LamboClone - The Premier Site for Lamborghini Replica Builders
The Forum => New Member Introductions & Bio's => Topic started by: rotarycraig on February 22, 2013, 09:06:11 AM
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Hey all. Name is Craig and Im a star...... anyways lol. I am not new to aftermarket and modification scene. I have built several imports into beasts and my favorite was my TII rx7. Hence rotarycraig.
Anyways. I have yet to purchase my donor or kit. I am doing as much research as i can before i decide. I DO plan on building a rotary based powerplant and omit any Lamborghini labels. I love the Mercy 2 kit but the reventon is uber sexy.
Any advice on kit support fabrication and best kit mfr to go with would be great. Also sourcing a lot of the odds and ends.
Thanks folks
Craig
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Welcome to the site Craig, I assure you that you will be treated as an equal even though you are a "star" ::tongue. Rotary power plants are awesome if you know much about them and a good choice for a build.
For a kit there isn't a good Reventon kit out there that won't need lots of work to be correct (check out Texas's build). Can't go wrong with a G28 buy either KCI or Rob both will need there share of work but there is tons of knowledge out there on how to fix there flaws. If you wanted to go even newer and be one of the first you should consider the Aventador. There is some pictures of the first body on here and it will be in production in the next month or 2.
Again welcome to the site glad you found us!
Dustin
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Welcome to the site Craig, I assure you that you will be treated as an equal even though you are a "star" ::tongue. Rotary power plants are awesome if you know much about them and a good choice for a build.
For a kit there isn't a good Reventon kit out there that won't need lots of work to be correct (check out Texas's build). Can't go wrong with a G28 buy either KCI or Rob both will need there share of work but there is tons of knowledge out there on how to fix there flaws. If you wanted to go even newer and be one of the first you should consider the Aventador. There is some pictures of the first body on here and it will be in production in the next month or 2.
Again welcome to the site glad you found us!
Dustin
I think it's misguided to even mention Rob as a source to buy a body from anymore due to the ongoing issue with Dave the "Batbuilder."
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This is true, I never did hear the outcome of what had happened.
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Thanks Dustin. Im excited to get started. Gotta find my donor first. Oh, does anyone daily drive their cars? Any issues with the body cracking? I dont believe in trailer queens (seen too many while I was a judge for HIN and I rev shows) and cars are made to be driven and hard.
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Katana makes good Rev body in Orlando FL. Way before anybody started.
You can find him on Mm or Kitcentral. I'm not sure if he's here.
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Aventador. Yup. Much more sexier then reventon. I will need to watch my budget tho. All work will be done by myself so labor costs will be very minimal if any. Ill have to see what the kit costs and what extra i need to get.
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You could also contact John Watson. He owns the most accurate body molds. Take a look around the site and you will see some of the excellent work he has done.
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How accurate do you want this thing to be?
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Hey all. Name is Craig and Im a star...... anyways lol. I am not new to aftermarket and modification scene. I have built several imports into beasts and my favorite was my TII rx7. Hence rotarycraig.
Anyways. I have yet to purchase my donor or kit. I am doing as much research as i can before i decide. I DO plan on building a rotary based powerplant and omit any Lamborghini labels. I love the Mercy 2 kit but the reventon is uber sexy.
Any advice on kit support fabrication and best kit mfr to go with would be great. Also sourcing a lot of the odds and ends.
Thanks folks
Craig
Welcome you Star you. This hobby is much more demanding than your typical wrenching on a motor. You will need every facet of the game to be successful or at least be willing to learn on the go. I think you'll be just fine though. Welcome aboard.
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Welcome Craig. I drive my car almost daily (3 times a month) lol. It did just hit the 3K mark though!
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I am still looking at the kits available and who is having the most success with whose kits. Im not shooting for an exact replica am33r, just love the body styling and exotic look. I am not planning on putting ANY Lamborghini badges on this car. It will flaunt the fact that the heart of the beast is a rotary. :D
Id like to find out what the cost of doing this on a Fiero chassis is. Also if anyone has a CAD design for all the new gussets and framing that needs to be done for the support of the new body? I wonder if after all that cost, if it might be a better idea to build a custom chassis off the two companies I have read about on here.
notnilc20, I hear ya bud. Im not looking to get this done in a few months. I know it can easily take me 13-16 months to complete this project, and Im good with that. You cant rush greatness.
Murci-Me your car is a work of art. Love it man, love it. I do plan to drive this on just about every nice day in the summer, as I can. Gotta give my Eldorado a rest and save that Northstar engine. hehehe
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Cheapest and fastest build will be a G28 body on a stretched Fiero. Longest and most expensive will be custom chassis with a OEM body (panel) kit.
Are you looking for a coupe or roadster?
