hi everyone
last year i attended warwick for the first time and loved it! i became inspired and wanted to build something to have some fun in i've had a long wheel base manx clone body for some time now and sourced a suitable pan now i have some time to get working on it, i was after some advice and adding pictures as i build it up. The pan is a BJ IRS and i'll be running a datsun L18 Engine, the front beam only has 1 adjuster in the bottom is this ok? also i have a set of type 3 torsion bars & duel spring plates should i upgrade the S-bug parts on the pan with these?
any help would be great

2

3

4

5

Interesting project.
I still use the single blade spring plates,
but a larger tortion bar is a better thing, so do what you have to do.
I used 30mm tortions that are short,
so modified some swingaxle spring plates to match up with the IRS trailing arm.

Looks like the rear has been set up for a bus trans, based on the mounts,
and the dual drillings in the CV flange.

Single adjuster will work, but puts uneven stress in the two tortion bars.
Would not hurt to add another adjuster
when you inspect the condition(and replace as required),of the ball joints.

with such a light car you wont need the heavy duty stuff
hope you make it in time for the drags

I have to ask why a Nissan L18?? not the most performance orientated engine by a long shot.

thanks people
so i will run a type 3 wagon torsion bars and yeah it has been setup or a kombi box are they all the same length?
and as for the ball joints the bottem one are bad! so i will get four new one
and as for the l18 well i don't have the extra money or time and it has been in my shed for near 3 years
cheers

L18 is a well engineered engine.
Not my cup of tea, but use what you have.
Might need some ballast up front.

Compared with the 1600 and 1800,
The 2lt bus box is about 8mm longer at the intermediate hsg,
and at the bell housing, another 10.5mm.

Try and tie the trans into a roll cage.
Mountings are very important to trans life, if it shudders or axle hops.

If that's what you got and the $$ are tight then by all means use it!! Just had to ask the question thats all.

I have worked on L series engines over the years. Had a friend who bought and old group G rally Datto 1600 with Datrally engine in it. L20 with Z24 Navara crank which takes it just under 2.4L with masive head work, cams and 48mm dcoe's. We transplanted the engine into his road registered datto 1600. the grunt was amazing and made the car a handfull to drive.

The phone call at about 2am in the morning asking a mate to bring 2 rims with tyres on them down the Gold coast cause he peeled both tyres off the rim doing a power skid around a round a bout didn't go down too well...

Hey Risky, check out my drag buggy project, there is a few answered questions in there that you might be interested in??? Where are you based?

hey davo yeah i have had a look are you going to bring it to warwick ?
i don't have that kind of money to spend on the build
so im try to do what ever i can my self with not much luck atm
for starts i got the pan of egay last year and i was think this will save me heaps of work ... not to be
the half have been replaced but the 40 x 40 x shs is in the wrong spots and crap welds
rust in the rear this is my big prob
one adjuster now i got another one should i weld it in the same spot as the bottem
i was thinking the front end was a little soft and after what dangerous said uneven stress because the one with out the adjust would be talk most of the load
im not sure to run a kombi gearbox or bug as i have the cv's and drive shafts the will got straght in
i also go the new balljoints the old ones where stuffed as i found out they where all in different ways and they only work 1 way !!!
so i have a heap of this to sort out i will be just running a single carby and have to work out some exhaust setup as it will run the other way the the stock setup
and thats what im upto................

I'm with the boys the old Datsun L18 was a great motor,Nissan won many rallies with them,George Fury and Jim Richards did them proud and then went on to the turbo skylines, only to s##t the competition off. They then went group A racing with the same result.

well here we are agin
another year passed and never made it to warwick
it went south in a big way!!!
the pan is mostly stuffed
i fixed the front end last year
the ball joints where F#$%^^&*
another adjuster seam welded the beam
new bearing new drop slindles new pads new studs
but the big problem is the rear of the pan when i pulled it apart i found that the rear torsion bar housing was rusted real bad
where the rubers came out was stuff so this is whats left of my pan
now im about to hit the ground running to TRY to finish it for warwick with luck and the vw gods i my side i have hope!

keep at it

thanks VW54 im trying
ok so the rear was stuff so i cut and ground a type 3 rear irs i had then had to mount it over the top
so i talked to the bloke across the road who has a laser cutter
and he made me some cool brackets to help me mount it
65 mm round and 10 mm space ( pic tells better) which made it easy to mount on top of the old setup
so i got the 4 and setup a jig to line them up the welded to the t3 setup with work great the i could mount to the pan that i cut up

ok im in catch up mode
pan is almost finished

carnt find the pic of the two halfs i cut out of 2mm flat ms
next is the exhaust i cut up the set of extractors and made them run the other way
but there was no room for a nice muffler so i got some nice bends and made one that comes out of the stock manifold and runs under then out the other side
will post a pic of how i boxed in the new rear end

ok everyone
time is ticking no one has been posting in here as we are all working hard
i will post a few pic's of what i have been up to
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO less then two weeks
i hope to paint the body this week

2

.

so the parts truck if full
now time to use them

so the pan is painted (POR15) oh yeah
new clutch is in (sexy flywheel) LMAO
irs arms i pulled down done the bearing new shoes and cly threads lock tight

Great work Risky.... Keep at it!

thanks humpty
got the body in under coat to day still waiting on parts !
i have 5 k to do this project boy was i wrong
i got the engine for 100 bux
the adaptor plat and flywheel for 200
the body was free
and gearbox come out of a car i got for 200 bux and im still over my 5k?
i have spent about 1000 - 1300 on body including glass and paint
spent 1000 bux on engine stuff

i still have to make a bonnet and engine cove as it comes out the top of the body
new tyres
new fuel pump
finish roll cage and engine cage
wiring
harness
oh yeah and drive it

Ah quick update
body is in topcoat
pan is almost finished
i take back any thing that i said to easy
i hope everything falls into place the last day

Nothing like cutting it close!!!!!

haha yeah just one more day lol... spend 1 year only a project and couyld use one more day
i wish i got an enclosed trailer so i could work on it on the way up LMAO
hey humpty id like to meet you there and have a beer and cheak out your rig
now that i think about it i have never raced anything anyware and dont know many people
so if you see me working on my buggy say hi risky
or sexy shaun or both shaun risk :p
hey DAVE hows your buggy going id love to cheak out a real buggy hope to see you all there