Where do I start?

[Not so standard fly]

Greeting , I’m new to this venture .
So I have a 1938 standard flying 12. Uk chassis and engine with Australian body. Mostly complete. Now I have a car and empty garage where do I start?
I want to swap engine and drive train . I know i need to do brakes , steering etc… then interior while I’m at it.
Should I strip out engine and gearbox clean up front end, chances are I need a new front end IFS.
Do I need to find an engineer before I do anything ? Do they cost per visit?
Do I need to be a ARSF member?
It may be a v6 as the engine bay is short , 600mm long from fire wall to rad/grill.
Is there a reasonable sequence of events to follow ?
Gosford NSW
Thanks for your advice
Mechanical engineer / fitter turner/ cnc machinist

IMG_9103.jpeg

[zuffen]

First step I would do is make a "wish list" of what you want it to be and what engine/driveline you would like in it.

As it's pre-1948 you have more options for registration than later vehicles.

I think joining ASRF and looking to go under their registration system makes sense.

The chassis is going to need lots of modification to meet the rules and all the suspension will need to go as 3 wheel nuts won't cut it.

Try Googling ASRF and see what you can learn about the rules for your venture.

Once you have a good idea of what you want, and what you can have then start talking to the appropriate engineer.

The car isn't very big so you will find space disappears quickly once you take a chunk out of the interior for the transmission and driveline.

Keep us posted as yu move forward as there are people on this Site that be more up to speed than me on pre'48 and will offer good advice.

[Gojeep]

Another great way to get a good idea of what will be needed is the read the government street rod manual. Even if you are going to full registration rather than club, it will get you 90% of the way there.
https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infra ... rod-manual

[Harv]

Agree that the best starting point is the wish list, as a hotrod is (almost always) a compromise. What do you want to do with the vehicle?

A daily driver needs to be reliable, so the engine tends to be a little more conservative. Parts need to be available when you break them. It needs to be comfortable, with perhaps air conditioning and power steering (breeze and ease). If there are kids in the plan, then the rear seat space needs to work too. If it is doing highway miles then it needs to handle better than if it just putts around the suburbs. If it will tow a trailer (to the tip, for camping etc) then the back-end needs to work with a towbar.

A weekend cruiser could be a bit wilder. If you break it, it comes home on a tilt-tray and sits in the shed until life give you the time to fix it. Comfort perhaps less important than the grin you get from driving a more serious engine in a small car.

A car that is destined for the strip could be wilder still. It's easier being uncomfortable for 12 seconds at a time. The driveline needs to be set up to take repeated beatings. Rear seat and trim are optional. Safety gear becomes more important.

Many of us want all-of-the-above. Its a tough balance, and you get to choose where you compromise. My EK wagon does most of the above, but there are still areas that make me want more. A higher stall convertor, higher rear end ratio or giggle gas would be nice out at The Creek and get me into the 12's, but would not work too well with me using it as a daily driver.

With your plan in mind, find an engineer. They all vary in their interpretation of the rules, so finding one that has a similar appetite for risk as you is important. Some people want a car that is 110% compliant to the rules, others don't care as long as it has number plates. There are a few people here that can give you their experience of individual NSW engineers. Once you have the engineer, decide which rules you will follow and register under (normal rego, ICV, street rod, modified light vehicle etc).

The hard bit: as you build the car, try not to change your plan too much. Going from a V6 to a V8 at a late stage means that other components need to change. The parts you have stashed away during the build may no longer be useful. If you are going to change, talk to the engineer before buying the new bits.

The old engine and driveline may come out early, clean it all up, check for rust. If you have the space, avoid the temptation to sell off the old parts until you are done. Some blokes are very experienced and know what they will need. Others, like me, get suprised when you need a widget off the old motor/suspension to work with the new parts. The old stuff is also good for mocking up (it gives you a reference point say from the engine mounts to let you measure other stuff).

Cheers,
Harv

[Twin Spinner]

Another contender for a Toyota Soarer V/8 parts car

[Sudsy]

Another contender for a Toyota Soarer V/8 parts car

Great option. I've had one in my 37 for years and many miles. He would have to move the firewall back over 100mm though as they are basically a 700mm cube

[zuffen]

I'm like Sudsy, a fan of the 1UZ. I've had a few from pretty wild to mild.

They will last forever are quite economical but will only give you around 250HP.

They are expensive to modify so if the power is right they are good.

If buying one get a front cut from someone like SSS in Girraween as this will give quite a few bits you can easily forget. If you go this route talk to either Sudsy, Jeffa or myself on which version to look for.

They can have issues with leaking capacitors in the ECU, so I would factor in having them replaced before using it. Cheaper to fix it before it fails than after it has damaged the circuit boards.

www.lextreme.com will put you in a good community for the engine.

