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Thanks for that, sounds like a good idea.... Do you know if the gearbox would fit in the chasis?, making the prop fit and working out the loom should not be too much of a proplem as i face that with the zetec!! Is the 318 the best bet, i presume there is a 320 which is the same engine but more bhp??

Well after toying with the cheap and hopefully easy thought of just changing for qa 2.1 pinto i decided that if i am going to do this i may go a bit more adveterous than that. So at the moment a 2L zetec black top (although may have to opt for silver, is this such a bad idea????) Although the Vauxhall 2L red top look a good option, what gearbox would that moubt onto and is it an easy fit? Also any other suggestions, max budget is around £500, although for an easy install may go higher. Saw a post about an Mx 7 engine, is this an easy install? Anyone who knows of anything else that fits and gives good bhp and torque please let me know, maybe some vw engines or old bmw??? Thank for the help

Well currently it is a 1600 pinto, but goes more like a 1lt, 0-60 if im lucky!! was going for a black top zetec as i had heard it was relativly easy and the standard 2lt produces 130bhp, engine for about 200, exhaust seems to be about the same, need the propshaft lengthened etc, so if it was doable for 500 i would be happy. But would make more sense to put a 2.1 lt pinto in if it can produce good bhp and torque. car has been on the road for about a year, and is running all year round.

Thanks for that, what pinto engine would you go for and what bhp and torque would it produce? Anything like a 2Lt zetec?

Sorry, key bit of info missed out, its for a 2B, one of the first ones

Hi there, just a quick post to see what engine you guys see as the cheapest and easiest to fit. I currently have a pinto on a type 9 but was going to change to a black top zetec, if i ever find a good cheap one and of course a nice cheap exhaust which seems a bigger problem! I chose the zetec as it fits nicly onto the type 9 gearbox, but is this the best and easiest/cheapest choice? thanks for the feedback

That looks good, good luck with the removal from the mould, mine was an absolute nightmare...

Thanks for all the positive response. Steve, it should fit all 2B’s as the back fits around the chassis and the only thing that should differ between each 2B is, as you said, the space between the roll bar and the windscreen. But there is a overhang which should be enough to fit most cars, unless the windscreen is really out of place. I guess if a soft top fits this will fit, and still give around an inch too two inches overhand which can be cut off or left. Thanks Gordon for the idea of GT40 style doors, they look brilliant on that car so its defiantly worth looking into. How dissimilar is the size of the S7? I suppose if the chassis is similar or smaller then it would be able to be made to fit quite easily, as Steve mentioned the main problem would be the distance between the roll bar and front windscreen. It easy really easy to remove and just lifts off, you do have to take the soft top doors off, which you would want off anyway. So if you wanted to pop down to northants doctor fox then we can try it I have posted a few more pics on the original link. http://uk.msnusers.com/RHHardTop

Thanks for all the feedback so far, keep it coming. Grim - I would happily put it into production, and as this is the prototype would probably sell it for £350, but I do plan to do another and add a few changes. The possibilities are endless, I’m thinking of speakers etc. built in to the top which would be good and fairly inconspicuous due to the head room it provides. If only fiber glass was cheaper!! terry - Hopefully the gulwing version will be out by the end of July, I’m just waiting for some good weather so I can do it properly. These will undoubtedly follow the same design as the soft top doors but obviously the fact the will be open upwards smoothly without assistance and will provide a lot more protection and comfort than the soft top doors. As soon as I have developed these I will post the photos.

Thanks Nigel. started reading your email and felt gutted as i have already bought them!! Although they look in mint condition, but the camara does lie. Thank for the info though as if they are so rare and wont work with a Zetec, then its reasuring that i may be able to sell them off.

Nishka - It's not really higher than the soft top you can get from RHE, overall maybe an inch or two higher. But defiantly not higher than the soft top when traveling at speed. The soft top raised about two inches when traveling at speed. As it fits nicely on to the car screws are more than enough to hold it in place. They are put into the chassis so its not going anywhere!! Russler - the visibility is good, back window allows enough visibility from the rear mirror, and the port holes in the side allow just enough so you can see what’s going on. You can see what you need to and are positioned so that with side mirrors the visibility is more than adequate.

Tommy Tank i have been trying all evening to get the picture on this site... please enlighten me on how you did it so quick?

