Got a rotting Ka.. thinking about building a Kit Car - Random musings

Skree

Skree

Skree

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Hmm. I've got a 1998S Ka2 'collection' (1.3i) - It's done 75k miles, but the engine is absolutely A1 - never done a day's work in its life. The rest of it is nice too, but the body is rotting away. Both sills, the floor where it joins the bulkhead, and around the filler cap are all in various stages of disintegration. Basically it's knackered. I reckon it'll pass its next MOT in feb but after that, its going to need too much work.

My mum has a base model, much newer Ka which will take all the electric windows, leather trim etc that make mine a 2 'collection" - I figured i could give her a nice free upgrade.

Now i'm into the old land rovery philosophy of not wasting usable parts, but breaking spent vehicles down for any usable stuff.

I'm thinking, when the Ka fails its next MOT, I'm going to sell it as individual parts & just scrap the rest.

i've always loved Lotus 7 replica Kit Cars - Like the Robin Hood 2B types. now, the 8v engine in the Ka is the old SEFI version, which is the old 1.3 crossflow ford lump with EFI. I've seen mk2 escort 1.3 engines fitted in kit cars to great effect before..

The engine is already somewhat modified, with a stage2 head, mild road cam etc - I get about 85-90bhp. According to the info i can gather, 110-120bhp is attainable reliably from this engine with only a little more work (which could be done at the same time as a light rebuild). this would be fine as i'd just be after an easy, fun little car that was reliable - Am not after doing 0-60 in 2s and top at 190,000mph lol

I'd like (obviously) to be able to fit this engine into said kit car, but am struggling to imagine how i'm going to adapt it all so the FWD transverse layout Ka engine can fit into a RWD longitudinal kit car - shouldnt be difficult to mount it to the gearbox, being as i'd probably use a Mk2 Escort or Sierra gearbox

Just wondering if any of our fine OcUK members have kit cars, and can shed any tips or helpful info about doing such a job?
 
The only thing that stopped the Ka from being a great little car from a good little car was the heap of junk they put under the bonnet. Heavy, tappety, underpowered heap of crap. And you are considering putting it in a kit car :confused:
 
You might get 120bhp out of a hot Kent crossflow if you spend a few grand on it.

But the Ka doesn't have one.

The Ka has a Valencia. An abolute ****ing dog of an engine.

I quite fancy a cheap Ka. Strip all the paint off it and roll on 13x8 Allycats.

*n
 
I want a poverty spec ka....

Stripped, with a Focus RS engine, lsd, 4 pots, coilovers :)
 
Nah.

Budget setup.

1600 Yamaha engine out of a Fiesta, blower, megasquirt n spark, Fiesta brakes, coilovers, stripped, win.

*n
 
whatever you do don't get a robin hood kit car.
they are total rubbish and if you care about getting something decent at the end it will cost more and take longer to finish than any other seven type car.

also it seems that it would be much cheaper and easier to get a 120 bhp sierra engine and gearbox and use that. i think the 2 litre dohc's had that much.
 
lol.. it does have the grey bumpers. Quite like them actually, with the "Copper Glow" colour and the escort cossie rims i've got on it, it looks great. shame it is rotting away.

There's a turbo kit for the Ka which claims to take it up to about 130bhp, so it can't be that bad an engine. I have been thinking about this project all night, And.. hmm.. wanted to find a use for what is actually a really sweet, unworked engine. Might try and build a sand-rail with it - the power it has will be more than enough :D - my old one had a mk2 fester 1.1 engine in it (another of my old daily drivers gone to the tin worm) and that was absolutely phenomenal, till it had what you might call a "fire" - little heap of **** on the floor kind of "fire"... :evil grin emoticon:
 
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Surley you could sell the engine from the KA, get a kit car based on a KA, with the money you get from the KA engine buy a better engine and there you go- a good kit car:D
 
I'd very much doubt you'd get 110 to 120bhp from a old ford poplar 1.3 engine. I'd be suprised if yours was making 80bhp tbh. Also we talking @ flywheel or @ wheels ? I suspect flywheel.

You would have to spend like £3000-£5000 on it at least. And I'd very much doubt your going to do that.

Also in regards to a fwd engine and making it rwd, you've got to have some skills or deep pockets or both.

If your looking for some rwd kitcar action you should be going down the bike engine route. You'll have fun with most modern 600cc or older 900cc engines. And they'll be much more reilable that some daft uber tunned 60 year engine thats going to give you 3mpg and is a sob to driver when its not on cam.

As someone else said, the engine is the worst bit of the ford ka.

Why not fix the ka shell up and drop in a nice 1.6 vtec to make it a nice hothatch. Then you could do it back up to standard spec and it'd be a right dirty little sleeper. If you can fit a 1.6 vtec in the front of a mini you'd be able to get one in a ka.



Skree said:
Hmm. I've got a 1998S Ka2 'collection' (1.3i) - It's done 75k miles, but the engine is absolutely A1 - never done a day's work in its life. The rest of it is nice too, but the body is rotting away. Both sills, the floor where it joins the bulkhead, and around the filler cap are all in various stages of disintegration. Basically it's knackered. I reckon it'll pass its next MOT in feb but after that, its going to need too much work.

