New LB builder in Reading

[Raj_UK]

hi Everyone

I've been thinking of taking the plunge for a while and a fortnight ago I paid my deposit for a Lister Bell STR so I've now 12 months to decide what I want to do with it ... LOL

Thinking of a supercharged 3.2 Alfa V6 mainly for the noise ... but not sure I'll I'd have better luck of hitting 400hp more economically with a Toyota 3.5 V6 turbo'd lump

Busso is edging it at the mo ... what are the options power wise for 3.2 Alfa both super charged and non-supercharged, and same with 3.7 or 3.8 builds which I've seen a few of the UK Alfa specialists offering ?

Also not sure whether to go RHD for ease of driving in the UK, or keeping it more accurate and staying LHD

Decisions decisions

At least I think I've decided on Group 4 straight rear arches ... LOL

Any top tips would be appreciated

Oh and if there's anyone in Thames Valley I could pop over to and have a look at their STR and even better a passenger ride in one, that would be fab



cheers

Raj

[LPH_UK]

Hi Raj

I've just completely rebuilt a 3.0 Busso. Kept the block, heads, crank, rods and pistons but pretty much replaced everything else. Had it balanced, custom ITB setup etc. Let's just say it nearly broke me! I think HP per £ the Yota engine is much more efficient.

Standard 3.2 is about 250, with cams and ITBs you might see a bit over 300 if properly mapped.

I would imagine the most modern and reliable way of SCing the Busso would be a Rotrex. Looking at the website it seems you can only get it through Autodelta.

[Raj_UK]

hi LPH (making me think of fuel pumps for some reason ... LOL)

who did you use for your engine work ?

my current car has 450 hp/ton so I don't know if I should aim for this in my STR or keep it more sensible and just use stock internals on a 3.2 Alfa V6 with a supercharger

I'm looking for a really intrusive supercharger whine ... would the Rotrex give me this or is it more refined ?

cheers

Raj

[john]

Yeah, who did you use for your engine work Leigh??!!
Name 'em and shame 'em!
Welcome Raj.
It ain't just about horsepower. What do you want to use the car for? Might you want to sell it on at a later date?
Lots of factors to consider.

[LPH_UK]

Hi Raj

I also have a car about the same 450hp / tonne! It's a Lotus Elise with a Supercharger Honda K20. It whines like you wouldn't believe! It uses an Old Eaton design charger, a Rotrex wouldn't make the same noise. It's so fast it scares me to be honest. I had another Lotus running a 4 pot k-series Rover with forged pistons and ITBs that had about 200hp. It was lighter than the Elise but more like 280-290 bhp/tonne. It wans't as fast but it was much more fun to drive quick as it didn't feel like it was going to kill me!

Remember that the Stratos is a very short wheelbase, rear-engined car. Too much power could make it rather unpleasant to drive. But Neil (Turbo Nutter) would probably disagree with me

I used a race engine builder based in Bromsgrove. They took forever to do it, for various reasons, but am very happy with the finished article. He's a good guy and a great engine builder. Just don't ever tell him you 'aren't in a rush' . Most of his clients have race deadlines so they tend to go to the front of the queue.... http://www.shengineering.co.uk/sh/. Their charges were reasonable. It was parts costs, my need to replace just about everything and the custom ITB stuff that escalated the costs.

Leigh

[renmure]

Having also just paid a deposit I will keep an eye on this thread as well for hints and tips.
I am minded set on a fully rebuilt 3.2 litre GTA engine on throttle bodies with custom ecu for mine. I had my mind set on an Italian engine as being in the right character for the car. Again a personal thought, but the supercharger whine never really gave me a thrill. Each to their own tho

Only other comment I would make is that it's great having massive power to weight ratio if you are a driving god. I have something at the moment with a tad over 600bhp/ton but it can be fairly easy to stuff it (don't ask me how I know that) or find yourself backing off from having fun for fear of stuffing it (yup, me again) but on the other hand if you hit the sweet spot and have the right power in the right car at the right level of competence then I guess it should be ace. I am making the call that for me in the Stratos that should be somewhere between 300-330bhp