Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_PPP
How you keeping mate? Speaking of spending money, weren't you planning a project to put your newage running gear in a mad classic? Did that ever get off the ground or did rising newage STI prices convince you it was a bad idea to break it?!  |
It is still happening! Taken a
lot longer to identify and gather the parts then I was expecting, but the project is still moving forward. The aim is still to build an S5 WRC tribute (not going to say "replica", as that term is so overused!), with relatively conventional running gear for practicality/reliability.
Basic shell prep is all done (as close to Prodrive procedures as possible), period cage and fuel system are all designed in CAD, materials obtained for fabricating both of those as well. Need to do another research trip to take more pictures/measurements of an S5 boot floor as there is a cut out there to accommodate the fuel cell. There are references to a Prodrive panel to go in there, but more exact dimensions are needed to reproduce that.
I have an S5 WRC intercooler ready to go in and I finally got round to picking up some bumper bars last week. Got pretty much everything needed to make the shell water tight now, but I am missing a bonnet so I think I'll have to go the carbon route on that one (I saw a aluminium facelift bonnet on Facebook a few nights ago and the guy wanted over £1000 for it!). Debating some other carbon extras as well while I have everything off the car.
I have spent a considerable amount of time trawling images and asking around, but managed to identify the correct lights, dash, harnesses, gators etc. from period. Guess Prodrive used whatever they had around, as the interior is a mix of Legacy, pre-facelift and post-facelift Impreza parts. Found a set of Prodrive seats in Ireland (need to get those to the shell).
The plan is still to break my '05 STi and use the running gear from it, though that does come with its own complications. At the moment the plan is to get the classic shell further along the line before I commit to breaking. The perfect drivetrain swap would really be a bug STi, as that would save a lot of buggering around with hubs and track width. As you say though, rising newage prices mean that picking up a cheap Bug is now a distant memory!