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I am leaning towards roadster with either a custom built soft top or the fiberglassed rain top. I have reservations with the roadster though due to the fact that there is no upper support following the roof line of the car. Much more bracing needed to solidify the car down low. At least from what I have seen and understand about car dynamics. :D
G28 body. Who makes it? I keep running into cki as best bang for buck, but see others that have purchased kits elsewhere. Where did you get yours from Murci ?
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I am leaning towards roadster with either a custom built soft top or the fiberglassed rain top. I have reservations with the roadster though due to the fact that there is no upper support following the roof line of the car. Much more bracing needed to solidify the car down low. At least from what I have seen and understand about car dynamics. :D
G28 body. Who makes it? I keep running into cki as best bang for buck, but see others that have purchased kits elsewhere. Where did you get yours from Murci ?
CKI (carkiinc) makes the G28 now called Mercy-2 after they bought the moulds from triangle G. Murci-me has this same body on a fiero chassis. He has done mods to the body to make it more accurate. Anyone please correct me if im wrong. Good luck with the rotary. It'll sound killer.
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Yes its the same as the CKI murcy2, I bought mine from Triangle-G before he sold the moulds to CKI.
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Which rotary engine are you planning to use? 20b? or get out the checkbook and build a 26b? ::toothy
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I think the MR2 is a more difficult stretch. The Fiero is simple, and can be done in a weekend. The MR2 requires cutting the pan and the dash area. No widetrack suspension or big brake kits are available for the MR2, so unless you are going to custom build all 4 corners of your suspension, wheel spacers are your only other option. The engine bay in the MR2 remains small after the chassis stretch, while the Fiero compartment grows 10+ inches, allowing room for just about any engine.
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I didn't build a replica myself and yes the guys here have extensive experience with their builds but I Just thought I'd tell you what I know and what I learned while reading the awesome build diaries on the few forums and my research and dealing with my vehicles.
Murcie-Me has a great vision but i'm goin to give credit to the MR2:
Mitch Stripped his MR2 in 7 hours on a Friday, and cut & weld-stretched it on a Saturday. He also build the whole Under-Frame in one day.
True that a Fiero allows such a larger engine compartment once stretched which allows for many V8 possibilities of set ups. However my 270hp 4cyl Turbo MR2 was really quick and light that could easily compensate for large drive train on a heavier Fiero. Also, an MR2 will take a V6 Toyota swap if you like and they come stock with over 200hp and no DMV adjustments required.
The breaks were advanced & suitable with Drilled routers and perfect for the light vehicle.
Then for the wheels there are a few great options for wheels with no spacers as by 2013 a few companies made 18x9 +0 offset and 18x12 or 13 +0 offset. An example is the Asanti AF 118.
In addition my MR2 has power everything, anti lock breaks, cruise control, tilt wheel & power steering which are really awesome for smoother driving on such large wheels. And lastly, an MR2 OEM interior is not old school looking and you can make it look really sweet for less than $1K. I detailed a lot of this info in my Aventador journal on MM.
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As VF1 said regarding price & brake & engine.
I sold My MR2 turbo last year for $6,700 and it was in GREAT shape (I made $1,500 profit on it). Then rightaway I bought a 95 salvage mr2 that has a body with little bangs here and there for $1,400 since i didn't care for having turbo (So I really got it for FREE) ::toothy. You can always find a Turbo model with aged exterior for $3,000.
Mitch said he had to rework the cable for the hand brake - not a big problem I think since you're slicing a whole car I would assume you can extend a line.
And yep, The Drive Train can be limitless on a fiero but that also can get really Expensive and one must start changing a lot of items on the car to accomodate for the new setup.
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The only draw back I see with the MR2 is
1)Price, they can be super expensive for one in great shape. Try to find one that needs body work or paint.
2)The handbrake is located in the wrong area. Unless you can figure out a way to relocate it, the build will be compromised a little.
Now as far as compensating for a larger drive train, that is up for debate because I've seen guys swap in V-12's into Fiero based kits before where as most of the MR2 LS1's I have seen barley can fit.
I vote MR2 because its easier and quicker to stretch vs the Fiero where the chassis needs to be cut by the fire wall along with the engine create, the suspension needs to be widen, it's just a lot more work on the Fiero. The MR2 seems more ready and complete
Really? how many MR2's or Fiero's have you stretched? I know from experience the MR2 is more involved than a Fiero.
So, you dont need to widen the MR2 suspension? You have to cut the engine cradle in the Fiero? I dont know of one person who has cut their cradle to do a stretch on a Fiero. If they have, they obviously dont know how to stretch a Fiero.
You have to cut the entire tub/pan on an MR2, then fill it in and reweld everything, far more welding and reinforcing than whats req'd on a Fiero.
