bmw + escort =

[Madify]

I like it, the Mk1 he had looked really bad and destined for the crusher so why not?:

 

It wasnt to bad, it only would have needed 2 front inner wings, front chassis rails, 2 A posts, B post repairs, dash, seat crossmemebr 4 floor pans, gearbox tunnel, diff tunnel, bulkhead, rear chassis legs, inner wheel tubs, inner and outer sills both sides, spring hangers, rear shock mounting support, and then gusseted to make it strong enough to survive the crash a few on here are expecting to happen when ever they drive down the road.

[petrolhead]

I'm a biker so if it is safer than a motorbike I'm not that bothered! Photos have a habit of making welding look worse than it is and I've seen far worse done at 'professional' establishments.

 

Lets face it gents,

 

1) he has done the work himself. (built not bought)

 

2) it is different

 

3) he enjoys his work and I bet he will derive pleasure from the finished article.

 

4) I also bet it will be a lot safer than a Caterham and we don't moan about them (esp the xflow powered ones)

 

Yes, it falls outside of the done normally on OSF and its unlikely to be a show car but he has probably spent as much on this as some people spend on a sorted Atlas Axle - therefore high smiles per £

 

Understeer? I've never driven one of these Beemers but some fiddling of tyre pressures, spring rates and a bit of right foot will sort that out.

 

As I said before, Fair Play

[Stu_B]

Yeah it's a great project, good luck with it

[xrt_si]

I'm a biker so if it is safer than a motorbike I'm not that bothered! Photos have a habit of making welding look worse than it is and I've seen far worse done at 'professional' establishments.

 

Lets face it gents,

 

1) he has done the work himself. (built not bought)

 

2) it is different

 

3) he enjoys his work and I bet he will derive pleasure from the finished article.

 

4) I also bet it will be a lot safer than a Caterham and we don't moan about them (esp the xflow powered ones)

 

Yes, it falls outside of the done normally on OSF and its unlikely to be a show car but he has probably spent as much on this as some people spend on a sorted Atlas Axle - therefore high smiles per £

 

Understeer? I've never driven one of these Beemers but some fiddling of tyre pressures, spring rates and a bit of right foot will sort that out.

 

As I said before, Fair Play

 

Again I agree

 

End of the day it's something different and is being done by himself. I've got a lot of time for anyone that fills that criteria.

[X FLOW EDDY]

Haveing looked at the photos it looks like the chap has done a fair job, not my cup of tea though, shades of cut and shut. As for all the welding/plateing I would like to see to go through an sva test/mot. Haveing modded the car that much is it a bmw or an escort ???? Does it require a Q plate ????? Has the pirson that welded it got proper welding certs or done a propper welding corse at a collage or outher centre of learning ???? If it was involved in a crash on the public road how would the insurence stand up on a car that has been modifed to sutch an extent.

There are a lot of cars on the road at the moment that have been modifed badley( not just the max power lads, there have been some shocking engine conversions carried out on "retro" cars that leave a lot to be desired !!) , shit welding, bad engine swops with no thought to uprateing the brakes ect ect. If the chap who has made that bmw/escort car can get it on the road after passing the relavant tests then good luck to him but his neck if the thing falls apart as is mine if the welding on my mk2 fails . You pays your money you takes your chance.....................

[Madify]

just out of curiosity, is it law in this country that you have to be a certified welder to weld motor vehicles?...I know it is on the continent, but I'm not sure it is over here. If it is, where do you stand building locosts?

[X FLOW EDDY]

just out of curiosity, is it law in this country that you have to be a certified welder to weld motor vehicles?...I know it is on the continent, but I'm not sure it is over here. If it is, where do you stand building locosts?

 

I dont think you have to have any certs to weld a motor vehicle in this country and mores the pitty. I have taken a welding corse at our local collage, it has given the me the knowlage i need to weld my own car and cars for outher people. ( Includeing 2 roll cage installs in propper rally cars ) If a pirsons welding isnt up to scratch on a home built kit car then the sva/mot test should catch it you would hope !! Like i said before if you think your welding is up to it then fair enough but bare in mind that car makers spend millions of pounds on crash testing and saftey and you have in effect welded 2 completley different cars together changing the way the car will fold up in a crash. Its your neck ................................

[Madify]

yup as with anykit car...

 

Don't get me wrong here, I think the sva was great....it went through the motor, checking every thing was safe, even beyond safe, but the BIVA is going beyond safe....as I said, if you bought a 2010 mondeo, and cut the boot floor out, welded in a flat section, it would pass a BIVA.

 

if you took a 2003 mondeo, did the same, it wouldnt pass a BIVA...so that means, a 2003 mondeo is infact unsafe to be on the road, so here is a tip for pre 2003 mondeo owners, YOU ARE DRIVING A DEATH TRAP!!!

[Tom]

from the pictures, it does look unsafe.

 

Which finnished, strenghend, bosses and gusseted picture are you refering to? or are you just useing your imagination as to what it is going to be finnished as?

 

I think comparing fitting a larger gearbox tunnel to the work thats been done to that e46 is a little (a lot) unfair

 

are you saying, modifying the monocoupe is not a job for vosa? and I can tell you, if you took a mk1 escort to vosa for a BIVA !!!IT WILL FAIL ON LOADS"""" hence it would not be safe for the road? Not safe to be on the road to me says unsafe, so yes, thats exactly what i'm saying in comparison.

