Page 6 of 8

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: February 20th, 2013, 10:58 pm
by badlyworntoy
Hi Folks

I don't seem to ever stop working on this car! I've also now got a completion deadline of the 25th Feb due to an upcoming Magazine feature. So as usual it’s a case of burning the candle at both ends.....finish work (days) and work until midnight in the shed every night on this car. Although on the plus side the Lada will be completed ahead of schedule, but it does nothing for your love life ...say what G.C?

Anyway it seems that much re-hashing of my early engineering was needed, I originally didn't plan on fitting a G.C.R.E engine when I initially set out with this project. Since fitting the new Engine Guy has been advising me to change some things around and delete unessential components and of course add that all important sealed Air box and induction system.

I think the whole Air box subject needs a section on its own, but here is what I came up with. It's important to remember that space is very tight and its extremely difficult to execute a ideal system without some degrees of compromise.

Nix

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: February 21st, 2013, 7:43 am
by nickp
Very neat, well impressed!! What mag is it going in?

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: February 21st, 2013, 12:28 pm
by Will01
This does look like a great fun toy to play with. Nice job

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: February 21st, 2013, 12:51 pm
by Brit01
Love the custom aribox and temp gauge!
Brilliant work. Gives me ideas of how to do that with my Alfa. Possible feeds from the fog light holes in the front bumper.
With a custom box like that you have space to fit full radius rampipes. The oval type filters available are just too narrow for them. I had to modify my rampipes to get them in.

Wish I could work till midnight after work everyday on my car! Lucky to get 15 mins at the weekend.

Well done!

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 10th, 2013, 9:11 pm
by badlyworntoy
Hi folks

It’s been a while since my last post I know, I’ll apologise again for not keeping up to date on this thread in real time.

So to sum up really the Lada build has now virtually drawn to a close, its been a long and difficult process getting it MOT’d and the VIC marker removed by VOSA but it is now fully road worthy and legal. All I’m doing now a concentrating on the fine tuning and calibration which if I’m honest is a slow and frustrating process at times. I like cars to feel like old training shoes but when you’ve built them out of junk in a shed it’s often far from the case. In the coming weeks I’ll have hopefully have all this bottomed out and it will be ready for maybe another interesting twist….watch this space

Back in February Retro Cars Magazine came to Lincoln to Visit me and Guy Croft to do a full feature article in time for the May edition.

It’s out tomorrow 11.04.13

This is the story.

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 14th, 2013, 3:30 pm
by badlyworntoy
Updated Pictures folks, See above

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 15th, 2013, 10:23 am
by Guy Croft
Hi Nix

as you know I think the dyno figures are a bit on the high side but you are welcome to publish them here nonetheless!

Sincerely,

G

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 15th, 2013, 10:45 am
by nickp
I've not bought Retro Cars for years but might make an exception this month.
Car looks really good. There's a ratty old Lada driving round Barnsley that I keep eyeing up, must resist!!

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 15th, 2013, 7:17 pm
by badlyworntoy
Well Ok here you go, I'll leave G.C to explain why he suspects the output is too high.

I must say though If I can be brutally honest and the eternal pessimist, I always had a little doubt in the back of my mind about how well The old 8v Fiat Twin Cam could perform when up against later generation 16 valve engines with 10-15 years more development on them.
In recent years I've had a lot of experience with Vaux XE's Ford Zetec's and Pug/Cit Mi16 engines and although these things generally have Sledge hammer performance they have very little in terms of tractable and smooth power delivery in comparison to a Full blown G.C stage III 8v, nothing compares really. The mass amount of torque its producing makes for a phenomenal experience at the controls, it just paints 2 big black lines on the road everywhere and fucks off. 1st gear 2nd gear 3rd gear then as it starts to come on cam at around 3500rpm in 3rd gear..... not even the Millennium Falcon could out run it, I'm struggling to change gear fast enough, I'm actually cogging up that fast I can beat the syncros in the gearbox. The soundtrack is like nothing I've ever heard before either, so if you like your "Retro" Weber 44 IDF's/G.C Fiat TC 8v/Tony Law exhaust system.... It doesn't get much better than that really does it?

