B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
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B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
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HealeyRick Rick Neville (490 posts) Registered: 12/19/2007 05:01PM Main British Car: 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Reminds me a bit of the Baby Cobra replica:
[www.sportscarmonitor.com] Don't think I've ever seen anyone Cobraize a Bugeye with those types of flares before ... looks really cool. I could do without the lexan spoilers though. |
B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Hey Rick,
Thanks for the link , I never heard of a baby cobra , I always thought the Bugeye or Frogeye Sprite was like a little baby cobra just begging to be re-powered with more HP. The Lexan spoilers are not just on there for looks , this car weighs 1500 or less and would be powered by a Ford Duratec all aluminum engine with 300+ HP and I would dare say capable of speeds of 180 mph so the spoilers are there to keep it on the ground.I like the fact that they are clear and you can see whats behind you rather than the aluminum barn door spoiler on the green Sprite below ! As for the fender flairs they are molded into the fiberglass racing parts from Spridgetech , great looking parts and I would bet you will be seeing many in the future ! Everything is available now to build this car and at reasonable prices. True I did add the brake cooling slots and the oil cooler bulge around the front air intake from a Cobra that makes it look like a Cobra a bit. Another thing is unless one of these Cobra replicas has 700+ Hp you will eat it's lunch if he tests you ! |
cdodgyd Chris Davies Wales, UK (4 posts) Registered: 07/17/2010 03:25AM Main British Car: 1959 AH Sprite, 1971 Mercedes 280se 1.5L Ford in the Sprite, 3L diesel in the Merc. |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
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B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Dave ,
The Red track car is a dream track car based on an MG Midget and fiberglass Bugeye parts I don't intend to ever build it too impracticable . Now the blue car pictured above I am making part for it now and when I get a little further along I will start a journal with lot of pictures and how it was done. I am powering it with a Duratec Ford engine and for now other than the two 45 webers it will be stock. It still will put out about 200hp at that. I will build a stronger Duratec engine later if I feel I want more power. I may just find 200hp in a 1500 lb car may be as scary as I want ! After all you can only take it too as much as the tires will hold after that all the power in the world will not make any difference. William Chris, Nice car and I bet 110hp really makes it go ! Tell me Chris would you like to have more power than the 110hp you have or is that just right for the tires and set up you have? William |
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cdodgyd Chris Davies Wales, UK (4 posts) Registered: 07/17/2010 03:25AM Main British Car: 1959 AH Sprite, 1971 Mercedes 280se 1.5L Ford in the Sprite, 3L diesel in the Merc. |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Thanks William,
I think 110bhp is enough to be honest. Maybe not for a track car, but on the road its great. It'll do 0-60 in about 7 secs and top speed is in excess of 110mph. In a car this small it feels plenty fast enough to me! I'm running 15" alloys with 195 60 15 tyres and the grip is unbelievable - go kart stuff! The axle is also a Ford unit (in fact all the running gear is) from a 60's Mk1 Ford Cortina GT with a diff ratio of 3.54:1. No more broken Sprite axles! Do you know those cars over in the States? The only mod to the suspension is telescopic shocks at the back - front is stock. Time permitting I may submit a photo gallery story of the car. This car was hot-rodded in the early 1970's with just a few modern extras. I restored it 3 years ago after long term storage. |
Moderator Curtis Jacobson Portland Oregon (4577 posts) Registered: 10/12/2007 02:16AM Main British Car: 71 MGBGT, Buick 215 |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Quote: We'd love to see it! |
B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Yes Chris Please,
I would love to see a how to if you have pictures ! William |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Hi William,
nice art work you have going there. Great to see someone plan things out in advance. My opinion, and take it for what it's worth (free), is that old cars like this should be remade in the spirit of their times. So the aero stuff that may produce results on a mod-class cone racer is not right for a 50 year old car. The Lexan spoiler belongs on a Miata, a child of that era. The Sprite deserves tricks appropriate to its age. Kind of like you would not like to see a 50 year old movie starlet (Sharon Stone?) wearing tattoos like Angelina Jolie (or Megan Fox?). A sprite with a wing is like your grandma getting fake boobs. :O The flares are sweet though, and totally age appropriate. Like a lovely older woman in a sexy flattering dress! My car is going to have stock fenders with skinny wheels and tires, followed around by lots of tire smoke. Cheers, Greg PS, sports racing cars only started to add aero devices in the mid-late 60s. Look at what Porsche went through with the 917 at LeMans... lots of trouble before they got it stable at speed. Spoilers in '68-'69, wing in '70 (or close to that.) A subtle aluminum sheet spoiler riveted to the boot could be done nicely... Besides, a clear barn door attached to a sprite is still a barn door. It won't make a 1958 chassis any quicker than a 1998 Honda. :P |
B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Hey Greg,
Well I like what I like and you like what you like . I'm know some will like it and some will not , the only one I have to please is me. It is not on there for looks , it is to keep the rear end from becoming the front end and I can see through Lexan better than aluminum . The car is being all moderned up after all the drive train is 2009 , this car is not for a purest , it has started out as a MG Midget and is mostly fiberglass, even some carbon fiber goodies ! It's a little street racer , hot rod , show off ! It's not going to be your normal Bugeye , Frogeye Sprite. Hey look what Carol Shelby did to the little AC , I bet AC owner had a stroke in the mid 60's . Oh well. William I guess you like the green car and not my blue car , I don't see a lot of difference. |
HealeyRick Rick Neville (490 posts) Registered: 12/19/2007 05:01PM Main British Car: 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Funny how even us "modders' have a line we're not willing to cross. Some of us are only content with "period" mods. Others like William take it to the next level. My best guess is that Donald Healey would get a boot out of anything that would make his designs faster. Have at it, William, make DMH proud!
