jason_l

Im afraid i won't be bringing it to JAE..............................but ToyotaGT will be bringing it They have rented a car transposter to take a few of their cars up there so the buggy will be there, i will be there but over on LOC. It will be on the ToyotaGT stand so feel free to come over and have a look at it, hopefully be almost done at that point, but probably not road legal Jason

Oh, my bad! Thats a certain, sure i will cack myself, everytime i look at the car i get scared

Bloody hope not! Like i have said before, i like to think im a good driver and don't intend on spending all this time making this just to crash it! but you never know!

Oh believe me im going to use this thing!!!!! Just want to get as much painted/protected as i can now to stop it rusting etc. Its going to be sat around most of the year on my mates drive under a car cover. Will use it as much as possible over the summer months then rebuild/rework on parts over winter months when im not using the car. This things going to look like a mish mash of colours/parts for a long time till its all done and road legal and then comes the job of stripping it all down again to be resprayed!

*** More pictures *** Was back at the workshop today to get some more things on the go, bit of a pain as its a 20 mile drive each way but at least i have lots of room to work on the buggy and loads of tools. Got both the front hubs removed and managed to get one stripped down, painted with several coats of hammerite and all back together. Got the brake caliper back on as well so looks all good now. Have added several pieces of heatshrink to the adjustable arms so that when the camber/tracking is all done it can be shrunk around the nuts to help prevent them rusting and keep it all in place a bit better. Before i started....... and after being reasembled..... Will be getting the brake pads and clips in tomorrow when everything is all dried. Jason

*** Little Update *** Been working on the car before work as i have been pretty busy this week.Got the dual brake master cylinder rebuilt with new seals and internals and even gave it a coat of black hammerite to keep it from rusting. Got one of the front brake calipers overhauled with new seals throughout and brand new stainless steel calipers, now just have to do the other one here is what it looked like before.......... and here is what it looks like after......... Needs a bit of the paint retouching up but mainly there. Now just have to start the other one. I know its not much of a update but peoples posative comments usually keep me motivated I will be at the workshop on Sunday as Girlfriend is going to a Ace Cafe bike meet so have some free time Hopefully update again then with more done! Jason

I really like the T sport, best Yaris as its the only one without the stupid digital dash i almost bought one but settled for a lexus instead as the insurance was the same Loving the colour also Jason

I thought it was ok, good film but like some people have said it felt different to the others, not really a fast and furious film. Think they could have had more to do with the cars, dam it makes me want my car built even more now though!

Thanks for idea's guys. Here are a few things i have been toying with.............. As the engine is technically the same way round but at the rear of the car it works out that the turbo will sit between the seats, im intending to have the intake sitting between the seats through the engine cover.....so its almost sucking your brains out through you ears I have a Carbon fibre bike can that should give the car an interesting sound as well Intercooler will sit at the side of the car and i will be making a huge side vent to draw the air to it, oil cooler will sit the other side and have a similar vent. I started making a Camera system for my Lexus but this got put on hold, however im going to transfer that system into this car. Consists of a 160Gig removable hardrive with several camera's in the car (front,rear, in car) and mic's and a switch panel that alows me to switch between them. I have found a device that at the push of a button will record direct to the hardrive without a PC And a small screen somewhere so i can see what i am recording! Removable steering wheel, this will be added after the IVA as i need to have a colapsable boss to meet regs. For the fuel tanks i was thinking about modifying 2x fire extinguishers that will be mounted to the roll cage and then spray these up to look like NOS bottles. Just for a bit of a laugh If i ever get round to it i might fit some strobe lights in the front lights also??? Does anyone know if the EP82's have a OBD2 port? I know they where common from 2000 onwards but some manufacturers fitted them long before this? Jason Im not too sure what other engine mods to go for but im sure in time i will see what will work best with the car.