My mum has a base model, much newer Ka which will take all the electric windows, leather trim etc that make mine a 2 'collection" - I figured i could give her a nice free upgrade.

Now i'm into the old land rovery philosophy of not wasting usable parts, but breaking spent vehicles down for any usable stuff.

I'm thinking, when the Ka fails its next MOT, I'm going to sell it as individual parts & just scrap the rest.

i've always loved Lotus 7 replica Kit Cars - Like the Robin Hood 2B types. now, the 8v engine in the Ka is the old SEFI version, which is the old 1.3 crossflow ford lump with EFI. I've seen mk2 escort 1.3 engines fitted in kit cars to great effect before..

The engine is already somewhat modified, with a stage2 head, mild road cam etc - I get about 85-90bhp. According to the info i can gather, 110-120bhp is attainable reliably from this engine with only a little more work (which could be done at the same time as a light rebuild). this would be fine as i'd just be after an easy, fun little car that was reliable - Am not after doing 0-60 in 2s and top at 190,000mph lol

I'd like (obviously) to be able to fit this engine into said kit car, but am struggling to imagine how i'm going to adapt it all so the FWD transverse layout Ka engine can fit into a RWD longitudinal kit car - shouldnt be difficult to mount it to the gearbox, being as i'd probably use a Mk2 Escort or Sierra gearbox

Just wondering if any of our fine OcUK members have kit cars, and can shed any tips or helpful info about doing such a job?
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YorkshirePadd26 said:
I'd very much doubt you'd get 110 to 120bhp from a old ford poplar 1.3 engine. I'd be suprised if yours was making 80bhp tbh. Also we talking @ flywheel or @ wheels ? I suspect flywheel.
Click to expand...
It's a Valencia. Not a kent. Plus the Pop rocked a sidevalve...Different generation entirely.

Also in regards to a fwd engine and making it rwd, you've got to have some skills or deep pockets or both.
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It's a Ford ffs. All you do is bolt on a rwd sump and 'box.

As someone else said, the engine is the worst bit of the ford ka.

Why not fix the ka shell up and drop in a nice 1.6 vtec to make it a nice hothatch. Then you could do it back up to standard spec and it'd be a right dirty little sleeper. If you can fit a 1.6 vtec in the front of a mini you'd be able to get one in a ka.
Click to expand...

Why do that when you can get the fantastic Yamaha-designed Zetec from a Fiesta that will kick out well over 200bhp on stock valve sizes?

*n
 
penski said:
Nah.

Budget setup.

1600 Yamaha engine out of a Fiesta, blower, megasquirt n spark, Fiesta brakes, coilovers, stripped, win.

*n
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Wasn't the 1700cc engine out of the puma the Yamaha one ?

I thought the 1600cc one was fords own doing to save pennies as they used to have to ship all the 1.7s out to yamaha in Japan or where ever.
 
YorkshirePadd26 said:
Wasn't the 1700cc engine out of the puma the Yamaha one ?

I thought the 1600cc one was fords own doing to save pennies as they used to have to ship all the 1.7s out to yamaha in Japan or where ever.
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1.25, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.7 Methinks.

Dom off RR has a 1.6 with all ancilliaries, supercharger and chargecooler...86Kg all-in.

:D

*n
 
1300 bah, you should get a new Ka, and drop the 5l Cammer Crate in it...now that would be a sleeper...although it may require more space inside the engine bay...as it's a bit bigger than the 1300 engine. :p

Seriously though...well it for scraps, it really isn't worth it. You can buy a RWD Sierra for like £100-£200 with an 1800+ engine that'll actually work in a kit, and be worthwhile.

InvG
 
YorkshirePadd26 said:
I'd very much doubt you'd get 110 to 120bhp from a old ford poplar 1.3 engine. I'd be suprised if yours was making 80bhp tbh. Also we talking @ flywheel or @ wheels ? I suspect flywheel.

You would have to spend like £3000-£5000 on it at least. And I'd very much doubt your going to do that.
Click to expand...

wheels.

ECU remap, full exhaust inc 4-2-1 tube manifold. induction kit. new intake manifold. Mild road cam. Stage 2 head rebuild. 9.35:1 compression (shaved head) big stat controlled oil cooler and tough head gasket

total cost: £700 when i got the car. However, i've been in the trade for a long time and i make my own stainless pipes at a friend's business, got another mate to do the head at work, he also did the ECU for me - the oil cooler was a scrapyard special and the silencer was a trade item.

The zetec into Ka transplant is widely done but not recommended by experts, as it seriously alters the way the vehicle behaves in a crash. It compromises frontal crash safety, which is one of the reasons ford still have never fitted one, and is one of two reasons why i did not do this swap myself, the other being that it had only done 45k with the oldest, slowest driver in the world in it. don't think it had been above 3000rpm ever in its life.

I've largely given up on this idea now tbh, I just cant justify the costs of making it road legal for a second car that after all I just won't be driving that much - I've got a MK1 Escort with a sierra cosworth lump in it - this will have to do for now.

As for changing a FWD to RWD, penski is right. sump and gearbox. it also would probably need a custom manifold, and (the bit i was unsure of) custom engine mounts
 
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