They are hideous.
That minor detail aside is there any hope for making a Pinto based kit handle well and provide some enjoyment?
I found one for sale locally and was thinking about what it would look like with some proper wheels and removal of the fenders and silly fake ornamentation. The only thing that looks like it could be a hinderance is the shape of the top of the doors.
Well, its just a slightly less cool looking Lotus 7
Stiffen the chassis, lighten it, and then address the suspension and tires.
That's actually a pretty inspired idea. Those things are at the bottom of the kit-car heap. Get one cheap, take some artistic license and a good time's just waiting to be had.....
Ive looked at the VW based ones many times, and I loves me some VW based anything and still cant find any justification for them
However pinto based opens the door for a 2.3 turbo at least....freakish sleeper
Wow, that thing sure does look like a locost if you look past the ugliness.... Never noticed it.
I knew a guy with a VW based one who put a BBQ in the front.
I like the freakish sleeper idea. In which case I'd keep all the garish trim just to be more able to surprise people. A bad British driving cap, tweed and a gap-toothed smile, and you'd be set!
I think that a warmed over 302 and a 5 speed would do wonders for the looks.....
So it's a Pinto underneath? I'd think that could be made to handle well. It's a double A Arm set up as I recall, right? A SRA can be made to work just fine. Light weight. 2.3 Lima lump can make power and has lots of aftermarket support.
The Pinto suspension is basically the same thing as the Mustang II suspension, and the street rod guys have all kinds of upgrades for them.
Skys the limit for Mustang II suspension.
With a set of wire wheels that car wouldn't look too bad, but few kit cars should carry the three pointed star. Also, lose some of the lights up front which make the front end too busy. There is an outfit in Poland I think that reproduces the w113 280sl and does a pretty nice job.
I hear lots of talk about people want to use the mustang II rack and pinion steering on a mercedes r107 for both better steering response and making room for moar engine.
If that car sat lower with different wheel I doubt it would be described as hideous, it is a kit that looks kind of like the morgan 7 or an mgtd. I don't know what the underpinnings are though.
Dang, I'm starting to dig this idea. Clean it up- cycle fenders, American Racing Libres 13x8, lower it, do something with the grille. Dang.
Make it look like this:
Appleseed wrote: Make it look like this:
I'll have to forward that to Larry, and tell him he made the GRM Board.
Tell Larry I said he's cool as hell and that car is amazing.
I would go dark and angry on that one. No fenders, no bumpers nothing on the front except the grill (blacked out) and stick a roll bar in it where the tonneau (?) cover thing is now. As for the doors, they look flat to me. That means you could MAKE your own pretty easily in any style you like.
This project has been growing in my head since I saw that ad. Now if only they will call me back.
In reply to fast_eddie_72: LOL!! Thanks Eddie. The car was brilliant, cornered hard, stable steering, good acceleration for a 2.3-liter DOHC, even if supercharged, engine. Hard to imagine it in 1931. Too bad there wasn't an 8C 2300 Alfa to compare.
I think cutting down the grille shell or replacing it would work wonders. And a 2.3 from a TurboCoupe sure would be fun....
Well, if they don't answer, how about his one?
http://images.craigslist.org/3n33p93l25W55U35X4a8j64b1853172361b50.jpg
Marc
Oops, here's the link to the ad. Frazer Nash kit car
That one is a little far away and over my budget.
There is also a Jamaican for $700 on Craigs that is tempting.
ditch the fenders, rework the doors, replace the grille with something a little rounder and lower, paint it flat black, put some NASCAR wheels on it, and shove an LS engine under the hood backed by a 6 speed and it could be a fun toy.
Don't do it , if you plan on buying one of the front engine Gazelle models .
Lift the hood and look at the front suspension . Yes it's a MII BUT it's buttwelded and supported to a 2x2 and a 1x2 piece of square tubing branched off a piece of 2 x 6 on each side !!! Not exactly the safest setup If interested I can post pics I have a gazelle apart in my garage right now . The original MII cross member is used as the frame crossmember and welded to two pieces of the previously mentioned tubes to the 2x6 What a mess. I was going to do a Nissan VG30 swap ,I started taking it apart when I saw a couple of the factory welds - can you say popcorn or bubblegum stick welding?? Before I knew it I had the body removed and in the backyard . That thing was a deathtrap . If you ever try to Google a pic of the frame - there isn't one , now you know why. Anyways I'm doing what you guys just mentioned and building a Lotus Seven clone . The body has the doors glassed in with steel side supports and the proper looking cut away. F/R fenders were trashed ,(well resold to a Gazelle kitcar guy )and some fabbed . It will be a larger looking Seven by about 10 inches . The stupid looking windshield corners on the cowl were cut off and glassed from underneath - yes I will need to have the windshield cut tapered instead of a rectangular piece of glass . Hood was tapered to slope and a new grill opening reshaped , shorter/wider. The original master cylinder and steering column was bolted to the fiberglass firewall and I though the brakes were just spongey ! A new firewall frame was fabbed to triangulate to the side supports . I'm deciding to either dump the frame frontend and go Speedway MII frontend clip or 1/4" plate the tubing to crossmember to really box the frontend setup which would effectively triangulate the front crossmember. Frame is square right now so I may choose the latter. Rearend is a Mustang SVO with Ford Ranger 5-bolt axles on Pinto leafsprings - yeah I know I'd like to either use the triangulated 4-bar or go parallels and a panrod with coilovers but it's done I can be roadworthy sooner - maybe later in life the swap. The frontend so far is 11" Granada rotors with a GM metric calipers on adapters.
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