Hi I have a f 86 sabre belly tank (2 actually) & am looking for a bit of info as how to go about setting it up. It is not a real big tank & has a fair kick up at the rear so ideas on engine type ,suspension setup,steering etc would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Belly Tank Building
Moderator: DLRA
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F 86 Sabre
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:12 pm
- Location: Deni
Belly Tank Building
Salt is not just for cooking!!!!!!!!!!!
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David Leikvold
- Posts: 981
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:57 pm
- Location: Brisbane
Spirit of Sunshine
Check out the build story on the Landracing website for the Jarman Stewart (aka Reverend Headgash and Doctor Goggles) Spirit of Sunshine bellytank.
The Broughan lakester also has a build story here somewhere. Look at every picture from Bonneville or El Mirage on the Landracing site's gallery too, you'll see so many ideas there. Then check out every picture of every Formula Ford you can find and go to a few race meetings to see them up close before you start the build. Take a camera. If you decide to copy a Formula Ford (and you should) they all have a proper space frame chassis, suspension, good brakes all round and rack and pinion steering so you'll have a car with great high speed stability and control, adjustability as needed and maybe even room to move inside it. Don't be afraid to add some length to the tank to make everything fit, the tanks always need modifications to turn them into race cars and each change upsets the aerodynamics. Just keep the changes slick and sensible.
With the exception of Alan Fountain's beautiful big tank, I think the Spirit of Sunshine is probably the best of the local cars, but a close second would be Wazavudu. (Just google it) Check out the GM Ecotec lakester too, it is a beautiful thing and does most things very well.
As for engine choice, anything you like would do but obviously small is good. I think a bike motor would be the best because they make good power, they aren't big and they're chain driven so you can gear them to go very fast without having to compromise by using a road car diff or spending a fortune on a custom 9 inch. If you wanted to use a car engine it would be simpler to stay small and go turbo rather than try to put a big motor in a small tank. Let us know what you decide, we're interested. Special Construction vehicles always get plenty of attention. Good luck!
The Broughan lakester also has a build story here somewhere. Look at every picture from Bonneville or El Mirage on the Landracing site's gallery too, you'll see so many ideas there. Then check out every picture of every Formula Ford you can find and go to a few race meetings to see them up close before you start the build. Take a camera. If you decide to copy a Formula Ford (and you should) they all have a proper space frame chassis, suspension, good brakes all round and rack and pinion steering so you'll have a car with great high speed stability and control, adjustability as needed and maybe even room to move inside it. Don't be afraid to add some length to the tank to make everything fit, the tanks always need modifications to turn them into race cars and each change upsets the aerodynamics. Just keep the changes slick and sensible.
With the exception of Alan Fountain's beautiful big tank, I think the Spirit of Sunshine is probably the best of the local cars, but a close second would be Wazavudu. (Just google it) Check out the GM Ecotec lakester too, it is a beautiful thing and does most things very well.
As for engine choice, anything you like would do but obviously small is good. I think a bike motor would be the best because they make good power, they aren't big and they're chain driven so you can gear them to go very fast without having to compromise by using a road car diff or spending a fortune on a custom 9 inch. If you wanted to use a car engine it would be simpler to stay small and go turbo rather than try to put a big motor in a small tank. Let us know what you decide, we're interested. Special Construction vehicles always get plenty of attention. Good luck!
Good, Fast, Cheap, pick any two!