Healey Sports Cars

I'm not a drifter, but I am impressed with what some of those guys can do. I've seen them spin around a cone keeping the corner of the car inches from the cone for 6-8 full circles. I've also watched them have two or three cars making various drifts in unison -- sort of like synchronized swimming. I think it takes tons of skill & practice just like any other motorsport... but i'm with you that it was probably dreamed up by the tire manufacturers!

Rob,
I agree there is skill in controlling that which is out of control , in racing go karts I did drift into corners in a controlled manor and it is a natural style of the beast of kart racing. Auto racing is different than kart racing and the drifters are more or less driving cars like karts.
I thought it was a lot of fun when I raced karts and I'm sure the drift cars are fun, I just never have been a burnout fan or a fan of the demolition derby , because it is against my nature to tear things up. I hate seeing the wrecks in Nascar ! I just hate that things get old and wear out , wouldn't it be nice if everything stayed shinny and new ! Not very realistic of me I guess !
William

I will have to join in with the no wing crowd but I would have to go with the clear one on the blue car over the one on the green car.

Hi William,
I actually like your blue car better than the green car, because that's a terrible shade of green! LOL.

Here's a couple of pics of period spoilers that would look right, and work. From this site's great pictorial of the Penske Lola....





Really, my distaste for the giant spoiler has more to do with its size and proportions, not so much the material. (But polished aluminum with bucked rivets is so much sweeter :)

Those barn door spoilers might make a slight bit of downforce at low speeds, which is what they are intended to do, but they make massive drag at higher speeds. That's why you've never seen one on a competitive road racing car. Balance is good, right? Weight, drag, speed, efficiency, aesthetics... all sacrificed for a tiny potential increase in rear grip in certain corners. Few drivers have the skill to take advantage of the small improvement that might be had from such a large spoiler, and that advantage would be lost at the sort of speeds that your modern drivetrain is capable of.

The bottom line is that 1960 Sprite will not be competitive with modern race cars unless you go all the way to tube frame and slicks, where upon it becomes a modern race car with a sprite body. Which is sort of cool, I guess, but not my thing. The sprite was intended to be a light, cheap, fun sportscar, and it has done more than anyone ever expected. But to beat a spec miata, you have to spend many times what it costs to field a miata... which defeats the whole purpose (IMHO, of course).

Having said all that, I have to eat my words. Because I've spent a bunch of time making mods to my car that will do f*@ck all to make it faster. I just like the way they look. (lightening holes in parts to save a pound). So you make your car the way you want it to look, and I'll cheer you on for having the spirit to go and do it the way you want.

Cheers!

Greg

PS: that spoiler would be lighter in aluminum. Even lighter if you poked some holes in it. :)

(Moderator: added image tags...)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2010 11:24AM by Moderator.

Well I don't know how it would be any more drag than the front wind screen and I don't want to go too fast ! I would build something that is more fun than fast. I like safe now , when I was younger I did crazy. This is not a serious race car, it's a toy ! You can drive it to the track , have fun and then stop by the store on the way home and buy a dozen eggs to make breakfast in the morning. Look fast and make a little noise that is what I was shooting for ! Not looking to set a new lap record at Road Atlanta. It should be pretty fast for a street car , I just think it looks neat and I want it safe. Too much drag , nice thing is you can cut it down with a jig saw and sand the edge. I just like things that are wild and different. I will try it out before I paint the car , maybe it will end up smaller but it will be Lexan .
I just want to turn heads and I'm just not into purple Mohawks !





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2010 02:04AM by B-Fast B-Strong.

I know your going to hate this ! I love the whaletails on the 911's so I think I will form a Lexan whaletail . Some black angles and stainless rods to hold it in place SWEET !

If you don't like the clear how about carbon fiber. The dash is carbon fiber and it has a patch of carbon fiber on the rear flairs so carbon fiber whale tail spoiler and front reflectors would look good. Oh I also changed the seats to Carbeau Classic's from the Momo Atlantis seats. I like the classic's but they are a bit on the narrow side and I would like to try them before I would buy some.



Yes, the more I look at this , the more I like it. Might end up with the car looking like this.

Carbeau Classic's

Will, we used to have a saying when I worked at Texas Instruments... "there comes a time in the development of every project when its necessary to shoot the engineers & begin production"

I have heard that saying , I grew up in Texas and was an engineer. I love to change things , just an engineers nature I guess. I have all ready started to work on bits just have not decided what the final beast will look like.

Old saying is , If you fail to plan you plan to fail !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2010 09:39AM by B-Fast B-Strong.

Yes, but vision without execution is hallucination.

