8/29/13

So, all that “research” on the Spit’s rear suspension has me just about over my “August Funk” and I'm getting excited about working on the projects again.  I think I may have a bit of a plan.  While Lil' Wiggly will be really cool with a V8 and all, I'm pretty sure it is going to handle like… well, a 1978 Datsun B-210 with a V8, aka much like the Cobra did.  I think the official plan will be to drive it for a bit while trying to sell it.  I will take the money from that sale, along with the money from selling George, and plop it into the credit onion here at the railroad… the one which is a bigger pain in the ass to access but can be used to make payments on the credit card I have from them.  That fund, via said credit card, will be used to make the Mini happen.  By the way, I went to Mini Mania today and found out that the Honda engine installation kit that I want is on sale.  It went from $3160.00 to $2844.00 but I'm not sure how long it will stay that “cheap.”  I'm thinking I might need to place an order in the next few days.  Now having said all that, I think the next car in line to be worked on should be the Chickenhawk.  There is no reason why I can't accumulate bits and pieces for the Mini while working on another car… except that it might distract me from it.  I don’t know.  We’ll see.  As for the Chickenhawk, I'm still leaning towards the faux rally car I've always wanted even though John is not quite on board with that plan.  Thing is, we’ll have a lowered “canyon carver” 1200 in his car "Timmy!"  I think with that in the combined stable of cars, a faux rally 1200 would be an acceptable addition.  Besides, I'll still have The Seven, the Mini, and the Spit as “road race” type hoon cars… assuming I build all of them… sort of thing.  At the very least, I'll have The Seven as a hoon car, let’s put it that way.  Here’s the reason… well the latest justification in my head, for building the Mini and the Spit: I would then have three “British” sporty cars with Japanese power.  Of course I suppose I could backpedal on the spendy proposition of using the Honda engine and fabricate my own Nissan/Datsun installation in the Mini to keep them all even more similarly similar.  I wonder how much an “old” Sentra with a manual transmission would cost.  I'm off to Craigslist right quick.  I sent one to John and saw a few others, but now I might backpedal on my backpedaling… at least that line of thinking.  Now I'm beginning to reconsider John's original suggestion of rear wheel drive conversion using a Sunny as donor.  My problem with putting a 1200 floor pan in is the fact that it would be leaf sprung in the rear.  There really isn’t enough room behind the wheels for the rear half of the springs.  No, I'm now thinking… wait for it… 210 (B-310) floor pan!  That would get me a coil sprung, four link rear axle!  Now, where might I find a 210 floor pan?  Oh yeah, there’s that hatchback sitting there at the old shop!  I've put forth the idea of the 210 floor pan to John but haven’t suggested WHICH floor pan I'm thinking of yet.  It would be a shame to cut up that car, but if it is going to the crusher… hmm.  I would adapt the front cross member and suspension from the same car of course to make the brakes and everything “balanced” and simpler… at least in my mind.  Damn, this is beginning to sound like a good idea.  Of course, I could always go S-110 200SX floor pan since we have that blue 1980 out back which is definitely destined for the crusher.  That would have some seriously wide track on a Mini!  Hell, the wheels might be totally outside the original bodywork!  We would have to box flare the ever livin’ shit out of the body.  I wonder if the track width would be wider than the wheelbase.  That would be an odd handling beast.  We would have to go with the Z-20 which came out of the Chickenhawk in that setup.  I can't see an A-series in something that radical.  Ok, John has suggested, on his own without my prodding, the use of his 210’s floor in the Mini.  Now I'm beginning to wonder if I want to go ahead and consider the Z-20 from the get-go.  I think, unless John has that engine in mind for his car, I might start planning along those lines.  I wish now I hadn’t ordered that sale priced Mini Mania VTEC installation kit a few hours ago.  No, I'm just kidding.  I didn’t really order it.  Ok, if the Mini is getting Nissan/Datsun power, I have to keep the Spit and put an A-series in it.  I'll go from being the 1200 guy to being the “British car with Japanese engine” guy.  I may have to seek out that dude with the Triumph Herald powered by an A-series engine we saw in Oklahomo that time.  Wait, that was a Mayflower, not a Herald.  Hang on, I've got to go look at pictures right quick.  Yes, it was a Mayflower with a Datsun A-14 under the bonnet.  Anyhoo, since I have another wacky plan in place, I guess I'll call it a rant.