Mad Idea OR Not

[AustinWood]

Many supercharged specials have in excess of 70bhp. They go and handle well, and stop properly too.

[Steve kay]

And there are people who mock 2CVs with BMW power. Not mine of course, it's completely original. Well, larger barrels, different cam shaft, gas flowed cylinder heads...….

[haasad]

Hmm hadn't thought about reversing...might be deal breaker for me after too much back surgery U don't fancy pushing even if it's a light car...I admit I've never driven a Seven but do have extensive experience in fast road and race cars.Ivscseen quotes of well tuned sevens making 50 hp quite easily with chassis and brake mods to cope. I was intrigued to read of cars fitted with herald uprights in New Zealand that may open a path to ...say it quietly disc brakes in front.
I love thinking about what might be possible. I have a mate with an e type fitted with a BMW V8 on bodies, another with a sprite running a vauxhall red top and another with an Audi 100 body on a Audi RS4 platform.
Time and imagination ...wonderful things.

[Greig Smith]

I'm helping a friend out here in the Colonies build a single seater hill climb special using two 500cc pre war JAP engines or more specifically just a pair of crank cases which now have barrels from something else on them so now around 750cc each, linked by a chain to each other & a second sprocket links to a motor bike gearbox & clutch of equal age and this links to a sprocket in a banjo case A7 rear axle which has had the banjo case removed and just a suitable spacer installed to facilitate the chain around the sprocket. The chassis was narrowed at the rear and the axle was offset to make place for the driver's seat. In the quest for lightness, it's having lots of drillesium added to everything, so has been christened Holey Grail or The Grail for short

Rest assured that everything on it was dug out of various scrap bins, the chassis was already broken & damaged, the banjo axle tubes were bent and there was never a center portion. Springs were an assembly of shrapnel out of various A7 scrap bins in various people's sheds, just sized to match at the rear. Even the JAP crankcases and cranks were leftovers from motor bike guys rebuilds, hence having no barrels. The barrels came off another engine with a holey crank case & amazingly the rods will work on the JAP crank. Suitable spacers have been made to mate the barrels to the crank cases.

Cheers
Greig

[haasad]

Brilliant, you must run a picture thread if that build, the forum needs a section specially for "hot rodding"

??

[Renaud]

Hmm hadn't thought about reversing...might be deal breaker for me after too much back surgery U don't fancy pushing even if it's a light car...

I have such a car with Motoguzzi engine cum gearbox. Yes, lack of reverse can be problematic sometimes! If not cautious one can find himself in some problematic situations! Then the gears are a pleasure!

[Malcolm Parker]

You might be pleasantly surprised by how much fun you can have with a relatively standard Austin 7.  If you keep the weight down and with simple tuning get 30bhp what more do you want.  A friend had a GRP Ulsteroid with a blown engine reputedly around 60bhp.  Although a very experienced driver he was pleased to get rid of it before he killed himself.
The other thing to remember is that an Austin 7 with a V8 engine or whatever will not be worth as much as a good original example which begs the question, is it worth all the bother?

[Renaud]

Agreed Malcolm of course. Then a good A7 engine even with simple tuning can be rather costly.
And apart from that some people (I'm that kind!) like to conceive their own car.

[Nick Lettington]

For my Silverstone, I rather fancied this idea...

  20210126_230016.jpg (Size: 131.27 KB / Downloads: 213)

using the cossack gearbox with reverse... but it is probably a little wide... I  also considered a cx500 engine and gearbox coupled to a marinised A7 gearbox  (forward and reverse only). I may yet one day find the funds to progress something vaguely more sensible.

[Duncan Grimmond]

If you're thinking of a BMW boxer I could have sold you a 1000 cc mated to a 2CV box and you could have a FWD A7... Unfortunately it was sold just before Christmas but there are others out there.