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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 4:31 am 
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Poking around the web I got curious about how much of a Bugeye Sprite body is available in fiberglass.
There used to be a couple of English replicas on the market but they seem to have faded away.

Searching the web confirms that the rear tub skin, doors, dash, and bonnet are available.
So the only part not readily available in fiberglass is the front cowl/firewall.
Pretty simple shape to fabricate if you were doing a tube frame to begin with.

A Seven'ish type frame and a less than 100 Lb. body, I see potential here!
Need to finish my current projects but if I live long enough this will be added to the list.
With a real chassis under 'Glass performance potential is pretty much unlimited. :twisted:

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 7:28 am 
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RichardSIA wrote:
Poking around the web I got curious about how much of a Bugeye Sprite body is available in fiberglass.
There used to be a couple of English replicas on the market but they seem to have faded away.

Searching the web confirms that the rear tub skin, doors, dash, and bonnet are available.
So the only part not readily available in fiberglass is the front cowl/firewall.
Pretty simple shape to fabricate if you were doing a tube frame to begin with.

A Seven'ish type frame and a less than 100 Lb. body, I see potential here!
Need to finish my current projects but if I live long enough this will be added to the list.
With a real chassis under 'Glass performance potential is pretty much unlimited. :twisted:



What a good idea
I remember driving a Sprite 1100 in the sixties (this dates me). The thing was as spartan as the seven but looked more dressed up. And doors and soft roof came with the car. Some folks on this continent may be attracted to the idea of a frog eye kit. If it happens, I do hope that they will not try to pack a 5.7L V8 in it.


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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 11:11 am 
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Just for fun:
Attachment:
A-H Body Components.jpg

Attachment:
A-H Chassis Components.jpg


Cheers,


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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 2:05 pm 
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A very long time ago a guy in Cupertino Kalifornia built a Bugeye with an Alfa Romeo engine and Datsun 510 rear suspension.
I found out about it when he put it up for sale to prevent a divorce, "Almost finished".
Did not have the funds for it but over 100 HP and IRS should have been a blast.
This was back when I used to buy another running Bugeye cheaper than I could fix any that I already had, usually around $100.00
The Alfa/Sprite was like $800.00 :shock:
Have no idea what happened to it.

Seeing several post here about full bodied Sevens got me to thinking about the fiberglass Bugeye shells.
There are flared race version noses and tubs, so the original very narrow track can be less of an issue but you lose the pure look of the original.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 2:11 pm 
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I'd prefer to build one of these:

Image

The nose, bugeye rear panel, and roof are available in 'glass. The drawback is price and shipping, though there is a guy in California (I think) that has the molds for the nose and the fastback version.


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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 2:17 pm 
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I used to have some fiberglass Sprite noses.
One by Kellison was similar to the pic above, I had another that sort of resembled a pontoon fender Ferrari TR-250.
Both lost to a storage unit fire. :ack:

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 7:26 pm 
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Its going to depend on what you're doing with it. My street car is around 1,600 lbs and the racecar is around 1,450. Considering most Locosts end up in that range, for a street car you're further ahead buying a running car and enjoying it. Maybe swap in a modern 4 cylinder and call it a day.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 7:50 pm 
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That WAS the plan, until rusty hulks got to crazy prices.
Last night I saw an ad for a junk steel bonnet, at $3K!
So space-frame and fiberglass now seems to make more sense.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 8:24 pm 
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take a midget and add the fiberglass for a quick and easy build. If you look around, you can find racing glass with flares already incorporated. I haven't raced since 2001 but I am sure the glass stuff is still out there.


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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 8:33 pm 
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RichardSIA wrote:
Last night I saw an ad for a junk steel bonnet, at $3K!


Why limit yourself to the Bugeye? You can get a Mk1 Midget/Mk2 Sprite for a fraction of the price. Its the same suspension but with a trunk.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 8:38 pm 
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'Cause all my fond memories are from Bugeye's, we always used the newer cars for parts!

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Last edited by RichardSIA on January 18, 2018, 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: January 18, 2018, 9:43 pm 
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a.moore wrote:
Why limit yourself to the Bugeye? You can get a Mk1 Midget/Mk2 Sprite for a fraction of the price. Its the same suspension but with a trunk.


You might ask the same question of people that want to build their own sports car instead just going out and buying a used Miata!

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PostPosted: January 19, 2018, 8:45 pm 
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Yes the kit you saw was probably a Banham. Thiis was a set of panels that fitted the Mini floor plan & subframes. This is the classic Issigonis Mini not the BMW BINI.
Basically you chop most of the mini body off, weld a frame onto the flat floor & then hang the panels on.
Paul Banham lived in a nearby town to me in the UK & was a prolific kit builder & car converter. He built a convertible Jag XJS long before the factory did.


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PostPosted: January 19, 2018, 10:17 pm 
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A front drive Sprite just seems, uh, perverted? :shock:

Does remind me of the "Super-Moke" autocross car I watched run at De Anza many years ago.
When he showed up several people put their cars back on the trailer without running.

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PostPosted: January 20, 2018, 6:22 am 
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If I translate this thread in the hardware I know, I would say the fog eye project should be a «replica» close to the original BMC lineage (Morris or Austin sprite 1100) that is with a conventional front engine and solid rear axle. Yes a Book (+) home built bird cage tube chassis would be an effective place to start. GF body parts could be assembled and attached to the space frame chassis a bit like some Porsche kits have been in some cases bolted to tube chassis comparable to the Seven's. For power, I would say that 100-120 bhp would be plenty. There is no dearth of these. In my experience a VW Jetta (1.9L overhead cam) bolted to a Suzuki Samurai 5 speed transmission (50 lbs) driven to a light rear axle (like a 1970-1980 Toyota Corola's) would produce a simple yet lively car with an interesting or different look that may appeal to builders who like replicas and are not thinking of the track. :)

https://www.google.ca/search?q=sprite+f ... Y67tx51mzL


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