[jeffa]

Regarding all the above: What a fantastic cross section of what and where!
And it's all good bumph from those that have been there, and in most cases, done that! (Or not, yet...Guilty - I'll admit it...)
The Toyota 1UZ etc. Yes, big... If you can fit that in there, you can also fit a small block (Ford Windsor or Chev.)
If you like wiring (and I don't mean like a normal car) then maybe a 1UZ.
Some people use the venerable Holden V6, either NA or supercharged. You'll still need to dick around with ECU's and if auto, then transmission controllers. Manual? Well it makes the job way easier, except you will need somewhere to put a clutch pedal... Dont forget you will probably need more transmission space which ever way you go, so your floorspace will be at a premium.
When you are considering what you want to do with the car, your engine choice is vital. Maybe a rorty 4 cylinder? But generally a V6 will fit if a 4 cyl will. "Older" engines have one big advantage - simplicity. Wiring... Usually only two wires to get running (Ign and starter). Fuel system. one or two pipes, a pump and a carby. Iron parts that can take being left for years and restarted. Try that with alloy.
Suspension... While it will need to be upgraded etc, whatever you use will most likely need narrowing. You might fit a Torana front end in there, maybe google track widths. (A mate of mine has a Torry F/E in his front yard he doesn't want. I thought I might grab it, but on inspection they are TINY I couldn't beleive how narrow they are. Buut if one will fit, there is a heap of options for decent brakes, wheel stud patterns, offets etc.
But that's all down the track. You'd be well advised to follow the advices given in the posts above.

[Twin Spinner]

I'm like Sudsy, a fan of the 1UZ. I've had a few from pretty wild to mild.

They will last forever are quite economical but will only give you around 250HP.

They are expensive to modify so if the power is right they are good.

If buying one get a front cut from someone like SSS in Girraween as this will give quite a few bits you can easily forget. If you go this route talk to either Sudsy, Jeffa or myself on which version to look for.

They can have issues with leaking capacitors in the ECU, so I would factor in having them replaced before using it. Cheaper to fix it before it fails than after it has damaged the circuit boards.

www.lextreme.com will put you in a good community for the engine.

You got me thinking back, did you ever try a supercharger on a Tojo V/8, I think it was Street Machine Mag. that had a story on a fast Soarer, I think it was a B&M blower and it was good for mid 10's

[XP6]

For such a small engine bay and being such a light car something like a stock 13B rotary late one with EFI, maybe turbo it later ron if you want more power.
Big issue you will have is cooling with any motor put in it, looking at the bay a decent 4 would fit providing its pretty squat I think a V6 would be too tall unless chopping into the firewall and moving everything out of the way(battery etc... foot room)

A late model L300 SWB van would have some good donor parts, IFS, leaf sprung diff(ford stud pattern), even the 2.4 motor/5sp is a pretty good robust thing... lots of flat metal too

[Sudsy]

[/quote]You got me thinking back, did you ever try a supercharger on a Tojo V/8, I think it was Street Machine Mag. that had a story on a fast Soarer, I think it was a B&M blower and it was good for mid 10's
[/quote]

Haven't tried one yet but i have a manifold designed and just need to be brave enough to buy a lump of alloy and machine it up. I have a V653 blower for the old school look to go on and twin 4 barrel throttle bodies. One of these days it will get done. Yes they can handle quite a bit of boost on stock internals and cams

[zuffen]

I built a blown 1UZ in 2003ísh.

21.5psi on an Opcon twin screw. Meth injection and water to air intercooling.

I never found out the power output but the tuner said it was well north of 600 at the wheels.

It had forged internals and the best of the best. Cost $45,000 to build and I drove it around 1,000klm and sold it for $4,500! It drank fuel at a rate of 45l/100klm. A bit impractical. You could drift it around every roundabout. It was in my Range Rover that weighed 1900kg and you could smoke the tyres any time you wanted.

I wouldn't supercharge another, I would turbo it.

The car now runs a stock 1UZ with headers and 3"exhaust as they are hangovers form the blown motor.

For this car I'd look at something like an SR20DET and 5 speed. Easy to get 3-400hp out of them and quite cheap.

[Twin Spinner]

Thanks

[Sudsy]

I built a blown 1UZ in 2003ísh.

21.5psi on an Opcon twin screw. Meth injection and water to air intercooling.

I never found out the power output but the tuner said it was well north of 600 at the wheels.

It had forged internals and the best of the best. Cost $45,000 to build and I drove it around 1,000klm and sold it for $4,500! It drank fuel at a rate of 45l/100klm. A bit impractical. You could drift it around every roundabout. It was in my Range Rover that weighed 1900kg and you could smoke the tyres any time you wanted.

I wouldn't supercharge another, I would turbo it.

The car now runs a stock 1UZ with headers and 3"exhaust as they are hangovers form the blown motor.

For this car I'd look at something like an SR20DET and 5 speed. Easy to get 3-400hp out of them and quite cheap.

Wow. All those $$$ 2o years ago. Hate to think what it would be now. I'll be using all the stock internals and not chasing big numbers. It's in a 37 Chev so just going for the old school look and just more torque off the line so only max 10 psi. Just decent head gaskets and injectors should get that happening i hope

[toprodz]

That looks like an interesting project, I built an 1950 Anglia a few years ago for a customer, stock bodied, 350 chev, turbo 700 trans, shortened 9" diff, handmade independent front end, Here's a link to the build, some photobucket photos have disappeared and the rest have water marks on them, it might give you some inspiration with your build, I have all photos if you want any

viewtopic.php?t=59700&hilit=toprodz+anglia&start=150

Here are a couple of photos of it all finished






All I can say is, build the car you want, don't be put off by the Naysayers, so many people have told me that things can't be done, probably because they have never tried, anything is possible,
Good luck with your build