Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Newbie saying hi and Q's

  1. #1
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    uk
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0

    Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Hi

    Currently building a 1970 240z. however i'd like to build a LB car next.

    are there many toyota engined cars? Any pro's/cons? Whats a normal build cost?

    I did build a couple of kits before, this was the 'quickest'!

    https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-...d-legend/24422

  2. #2
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Cheshire
    Posts
    2,534
    Rep Power
    38

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Sounds like you have the right skill set!
    Welcome.
    I get the Sevenesque cars but jeez they are ugly things.
    Now you are talking though, moving up through a 240Z to a,Stratos. A thing of beauty!
    There are quite a few Toyota powered cars appearing now from LB, but I don't have any experience of them. Someone will be along with more knowledge.
    The impression I get is that they are more expensive to build although probably no more so if you measure it on "bang per buck", than an Alfa engined car.

  3. #3
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    uk
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Quote Originally Posted by john View Post
    Sounds like you have the right skill set!
    Welcome.
    I get the Sevenesque cars but jeez they are ugly things.
    Now you are talking though, moving up through a 240Z to a,Stratos. A thing of beauty!
    There are quite a few Toyota powered cars appearing now from LB, but I don't have any experience of them. Someone will be along with more knowledge.
    The impression I get is that they are more expensive to build although probably no more so if you measure it on "bang per buck", than an Alfa engined car.
    I'm not moving up from a 240z to a LB

    I'm interested to see where the extra cost for the toyota builds comes from? Anyone know what costs more?

  4. #4
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Greenhead
    Posts
    2,352
    Rep Power
    31

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Hi James, welcome to the club!

    In answer to your question regarding costs, if you do some digging you'll find sourcing an Alfa motor and box is fairly cheap, if you just want those items from a breaker, although you'd be better advised to buy a complete donor car with a V5 - that way you can get the ECU and other gubbins, plus you'll be able to get an age-related reg. plate when you register the car. Having said that, the number of donors is shrinking and prices for them are rising as they edge into "classic" territory.
    The Toyota motor is a harder beast to find - it's only fitted to one Toyo/Lexus car here in the UK, and it's mated to an auto box. It's also present in the back of the Lotus Evora and Exige S, usually supercharged, and fitted with a Toyota-sourced 6-speed transmission (the EA60), which requires an adapter plate and other stuff. Finding a Lotus in a scrapyard ain't easy, and it's not cheap either - I found one a couple of years back and there wasn't much change from £8K... You could go for a 5-speed box from an MR2 Turbo but you need to machine the block to fit it, and find a suitable flywheel/clutch.
    For the LB installation, you'll need a dedicated ECU - LB use one from SCS. Then there are the twin fuel tanks and pumps, and the uprated radiator, and...and...

    So you can see how the costs mount, compared with using a standard Alfa motor. But, you get the power as standard, and the parts should be bombproof. You can tweak the Alfa engine to about 300bhp but it costs a load, as John says above. You pays yer money, etc...

  5. #5
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    uk
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Thanks!

    Whats the model code for the exact engine? I think its the way i'd prefer to go. As it'll just be more reliable/make more power as standard. Its the little bits i'd like investigate. Building a proper Alfa engine must balance out the cost?

  6. #6
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Cheshire
    Posts
    2,534
    Rep Power
    38

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Yes, that's about it. When you say a "proper" Alfa motor then I'm assuming you mean something approaching 270-300 hp which they are capable of. Yes, when you spend the money to get that far with an Alfa then you would certainly be getting in the same ballpark as a standard Toyota? Very probably. I've driven cars with 190 and 270 respectively.
    One more fun than the other? Not really.
    Depends what you want from the car and what your budget is.

  7. #7
    SEC Member ducatiman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Lincoln
    Posts
    614
    Rep Power
    19

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Items that you have to decide before the build starts:
    1. What is the purpose of the car
    2. Build budget

    There are many people who have been very happy just dropping in a standard refreshed Alfa Engine and Gearbox which keeps the total build cost's down..............and there are idiots like me who have spent an absolute fortune doing a total rebuild on the Alfa Engine and then bolting on a Sadev Sequential Gearbox.........To be honest if I was starting again I would take a different approach and go for a Toyota Engine as you get a lot more bang for your money even in it's standard configuration.
    Hawk HF3000 - Engine: Alfa GTV 3.0L 24v V6, Dry Sump - Gearbox: Sadev 6 Speed Sequential ST90-14 - Suspension: Nitron 3 Way Adjustable - Wheels: Hawk Compomotive - Tyres: Pirelli P7 Corsa

  8. #8
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    uk
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    Things I want...

    something to go out for B road blasts
    Reliability
    Something that could do a long trip if needed
    Noise
    Revs

    I Love the 3.2 alfa engines, however I know they need a bit more care. I don't want/need over 300hp.

  9. #9
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Cheshire
    Posts
    2,534
    Rep Power
    38

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    That's the same list as me. I've got a new, but bog standard 2.5 Alfa!

  10. #10
    SEC Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    uk
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: Newbie saying hi and Q's

    are they still about?

Similar Threads

  1. Hello from Newbie in South Africa
    By Wolweseun in forum Hello I just Joined
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 18-01-2019, 10:31
  2. Newbie from Redditch Worcestershire
    By jasonlycett in forum Hello I just Joined
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 17-03-2015, 12:08
  3. Newbie from Worcestershire
    By Oilyfinger in forum Hello I just Joined
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 31-08-2014, 02:08
  4. Newbie about to attempt a LB build.....
    By sideways11 in forum Hello I just Joined
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 22-07-2014, 00:19
  5. Newbie with a Stratos itch to scratch
    By goldtop in forum Hello I just Joined
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 24-07-2013, 17:21

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •