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[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

https://youtu.be/320uuNY6TxU?si=2yIq_QRKB_DGHAgG

[Andy B]

there are some very clever/skilled people out there! 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

there are some very clever/skilled people out there! 

I like the fact that it looks very similar to the original from the fifties......even down to fake peashooter exhaust.

Doesn't sound quite the same though.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Love it!   

[Rangie]

Terrific 👍

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

A 5 litre lump with 330bhp of Detroit V8 is what the baby Austin should have had to begin with....

Who decided on the nancy boy 803 cc or 948cc lump.

[Viral_Jim]

A 5 litre lump with 330bhp of Detroit V8 is what the baby Austin should have had to begin with....

Ford 302 Windsor, so either Canadian, or made in Cleveland 

Pointless pedantry aside, a great film and I absolutely love these sort of projects, thanks for sharing! I have to say, depending on when it was done, I think the builder applied the DVLA's rules rather liberally to retain the original numberplate and Austin designation on the V5. 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

A 5 litre lump with 330bhp of Detroit V8 is what the baby Austin should have had to begin with....

Ford 302 Windsor, so either Canadian, or made in Cleveland 

Pointless pedantry aside, a great film and I absolutely love these sort of projects, thanks for sharing! I have to say, depending on when it was done, I think the builder applied the DVLA's rules rather liberally to retain the original numberplate and Austin designation on the V5. 

My bad.

I tend to think that any old lump V8 of pig iron is made in Detroit.

As a very small child I would occasionally  be given a lift home from school in a baby Austin. Can't remember if it was the earlier A30 or later A35, but it was finished in depression grey and had a huge indicator switch in the middle of the metal dash.


Also...it had Austin of England proudly displayed on the boot lid.

[Viral_Jim]

I have a strong desire to do something not dissimilar with a mk4 escort 3 door estate. It was my first 'normal' car and I've always had a hankering for another one. But 41yr old me knows that the 60bhp the 1.3 had from the factory won't feel all that quick to me now, and certainly not like the rocket ship it seemed when I was 17.

I have an idea to put the 2.5T lump from the focus ST in one. Should develop around 330bhp with a map. Combine that with a 900-950kg kerb weight and current performance should align nicely with my rose tinted nostalgia! 

[Andy B]

......
 I have to say, depending on when it was done, I think the builder applied the DVLA's rules rather liberally to retain the original numberplate and Austin designation on the V5. 

That's what I thought! 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I have a strong desire to do something not dissimilar with a mk4 escort 3 door estate. It was my first 'normal' car and I've always had a hankering for another one. But 41yr old me knows that the 60bhp the 1.3 had from the factory won't feel all that quick to me now, and certainly not like the rocket ship it seemed when I was 17.

I have an idea to put the 2.5T lump from the focus ST in one. Should develop around 330bhp with a map. Combine that with a 900-950kg kerb weight and current performance should align nicely with my rose tinted nostalgia! 

Was this the same 5 pot lump used  by Volvo, Jimmy?

900-950KG......I wonder how many, if any, cars weigh this little in 2025/6. Most cars are fat bastards these days.

[Marks DTM Calib]

If you want crazy, then this has to be up there (with Opti's favourite Signum engine featuring  )

https://youtu.be/xWCRuovk210?si=x_tmnAitIcNtQ4tT

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

If you want crazy, then this has to be up there (with Opti's favourite Signum engine featuring  )

https://youtu.be/xWCRuovk210?si=x_tmnAitIcNtQ4tT

It's amazing what an 'ordinary Joe' can do with a lathe, a big turbo, and a Vauxhall Adam. Way out of my league.

2.8V6 Turbo from the mighty Signum has 250bhp as stock, and lots of low down torque. I think it is a great engine but then I would say that.

[Viral_Jim]

Was this the same 5 pot lump used  by Volvo, Jimmy?

900-950KG......I wonder how many, if any, cars weigh this little in 2025/6. Most cars are fat bastards these days.

Yup, it pops up in all sorts of places, including the c30, mondeo and s-max. I mean, they probably sold about four in the UK, but a 300bhp people carrier holds a certain appeal. I reckon if I spent a bit of time parting out the donor car, the engine and box would be more or less free. Three door escort estates are a bit of a rarity though (can't imagine why) so finding the actual car wouldn't be easy to begin with. 

950kg might even be a bit of an over estimate, I think the original 1.3 tipped the scales at around 800kgs!

If you want crazy, then this has to be up there (with Opti's favourite Signum engine featuring  )

https://youtu.be/xWCRuovk210?si=x_tmnAitIcNtQ4tT

What a beautifully insane little car.  I wonder if the underbody temps will actually lift the paint at full chat 

[Varche]

Hmm I bought a scrap A35 in the early seventies to transplant the four speed and ‘powerful’ engine into a Morris a thousand which was equipped with three speed and 803cc of roaring hell. It was sort of a success but so much power you could get the tail out around roundabouts on skinny cross plies!
It didn’t last long as the new found power showed up serious flaws in the rotted chassis that were hidden by pieces of duck hams oil can gobbered in place with underseal. Massive negative camber on one side was not a good look.

Not my finest moment, the rolling shell with no brakes engine etc had to go.couldnt tow it to a nearby village tip as mostly downhill. A mate offered to follow and nudge it as necessary the 2.5 miles to the tip. I had a six foot fence post as a sort of emergency anchor to throw into the transmission gear lever hole. I did meet someone without incident and the gate to the tip was fortunately open and there was a fridge to ram to slow me down.