Sierras...

[jps]

My dream of starting kit car building seems to be moving in the right direction, although i'm now torn between scratch building a Haynes Roadster chassis (having pored over the book for some time) and what seems to me to practically be a pre-built Haynes chassis in kit form - i.e. GBS Zero or similar.

I'm keen on making it Sierra based, but it looks like they are getting rarer and rarer. Is it really that hard to find one nowadays?

I'm not fussy about 4 or 5 speed, but do want to go carbs rather than fuel injection -and already unleaded ready if possible. Will I really struggle to find one?

[alga]

In reality, out of the whole Sierra, you want just the following pieces:

- Gearbox
- Rear subframe (diff (be sure to get the propshaft-to-diff bolts, too), driveshafts, rear hubs with brakes)
- Steering column with stalk switches
- Front hubs with brakes
- Master cylinder.

If you can find these, it's not worth getting the donor and having it sit on the drive while you take it apart.

Speaking of the engine, the Sierra carbed ones are really outdated, why not a pre-1995 Zetec on bike carbs and Megajolt?

[jps]

Hmm... I was thinking I need 'one car' to get the engine, diff and gearbox to get an age related plate... Or have I got this wrong?

Also assumed all the wiring would need to come from the donor too..?

I want to avoid fuel injection to keep things simple wherever possible.

[brainbug007]

You could always go the MX5 route as I think these are easier to get now than sierra's?

[jps]

The MX-5 route seem counter-intuitive to me - taking apart one sportscar to make another. Whereas butchering a rep-mobile/family car to turn it into a road legal go-kart seems somehow more noble!

[rpjg1975]

It all depends on how u want to go really. My build is sierra based and I used the donor loom as well. I think there are still bargains to be had if you aren't in a hurry

[twinturbo]

BMW e30 is another option, there are a few that have built using this platform (or the E36 Compact as that is realy just a tarted E30.)

GKD do a kit ( although not at all haynes based ) to use the BMW and you have a vast engine option.


If you do go Sierra then you will have to hunt, EFI is not a major issue other than clearing the bonnet but that's true of the carbs anyway. unless you go side draught.

TT

[robo]

It all depends on how u want to go really. My build is sierra based and I used the donor loom as well. I think there are still bargains to be had if you aren't in a hurry

Thats the trick, dont panic and by the time you need the running gear something will have turned up. The old sierra might not be that common but there are still thousands of them out there.

Bob

[PorkChop]

I haven't seen a Sierra in a scrapyard for quite a while and we are talking about a car which went out of production nearly 20 years ago. Don't forget that the Sierra has been a staple of the kit car industry for quite some time and is rather popular on the banger racing circuit. With this in mind you may struggle to find the ideal donor that isn't a million miles away from you. You will, however, be able to find the Sierra bits you need reasonably easily - just look on eBay or on here or LCB; although this would give you a Q plate and may well be more expensive than buying a donor car. If my heart was set on building a Sierra based Roadster, I would seriously consider going the piecemeal route.

[jps]

Hmmm, a quick scan on ebay has turned up quite a few Sierras - albeit ones that'd entail a good drive to pick up. Roughly £500 as a ball park seems to be the going rate - and potentially driving a few hundred miles.

So it seems they are there - but at that sort of distance and price. Is that what puts people off Sierras? From what i've read I thought it'd be weeks before one even came up on ebay...

[vmax1974]

A roadster build is not an overnight job like a caterham or westfield so the one thing you have is time to keep looking and find one local to you at a price your happy with bide your time and keep looking

Just my thoughts

Hope it helps

Dave

[will_08]

How long will it be before we are all looking back, regretting butchering sierras!

If i had started building a Locost when i 1st got the book and managed to get hold of a Mk1/2 escort as a donor, i'd be kicking myself.

[jps]

A roadster build is not an overnight job like a caterham or westfield so the one thing you have is time to keep looking and find one local to you at a price your happy with bide your time and keep looking

Just my thoughts

Hope it helps

Dave


Well - to be honest I don't know what to expect - so would currently accept that if I need to pay £500 and do a round trip from Essex to Devon to collect a driveable Sierra to butcher then so be it!!

[K4KEV]

Well - to be honest I don't know what to expect - so would currently accept that if I need to pay £500 and do a round trip from Essex to Devon to collect a driveable Sierra to butcher then so be it!!

jps......that IS the best attitude to have going into a roadster build ....there are ways and means to get around just about any problem that can arise.....and I am not saying it can be a money pit as anything can nowadays but persevere and stuff will become available just be eagle eyed on ebay ,papers, gumtree etc

[Bonzo]

How long will it be before we are all looking back, regretting butchering sierras!

If i had started building a Locost when i 1st got the book and managed to get hold of a Mk1/2 escort as a donor, i'd be kicking myself.

Certanly agree with that.
I definitely regret butchering some of the now classic cars that I have owned over the years.

Would like to think that some of the better Sierras will escape untouched ( Folk are a lot more savy these days ) :)

Back to the original poster.

My advice, if you are set on going the Sierra route, bide your time as one will come along when you least expect it & at a price you are happy with.

Currently 3 Sierras in my drive.

Juniors daily driver.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj266/Bonzoronnie/DSCF0184.jpg

Genuine one owner car & absolutely rot free, paid quite good money for that one.