Cypress is a pretty area of Houston , some beautiful homes there. I grew up around the Dallas , Ft Worth area and still have some people there. I enjoy restoring parts and making old things new , this is not my first project like this, but I think it will be my last. I just want it to be special and like nothing else. If it takes me year then so be it , I'm not in a big hurry , doing it is half the fun. Other cars I have done they had to be finished in three months or I thought they were not worth doing. I slowed down in my old age. I am even going to take a lot of pictures like a lot of my friends do. I can hear them give me a hard time now. I always told them you spent so much time taking pictures how did you fine time to finish it. I alway said who wants to see the carnage , I just want to see the finished product. I just looked a resto project and he has over 950 pictures of fixing places on the body, I will tell you now I will not take that many pictures. How did he fine time to work ? Maybe his wife was watching " that's neat what you did there SNAP "

I'm just messing with you Will. Now I know my problem -- I've been hurrying on my project for 4 1/2 yrs. Should have slowed down & got it done faster!

Rob,
I have in the past tried to get things done in a hurry only to find out later that I spent money on things that I could have bought for less. I like to watch Overhauling and I still don't see how they can rebuild a car in a week ! They have to cut corners I would not do on my own car. That is a good example of unlimited funds and man power, we don't have a team of experts and that kind of money.The first thing they do is set down and plan it all out and assign tasks to teams, they know just what , when and how they are going to get it done and I still don't see how they do it. I have to plan, plan, plan and search for parts at the best price and decide what level I will take it to. I have to know exactly what I am going to do and then do it, if not I will loose interest and not finish it, that's just me. You are different that me, I could never work on a project for 4 1/2 years I would have lost my mind 4 years ago. I envy you in a way.
William

Patience, Grasshopper. :)

I'll admit, if I'd have thought it was going to take me this long, I probably would have never started... but I'm really glad I did. It's been a lot of fun & it's very close now. We have family plans this weekend & next, but I'll be back on it the following weekend!

Hi Carl and Rob,
I admit I have persistence but little patience ! I have to admit also that I hate to mess with the style of the beloved Bugeye and I came up with this and it may just please everyone.




Note the Brooklands Aeroscreen's and Vintage Racing Seats !

Will, I like it, but I liked your other renderings too. At the end of the day all that should matter is what you like.

This is true , I keep finding new things like the the Brooklands Aeroscreens. They are so much nicer than just making some Lexan screens, kind of old school and I think they would look good and maybe not get a hassle from the Po Po . I want it as racy as possible but still be able to drive it around. We have a manufacture of A C Cobra kit cars near here and I would like her to be able to defend her honor, and with a Duratec engine with over 300 hp + and her light weight should make her hold her own. I did work out a problem of shifter location. I was trying to figure out how I could beef up the M5R1 but it just could not be done and gear ratios were terrible . That left me with the T5 and a shifter in my elbow . I wondered if a S10 tail shaft would work on a Ford T5 case locating the shifter 8 inches forward and I found someone that was making them but he was wanting 1850.00 for them , you would think he was trying to make some money off doing them. While I was looking in to it I discovered the S10's from 93 on that had T5's in them they were world class and built with ford cases , go figure. The ratios are terrible but all I have to do is change the gear set to a 295 and do the secret up grade to beef it to 400 foot pounds of torque and have a race prepped T5 with a new shifter location . I can buy a brand new S10 T5 for 450 and do the mods and have one for under 900.00 . Problem Solved ! I need to do an piece on this and share a how to. I will take pictures when I do it and give it to Curtis. I just didn't want to end up with a shifter like this this , not that his is not a good looking job and it would cost less, I just don't like the look.

With regard to the rubber hood hold-downs, four is too many. These devices are most commonly used on heavy trucks (2 per hood) and on those trucks they'll see much heavier loads and more movement than on your bugeye. Smaller rubber hold-downs are commonly used on heavy truck battery box lids. IMHO, it would be far more elegant and convenient to have a cable operated hood release mechanism, as used on Volvo heavy trucks. If you feel you must have rubber hold-downs, perhaps consider recessed hold-downs. (As I recall, you'll find them on many Freightliners, and maybe also on some of the Mack on-highway models.)

I eliminated my grille quite early on. (The original one had been crunched.) I soon found that I needed some sort of screen to protect my radiator. I bought some stainless steel mesh from McMaster Carr... and I'd suggest you should probably plan on doing the same if this car will be driven many miles. If you like, you can have it powder coated or you can recess it so it's less conspicuous.

I have an s10 2.2 T5 in my bugeye the shifter is in the right spot I am told the 2.2 is the ford bolt pattern the 2.8 t5 is larger
I would like to hear more about your gear change first gear is way to low I just use 2-5
jim