sbcbuilder

I am thinking of ordering a Mongoose replica. Before I do I would like any member of this forum who owns one to give me an idea of overall build quality and ease of driving.

I had a 1960 and a 1963 so I have an idea of what they drove like. I have not ridden in a newer model.

Given the many choices for power trains and transmissions it is not an easy job to pick a combination but I do have an old sprint car race motor that I have modified for street use. I lowered the comp ratio to 9.5:1. Changed the mechanical fuel injection to a more modern efi system with Holley Dominator EFI management system.. Upgraded to a 4 stage dry sump system. I am in the process of choosing cylinder heads.

Has anyone here used the TCI 6X auto trans?

http://www.tciauto.com/tc/6x-six-spe...ion-850hphtml/

Thank you

jim lockwood

Welcome to the forum. There are several Grand Sport people here, me among them.

If you haven't already found and followed this thread, I suggest you do so:

general stuff about Grand Sports

There is a truly mind-numbing amount of information in that thread..... discussions about the original Grand Sports, replicas which are faithful copies of the originals, modern interpretations of the originals, who to avoid, who is good, lots of pictures, etc......

Two forum members, keystonefarm and Mr. Wizzard are both owners of Mongoose Grand Sports and are very happy with their purchases. Search for postings by them for more information about their cars.

Good luck,

Jim

Mr. Wizzard

Hi Jim. Just received my on-line copy of Kit Car Magazine yesterday. It's full of replica Grand Sports and has a good article on the history of the real cars. What a treat.
Larry

jim lockwood

Ok, Larry, thanks for that tip. Next time I'm near a news stand, I'll pick up a copy.


Jim

sbcbuilder

Thanks Jim

This has been quite a project venture with me working overseas and trying to find credible information on the building of such a car. So much has changed since I built race cars it is truly mind boggling what technology is now available.

I am taking my time putting all this together because once it is built and shipped here, I am the only one who will be able to work on it as they do not see many V8s but thousands of 4 cylinders putting out l some very high hp numbers.

I do not know how they pulled it off but one of the better race tracks here in Thailand is in the middle of a national park!!

groovyjay

Which on-line kit car magazine would that be? I'd love to see that article.

To OP, Mongoose seems to be one of the better GS manufacturers out there. I've used their stuff on my MAI GS build and their parts have always been top notch.

I've some reviews about the TCI 6-speed on the pro touring sites and the people who have changed from manual transmission to the TCI 6 speed in hope of better performance on the road course, they all complain about sluggish gear changes and down shifts.

I would never even consider putting an automatic transmission in any of my cars as long as my hands and legs are still moving...

Welcome aboard, can't wait to see another one build.

jim lockwood

Building a Grand Sport is a challenging project, even if you are in the US. Definitely not a project for the faint of heart. I can't even begin to imagine the extra effort it would take to build one in Thailand. Letting Gary at Mongoose do most of the work is probably a Real Good Idea.

How will you use the finished vehicle? Shows? Track days? Cruising?

Jim

sbcbuilder

Shows? YES
Track days? EVERY CHANCE I GET
Cruising? Not in Bangkok traffic, snails move faster some days.

If the auto is crap for road racing, who makes a good 6-Speed?

I would use this on a good trans

http://www.geartronics.co.uk/paddleshift.htm

I like the idea of paddle shift like this set up, but 25 - 30K is out of my price range.

groovyjay

T56 pr TR6060 is a good transmission and you can convert that in to paddle shifters. I tried one at the SEMA show few year back and it got my attention...

http://mastershift.com/new-street-manual.html

groovyjay

Comp Cam 1

If you wanted something done I would look at Pauls (Paulywannaflys) car. I have seen the ones at Carlisle and compared to them this car is way more suited for what I think your after. I know it does well in city traffic and longer drives, and all the bugs are worked out of it. I have driven the car and is truly one of his nicest builds he has ever done. I am not sure anyone could build one for the price and amount of time he has into. Just my 2 cents. Good luck whatever you choose. Here you are in case?


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1s-...t-replica.html

sbcbuilder

Thanks for the info. Nice looking trans.

Now to figure out what gear ratios are best.

Here is the best gear ratio calculator period.

http://weddleindustries.com/gear-calculator

keystonefarm

Larry what on line mag are you talking about ? I was a subscriber to Kit Car Builder which just quit the paper copy method for on line .
----------------- Ken

keystonefarm

Welcome to the GS world !!! As Jim stated the forum has numerous threads on various GS builds. Mr Wizzard has a site with pictures of his Mongoose build and the modifications he has done to the car since then. There is a Mongoose GS build thread here on my GS coupe that has over 400 pictures following the build of the car. I also have a D&D coupe . Gary is a great guy to deal with and builds an excellent car. All you really need to know is what kind of GS do you want ? Mongoose has cars in Europe , Austraila and Japan . ------- Ken

Revfan

Wouldn't it be cheaper/easier to find one done, ship it over, then modify and drive?

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1s-...t-replica.html


1964 Corvette Grand Sport - $85000 (Northern CA)



Of course, if the thrill is in the build....

sbcbuilder

Yes the thrill is in the building of everything. My engine is based upon my old sprint car engine that won many races. We ran a 410 engine that seen 9500 rpm many times, that was with old technology circa 1985. You had to replace the rods and mains after every race, con rods after 200 laps.

I am rebuilding this set up, with 4.124 bore and 3.335 stroke, comp ratio (9.5:1) for long life and steel billet rods, roller cam bearings and modern kinsler efi. Should produce 700 hp and 550 lbs torque. Power band between 4500 - 8500.

Biggest problem here in Thailand is language interface. What we say in 50 words the Thais need 250 words, so trying to explain a build like this would make your hair fall out. Before they can build you what you want but they need a sample to copy from. And if your copy has any flaws in it, they will copy that too!

Easier to build it and ship it over and that is another story in itself. To give you an example, my friend took his Ducati 998 apart and shipped it over in pieces in a crate. He did not think any thing would happen. He was wrong. Customs said the engine was over the 400cc limit and they cut the engine out of the frame with a cutting torch!

No matter how many of these cars I look at they all bring a smile as you know they all look good and haul ***.

This is a great forum. Glad I joined.