NEW KIT CAR BUILD

[C9 DAK]

WELL HEAR GOES ALL MY FREE TIME FOR THE NEXT YEAR!
SOME OF YOU WILL KNOW THE BIG DAK IS UP FOR SALE, PLAN WAS TO BUILD A HI-BAK TO REPLACE IT.
WELL AFTER A RECENT MEETING WITH TORY AND MARCUS IT HAS BEEN DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THE PRE-EXISTING ARRANGEMENT I HAD WITH STEVE BENNETT SET UP A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY.
I HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH STEVE WHERE WE WERE LOOKING AT BUILDING AN ALL NEW KIT BASED ON A R.ROVER OR DISCO DONOR, HE BUILT A DEMO FRAME WHICH WILL NOW FORM THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME. AFFTER LOOKING AT SOME DRAWINGS THAT I CREATED OVER LAST WINTER A DESIGN WAS FINALISED WHICH WILL NOW HAVE JUST ONE ALTERATION, THAT BEING THE CHASSIS WILL REMAIN AT FULL LENGTH AND NOT BE SHORTENED.
THIS MEANS THE CAR IS GOING TO BE ONE HELL OF A BEAST!, A FIVE SEATER PICK UP, THE FOLLOWING PIC GIVES JUST A PEEP AT THINGS TO COME.

WHAT YOU SEE HEAR IS THE FRAME ATTACHED TO A VERY OLD CHASSIS. A FEW DAYS AGO MARCUS AND I TRANSPLANTED THE FRAME (WHICH WILL REMAIN COMPLETLEY EXPOSED WHEN FINNISHED!), TO A NEW R.ROVER 3.9EFI AUTO DONOR WHICH I PURCHASED FROM MY MATE RICHARD.

[C9 DAK]

I MUST STRESS, THE BASIC SHAPE OF THINGS YOU SEE HEAR CAME COMPLETLEY FROM STEVE BENNETT INSPIRED FROM A R.C. MODEL CAR HE OWNED AND OF COURSE THE FAMOUS HUMMER.
TORY AND I HOPE THAT WITH A LITTLE LUCK, AND LOTS OF HARD WORK AND HELP FROM A FEW KEY PEOPLE WE CAN MAKE STEVE'S DREAMS COME TRUE.

MY JOB NOW IS TO EXTEND THE REAR FRAME RE-WIELD MOST OF THE JOINTS AND CREATE AN ALL SMOOTH PERFECT FRAME. A JIG WILL THEN BE BUILT AROUND THE FRAME TO ALLOW NEAR/EXCACT CLONES TO BE PRODUCED, THE TIMBER BUCKS FOR THE GRP PANNEL MOULDS WILL THEN BE FABRICATED, WITH THAT DONE I WILL THEN REMOVE THE FINNISHED FRAME AND GET IT SHOT BLASTED AND POWDER COATED. IT WILL THEN RETURN TO THE PREPARED DONOR.

ALL OF THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME!.
THE FOLLOWING PIC IS A VERY ROUGH EARLY SKETCH, THE CAR WILL HAVE A FIXED HARD TOP, VERY LARGE FRONT AND REAR SCREENS, REMOVEABLE DAKAR STYLE DOORS. SUSSPENSION WILL REMAIN STANDARD TO BEGIN WITH BUT SPACE WILL ALLOW 35" TYRES WITHOUT A PROBLEM.

[Muddy Funkster]

Very Interesting Kevin,

I thought Steve had again shelved it (again) to do a crew cab HiBak.

Well I for one with be watching very closely!

[C9 DAK]

TRUE THIS PROJECT WAS ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES THEN LAST OCTOBER IT WAS AGREED TO BUILD TWO DEMONSTRATORS SIDE BY SIDE, ONE WILL BE BUILT NOW AND IF ALL GOES TO PLAN A DISCO TDI VERSION WOULD QUICKLY FOLLOW.
MARCUS TELLS ME THE CREW CAB HI-BAK WILL STILL HAPPEN.
GOOD NEW ON SAT JUST GONE. MAN ARRIVED ALL THE WAY FROM FROM DEVON WENT FOR TEST DRIVE IN DAKAR AND VIRTUALLY GOT HIS CHEQUE BOOK OUT!