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Guest nurburg2006

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Guest nurburg2006

Hello all iam thinking of buying a lightweight kit secondhand but ive been told about the mods required for the chassis for the IVA test can anyone help me the kit comes with most sierra parts the kit is £1250 can anyone advise me if this is a good buy or should I go for the zero. Many Thanks

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Sorry, but I wouldn't buy a lightweight kit for £200. Too many issues to deal with for the average builder to pass IVA. Also concerns about longevity of the design. Ally lightweights were only intended by the designer to do one season. RH were going to offer a mild or stainless option in the same design but didn't sell any that I know of. Buy a zero. Far less hassle.

 

Nigel

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but i have a lightweight that is 3 years old and is about to have its mot for the first time

there have been issues with the diff but appart from that no real probs .

i run the st 170 engine with jenvies and 201bhp with a restistive ex

i hava a larger ex comming , and expect a further 20 horses at leaste .

if built correctley then no probs ,

 

graham

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Graham, you have considerable expertise in building and strengthening the lightweight but even you have had diff movement problems. At one time SVA were considering refusing to pass any lightweights. Thankfully that's now resolved. If starting from scratch it doesn't seem sensible to buy a kit that is unroadworthy without redesign and modifications. Yes it can be done but surely more sensible to start with a kit that will pass if built as designed.

 

Nigel

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Actually Grahams cars continued well being is an indication that with a few simple mods to the lightweight it can be a servicable car.

Graham and a few others have posted every mod they tried or did for anyone to see and they are not exactly exotic fixes in the least sense

but they work and that is what counts in the end. If the you were to incorporate those fixes during the build you should end up with something worthwhile. And probably a lot less hastle than trying to fix things on a built car.

 

Having said all of that I went through the design as best I could and found a few problem areas. Most have been the ones that Graham and others ran across and a couple of others haven't yet which is mildly annoying on gotcha personal level ;-]. My promised LW kit has disapeared on me but if someone were to offer me one for 200 I would use that bargepole to pin it down and grab it. All sevenesque designs have problems and weak points and the lightweight is no exception. It's biggest problem is everyone is honest is that it is a unknown or unfamilair type of construction to most people.

 

Do the research and see what is involved to build and fix and then pester people oh say someone like GRAHAM and find out what it took.

 

Dave

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Hi,

 

I would back up the other Lightweighters in saying that the car is fundamentally sound with a few mods. However, I'd probably pay less than £1250 for the kit and you'd better have some experience in this sort of thing, as it's a fair old job and the Lightweight isn't supported that well by GBS. They'll have a go, but be prepared to find your own solutions.

For example, I had a custom exhaust made after GBS couldn't supply. The coilovers are GAZ ones with a mod I asked for from GAZ. The fuel tank and mounting is to my own design. I'm not at the IVA stage yet, but I'm confident that the car is good. But if you go ahead, *for God's sake* strengthen the diff mounting !!!

 

Cheers,

Pete ;)

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hi as said earlier i may have been a bit flippant as i have achieved sva with 2 lightweights .

beware the lightweight is prob the most dificult 7 style kit to finnish to a good enough

standard for iva . if its cheap enough and you have the resolve to complete it and modify to a road going standard then it is truly a rewarding car , but it has its limitatations , ie no boot space whatsover , and the diff you choose is the diff you have

cos it ant comming out .

good luck if you buy it and phone me or pm if you need help .

 

graham

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The only other point to note and its a big point in the event of a crash how well would the lightweight fair compared to say a steel frame zero worth thinking about ?

only saw this tonight , sorry didnt answer before .

, be that a westie or careringvan if you are in a smash in any seven style car its giong to hurt .

the 2b is by far the strongest car , however inmho any seven crash will hurt whatever the type ,

the lightweight if well constructed is a good car it dont flex as expected if well built .

and does handle well ,the build needs carefull attention and it must be a bonded build ,ie riveted and bonded .

you and i have butted heads reapetedly over the years , so this disagreement is no supprise .

 

graham

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Guest Wragie

As Graham says it's gonna hurt period. 7's are small and light enough that if someone hits you with a Fiat Panda or a Zimmer frame you are gonna feel it. Well maybe not the Panda. :shok:

 

It's light it has few crush zones side and rear so think of it as a 4 wheel motorcycle. If you can use the handling and brakes to get out of something you will be fine but accidents and idiots happen.

 

I'm not on that side of the pond but here (BC) 7's are a rare car and people really notice them. Once to great annoyanace of some pinhead in a Ferrari (was ignored and you could see him pouting). Other than having to talk to people at each and every stop light thats a good thing. When you are looking up at the wheels nuts on a semi truck, you know if he sneezes and swerves he probably won't even notice. If you can't get comfortable in a 7 none of the various makes or differant builds will matter a damn when something happens.

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