Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Advice about sourcing Sierra donor bits ?
angus.d

posted on 28/8/07 at 12:36 PM Reply With Quote
Advice about sourcing Sierra donor bits ?

Hi

I would appreciate any advice anyone could offer.

I am in the planning/saving-up phase of my bike engined LSIS but want a kit and am thinking of MK Indy but possibly also might go for an MNR or MAC#1.

Before I buy the kit or bike engine and then find I can't move in my garage I have now decided to start sourcing the other required donor bits (diff, driveshafts, hubs, brakes, steering rack and column etc) with a view to cleaning/painting them etc, and now I am faced with a problem.

From this forum I have the understanding that for the diff a Sierra 3.38:1 is best for R1 engine and 15" wheels with 195/50R x15 tyres. I am aware this ratio is comparatively rare but also would prefer rear discs and LSD would be nice but not essential.

How do I get the right bits on a fairly limited budget and how can I ensure that the bits match up (if they are from different years/models) so that I dont waste my money by buying the wrong stuff ?

Because I will be making a BEC, I don't want the hassle to obtain/store/get rid of a whole donor car (which might not have the 'right' bits anyway, or the bits might need complete overhaul/replacement.

Any good tips on sourcing the right bits, anyone whose really helpful with part choice, any tips on parts to refurb yourself or parts better sourced reconditioned would be greatly appreciated from people who've been here got the T shirt.

I am keen to get cracking but because of the limited budget really cant afford to lose any of my hard-earned pennies by making a bad decision on the 'wrong' donor bits now.

I haven't yet asked any of the kit manufacturers yet by the way.

Regards

Angus

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
coozer

posted on 28/8/07 at 12:48 PM Reply With Quote
The best way is to get a cheap donor Sierra. get the model that has everything you need, as in rear discs, right diff ratio etc. that way you strip EVERYTHING off it and when it comes to building the kit everything goes together easy as it's all off the same model. Plus all those little screws and brackets can come in handy during your build.

I paid £50 for my donor with tax & mot. Stripped everything off it and sold the body with no ID for £30! I kept the vin plate and even cut the chassis number out of the floor. With the V5 you can then get an age related plate when you register the new car. Better IMHO than a Q plate.

I had the donor stripped and reconned the bits using electrolysis months before I even decided which kit I was going to build. That way when I got it it was dead easy to build.

I see your quite local and your free to come and see how I did it or time to go to the Ne7ers meeting every month

Good luck,

Steve

PS, MNR is the way to go!!

[Edited on 28/8/07 by coozer]





1972 V8 Jago

1980 Z750

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
scoop

posted on 28/8/07 at 03:29 PM Reply With Quote
They are getting difficult to find so be quick. I know you dont want the engine but even still...
I've just rung all my local scrappies, within 25 miles of me and only found one

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
coozer

posted on 28/8/07 at 03:38 PM Reply With Quote
According to the DVLA there are still 75,000 on the road in Britian. Personally I do find that hard to believe because if you just watch out for one on the road you hardly see one!!!

There's a bloke 3 doors away from me got one and I'm waiting for it to fail it's MOT then it's mine





1972 V8 Jago

1980 Z750

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Hellfire

posted on 28/8/07 at 04:36 PM Reply With Quote
Buying the complete donor and stripping it before moving it on has to be the cheapest way to do it. However, if you can't be bothered with the hassle of buying/storing/stripping/selling a donor, or you have a healthy budget, then you could get your donor parts from a scrapyard or even buy them new/reconditioned off the shelf.

We used an XR4x4 as the donor vehicle for our BEC. Bought the donor for £125, stripped the bits we needed within a few days, then sold the rest a few days later and made a profit. No hassle.

If you want a LSD, the standard 3.62:1 ratio that comes with an XR4x4 isn't too bad for an R1

Phil

PS, MK is the way to go!!






View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Catpuss

posted on 28/8/07 at 07:14 PM Reply With Quote
From my experience:

Buy a cheapish donor and strip it (add up to £50 for blades grinding disks, new grinder e.t.c)).

When you have done that, just wish you had thought of asking people here if they have bits, find out you can get just about everything of at least bit by bit, either removed or fully reconed then think "arse".

I've currently got near an entire spare set of donor kit myself.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
coozer

posted on 28/8/07 at 07:15 PM Reply With Quote
quote:

PS, MK is the way to go!!


PPS, MNR is the best way





1972 V8 Jago

1980 Z750

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.