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Post by davef on Dec 26, 2013 18:29:06 GMT
Well here goes with my build diary. I'll add to it as I go along I'm doing a build diary on Photobucket so I should be able to share the pics.
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Post by davef on Dec 26, 2013 18:34:03 GMT
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Post by mawdo81 on Dec 26, 2013 18:59:14 GMT
I couldn't. I'm in Brailsford, near Derby. Just about to get a donor and follow you down the Sonic route. Where did you get your donor from? I had 3 lined up at the beginning of October then pneumonia kicked in and set me back a number of months.
Yet to order my kit, partly through not having made my mind up about the optional items, partly through not having the cash to hand and partly through wanting to strip the donor beforehand.
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Post by davef on Dec 26, 2013 22:08:16 GMT
Hi mawdo81 I got the donor from an add in auto trader, there is plenty around. Try looking at the pics again as I've unlocked the photobucket story line now. you are not too far away so give me a shout if I can help.
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Post by mawdo81 on Dec 27, 2013 11:53:00 GMT
Thanks, I've been trawling ebay, gumtree etc but its looking sparse at this time of year. I see you went for a 2l donor. What elements of a donor are you missing & will need to source, is it more than just the gearbox/clutch/flywheel assembly?
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Post by airforceone on Dec 27, 2013 12:22:39 GMT
If you intend to use the original ford ECU and loom to save some cash then I would use a donor car.
If your planning to get something along the lines of an OMEX ECU then I wouldn't bother. Other than the engine, gearbox ECU and loom and rear brake calipers you don't really use that much from the donor that can't be bought at a scrappy for a few quid. Things like Hand brake lever. Even the gearstick from the donor isn't used.
I used a donor just to get a bit of experience but it was a real PITA getting rid of the body shell and all the unwanted parts, EBAY was useless as there are hundreds of focus parts so selling was more grief than the money I got, ended up ditching most of it.
Just my pennies worth.
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Post by mawdo81 on Dec 27, 2013 13:36:19 GMT
Thanks, I'd heard that advice before. I'm going down the donor route for a number of reasons, total cost being one, but the others being to get more practice/experience on something I care less about and also it allows me to "start" before I have the funds to purchase the kit itself. The issue I'm having at the moment though is 1.8 or 2!
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Post by airforceone on Dec 27, 2013 14:05:19 GMT
With a 1.8 donor you will be unlikely to get rear calipers, I had a Ghia spec which still had drum brakes.
The 2.0 will probably give you the rear calipers but it will have the MTX75 gearbox which is a bigger unit than the IB5 from the 1.8. You can still use it but you would need to advise RTR so they can adjust the mounting points.
As for power the 1.8 has around 115bhp with the 2.0 having 135bhp. The engines are physically the same just different capacities.
With the donor engine it will be highly unlikely that which ever you get will still be kicking out these power levels especially if they have done around 100-120 thousand miles which is the average, mine had covered 126,000 and sounded rough as a badgers ass. The gearbox was also making some dodgy noises.
You will probably need to have the gearbox and possibly the engine reconditioned, gearbox would cost around the £200-250 mark, I had a quote for the engine and lets say it was cheaper to buy a brand new 2.0 (£800) and just keep the aux components from the donor. You can always just plop the donor engine and gearbox straight in, I know a few people that have done this just to get the car on the road but have had to get an age related plate instead of a new reg.
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Post by martinw on Dec 28, 2013 9:42:39 GMT
I went down the donor route - tbh I really didn't consider anything else. I wanted to put a personalised plate on, so just needed an age related reg rather than a Q. My donor was a cat D write-off - 1.8 ghia estate - and was low mileage for its age (around 40k) and mine did come with rear discs, so you could be lucky. My engine and box were perfectly serviceable to be used without major recon work. Maybe a write-off is worth considering - mine was a well loved low mileage vehicle that had been tonked up the back - I managed to get in touch with the previous owner and he provided service history for it too! I too failed to sell many parts from the donor, but then all I had to buy was a Sierra gear lever assembly and a smaller rad. Martin
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Post by davef on Dec 28, 2013 12:20:42 GMT
http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/Davefitton1/story/100153 Same as above really, I wanted to put a private plate on the car eventually so went for the donor. I bought a 2.0l for the few extra HP but also I didn't realise the gearboxes were different. I got a IB5 gearbox from a scrap yard new 3 piece clutch and new timing belt were all I needed. I have cleaned up the engine and powder coated quite a few parts just to make them look nice. I intend to put everything else on the car new. Does the link to my build diary below work?
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Post by mawdo81 on Dec 28, 2013 16:49:03 GMT
The original link works but the URL in your last post isn't actually showing as a link.
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Post by davef on Jan 5, 2014 21:26:05 GMT
Can someone please assist? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Photobucket gives me 3 options of code to copy pictures 1. email and IM 2. HTML 3, Embed I've copied them below 1. s1290.photobucket.com/user/Davefitton1/story/1001532. <a href="http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/Davefitton1/story/100153" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b527/Davefitton1/story/100153/thumb/large.png" border="0" alt="Westfield to Sonic"/></a> 3. <iframe src="http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/Davefitton1/story/100153/embed" width="650" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Which one is the one to use to link photos so you can see them on the Proboard? I made some good progress today and would like to have shared it with the group. Apologies if I am being a bit thick!
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Post by mawdo81 on Jan 5, 2014 21:34:18 GMT
Hi I've right clicked on an image in your photo bucket story and chose "open in new window". Copy the URL and then come here and click the insert photo icon on the post. (3rd from the left in the last group for me). Paste the URL in the box and this is the result... Love the DIY powder coating how does this compare in cost & time to getting it done for you?
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Post by davef on Jan 5, 2014 21:47:13 GMT
Ahh Think I have got the hang of it
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Post by davef on Jan 5, 2014 21:53:02 GMT
Thanks for your help with the pictures, the powder coating is easy and actually rewarding to do, the secret to a good finish is in the preparation though. I bought the Electrostatic kit new and a little oven off fleabay for £12. size is limited but now I know I can do it i may go for a bigger oven. Powder is cheap about £6-12 per half kilo depending on what you buy so its really economical, I haven't had quotes for doing the parts professionally but it's so quick and easy I wouldn't bother.
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