Wow! What can I say...David has certainly gone to town on modifying his Rapier. Just look at the list of things he`s already done to the car:
I bought the car in 1990,and because i owned an H120 for eight years previous,i found that i had cuaght the Fastback bug.Thinking that the car would look great with the roof off, i decided to get a very cheap example,so if it went wrong, it wouldnt be a disaster I had seen EKK 766K driving around the local village, and asked the chap driving it ,if he wanted to sell it.Fifty pounds later,it was mine.And less than an hour later the roof was off. Under the bonnet was a standard Hunter engine,which i pulled out and threw away.A freind had tried to put a Fiat Twin cam into a Marina Coupe (VERY SAD) and got bored with it,and gave me the whole car for gratis.
The next job was to fit the twin cam ,amazingley this was very easy to fit ,i didnt even have to cut the bodywork.
Having driven Fastbacks before, the memory of vauge steering stuck in my mind,so rack and pinion was the only answer.Hunting around the scrap yards,i picked up a Dolomite colum,and a Mini rack.these fitted easly, with some fabrication and welding.
The suspension was next,thinking the standard car looked to much up in the air, i decided to get it into the weeds!,but i did not want to go the boy racer way,so i removed all the leafs from the rear springs,and left the main one.And moved this up into the bodywork by two inches.Then adjustable coil over Spax where fitted,along with anti tramp bars.The front suspension was modified by removing the spring platforms,and relacing them with Leda thereaded tubes,and 2.25 inch, 200lb springs.All the rubber bushes where replaced with PTFE nylon, the camber was made to be adjustable,and a Calibra V6 roll bar was made to fit.
I then decided to have the engine modified, and managed to get hold of a Strada Arbath lump.It was rebiult by MD Autos,which included lightning the flywheel,balancing the crank,and polishing the ports.Brand new twin 40s,and a Janspeed four into one exhuast manifold where also fitted,as well as a custom made two and a half inch bore exhuast.The estimated bhp is around 170 and can hold off a modified Escort Turbo,and handles just as well.
At this moment in time i am carrying out a full respray, as i am panelbeater and sprayer by trade.Other custom mods since the photos where taken, are the removal of locks, and door handles.The dashboard has been fabriacted in metal and painted in the body colour,brand new Smith's magnolia dials have been added.
A custom made interior is being made at the trimmers,the material is turquiose and light grey tweed, with light grey carpet.The seats and capet will be finished in turquiose piping,and the hood will made in BMW dark blue hooding. Since showing the car at numerous car shows,and being in custom car, it has given me the insperation to go to town .Already Street Machine has contacted me, and said they want to do a feature,so its starting to become famous.Also the club i belong to has now got a web site(www.hotrodseurope.com/surreyroadsters) so you can see my car there. Well iv'e probably bored you by now,so i'll end .
David GreenWood