LOL Sounds interesting! Only problem is those figures are only reliable if i get traction, which im probably not going to! First thing will be to get this road legal then will come weight loss program and moving some weight to the front. Im not going to push it over 200bhp as i want reliable power. Im aiming for a comfortable 180ish which i think will be MORE than enough and scare the crap out of me! Jason

*** another small update *** Well went back to the workshop today and managed to do a few small things. Had to actually do some work today so didn't have time to do too much. I also didn't know where my boss was going to let me keep the buggy so didn't want to completely strip it down only to be told to move it out of the workshop. Luckily my boss has said i can keep it in the workshop and it has been moved out of the way. Now i can start fully breaking down the front end and painting the hubs/arms/etc. Here you go Galliano, Did get the battery strap fitted to the car so now this ain't going anywhere Then started work on the front discs and hub parts. Cleaned the the rust off the discs, they are brand new but becasue the car has been sat in the wet for a bit they looked bad. Painted the parts i could black. Then got the adjustable tie rods off the car, sprayed black and then back on the car. I added some bits of clear shrink wrap that will be shrunk over the lock nut when the camber/steering is all finally set up. These will be coming off again when i do the camber arms and the rest of the hub parts now i know that the car is out of the way i can remove all these parts. The rest of this month will be me cleaning and painting up parts and rebuilding them back on the car as i am trying to stick to a tight budget and not spend anything else on the car this month. I love posting the build thread on here as you guys always have something to say/comment on and its nice to have a bit of feed back. Would love to know what you guys think so far? and also any ideas you think may help? Its pretty much a blank canvas at the moment until the engine goes in, as you guys live with your starlets/glanza's you must have some ideas on this??? I have ideas on how im going to do certain things but not everything. Jason

I have also been thinking about this, to be honest i just don't know. If it does lift at the front when i set off then i will be fitting a wheelie bar! im currently working on getting more weight off the back and onto the front! As for understeer, i think it will be the oposiite! Real short wheel base and RWD, will oversteer all over the place, but again not sure till its done! Jason

There are about 20-30 in existance, with only about 12 currently road legal. so not many really, mine will be the first one with a Starlet engine in! Nearly all the others have mini engines as thats what the kit was designed for. There are a few people trying different things, K series, MGF engine and even somone putting a R1 engine in one I thought the Starlet engine sounded a good route, plus it will be the only 1 with it in LOL Thats my first job today, strap it down so it ain't going anywhere. I have wanted a project like this since before i could drive (over 10 years now) and finally got round to it. Now i can't wait to get it on the road. Jason

*** Small Update *** Well yesterday i went back to the workshop and managed to get a little more done as it wasn't too busy. Firstly started with getting the pedalbox fully welded in, was a bit tricky but got it done in the end. A little messy but its in the correct position and will get cleaned up later when it goes up to toyotaGT next month. As im keeping the battery right at the front of the car i can now fit the kill switch, this has been put in the passenger footwell. and then finally to meet the IVA regs i have had to fit some spacers to the frame to space the mirrors out so they can actually be of any use. Just welded them up and drilled the holes, they will be sprayed up Tomorrow if i get the chance. I have put a hole in the rollcage padding and slid it over the end mounting point. This covers up the end so will help out at IVA stage as its covering the so called 'sharpe edges'. Frame is starting to look a bit messy with all these bare metal, primer parts but when the car is all done and i don't need to do any more welding etc then it will be sand blasted and resprayed. I also had some great news from ToyotaGT, they had a few hours spare last week so they have already removed the engine form the starlet and are starting to look it over! I have been told that on first impressions its in great condition and they will soon be doing a compression test and inspecting it further. I think they are as excited as me about getting this on the road! As always i will keep you all updated when i can. Jason

will be up and running in about 3-4 months hopefully, but won't be road legal till later in the year so will probably miss summer I don't want to rush this though so need to take my time, plus all the legal stuff for the IVA is a nightmare! They have just released the costs, £450 for the test and £90 for a retest, with that in mind im going to do everything i can to past first time but will probably fail on a few things