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B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Here Here Rick !
You can see his beautiful design right through the CLEAR Lexan , better than sticking an ugly piece o' tin on it ! I M O I love the period racers and they are quite fast and I love the looks of the Bugeye or Frogeye as the brit's call them. I don't think I made the car look bad and if you don't like it , THAT"S OKAY too ! We all know not everyone has the same taste and I for one am glad everyone does not like the same thing. I love seeing all the different ideas everyone here have and some I may use I just watched a custom car place in California take an old GTO body and put it on the new GTO ! I guess some old GTO guys may be flopping around on the floor , but I thought it was cool ! It went to a drifter car guy . I'm for doing what ever custom you want to do to "your" car, bet your proud of it and I can't wait to see what you did , even if it's not my cup of tea it's your baby and your hard work ...... Good going guys ! William P.S. Love those 3000 's almost impossible to find a nice one any more and you have a nice one I'm so jealous :-) |
rficalora Rob Ficalora Willis, TX (2764 posts) Registered: 10/24/2007 02:46PM Main British Car: '76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302 |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
RE: ...I just watched a custom car place in California take an old GTO body and put it on the new GTO ! I guess some old GTO guys may be flopping around on the floor , but I thought it was cool ! It went to a drifter car guy .
I saw an episode of Street Customs where where West Coast Customs did that for an actor -- forgot who but the car was cool. |
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danmas Dan Masters Alcoa, Tennessee (578 posts) Registered: 10/28/2007 12:11AM Main British Car: 1974 MGBGT Ford 302 |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
A '49-'51 Mercury will also drop right onto a late (mid nineties, I think) GM chassis/drive-train. This useless tidbit of information probably belongs over on the "when is an MG no longer an MG thread."
Interesting anyway, I thought. |
B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Rob,
Yes West Coast Customs, I couldn't remember the name but the GTO was built for X Games class drifting champion Tanner Faust , they delivered it to him at the track and he drove it with one of the guys who helped build it. I thought it was funny after the ride when he said gee you didn't scream or anything. You might could call Tanner an actor as he host Speed Chanel's Supercars Exposed but I think he is more known for his driving skills , I think calling him an actor would be stretching it a bit and I bet it would get chuckle out of him ! Hey Dan , Not really getting off subject , we where talking about mods to cars some may consider over the top like my taking a MG Midget and making it into a Sprite , not so much that as other have done it before but that I am putting Lexan spoilers on it God forbid ! Some will like it some won't , Oh well ! Cheers All, William |
HealeyRick Rick Neville (490 posts) Registered: 12/19/2007 05:01PM Main British Car: 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Will,
Don't be too jealous of the 3000. A Sprite will outhandle one any day of the week and with some motor upgrades will outperform a stock one as well. I'm waiting to see you build that dreamcar of yours. It's going to be great! |
rficalora Rob Ficalora Willis, TX (2764 posts) Registered: 10/24/2007 02:46PM Main British Car: '76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302 |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Actually Will, I was confusing two episodes maybe. The episode I was thinking of was where they put a 68 charger on one of the modern charger or challenger chassis. They did it for Gary Dourdan of CSI.
I also saw the episode of the GTO for Tanner but didn't recall that being a chassis swap. |
B-Fast B-Strong William Smith (144 posts) Registered: 10/17/2009 11:28PM Main British Car: Bugeye Bodied Spriget |
Re: My rendering of the ideal Road & Track Car
Hey Rob,
I don't watch that show regular so I didn't see the charger one. I still had the GTO show on the DVR so I went back and looked . The older I get the more things run together , I guess my brain is getting full. HA! I was just flipping through and saw the preview and said what the ..... I just had to see that so I recorded it and watched it later, I couldn't believe it turned out that good , I was impressed ! I was right , I though it was a drifter car guy he made it for , I remembered because he took one of the guys from the shop for a ride and I thought it was funny when he said " he didn't scream or anything " he had probably taken some girls for a ride in the past and they screamed their heads off . I'm not a drifter fan , takes more skill keeping a car in shape around a corner than getting one sideways and ruining the tires. I think it must have been dreamed up by tire manufacturers . :-) William |