 

To be fair, yes, I am using a fair bit of imagination as to what the finished product will be like. But from looking at the pictures, you must see from an outsiders point of view and the work that is involved people are going to be sceptic as to the safety and quality of the work. This by no means reflects on you but people are entitled to their opinion. Even with my previous comments i'm still interested in the work that you're doing.

[Madify]

thanks for that comment, it's areas like where the 2 parts of the floor have been joined....none of this is staying, its all going to be rebuilt when the wheel tubs go in and the inner and outer sills are joined, the A posts are going to be cut off and remade with 1 piece of steel rather than a patchwork quilt of steel, the 2 bits of plate holding the rear boot hinges in place are tempoary, there is a lot that just there to keep it all in shape as its built....

[PlopPlop]

I like it, shame it werent done with a M3, and I tell ya what, the weldings better than mine, keep it up but strenghen up then maybe a supercharged M3 lump will take care of any weight issues

[antz]

A guy up the road from me was building a Sierra Sapphire Cossie into a rotten mk1. When I saw it he had just finished all the welding to the shell and floorpan so it was one piece.

 

absolutely amazing stuff.

 

Reminded me of the capri I saw in CF mag a few years ago with a Sierra Cossie IRS and floorpan grafted in.

[Madify]

I like it, shame it werent done with a M3, and I tell ya what, the weldings better than mine, keep it up but strenghen up then maybe a supercharged M3 lump will take care of any weight issues

 

Never seen an M3 compact

 

was done with a compact so i didnt have to cut across the floor and loose all the handbrake mountings and loose valuable strenght cutting through the floor.

[capri71]

I'm about as likely to do this as have gay sex BUT, but in the "If I HAD to because my life depended on it" scenario, I would NOT have chosen to do it with a floor pan that has a foot longer wheelbase than the shell.

 

From the pictures, the owner looks big and scary (and we KNOW hes unhinged) so other than that, I'm not knocking it

[Ste-V]

I don't know what all the fuss is about, nobody knows how safe it will be til it's finished, but TBH, who cares? There is only going to be (I presume) one man driving the thing, so why does it matter to anyone else how he will get on IF he has an accident?

 

I don't really like BMW's, but fair play to the man!

[PlopPlop]

I like it, shame it werent done with a M3, and I tell ya what, the weldings better than mine, keep it up but strenghen up then maybe a supercharged M3 lump will take care of any weight issues

 

Never seen an M3 compact

 

was done with a compact so i didnt have to cut across the floor and loose all the handbrake mountings and loose valuable strenght cutting through the floor.

I have, and I thought they both had a wheelbase of 2700mm

[banarama]

wouldn.t want to use it in the rain. i bet it ant water tight,there proberbly be a few puddles in it.

[Madify]

Yup saloon, compact, coupe, convertible, touring all 2700mm, but only the compact has the tank in the middle under the rear seat, giving the perfect place to loose that excess 300mm, just couldn't do it with any other variation of e36.

 

As to driving it in the rain, I don't even like driving my daily driver in the wet as it's super twitchy, and that's an e36 coupe.

 

Can't see why it shouldn't bewater tight once it's all sealed though

[Madify]

So why does it matter to anyone else how he will get on IF he has an accident?

 

Cause if your driving towards it, and it splits in twain and carriers into you, you would be mithed to find it was in an inadiquit state to be on he road.... But again this could be said of any kitcar or modified vehicle

[James HPE Motorsport]

All I can say is No Comment

 

I think I will stick with my modified transmission tunnel

[Madify]

All I can say is No Comment

 

I think I will stick with my modified transmission tunnel

 

Have you informed Vosa and applied for a BIVA? Also, have you informed your insurance company of the modifications to your vehicle?

 

You do know if you havent done the above you are driving a death trap in the eyes of the law? not in my eyes, just the eyes of the law.

[James HPE Motorsport]

My insurance company know what engine is in my car down to whether I replaced a standard bolt for a stainless one!

 

Not even the trained eye would notice that I have modified my tunnel so I figured I wouldnt bother with a BIVA!!!! I love the way you compare a small modification like changing the trasmission tunnel to taking a shell and putting it onto a completely different chassis! Do you have to apply for a BIVA when you change a rotten floor pan?

[capri71]

I replaced a standard bolt for a stainless one!

 

Stainless fasteners don't belong on cars - not strong enough to replace even 8.8 high tensile and most load bearing ones will be 10.9 - I replaced with BZP 12.9 grade

[chunkys mk1]

can,t see what he thinks he will gain,a well sorted mk 1 will be quicker and handle better

could poss understand it if he was using m3 running gear

[Madify]

nope you dont, as its not a modification, as is changing an engine, unless you modify the monocoupe shell to fit the engine.

 

and as to m3 running gear, you never can tell i might just do that yet, personally i was thinking v12 though, as its a straight swap, but the twin wiring looms scare me...but then there is mega squirt if I really wanted to do it.

 

And im not comparing what ive done with modifying a transtunnel, or even fitting wheel tubs, I'm just pointing out that any modification to the shell means you have to inform vosa. and if you dont, your driving an illegal vehicle, and your insurance needs to be informed.

 

more a case for anyone who has posted on this thread critisising me, who might have said mods on their vehicles...you know, pot kettle and all that.

 

as to whats the point?, whats the pointing in putting a crappy rover v8 in a mk1 escort when a cossie yb would pee all over a rv8.