*** Update *** Going to be a busy weekend so as i have a few minutes free i wanted to update a few things now while i can. Got the buggy moved this morning to its new home for the next 1-2 months while i work on a few parts till its off to have the engine fitted. It was hit or miss if the rain would hold out this morning but it did so i shot out and got the buggy to my work's workshop while i had the chance. I now have loads of tools at my disposal that i didn't have before and are so usefull Can work on it when i want now as i have keys to the building and they are open daily anyway. so evenings, weekends, lunch breaks etc Here is a few of it in the workshop, you can see how much room i have......... Got the pedal box welded up first, not the best weld i know but its my first ever bit of welding....this has improved dramatically! I have been toying with the idea of removing the battery tray and moving it somewhere else but thought it made more sense keeping it at the front. I cut the front off and grinded it back and rewelded the front piece back on. I have a strap that will be used to hold it down in place. I would use a smaller battery but weight at the front is a good thing Radiator will be mounted just in front of this, when i get a radiator anyway. I then fitted the pedals to the box and have drilled the holes for the mastercylinders, im currently in the process of rebuilding the brake cylinder with new internals. This was then roughly placed and tacked in place and will be fully welded in place tomorrow. Will update again later this weekend. Jason

*** Small Update *** Haven't done anything this weekend as weather was so good and thought i would have a break from it all. Luckily becasue i don't have a date set for IVA i don't have to rush anything so everything can be done properly and i can take my time over it Have been working on it during the week though, before and after work and during my lunch break. Aprils budget has been completely spent on the day i got paid and although i originally posted up a list of items i would be buying, this has since completely changed. The front calipers where looking a bit tired so decided that this month i would be concentrating on these and working on the front end and getting everthing powdercoated/painted/rebuilt. I toyed with the idea of buying alloy 4 pot front calipers but decided against it for several reasons, 1: they will provide too much power and will lock up way to easily 2: They are alot lighter, and although this seems like a good thing it will lighten the front even more and i need more weight at this end. So i decided to rebuild the front mini calipers They started off like this..... Got a wirewheel kit and cleaned them up some what Then Tuesday these arrived New stainless steel caliper pistons, new seals all round, new bleed screws and new brake clevis's (£54 delivered, god i love mini prices ) While i have them off the car now is the time to give them about 5 coats of Hammerite to stop them rusting up again, these are not finished but starting to get there! I also ordered a new clutch master cylinder with built in reserviour bottle (£13 delivered) and got this test fitted to the pedal box Also ordered the fiat reserviour bottle for the brake master cylinder, black hammerite paint, black powder coat and brake master cylinder seal kit. Im welding up the pedal box during the week ahead and will be sorting out pedals etc next weekend. Im working next weekend but have cut a deal with my boss, he is happy for me to work on the buggy the whole weekend and keep an eye on things to make sure they are working fine. If anything is broken then get it fixed and then back to the buggy Will update again at end of next weekend Jason

**** Little Update **** Not really worth doing an update really as i haven't done much but want to keep them regular so i can see how it all came together and keeps me motivated in continuing to build the buggy. Did get a few stickers on the car though Also got the front calipers removed from the car as im going to clean them up, replace the bolts/bleed screws and paint them. Weather was pretty gloomy saturday so didn't get the buggy out of the garage all weekend. The funds are really tight at the moment so can't really do much till i get paid and im also running out of stuff i can do while its here. Easter weekend the buggy is getting moved to my work's workshop where i have LOOOOOOOOAAAAAAADDDDDDSSSSSSS of indoor room to work on the car as i please. This also means i can get on with welding and test fitting the front mount radiator. I have limited myself to spend only £100 on parts during April and then the starlet work will start at the end of April. Items i have on the list to buy next month are: * Fiat Cinquenciento Rad £35 * Aluminium for rad pipes £20 * Steel for mounting Rad £5 * Master cylinders/brake components £25 * Powder coating powder £10 * Misc Parts £5 TOTAL: £100 Luckily my work recently invested in a powder coating machine so im going to be using that alot to coat alot of the parts so they don't corrode, what with the car sat under cover for about 5-6 months of the year! Jobs for the following months before the car goes to ToyotaGT are: * Weld up pedalbox * sort out battery mounting * Test fit/fit front mount Rad * Make new side mirror mounts * Rebuild front calipers * Powdercoat/paint front end parts Im really looking forward to getting this car up to ToyotaGT but need to do as much as i can myself as im trying to limit the spending on this car, what with saving for a house! Jason