If Mitch stripped and stretched his MR2 in 7 hours, he probably could have done a Fiero in 5. After the MR2 is stretched, the rear firewall is in the engine compartment, well behind where it needs to be for a G28 build. The stock dash sits way to high, and into the side windows past the mirrors.
The amount of reinforcing that needs to be done to a Fiero chassis is far less than whats required for and MR2. Ask somebody who's done both (not just stretching the chassis, but mounted the body and done the build).
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Murci-me. Thank you much for your input. Thank you all for your input. I do believe I have decided on a donor, based on cost, and research I have done. I can get my hands on most Fiero's around here for under 2k, and that is for one in pretty darn good shape. My next question for you all deals with the support structure needed to be built to support the new body. Is it a trial and error deal with the new supports or is there a detailed CAD or drawings available for ease of building?
I think I have also decided to go with the Murcy-2 kit from KCI to include their add on items. The aventador is sweet, but I do have a cost in mind here to stay with. :D
My thought is to do this project one major area at a time. Get chassis, cut up and prep for body. Set up new suspension for wide track and better handling. Then move to the new powerplant and tranny setup. Once done and with the car able to run on its own power, I will dive into body and interior. Slow and steady wins the race. :D
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The Murcy2 (G28) was designed to mount to the Fiero chassis, no support structure req'd, other than in the roof and rocker panel area.
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::beers cool man & best of luck. It's gonna be an awesome journey
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You said something that concerns me - that the cost of a aventador body over a murcy2 is an issue. If the cost of the body kit is an issue then it will be impossible to properly fund any kit car build , because no matter what donor you use or which body you pick , you'll need $20-30k more cash minimum to build it - and perhaps double those numbers
If that level of needed cash presented a problem , seriously rethink this before you start. You don't want to end up like all the other unfinished builds . Slow and steady does not win the race when it comes to building a kit car . Slow and steady results in a undrivable lump sitting in your garage for years while the wife complains , you have kids, change jobs etc , priorities change and you realize you need to sell the unfulfilled dream . Life gets in the way of slow and steady
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Thank you all for your input. I value all the information that you all share. I am going to take my time with planing this build, and will deff post this in the build section.
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You said something that concerns me - that the cost of a aventador body over a murcy2 is an issue. If the cost of the body kit is an issue then it will be impossible to properly fund any kit car build , because no matter what donor you use or which body you pick , you'll need $20-30k more cash minimum to build it - and perhaps double those numbers
If that level of needed cash presented a problem , seriously rethink this before you start. You don't want to end up like all the other unfinished builds . Slow and steady does not win the race when it comes to building a kit car . Slow and steady results in a undrivable lump sitting in your garage for years while the wife complains , you have kids, change jobs etc , priorities change and you realize you need to sell the unfulfilled dream . Life gets in the way of slow and steady
Very true Tusabes, its the reason 97% of kitcars started never get completed. Not only does life get in the way, but people lose interest after a while.
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Question on this list of parts.
-1 set P6 large projector bulbs $175.
-1 set P1 small projector bulbs in blue $175.
-1 set 80 pound door poppers with 2 electric push buttons and 2 pull cables $275.
-2 sets of the mits. 3000gt/dodge stealth hood hinges $150.
-2 sets mercedes door latches and latch-receivers $225.
-4 l.E.D. Red, round, brake lights $125. For the taillight housings
-2 small, front blinker lights $50.
Total $1,200.00
Is this a good deal or can these parts be sourced for less?
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Get the donor car and body first worry about bulbs later they can be bought at anytime. Buy stuff that no one will have for sale in the future.
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Ya I agree with eddie, that stuff you can find later down the road for way cheaper...
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Kinda what U figured. Just didnt know if that was a good deal to combine in with my kit purchase. So has anyone finished a roadster? If so any issues with body flex or unibody issues with not upper roofline support?
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Roadster would be much easier to finish then the coupe and your chassis strength wouldn't be much of a issue as long as it is decently braced. Ive been tossing around the idea of making mine a roadster, however it is going to cost quite a bit to do it correctly or "up to my standards"...
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Wow, that looks like a lot for that list. I just purchased a lot of that in the last couple weeks so I can give you what I paid:
Mercedes latches - $16 ea. I believe that Jayso has some for reasonable right now.
Mercedes strikers - $12 ea.
HID conversion system from retrofit inc for my mr2 - $270. This included ballasts, relays, projectors, bulbs, crappy "angel eyes" I won't use. I haven't hooked it up yet so I won't endorse this until I'm done with it, but just to give you a price.
200 leds from China - $5 shipped
1000 resistors from China - $10 shipped
Entire sheet of lexan to do headlights and tailights inside and outside - $90
I'm not saying that I have the best solutions or prices. I just think your list was a little pricey compared with what I'd expect to pay for a lot of that stuff. Just trying to help out.