I might also add that I can't ever remember a 35 year old engine that doesn’t either leak/smoke/pop/bang/rattle/doesn't start when hot/miss fires/blows the dip stick out/chucks all its oil out of every breather/overheats/catches fire/blow headgaskets...etc. This thing doesn't even do one of the above, it behaves like a modern engine on that score.

Well done Guy you've more than exceeded in my expectations and even gone way beyond. It’s refreshing in this day in age when everybody is obsessed with charging the earth,doing little in return and ripping people off. It’s also restored my faith too in some respects as I know there’s still some real professionals out there. As the old saying goes “If you want something doing right, do it yourself” or maybe “If you want something doing right do it yourself or get G.C to do it”

Our work is done.....for now


Nix

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 15th, 2013, 9:30 pm
by nickp
Very impressive figure there fella!! I've been in Geoff Wards racing Monte with a similar engine so know how hard these GC beauties pull!!
My Monte was setup at Motoscope a couple of years ago and made 150bhp on std cams, which I thought was a tad optimistic. It does have a diy 'flowed' Volumex head, 42 DCNFs, Ansa manifold etc etc. I was hoping for 140bhp+ so was pleased with 150bhp.
What power did Guy expect then? I'm sure he'll know within 2-3bhp and that'll give us an rough idea how much the Motoscope rollers over-read by I suppose.

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 16th, 2013, 12:22 pm
by Guy Croft
Haha!

Power - I am NOT commenting, except to say that it's a more than I would have estimated and Nix is happy and it's a reputable rolling road, by Nix' own account the guy did a good job!!

G

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 16th, 2013, 12:44 pm
by nickp
Guy Croft wrote:Haha!

Power - I am NOT commenting, except to say that it's a more than I would have estimated and Nix is happy and it's a reputable rolling road, by Nix' own account the guy did a good job!!

G
Haha, no probs Guy!
If you're not commenting (which is fair enough) am I allowed to speculate?
I'm thinking IRO 5% over read, making Nix's about 190bhp and mine 143bhp. Or maybe we both just did a top job and the figures are bob on? I had no issues with the rolling road when they did mine and did some 'fishing' whilst there to try and establish the accuracy of their rollers and it all seemed stack up. TBH though the figures don't really mean much, just as long as the operator get the most from the engine he's presented with.

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 16th, 2013, 4:59 pm
by Guy Croft
speculate (and you make some reasonable points) all you want but I asked Nix to publish his dyno result and maybe it is completely correct in every way. In which case well done GC...

What I categorically DO NOT want is for Nix, having, as I said, been asked by me - to have to come here and 'discuss' it!

At all.


GC

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 16th, 2013, 5:37 pm
by badlyworntoy
I'm going to say f_cuk all apart from it goes like stabbed Rat.

Re: Guy Croft Lada Riva Twin Cam replica

Posted: April 16th, 2013, 7:20 pm
by Urbancamo
I pretty much follow the title in Retro Cars Magazine. Is this the best Lada in world? In my opinion: definately yes. This car is certainly unique by any means. I've never seen anything like this and probably or most likely will never see again.

The original Lotus Lada was cool, but comparing it to this car Ian has built by him self is like comparing apples and oranges. I really know how labour-intensive projects like these are. Ian has managed to get this project ready in minimal time scale.

And the part I really like this car is the high usage of OE Lada parts. This pretty much shows that how good these cars actually are.
Fancy, modern and expensive parts don't make a good drivers car. And if your car is full of parts from different cars, can you still call it the same car than front badge says ? In my opinion, it's somekind of a Frankenstein monster then.

Deep respects from me!

-Tommi