*** Update *** Been one of those weekends, managed to snap the only M4 tap i had yesterday so had to go and buy a new tap and die set! Then kept snapping drill bits which kept anoying me, got there in the end though. Would have liked to get more done this weekend but at least i managed to get some things done i guess! Im now working easter weekend, well im on call if anything goes wrong. My boss says i can work on the buggy at work and then just fix things if anything goes wrong but spend most of the day working on the car! They have mig welding gear at work so im going to start looking at welding up the pedal box and a few other bits that need doing soon! Monday this turned up at work, Matt black Composite panel that im using to make most of the body panels from, nice and light but i may change the panels at a later date to carbon. During the week i made up the rear firewall and side panels during my lunch breaks. Got the rear firewall fitted first. Then the right side. Gromitted the hole for the wires to stop it rubbing on them, plus looks nicer........... and left side fitted, along with tax disc holder............although thats a long way off, also added a small ToyotaGT sticker i had lying about and here is a picture of the buggy next to her big sister, my Lexus Spent a bit of time getting alot of the nuts and bolts covered with rubber covers as well to make the IVA go a bit smoother. Im still unsure where i will be moving the battery to as im not certain where is the best place for it yet??? What do people think so far??? Jason

Got a little more done today, Sarah is working the next 3 weekends in a row so have plenty of time to get few bits done here and there! Firstly i got the front bumper bar removed as this is now getting sold as i will be making a new custom front piece. Test fitted the Chequer plate front piece i have, really like the look of it but i have already sold it as will be having the radiator up front and this will be useless as it will stop the air getting to it. Got the Mini pedal box dismantled as this will need some parts keeping for the new pendulum pedal box im making up Had some trouble with the universal joints on the steering so spent a while sorting this out but got there in the end! Then spent the remander of the day getting all the old mini parts together and they are now ready to go to there new owner Also had a little look to see what two seats look like in the car using the two racings seats i just happen to have lying about Hopefully during the week i will get the new side panels made up and rear firewall made. Then test fitting and dash board work will be next weekend. Jason

It will be at JAE if people want a little look, although it won't be fully road legal!

*** Update Time *** Yesterday i ordered up the Aluminium composite sheet thats going to make up the main panels of the car (sides, rear firewall, front panels, engine cover parts etc). Got 1500x3000mm sheet in Matt black, stealth Today i got confirmation from James @ ToyotaGT that the stalet is now booked in for end of April to be dissmantled, seems like ages away but im broke until then so no choice really Can't wait for this to start now!!! Also managed to get the buggy out of the garage and got the old mini engine out of her so now have a blank canvas. Only five bolts to remove and the whole back of the car comes off! The car is so light that my brother can pick it up with one hand, obviously it has no engine in it, or rear sub frame but you get the idea of how light this thing is going to be, still unsure of exact weight??? Blank canvas......not for long Here is a few of me sat in the car, gives an idea of how small this thing is. Thats right its TINY!!!! Got the old engine packaged up, now waiting to go to its new owner. Hopefully will be getting on with removing front bumper and getting templates made up for panels tomorrow What you guys think so far? Jason

*** Little Update *** Weather held out slightly yesterday morning so got the buggy wheeled out of the garage and started stripping bits that are no longer needed. Pictures don't show much but i have added a few anyway. Got the old pedal box removed and have ripped out all the old break lines and clutch line as i was not happy with how these where done. Removed the exhaust system as this needs to be completely remade for the new engine, have kept the crabon fibre bike can thogh as it should sound great with the starlet engine. Started looking at relocating the battery to make way for the front mounted radiator. Ripped the rest of the stuff out that i could from the passenger compartment and gave the car a well deserved clean up.......before the rain started. Next weekend the old mini engne will be out and i will begin modifying the rear light units and sorting out dash panels and some of the wiring. Exhaust and engine pieces removed...... Back to start on the inside of the buggy. Hopefully Stage 1 will be underway officially at the end of April, although im waiting to hear from James to confirm exact days Thats ya lot for now! Jason

And if you get really bored you can do me one , the pictures are pretty bad but if you follow the ones in the link in my sig Thanks.

Anyone????? Just a rough measurement with a tape measure will do!