Just read through your fascinating build thread again - I
love my straight six Spyder, but as it's been on the road for nearly a year now my engineers fingers are starting to get a bit twitchy...
If I were to build another car, and it's a
big if, I would probably look at going down the ultra lightweight road/racer route. As you've quite rightly pointed out, modern motors give you a much better power to weight output and I'd be very tempted by the 1.7 Ford Sigma Zetec SE engine as used in the Puma. Although it 'only' has 123bhp it also only weighs 81kgs*, is relatively cheap and easy to convert to rwd using a type 9 gearbox**, has loads of character (co developed with Yamaha) and an MOT failure donor car can be bought for a few hundred quid***.
*
http://westfield-world.com/enginespecs_car.html
**
http://www.rwdmotorsport.com/zetec-s...llhousing.html
***
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2514721065...84.m1423.l2649
Sorry to have gone all round the houses, but my question is in relation to the engine management on your car - I know a fair bit about carburettors but nowt about efi - are you using the donor's ecu or will you have to use an aftermarket engine management system?
As a general question for anyone out there in madaboutkitcarworld, is it possible just to unbolt all the ecu bits 'n' bobs from a Puma/MX5/318i/etc and just plug it all into a kit car/buggy wiring loom and have the engine work like it did in the donor?
If not, is there a cheap, basic ecu that can be bought off the shelf and fitted by a diy mechanic?
Looking forward to learning something about ecu/efi.
