Car of Choice for 1UZFE Swap

The 1UZFE EGR Delete Kit is available for sale here.
Banks Engineered, Type 62S Lotus Europa, 600-700kg's with Vauxhall power, 800kg's with 1UZ?. Spaceframe chassis, and GRP body. Photo's below, and picture that rear deck with 8 air horns poking through.

John
 
Cheap Cobra kit body put over severely lightened, slightly shortened Soarer/SC chassis. A 2500 pound car with modern chassis would float my boat, now to find time, space, and a rolled SC.
I saw one here in a Mercedes 190sl, a 60s vintage convertible that came with a 4 cylinder.
I have a co-worker with a Lotus Esprit that has a huge engine compartment, would need to be widened to re-gain the handling lost from the extra weight.
 
The white Miata in NZ brought me to this site.

If I did a swap, it would be my BMW E36. It's a really good car that holds up dynamically against current stuff. My rotary 510 taught me that light and legendary don't necessarily equal good. The bimmer could really use some weight off the nose, with significant increases in power and torque. Surprisingly, in the land of "Hybrid," hardly anybody seems to mess with the 1UZ, so I didn't realize how easy it is to put a manual trans behind one. If I'd known that when I was younger and more ambitious, I might have done it already. I'm having trouble convincing myself a 1UZ E36 would be more fun or faster than a cheap turbo Miata.

I have friends who build street rods for a living. $100,000 barely gets you in the door. I've always figured it would be cool to get an accurate Cobra Daytona coupe body built with a real chassis under it and about a 450-hp NA 1UZ. The chassis gets easier if you think about RX-8 subframes. That would be my $120-160,000 US exotic if I ever got to that point in life.

But the photos above get me wanting to put a Powertec V8 in a Europa.
 
Hey guys, check out this hot little kit car. It weighs about 1800 lbs (817 kgs) withought the donor engine. It's be a hot swap. With a stock 130hp accord engine, this thing goes from 0-100km/s in 5 seconds! It also holds some lap records when racing against some 500hp+ tuner cars. I belive it's a turnkey car in europe, but elsewhere is available in kit form. 1UZ power would be great.

http://www.k1-styling.sk/menu.php?menu=attack_menu.htm&id=attack-exterior.htm
 
autronic said:
Lextreme:

I'd have a look into the same thing, the smallest, lightest car I can stuff a 1UZFE engine + a full 4x4 system into. The car I have sort of landed on is a Opel Manta, an european 2 door coupe with an engine room big enough for the engine, 2 turbos, big intercooler and a big radiator. It also have enoght room under the chassis rails to get the full time 4x4 system in place.

It tips the scales at a 1000 kg in stock form ( 2200 lbs )


That is what a Torana would look like if they continued into the 80's.


I am about 3 weekends away from finishing my HX Tonner project(my mates car though). Then I am pushing for my bro to fit one to his MS?? 78 Crown. After I do his 1JZ MX83 Cressida first. Could prolly build a sleeper turbo drag car with the crown considering it's huge chassis and relatively light weight. Ahh dreams.
 
I am doing a Starion.

Should weigh in at approx. 1250-1300KG if I have got my calcs right.

Other options:
Mk2 Escort with Zakspeed arches.
FC/FD RX7
MA61 Supra
240Z
Cobra Kit
Mk3 Capri
 

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MikeMan said:
I am doing a Starion.

Should weigh in at approx. 1250-1300KG if I have got my calcs right.

Other options:
Mk2 Escort with Zakspeed arches.
FC/FD RX7
MA61 Supra
240Z
Cobra Kit
Mk3 Capri

Mike Man, a few good options, but a few that wouldn't fit a 1uz

Mk2 Escort with Zakspeed arches. - Still not enough room in the engine bay. A cosworth 2L turbo basically fills the bay to its limit. No room for v8
FC/FD RX7 - I have seen them with 350 chevs. Good option but still a litttle heavy, especially the FD
MA61 Supra - same as the FD, pretty heavy car
240Z - A mate of mine is in the middle of this conversion. Heaps of room, and very light weight. Good option
Cobra Kit - Has been done. Good option, very costly thou
Mk3 Capri - MK1 would be better, less weight with same engine bay room.


I think that fugly has had the best option with the T Bucket. Heaps of room, very light, already had 351's or bigger in them, so easy to get engineered, plus you can run open exhausts, can put any width and height wheels you want, and still very cool.
 
Blown V8,

QCA (he's in Warwick QLD) had a MKII Escort in his workshop when I was there a few months ago.

The engine was a tight fit but it's apparently very fast on the race track and handles quite well.
 

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I think you could make the Mk.2 Escort work.

I have seen one with a 351 Cleveland in it, Rover V8's slide in with minimal issues, The Essex V6 fits with few issues and PLENTY of space in front for the extra pots.

It would not be the easiest but I think it could be done.

On the Capri yes the Mk.1 is lighter but the Mk.3 handles MUCH better.
 
MikeMan said:
I think you could make the Mk.2 Escort work.

I have seen one with a 351 Cleveland in it, Rover V8's slide in with minimal issues, The Essex V6 fits with few issues and PLENTY of space in front for the extra pots.

It would not be the easiest but I think it could be done.

On the Capri yes the Mk.1 is lighter but the Mk.3 handles MUCH better.

On the capri note, you are right there, but i'm a humble drag racer, so light weight is more important, corners, who needs em. hehehe
 
onyx_sc400 said:
I'd like to see one in an s2000, MX-5 miata, or some other little roadster.
I've seen MX-5's with Ford 5.0 HO's in them. The rumble from those cars is wicked, then they take off and leave two strips of rubber for 20yds!! It's freaking awesome!
Do an online search for the Bullet Roadster. It's a company in Queensland who buy MX5 Bodyshells and stuff 1UZ's in them. The base model only has 350 or 400 hp but the more expensive version is Supercharged. And they're an accredited car manufacturer as far as I know which means a full warranty and no rego issues(for Australia anyway)

My chioce for would be late model *** 2wd trayback ute. Hilux or Bravo. Simple vehicle, would be a hell of a sleeper and good for carting the bikes around on.
 
I think when Rod Millen did the IS430 conversion, the complete 1UZ was no heavier than the I6 (iron block). The Getrag might be 25 lbs heaver than the stock manual in the IS300.
 
Lextreme,

I would consider a 1978 Datsun 280z. They look so much like the Toyota 2000gt; just pure sexy.
 


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