Matt the bass man

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Edited 16:38 on 17th September 2011 Edited by - Matt the bass man on 17 Sep 2011 16:38:02

To be truthful I was enquiring after the non supercharged version, of which they had none, but they did have 3 supercharged versions in stock ready to go. And when I say ready to go, the origional price I was told was £42,000 for each unit and then between £5 - 10,000 for the ancillaries. But the guy I spoke to said if I made him an offer of around £22,000 it would be a done deal. I got the impression they wanted rid of them as they were haning around from a project that didn't go through. To much power for me but I expect someone here would have bigger cahonjes than me and be interested so I thought I would post about them.

I was given the opportunity to buy a 500bhp RST v8 - made of two joined up motorbike engines. Giving nearly 1000bhp per tonne. Not sure how practical but was told the engine builder had 180mph on an airfield and it handled pretty well with a light foot Anyone heard about this engine in a caterham - apart from a leviathon[?sp]. Tempting but a bit much on a live axle. My suicidal days are behind be so I think I will decline, but...................then again! 😬

due to recent circumstances my engine swap is now delayed. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. It has been very informative and I may well resurrect the thread again once circumstances stabilise. Kind regards to all contributors Matthew [Matt the bass man]

Klunk/Giles I would be very happy to receive details of your steel 1800 specs/price/builder etc. If everything fits into place I could be very interested. 😬

My idea is to keep the 40's get used to the engine and then go to TB's later if more power is needed, but, having spoken to a couple of people I may not need to do that as the carbs should give me all I should want - 190bhp. Now I need to think about gearbox and rear axle to see if I can improve that area of the car 😬

By all means keep the X-flow under the bench whilst you use the Zetec. Then, if you get withdrawal symptoms you can spend a few days popping it back into the car. Then you'll realise just how good the Zetec actually is You know this could be the solution I am looking for, get the Zetec, and do up the crossflow as a project/spare. I think we have a winner/solution 😬 Simplez Regards and thanks to everyone for their advice

CaterBram jr, thanks for the reply. You see this is one of my issues, I have preconceptions about the options, and having only had Crossflow's in the past including a nice hot one I am probably biased in their favour. Part of this exercise is to try and get over any bias and make a balanced decision. Regards M

I know this shows complete indecision but I cannot at this stage make my mind up about the engine. I would love a BDR but cannot afford one. The Zetec gives lots of lovely power, is reliable and realitively cheap, but it is heavier than a crossflow. The crossflow sounds fantastic, I love the look of a pair of K&N filters over Webers sticking out the side of the car, and I love the free reving of a crossflow. But they are not so powerful as a Zetec, a bit leaky on the oil front. The Crossflow also drinks more juice but that really isn't a major concern for a fun car. I really do appreciate everything people have said so far and the advice from all angles is great. However, I need to go away for a while and think carefully which way to go. As has been wisely said. I want to get it right first time and possible do the axle and gearbox at the same time. I will report back on any progress onmy decision. regards Matthew

this conversatin is very enlightening. I may have to increase the budget from my original 5k, based on the replies above, or, reduce my expectations. I think that STMBO will now come into play, fur coat? diamonds? something nice and shiney and I may get an increase in budget If anyone can give me realistic prices [not quotes] for a 170bhp + engine then I would be gratful so I can at least steel my self for the shock when I look for a builder. Matthew

As always I could be overly optermistic and wrong. Regards Matthew

I agree 9500 is a lot bit the spec is unusual with custom pistons etc. I think [hope] that it could be done for less. This is where the research comes in which I am doing now.

WP - George' Thanks for the replies. I have to consider seriously the Zetec and it is not yet totally ruled out but I think that what I really want is a good spec crossflow and the all steel route is I think the way to go. I cannot go for a Wilcox BDR kit as it is too much money and my budget will hit the wall at 5k, but I am hopeing that for that sort of money I can get a nice reliable and fast road engine to play with for a good few years. Please keep all thoughts and comments coming and recommendations of good Crossflow builder. I am aware of SPR, Wilcox [expensive], protune/Ratrace. I am sure there are others but I do not know any more. So suggestions or reviews of builders either on this thread or by BlatMail would be good I am looking for a winter build so I am not rushing into anything.

Head or heart, head or heart, I will need to think this one over for a while. Any thoughts on steel over iron crossflow engines? Regards Matthew