Australian Build

[brebar07]

Hi Everyone,
Australia Victoria first time builder. I have has my heart set on the Sonic 7 for some time now with lots of research but still have some questions I would love comments on the following;

[Donor Selection]
- I was hoping to get the more powerful 2.0L over the 1.8L but research suggests the gearbox(mtx-75) and flywheel are not suitable. Can someone confirm this?
- My thinking is if the above is the case I will use the 1.8L as my donor and then upgrade the engine to the 2.0 at a later stage. This doesn’t bother me too much as I wanted to re-build the engine in the build process to make sure everything is 100%.
- Does anyone know a company who does crate Zetec engines in Australia? Omex equivalent would be great!
- My plan is to buy the donor sometime after Xmas and then drive the vehicle for about 2-3 months making sure everything is running well etc. before I start the stripping process.
- My understanding is the shifter in the Australian Focus is different to the required shifter for the build. Can anyone confirm this?

[Kit Delivery]
- After ordering the kit how long until it arrives in AU? I would like to plan the build so that the tear-down of the donor is complete or almost complete when the kit arrives.
- Does anyone have the measurements of the seats? I’m a strapping Aussie guy and want a comfortable seat I am worried the Kit Optional seats will not suit. Would like to research some local seat suppliers if someone can provide dimensions.

[On-Road in Australia]
I would love to hear from the Aussie builders who have road registered the Sonic 7 or Rocket (especially those in Victoria). Going from my research there is no issues an ICV (individually constructed vehicle). I have not spoken to an engineering company as of yet but my understanding is that because this vehicle has passed the testing previously it’s pretty straight forward. Anyone who has actually undertaken the process in AU I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for replies in advance.

[kiwicanfly]

I had a kit shipped to NZ from RTR, the infamous Kit In A Box option although that is not listed on the Sonic options.

Might be worth talking to RTR about it, looking at engines may definitely be worth it.

Not sure about Aussie but the price RTR were able to source parts for in the UK was WAY down on prices in NZ and as the shipping was no extra it made perfect sense.

If you want shipping time have a look on my thread "Where in the world is Rob's Rocket" from memory though it was around eight weeks ex factory.

Ex factory was the interesting bit, it was all the rest of the kit that held things up and I had the unfortunate timing of my engine being hot run at the same time as the Omex boss ran his own car up the back of a lorry.

If you do go for more than the standard kit ensure you get a FULL list of what is being shipped and check it when it arrives, all I will say is that I got a Kit In A Box + 8 courier bags!

If I had not had an comprehensive list to begin with it would have been even more interesting.

Regarding the cars themselves remember there is a Rocket dealer in Oz, also a standard Rocket will not get on the road in Oz, it had to be torsionally strengthened. Not sure how the Sonic would go on that front.

Good luck.

[bauer]

did your research not take you here?

www.southam.com.au/sonic-7.html

be surprised if it didnt. And I assume they would be the answer to your questions. Give them a call.

[brebar07]

Hello Bauer,

I have spoken to Terry (waiting on a response from an email I sent him early this week);
- He has said the vehicle can be road registered (I would like to hear from a builder who has completed the process, before I head off to an engineering facility to discuss with them).
- I mentioned my preference was the 2.0L and there was no discussion about the differences (only found out through my further research).
- Kit price was very vague about and said it all depends on exchange rates etc (hard to plan for a cost, I am an engineer so planning is everything).
- Kit Delivery time was also vague.

[bauer]

For a distributor, even the website updates (lack thereof) doesnt instil confidence.

Might be better to contact RTR directly. Given that it would probably cost as much in freight again to ship a kit from Perth, you might find it cheaper to deal direct from the UK

[kiwicanfly]

You might have problems bypassing Terry, first off RTR might not be willing to do that as he is the appointed agent.

More importantly though the Rocket has a modified chassis and a nose cone added to meet Australian regulations.

The sonic may not need the nose cone as the front is more covered but the torsional stiffness may have been increased to meet regs. Bear in mind you can't run an Atom on the roads of Australia because of inadequate rigidity!

Now as an engineer you could increase the stiffness yourself but you then have to prove it.

Terry replied to a question of mine real quick ............until he realised I was not a prospective customer.

You could ask RTR for some details and drop the hint that their agent is being vague, best way to get answers is to Skype them on the landline, they can't ignore that

By the way they just love dealing with engineers, especially those who are a little anal about small details and precise measurements, such as whether there is a difference in size between 1-1/8 and 22.4mm tube

[brebar07]

Agree, they are the local distributor for a reason and happy to use them as long as their prices are not ridiculously over priced, and their service is good.

Going on comments from Terry there is no need to modify the chassis of the sonic as it meets requirements. But that's why I'm seeking anyone who has build one locally to confirm.

I really want to confirm;
1) Can it be road registered without modification (do not want too much hassle).
2) Best donor vehicle for a basic setup.

After that I can really start to plan my build but without confidence in 1) then i have to continue my research.

[Turbo]

Hi

A quick question: which seats did you use? I assume they are ADR compliant. I have done som esearching for seats that will work in the Sonic and be ADR compliant but they seem to be too wide.

Thanks