First off I would like to introduce myself to all you fellow hoodies as my ID leaves a lot to be desired. My names Simon and I am the proud ish owner of an original 2B, yes the one that did not fit together! I know a few of you have given me advice on fitting a 2L Zetec, which I have still to do as finding and fitting one in the height of winter was not too appealing. So thanks to all that offered advice. Well there is a point to this post for which I would appreciate lots of feedback. I have noticed that there are a few people out there who seem interested in a Hard Top for the 2B. Well after lots of work and effort I am pleased to say…I have one. It has been fitted to the 2B now for three months now and is remarkably good, it keeps the car perfectly dry and I can honestly say, I think it is by far better than the soft top designed by RHE, although I think an umbrella may be better than that! Sorry RHE but it took me ages to fit and at the end of it there was a hole either side by the windscreen. They made good ventilation holes but when it rained I got wet, and to top it off my head kept hitting the front support bar that held the top in place. Well enough moaning, basically the Hard Top is made from fibreglass and incorporated the use of polycarbonate for the windows., and uses the standard soft-top doors as a means of entry. However Fibreglass gulwing style doors are in the design process and will no doubt be made during the summer months. If we get any this year? The Hard Top uses the pillars that are used to hold the front windscreen in place to secure the front and then fits snugly around the back of the car, where it has been drilled to enable fastening using screws. This holds the top on firmly and makes it incredibly strong. There is plenty of space inside, unlike when the soft top is fitted, with increased headroom, and clears the rear roll bar by about 3 inches. You could be seven foot and still have enough headroom. Yet it still looks aesthetically pleasing from the outside. Where the soft top fits onto the windscreen at the front the is a slight over hang, at a 90 degree angle, which increases the strength, and also means that it can be adjusted to fit, I would think, most 2B’s. Although it cost around £450 to make, I think it was defiantly worth it, sorry about the long essay!! I look forward to you comments. Thanks Simon Well after 3 hours of trying to post a picture of the thing, I have managed, please visit http://uk.msnusers.com/RHHardTop More will follow when I find the will!

Thanks, just tried that and then found i could reduce it in Paint so it got down to the allowed 25kb. i will post it in mods soon,

aol?

thanks, would do but i need to insert it with some text, could you just explain how to do it?

Hello all. I am trying to put a post on the site tonight that im sure you will be all interested in, but the picture is 600kb, and the max is 25kb. Can anybody suggest a fix for this???

Thanks, i suppose £50 for them is a bargain and you cant really go wrong...i hope. Thanks for replying

Hello, and a happy new year to all!! I have found some Ickneild dials that i was thinking of buying for my 2B, for use with a 2L Zetec. Has anyone ever heard of this manufacturer as i have searched hi and low on the internet and can only find one item. There £45 for 5 dials which seems too good to be true. Can anyone shed some light on this, preferably before 8 tonight??

Thanks guys much appriciated, thanks Dave but i think i am going to stick with the original Zetec or the 1800 zetec sump at first to save a few pounds, but no doubt i will be in touch soon for his number!! Has anyone found a solution to not moving the engine forward and not spending a fortune on reposistioning the thermonstat?? If not it looks like a lengthened propshaft does anyone know where i could buy an already altered one, or a cheap place to get this done? Thanks Simon

Hello thanks for all of the advice, and it would seem the zetec is a lot better which i am pleased to hear! After speaking to a couple of RH owners to get their advice on the installation of the zetec engine there are a couple of issues that i thought peple may have found a cheap solution to. First of all i have opted for the later black top zetec, i believe this is an easy fit to the type 9 box and fits into the 2B quite easily. Regarding the sump, no doubt it will be too low?? can anyone suggest a cheap way of shortening this, maybe a good company for welding alloy aroung Northamptonshire? I have a 1.6 pinto at the moment with the manual fuel pump, but the zetec is obviously fuel injected so would a pump need to be placed in the fuel tank?? What pump is suitable? I have heard the best way to get this engine to fit is probably by moving it forward and consequently getting the propshaft lengthened? So that the water rail does not need a £400 adjustment to bring it round to the side, and the pedals do not need moving. Everything else i hope is pretty simple, but if anyone has any advice or tips please post it here as it will no doubt save me many a head scratching hour!! Thanks for your help Simon

I will try and add a picture in the next couple of days, a supplement frame?? Surley RH made all cars roughly the same so if one wheel arch fits they all should??? I choose the wider wheel arches for mine, maybe all of these dont fit??

Thanks tank, not really the answer i was after but... I did check the arches when putting them on with the wheels in placebut it seemed that the arches could not have gone in any other position as in order for them to be a smooth curve and fit under the the chasis they had to go here, if i had moved the back in then they would have been to high and not met with the rear panel, if i remember correctly. Can you think of anything else it could be??? If not i suppose i will have to remove them and try again

Thanks Piddy, It is the slidding pilar setup that came with the first 2b's, how come changing this improves the braking?? How much and how much work is involved in changing to the wishbone system??

Just wondering if anyone has come up with a solution to the brakes on the 2B, mine tend to lock up to easily, there ok for evryday use as long as no idiots pull out in front of me, but if the car was to be driven like its supposed to it would take me a couple on days to get back down to zero. Any ideas???