General What engine conversion can a panda take?

[faster4_tec]

this car is going to be far from legal (mainly the fact that I can afford to build it, but not insure nor tax it, so it ain't gonna be seeing any road use, croft racing circuit ain't that far off, maybe 40mins drive from here so it will probably live on there if it ever comes about).

 

[Oldschool]

bring it on (then i can finally start making a hill climbing panda).

Might have one. Keep you updated. Don't know how to get it to you, but first it has to come to me.

 

[christopher watson]

Might have one. Keep you updated. Don't know how to get it to you, but first it has to come to me.

due to a lack of funds i was going to scrap this idea, but my dad is now interested in having an "unusual" car for fun, so the plan is back up and running. i have been offered a skoda favorite for £50 with mot til may and tax til march, but i really want a panda.

 

[faster4_tec]

I'll trade, if I find that the panda I get, doesn't fit the engine I am thinking about.

The cheapest way I can get a quick car is to buy a Tipo shell, and stick a saab 2.3t lump in the front (complete with sub frame and lower arms, as tipo't is wide enough to take it without suspension and driveshaft mods!!).

200bhp in a tipo't as a starting block anyone??


BTW, what is a tipo one six, and the valvomolve (spl?).. are they the 20v'ers??

 

[GhostWKD]

pretty sure tipo "one six" is just 1.6 sedicivalvole (sp?) is the 2.0 16v n/a engine as found in coops

 

[chaos]

having a car thats driven by two engines (one in the front AND one in the back) is illegal.

Hmmm...........you may want to rethink that Chris

I know of a road legal mini that has engines front and back. Don't know if he can have both engines running at the same time, but you certainly can have a 'twinny' road legal car as I've seen it

 

[The Negotiator]

Chaos, I think Chris is right, you can't have a twin engined road legal car (I guess that means both engines running rather than both engines connected). It was on scrapheap challenge if nothing else but I am sure something I saw/read backed up what was on there.

 

[chaos]

Chaos, I think Chris is right, you can't have a twin engined road legal car (I guess that means both engines running rather than both engines connected). It was on scrapheap challenge if nothing else but I am sure something I saw/read backed up what was on there.

Like I said Paul, I have seen a twin engined Cooper S on the road, taxed, MOT'd etc, (in a magazine, but I sorely doubt any photoshopping ). It therefore seems that it is legal to have a twinny, but like I said, I don't know if its legal to have both engines running simultaneously

I'll do a bit of digging

 

[The Negotiator]

Doing a search maybe I am wrong but most of the people saying it is legal are just basing that on that twin engined VW which I assumed only had one engine connected for road use...

 

[chaos]

I found a magazine article of said Mini

2 x 1275cc Cooper S engines, each running 90bhp, 4 wheel drive etc etc. Pictures of it being driven on the road and talk of using it for rallying. No mention of the legality of driving with 2 engines however. Respectable magazine too (Mini World).

Perhaps Chris meant that 2 engines running simultaneously is not allowed, but having 2 fitted is?

 

[christopher watson]

its illegal to have two engines ready for running, which means the only way the car is legal is if the second engine is not connected (saw this on scrappy races).

 

[chaos]

its illegal to have two engines ready for running, which means the only way the car is legal is if the second engine is not connected (saw this on scrappy races).

Hmmm..............I would like to know how this mini became road legal then, as you could, I believe, run one or both engines - you only had to turn the ignition for each engine on/off. Both engines were connected to the same clutch circuit with 2 master cylinders with 2 gas pedals IIRC.

 

[ABZSTILO]

Bit late in catching up on this post... If you want a screamer then avoid the 4x4, nice torquey engine best for that. I (well, me and someone who knows what they're doing ) popped a Lancia Delta 1500 engine which I had kicking around (some years ago now ) into a Panda 4x4 - quite a machine but with standard brakes it was at it's best offroad where the torque came in handy..... but that's what I built it up for anyway (hill work).

For the sort of thing you're talking about and as the engine's pretty light, I'd think about an Uno Turbo engine which I'd guess should fit a standard Panda engine bay without too many hassles :idea:
Wads of power, cracking noise and an engine you shouldn't have any difficulty in turning up relatively cheaply

 

[Alan.D]

There's nothing in the con & use regs that state you can't have 2 engine's in one car, there would be safety issues as mentioned before in an accident if it was behind but that would be down to the how those safety issues were addressed. That said there maybe racing regs that state you can't have 2. In essence my 5lt V12 is 2 325 engines welded together as is VW's W12.

 

[chaos]

There's nothing in the con & use regs that state you can't have 2 engine's in one car, there would be safety issues as mentioned before in an accident if it was behind but that would be down to the how those safety issues were addressed. That said there maybe racing regs that state you can't have 2. In essence my 5lt V12 is 2 325 engines welded together as is VW's W12.

I think asking an MOT tester is needed to clear it up once and for all

 

[The Negotiator]

AH but having an engine together through the same driving system (etc.) is different to one per axle. Most things I find online suggests it is legal (but no reason other than that they exist, like your experience Chaos) but plenty of people think otherwise due to what was stated on scrappy races lol.

Maybe these legal twin engines ones are only road legal with one engine running OR scrappy races over simplified it for us lot and confused us by doing so!

 

[Alan.D]

Scrappie races? not sure what that is but sounds like it is some form of racing.

All forms of motor sport have there own regulations which has nothing to do with something being road legal or not as said have checked the construction & use regulations for the road traffic act and there is nothing in them relating to how many engines are within a motor vehicle. There are many Hybrid cars comming out now with one petrol engine and one battery powered one that is 2 engine's and they are road legal but won't help Chris out with his little hill climbing project, he would need to ask the marshals or organisers of the event and ask for a copy of the rules.

 

[The Negotiator]

An electrical motor isn't an engine though is it.

Scrappy races was a small series of shows from Scrapheap challenge. Their rules stated that the cars used for the various events had to be road legal. One of the cars had two engines which they repeated stated wasn't road legal in this case.

 

[Alan.D]

An electric motor is classed as an engine. (the hybrids do use both battery and petrol depending on the circumstances at the time so both engine's) The wording in the road traffic act is a mechanically propelled vehicle whether it be battery, combustion, rotary, petrol, diesel, LPG or anything else. I don't know what they are talking about on that program but it doesn't appear in the road traffic act.

That's why these little electric scooters require tax, ins, licence, lights etc to use them on a road. Road also includes the pavement or any other part of the highway.

 

[Tony M]

There are many Hybrid cars comming out now with one petrol engine and one battery powered one that is 2 engine's and they are road legal but won't help Chris out with his little hill climbing project

Unless they are giving away awards for fuel economy on the run