How the "mighty" have fallen.

[mattstead]

This time last year I had a westy V8, a mint Westy Zetec, and a lovely Westfield Pre lit all in my garage.... as of last week I'd organised a kitcar only trackday, and didn't own a single kit, but now I am the "proud" owner of a scabby 1982 Dutton Pheaton. Why oh why? I really don't know, Oh yes I do, it's because it cost less than the twin 40's fitted to it that I wanted.

Oh the shame of it all, the odd thing is that in a really perverse way I kinda like it, and might just do it up ( out with the x flow and treat it to a 16v engine etc)...a track day warrior for well under £1000.

Could be interesting ?.

wot you think?

[kitcarman]

Matt,
I’ve been thinking of doing something very similar myself.

There are loads of old, interesting kit cars out there for under a grand. Just the ticket for someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty and who’s resourceful when it comes to maintaining old cars.

Good luck!

Den

[Wacky Racer]

kitcarman said:

Matt, I’ve been thinking of doing something very similar myself. Den

Why not make Fibs an offer for that old shed of a Ginetta he's running?.......


btw: Went to Bruntingthorpe yesterday, quite an experience watching all the expensive exotica, Ferraris, Lambo's, TVR's and Porsche's blasting down the straight at 180mph+

[kitcarman]

Wacky Racer said:

Why not make Fibs an offer for that old shed of a Ginetta he's running?.......

Didn’t I tell you?
I don’t approve of gambling

Den.

[mattstead]

I need to set my self a target if I am to do it, I could just keep the x flow in it, drop the carbs on, fettle the body work and drive it....but I'd like an aim, i.e. must be able to lap Elvington within 10 sec of a caterham 1600 supersport (and be road legal) for under £1000 (including purchase etc).

Now thats a challenge.

Suggestions on a postcard please.

[Mr2Mike]

This sounds like a fun challenge, like a Locost without so much blood and tears. After taking the cost of the car out of the £1k, what does that leave you for fettling?

What series Phaeton is it? If it's one of the later ones with the leaf sprung rear suspension, I'd spend at least a little bit of that cash converting it to a 5 linked rear end. I picked up a complete set of nearly new coil overs from a Westy for £100, so keep an eye out in e.g. you local free ad paper for usefull bits.

Engine wise I'd either stick with a X-flow or move onto something more modern such as a Zetec. Pintos are cheap, but so heavy and pretty weedy in standard form. My local scrappy said I could have the engine and all ancilliaries,wiring loom etc. from a 1.8 Mondeo for £150 if I took it out myself. Just the matter of getting a gearbox and clutch to match.

I found this website last night, might give you some inspiration! www.andersensmith.freeserve.co.uk/series3.htm

[mattstead]

Thanks for the info mike, Yes it's a leaf sprung jobby, with what looks like spitfire upfront.

The box should fit as it has a sierra 5 speeder in it.

I've had plenty of 5 link set ups in the past, so that shouldn't hold any fears.
To be honest 1K shouldn't be too big a problem, particularly if I start selling the x flow / carbs etc.

including purchace it actually leaves me with over £650 to play with!

[peetbee]

It sounds like you've bought a series 2 Phaeton to have that suspension setup. Welcome to the joys of Dutton ownership!

Whatever you do, stick to your original plan as my rebuild has ended up with me having a pile of parts languishing in the garage after 3 engine changes! Personally I'd stick with the xflow and get it back on the road and then modify it next winter.

Mine will finally end up with a pinto & 5 speed box from a sierra. Hopefully it will also end up with a 5 link rear end too.

The website MR2Mike found is a friend who is doing the welding work on my Phaeton.
Good luck and some useful info can be found on:
http://invisionfree.com/forums/dutton_forums/
www.duttonownersclub.co.uk

[jacko lah]

I've always wanted a kit car and about 3 years ago a bloke at work was selling an unfinished locost for 300 quid. Given that he was an aerospace fitter, all the bolts and rivets and glue were to aerospace spec, I was gonna get it when I was sacked and never saw him again.

since then I have written off 2 astra 1.4's and have decided that mk2 Cavaliers are for me. Recently I bought a CDi auto for £6.84 with 2 months tax and 6 months mot. I use it everyday and i do 400 miles a week. What has this to do with cheap kit cars ?

Well - It's cheap, and it's fun and it's unpretentious.

And there's loads of mk3 cav's with 130 bhp 8v engines waiting for transplant !

[Wacky Racer]

jacko lah said:

Recently I bought a CDi auto for £6.84 with 2 months tax and 6 months mot. I use it everyday and i do 400 miles a week

Is that a misprint????

Six pounds eighty four pence???

If not, is this the cheapest car ever????

[jacko lah]

Wacky Racer said:

jacko lah said: Recently I bought a CDi auto for £6.84 with 2 months tax and 6 months mot. I use it everyday and i do 400 miles a week Is that a misprint???? Six pounds eighty four pence??? If not, is this the cheapest car ever????

The car is a genuine 1986 3 owner 77k C reg 1.8 Cdi Auto. It has rusty rear arches, an oil leak, had a petrol smell (fixed) and the guy could not get rid.

I was looking for an Sri 130 or Calibre and anything that I saw on the internet I posted on www.mk2cav.com

I saw his ad in Nov 2003 and e mailed him to let him know that I'd posted it.

He wanted £150.

After Christmas, he e mailed me to say he had advertised it in manchester evening news and stockport something or other. He wanted to reduce the price now on mk2cav.com to £50.

I E mailed him and explained that I thought the problem was the AUTO box.

He said he thought he'd have to scrap it.

I said I did not want an auto but it was criminal to scrap it.

He said I could have it for nothing.

I asked for photo's and more details and arranged to go look.

I took a bottle of cheap Kwik save Whisky £6.84 with me and after we'd done the deal I gave him the bottle.

He was so surprised he went into the garage and got haynes manual, brochures and old vauxhall touch up tins off shelf for me.

A week later he posted me the brand new interior light unit, he'd ordered from Vauxhall and had just recieved.

So far I've Covered 2500 miles and had to replace the ignition switch - It started smoking and the starter motor, which I got for £32 from www.autovaux.co.uk in thier surplus/obsolete section. (For 3 weeks I had to belt the old starter with a hammer)


I have also replaced the 13 inch cross spokes with the Sri 130 14 inch alloys I had in my garage.

Next Job is to sort the rear arches (10 for a pair off ebay !) at easter.

And then i'm going to put it on the mk2cav.com stand at PV2004 in June.

SO no ! It's no error !