Then there's these 2

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj266/Bonzoronnie/DSCF0183.jpg

The Red Sapphire was bought a couple of months back.
Came up localy on ebay, long mot & short tax, paid £325.
2 litre DOHC Ghia with automatic gearbox. Possibly too good to break ( Not been underneath it yet )

The Blue Sapphire was rescued from a field a couple of weeks ago, paid just short of scrap value for it.
2 litre DOHC fitted with a manual MT75 gearbox ( Definitley pulling that one apart )

Found another 2 litre Sierra in my local scrayard last week.
Fully intact other than the rear brake calipers, now missing some other parts because I had them. :D

As Bob says, they are still about if you are prepared to play the waitng game.

[brainbug007]

I was quite lucky in that my donor was only an hour's train ride away. I paid £500 for it as well but at least it came with a new mot so I could drive it home. If you live miles away from and get to the point in your build where you really need the parts to progress, it maybe a better option to just buy the bits you need from breakers or ebay and settle for a Q plate. Odds are it will work out the same sort of price by the time you add in the costs of moving a sierra that's a long way away...

[twinturbo]

There are some good resto projects goin g on in sierra land, and some mint low mile cars popping out of the tinwork.

I purchased possibly the last pair of rear chassis rails a few weeks ago, I have 2 genuine rear Saph quaters in the loft, a genuine rear sapphire panel and a genuine rear 5DR drivers side quater, 3 new wings and 2 slam panels.

If I ever get out of sierra ownership that stash will be worth some cash :)

TT

[Bonzo]

I purchased possibly the last pair of rear chassis rails a few weeks ago, I have 2 genuine rear Saph quaters in the loft, a genuine rear sapphire panel and a genuine rear 5DR drivers side quater, 3 new wings and 2 slam panels.


TT

I bet your place is like a Fairy Grotto of Sierra parts Rob :) :cool:

That's the kind of stuff worth keeping for a very long time. :)

[Not Anumber]

Cant agree with this. 2.0 Pinto with decent carbs and a tubular exhaust manifold gives plenty of poke in cars our weight even before changing cams and modding the head. It's a dead easy engine to maintain or upgrade, unburstable and of course works very well with the standard type 9 and diff ratios without having to mess about

Speaking of the engine, the Sierra carbed ones are really outdated, why not a pre-1995 Zetec on bike carbs and Megajolt?

[jps]

Just thought i'd add an update in case anyone comes along and reads this in the future! I've spent the last few weeks looking for sierras and have seen probably about a dozen come up on eBay that would have fitted the bill - although none that were quite right (fuel injection, or DOHC engine, or no MOT and a LONG way from home)...

On Tues I saw one for sale near Bedford, only 80 miles away, and snapped it up for £390. A C reg, 1.6 L. Pinto and carbs, 3 previous owners with one of those having it from 1988 - 2009 and what the current owner thinks is a genuine 98000 from new.

This'll let me stick to a 'book' build and get an age related plate - and perhaps i'll install the Zetec and MT75 gearbox i've got once the car is registered and on the road...

Not quite the £30 of the book, but I didn't mind forking out that much. Especially as it has 12 months and 2 days of MOT left, I think i'll be cruising round in it a little bit until time comes to rip it apart.. :-D

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151057760711723&set=a.10150615237851723.380322.676011722&type=1&theater

[Bonzo]

Well done for finding a reasonably local Sierra :)

I think the price you paid is about par for the course.

Even my local breaker will pay £200-£250 for a dead large saloon car, I guess this is part of the reason as to why donor cars are selling for decent money.

I remember the last Sierra I stripped.

Had a word with the breaker & explained why I would be bringing it in with no vehicle ID.
He said he would be able to take it in as general scrap, asked him about all of the interior & plastics, he said bung it all in together.

Cut the shell up, loaded the whole lot into my truck, took it to the breakers & got paid just over £100 ( Not bad for a rusty load of old crap ) :)

That was a few years back, scrap prices have probably gone up since then.

If you have the means to get the remains of the donor to the scrapyard, there is a fair chance that you'll get a nice chunk of your money back.

That said, if the body shell is in good condition it may be worth good money for someone looking to re-shell a project car. ( Would imagine that early models are quite scarce ) ;)


Enjoy the test driving of your new donor. :)

[PorkChop]

Just thought i'd add an update in case anyone comes along and reads this in the future! I've spent the last few weeks looking for sierras and have seen probably about a dozen come up on eBay that would have fitted the bill - although none that were quite right (fuel injection, or DOHC engine, or no MOT and a LONG way from home)...

On Tues I saw one for sale near Bedford, only 80 miles away, and snapped it up for £390. A C reg, 1.6 L. Pinto and carbs, 3 previous owners with one of those having it from 1988 - 2009 and what the current owner thinks is a genuine 98000 from new.

This'll let me stick to a 'book' build and get an age related plate - and perhaps i'll install the Zetec and MT75 gearbox i've got once the car is registered and on the road...

Not quite the £30 of the book, but I didn't mind forking out that much. Especially as it has 12 months and 2 days of MOT left, I think i'll be cruising round in it a little bit until time comes to rip it apart.. :-D

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151057760711723&set=a.10150615237851723.380322.676011722&type=1&theater

I'll be honest, it looks clean and sounds like its in good condition and it's a mark 1. I can't help feeling that this Sierra is far too good to be breaking it for a donor, but hey, it's not my car.

[robo]

There is no shortage of sierra`s in this area, the only killer is the scrap value because before that rot boxes would change hands for less than a hundred pounds but now its £250 + for anything. Mind still lots of them.

Bob

[bigjase]

Hi if anyone is looking for a sierra there is one located in catterick northyorkshire its a 2.9 4x4 i know some of the bits are no use but it will get most of what you want any interest let me know ill sort out the mans number. its about the £325ovno cheers