I don't think I'd go with that one to be honest. I think you need a 1994 or earlier donor if you want to avoid needing a cat convertor for the IVA test.
Plus if that's a 1997 1.6 it will only have 90bhp.
Up to ~1994 the 1.6 had 115bhp, but they dropped the 1.6 power down to 90bhp when the 1.8 was introduced in 1994.

thanks its little bits of info like that that i really appreciate as i was just looking around to see what was about but i will bear that in mind.

has anyone got any for or against for mx5 or sierra or is it just preference

If you're building from scratch / flat pack then it's no harder than building the book version.
Not sure how hard it would be to convert a Sierra chassis to an MX5 one. I guess the main change would be grinding out and replacing the top of the diff cage, which could be tricky to access.

The only other builder I know of round here is james3004, who's a few miles down the road from me. He's using a Sierra donor, but sticking a beast of an engine in (ZVH turbo I think).

sounds like it could be good.

with regards to the engines i just have to decide if im confident enough to dviate from the book and also if im confident enought to buy a flat pack chassis which i dont know if i am lol.

confidence confidence confidence.maybe ill find some soon and ill be away or at least i hope so.maybe jumping in at the deep end is the best way to learn.

Hi and welcome to the madhouse:D

Just to encourage you a little.I went through the same angst but decided that if I do it then I do it all--otherwise I may as well do a kit car(which this is not).
I'm glad now cos its been a great learning experience and to my mind more satisfying to do it yourself.Everyone on here has been really helpful--no one ever said they were sick of being asked the same sort of question again and again--I felt really helped through(thanks all!) still a long way to go!

If you do go self build chassis GET A REALLY GOOD MIG WELDER ;)

Enjoy

Adrian

http://s1189.photobucket.com/albums/z429/ayjay50/

Welcome to the forum bud the mx5 route as d donor can seem a bit limited with regards engine choice but when you dive a little deeper you still got loads of options there is supercharger and turbocharger kits 1.6 which revs to about 7k or 1.8 that is a bit more powerful but heavier then you got the whole range of japanese tuning mods that will go on the engine the list just goes on and on not to mention what you can make back from the bits you dont need from the donor have a look at what saturn (SSC) have to offer give him a ring send an email have a look at his chassis kits do your homework then get cracking and enjoy

ajay and vmax thanks appreciate the advice

decisions decisions

if i go sierra route can any1 tell me is it best to go for the pinto engine and if so what year where they fitted upto if any1 knows.

i have found a bit of info that shows them being fitted upto 88 but i just want someone to confirm this for me as this is a very new world to me and i dont really want very big expensive mistakes like buying the wrong car lol.

cheers

I think your choice of doner depends on what you plan to do engine wise after the IVA. If you plan on leaving the engine alone or just upgrading to a better cam and carb(s) then a pinto is not a bad way to go, it's used in all kinds of stock cars and there's lots of tuning parts out there for them. This route means as long as you use a one car doner you'll end up with an age related plate.
If you plan on swaping the engine after the IVA for some thing more modern with more tuning or turbo power then you could go for a 1600-1800 CVH car, which means it makes it easier to swap for an 1800-2000 zetec later on as all the mounts will fit and some of the manifolds are the same. This way you get an age related plate but have fewer problems with IVA emissions test, one draw back is taking every thing out that you've all ready put in once and made good.

A very rough guide to what sierra came with what running gear
1600-2000 pinto type 9 drum brakes
1600-1800 cvh type 9 drum brakes
2000 twin cam mt75 disk brakes

thanks talon. i like the sound of having the option of changing the engine once all is built ect but obviously i dont know what i will do once it is built engine wise.

so really if i go down the later route i can go for an early 90s sierra.does any1 have any advice on engine size ie any positive or negatives etc