piling on the pounds, originally when planning this build I was aiming for a power to weight ratio of at least 290bhp/ton, this is a very arbitrary number and is simply twice that of my Rover turbo. Thinking this could be easily achieved with either the lightweight MC, or a nice big V8. However, recently I was concerned to see Tim's MAC certificate quoting 955kgs. This may be down to some definition of gross weight. I have asked the list, I will 'weight' to see the answer.
Simple, the Dax Rush V8 is around 700kgs. The gross vehicle weight includes an allowance for passengers at about 75g each and luggage. Hence 900+kgs for gross weight. Thanks for your help guys.
Also think I have worked out another Dax List abbreviation (yes, I know I am slow), ISTR = I Seem To Remember.
15 and 16/06/2002
Another week has passed and again work meant no time to achieve anything during the week, although I have had a reply back from V8 Developments.
On the engine front it looks like I will probably go for a 4.6V8 with stage3 heads and performance cam. I will probably still need a donor for ancillaries and engine number. This is a more expensive route than many people take, but I am not totally confident on my ability to totally rebuild and recondition an engine. Also by having it done, it will hopefully start after only a couple of attempts? The other option was to go for the ability to have ultimate power, but if I want to be able to up the power to 350bhp later I would have to go to the 5.1ltr and over a grand more. I think I will cross my fingers and hope 268bhp from the 4.6 is sufficient.
Called in at a the local Ford dealer to find out how much various 'donor' components would cost new.
|
Front Knuckle Assembly Kit, including wheel hubs and bearings £223. |
|
Rear, no kit but the hubs, bearings and bearing carriers total £161. |
|
Would need two of each of these, so that's £768 (inc' VAT). |
Strange how front bits come as a pack and include bearings, rear only comes as three separate packs.
This also brings another part of the differential saga (previous instalment). Whilst at Uncle Henry's parts department, I thought it would be interesting to find out the cost of a diff. Looking at the computer list, the holy grail is available. A 3.36:1 LSD was fitted to a Cologne V6 2.9 EFi, but new this is an astonishing £1,166, although he did offer 10% off if I bought all of the above bits. I forgot to ask which year's this diff was fitted but there is hope.
So a conclusion to the donor parts. If I could afford it, I would use all new components and have both piece of mind and be able to register the car with a brand new plate. But in reality this is going to be four times the cost of second hand stuff. So my next most preferable choice of number plate is a Q. I realise most seem to prefer an age related plate as it means they can personalise, however, it is obvious that it is a kit car and I just feel that it is preferable to an age related plate.
As I am now on the reconditioning route for definite, I need to start buying some parts and get my hands dirty, and give some photos rather than words, oh and ought really to get a digital camera as well.
I think most of this project will not really be able to be started in earnest until August, because it is now only three weeks until Ingotism sets off for this year's Tall Ships Race and there is still a lot of organising to be done. I have just put the first coat of varnish on a protective cover for some of the electrical junction boxes. A week after the boat leaves, my crew and I set off by ferry to Roscoff and then transfer to Breast (oops I mean Brest), we will then have about 36 hours to party and get the boat ready for the race across the Bay of Biscay. It will be the end of July when I get back and only about six weeks until my chassis should be ready for collection.
22 and 23/06/2002
More on the differential, two firms have turned up which can supply LSD's with a more suitable ratio than the standard 3.63:1.
|
Classic Conversions, offer a 7" 3.14:1 LSD reconditioned for £675 (exc VAT). |
|
Findit, provide a link to a London based firm, who do a 3.1:1 7½", they also say they supply to Dax, phone number 0208 558 4029. |
Have spent the afternoon reading the options list and build manual, the result is a draft of the detail order (1st batch) and a few! questions to go through with Dax. I will try to get a day off work this week and go and see them. I will post the detailed order and costs as soon as placed.
27/06/2002
Took the Thursday off work and we all got up early for the drive to Essex. M&D came too on the hope we could call in on some friends (we used to live out near Colchester).
A morning with Dax
Arrived at Dax at about 09:30 and met Peter. Although I have been heavily leaning towards the V8, one of the many little voices in my head keeps saying rev'y lightweight turbobusa. Sadly this is off the road at the moment, but talking about the sort of driving and use I hope to give the car, the creature comforts of windscreen etc. do make the car engine version a bit more appealing. I could not resist the offer of being taken out in the V8 demonstrator with Gary.
PICTURESSSSSSS ???
I am sure Mum jumped out of her skin when the engine was started in the showroom. Out of that first junction the tires were smoking, the V8 giving a stereo tune that gives you goose bumps. I had thought it would be a gentle drive at first and then a bit of a wild ride on the way back, fool, off we went, that V8 grunt just pushes you into your seat as a wry smile (read "huge grin") spread across my face.
We broke down just short of the third roundabout, the engine just stopping. I got out and pushed us round into the quieter side road, the roll bar is just the right height for this (design feature?). Gary fiddled under the dash, including reconnecting the speedo and she fired back into life. This does not put me off, these things happen and this is engine not the Dax.
The ride is surprising compliant even on some of the country lanes we went down, at times it seemed to take the bumps better than my Rover turbo. Gary showed of the car very well, I can't wait to actually drive one. By the time we got back this had re-affirmed my original choice from when Duncan took me out in Jadzia at the open day.
Then spent an hour with Peter going through the order form and options list. As it turned out it seems that my rationale was pick anything to do with increased power or shiny bits. I have also updated the costs section. In the end I ordered the following
|
Build Pack 1 ~ Chassis/Body
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Build Pack 2 ~ Suspension A
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Build Pack 3 ~ Suspension B
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Build Pack 4 ~ Brakes A |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Build Pack 5 ~ Brakes B |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Build Pack 7 ~Brightwork
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Other
|
I even got hung up on the colour (how girly), bright colours more visible and safer, dark colours more classy. I had been leaning to black, or oxford blue. However, a Tojeiro in the workshop in dark navy swung it. I guess if I change my mind I will just have to have the car painted.
That leaves a number of items to think of another day;
|
Seats ~ squab or high backs. |
||||||||
|
Wheels;
|
||||||||
|
Exhausts ~ basically I am just waiting to near the time. |
||||||||
|
Heater, not sure what I will do here. |
An afternoon with V8Developments
After the form was filled in and another cheque handed over (no going back now), it was off to Lincolnshire to meet V8 Developments
consternations
seats
what little I did before hols
engine spec - when was this received.
Go to July
Go to Preparation Index
Last Updated 10/08/2002