WANTED 289 Slab side.

For Sale and Wanted Section
User avatar
kaiserbilly1
Posts: 1386
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:07 am
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by kaiserbilly1 »

I'm sure that he does.
This is a photo of his 289 LM at the NEC with the Dunlop wheels fitted.

Image
guilleracing
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:48 pm

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by guilleracing »

W O W ! :shock:

Now that is fantastic. That is the look I am looking for! :D


Please can I have your permission to download the images?
guilleracing
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:48 pm

Blue Slab Side..

Post by guilleracing »

Thank you very much Migge!


Gerry mentioned this car to me and I have had a long chat with Dudley at Talon.

The downside of the car is that it has a Rover engine and gearbox that I would have to junk along with the propshaft and MGB axle.
These items would have no absolutely value here on Guernsey, I would have to pay for them to be put in the crusher and recycled!


I am not completely turned off the idea of running the car with the little engine to start with but it would need a vast amount of work to change it over to the spec I want.

Part of my "Spec" is to have a Le Mans Coupe hard top and that will need some alteration to the body (For the cut down boot lid) Although this is not a insurmountable problem it will need to be allowed for.

One piece of good news is that there is a air service between East Midlands and Guernsey (Once a day) and the blue car is 6 miles from the airport terminal! :D


Thanks again,


Greg.
User avatar
kaiserbilly1
Posts: 1386
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:07 am
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by kaiserbilly1 »

I know that car and it is really good example of a Hawk 289 and would be an ideal base for your project.
No bodywork alterations are needed, you just buy a split boot lid from Gerry and the LM hard top, simples :D
You don't have to dump the Rover engine, SD1 gear box and MGB back axel.
They have a value here in the UK, either via this forum or Ebay.
That way you can offset your swap to a Ford engine etc.
The price is very good, you should try driving this car as I know you will be surprised as to just how good it is.

Bill
guilleracing
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:48 pm

Re the Blue Car,

Post by guilleracing »

I will investigate the flights out of Guernsey in the coming days! Fingers crossed.

I may well be able to get a flight to go and look at it. Unfortunately living here, it is not like hopping on a bus.

:D
User avatar
clive
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 3392
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:18 am
Location: Perth

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by clive »

You can specify a Ford engne and Jag IRS rear from the start. That way you won't get involved with having to fit new engine mounts, wiring etc.
User avatar
Roger King
Posts: 4396
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:29 pm
Location: St Ives, Cambs

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by Roger King »

guilleracing wrote:...I also had the chance to look carefully at the Alloy Bodied "Le Mans" type Coupe on show on the HAWK stand. I was very very impressed with the quality of the car...I have discussed a kit from Gerry and he has put me in touch with HAWKs Build agent, I have also discussed having a car built to " Rolling " stage. I will then be able to do the fitting out of the engine and gearbox..
Hi Greg, and welcome to the 289 Reg forum.
I'm not clear from your comments thus far on quite what you are planning - I'm sure you don't mean this, but just in case - you won't get near an alloy bodied car for 30K, I'm afraid - you could certainly build a fibreglass one for this which would be pretty good but not to the very highest spec.
It all depends what you want to use it for. I'd recommend a 302 Ford (you could go for a 289, but why? They look exactly the same, go the same, and the car's a mile away from original so why make life harder for yourself?) with a US T5 gearbox, Gerry's tubular suspension and a Jag rear, best ratio being the original Cobra of 3.54:1. My Hawk was this spec (except for the 289!) and I did over 20,000 trouble-free miles in it before selling. Most of these were on long trips, such as Rome and back, Madrid and back etc.
I'm now building a nut-and-bolt accurate leafspring 289 based on a Kirkham body with Gerry's original suspension, correct 5-bolt Hipo, toploader etc. and I can definitely tell you that Gerry's 'glass Hawk with the spec I've suggested is a far better car. It's just not as 'original'.
Horses for courses!

Best of luck,
Roger
guilleracing
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:48 pm

!

Post by guilleracing »

Hello Roger,

Thank you for the welcome!

I am content to have a composite body on one of Gerry's fantastic chassis units. I just can't justify the cost of the alloy bodies.

Your advice on the 302 is spot on, I have carefully researched the 289/302 engine and as you say they are the same engine from the outside.

I live on Guernsey where there is only one shipping company and no competition. The cost of shipping a kit in to Guernsey will be very costly if I do it a bit at a time so a completed car is an attractive proposition. Certain larger items can cost as much as £40.00 per kilo by the time they are delivered to me here.

Having a 300 BHP car here does seem a bit of a waste, Guernsey is 9 miles long and 5 miles wide and where the longest straight road is 7/8ths of a mile long and the speed limit is 35 MPH. (Some roads have a 12mph limit!)

However France is just a 2 hour Ferry trip away and as a regular visitor, I have discovered countless "Classic and Historic car" events and competitions. La Coupe Florio is just on my doorstep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHndVGSY910

I want to have a car that is "As close as possible" to the cars that participated in the early 1960s endurance races.

So in essence what I am looking at doing, is having as "Honest" a car to do some of these events and fit in with the spirit of the "Real" cars from the period.
The reliability side of things will be important when going further afield.

At the moment, I am looking at everything and trying to learn the different specifications of what is available on the market at the moment. I guess some will prove to be "Blind Alleys" but I have discovered that it is better to have a look at a few different options before parting with any money.


I look forward to seeing your alloy bodied car "In the metal"


Greg.
User avatar
Dave Woodward
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 912
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 10:00 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: WANTED 289 Slab side.

Post by Dave Woodward »

Greg,

I have just been down the path of replacing the engine in my slabside. I went from Rover 4.6 to 289 HiPo and my advice to you would be, DO NOT underestimate the amount of work, and cost, involved in this conversion. Most things change.

I will be posting an article in the next newsletter which will tease out a number of the challenges.

Dave.
Post Reply