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What is the 2B
[Or, dietary tips for Sierras]

The Build Diary
['99 - Aug. '00]
[ Aug - Nov. '00]
[December '00]
[Early Jan '01]
[January '01]
[February '01]
[March '01]
[April '01]
[May '01]
[June '01]
[July '01]

The SVA
[Did my 2B pass?]

On The Road
[Whats it like then?]
[And now it's been improved!]

New for 2003
[Suspension Mods]

New for 2002
[Engine Mods]
[Fuel Filler]
[Custom Instuments]
[Rear Shocks]

Tricks & Tips
[including do as I say, not as I did!]

Major Problems
[Or how to talk to the Manufacturer]

So you think you've got problems?

Gallery
[Or,some necessary light relief!]

Wifes View
[Or, are you coming out of that garage....]

Links
[Other maniacs who have tried this]

About the Authors
[If you are really bored...]

So, you think you had problems with a 2b...

This page is partly to make me feel better about the fact that I had hassles putting the front suspension together and partly to make me feel totally inadaquete about only having 70 or so horsepower under the bonnet

The 2b's undercarriage is, in its sliding pillar form, a total bugger to get anything like right. Think yourself luckly then that you do not have to contend with something like this...

This is the Starboard main undercarriage of a B52 Stratofortress. Don't you just love the unassuming way that Americans name their aircraft(!).

If you feel that you're 160 HP Pinto is getting near the end of its tuning limits perhaps you can consider some of these...

This engine is a Liberty V12 which was an American Aero engine developed near the end of WWI. The exposed valvegear might be a handycap but the whole thing looks so cool, that I'll forgive it that. This engine gives about 420 HP although some versions were tuned to about 450 in marine applications.

Now we are talking real engines. This is an early Rolls-Royce Merlin, the engine which powered everything in the British military from Aircraft to Tanks via Boats! This V12 displaces 27 litres and develops between 1000 and 1600 HP depending upon the version and the altitude it is operating at - 2B owners do not have a choice of altitude. The large casings on the back of the engine are the supercharger assemblies and would cause problems in the ground clearance department in a 2B.

If a merlin fails to deliver that extra ooomph for overtaking that fokker [sic], then perhaps Rolls-Royces Griffon might do the trick, after all it did for the Spitfire when such things as the FW-190 came along. The engine is only slightly larger in terms of frontal area (7.5 Sq Feet) but has an extra 10 litres to play with. This is put to use providing about 1800 HP is a slightly less stressful way than the Merlin, although more must be attainable as American air races do manage to find in excess of 2500 HP from Merlins in Mustangs. They do tend, however, to blow up quite frequently!

One last engine that should be considered for a lightweight sportscar is the Napier Sabre which was fitted to the Hawker Typhoons and Tempests. With its 2260 Hp it was the most powerful British piston engine of WWII. Be warned however, this 24 Cylinder sleeve valve engine with its double H cylinder layout is not for the technically timid.

If you think this is a rather silly page, good! But do remember people have built cars with Merlin engines, and at least one enterprising chap chopped 2 cylinders off the end of one to build a 4.5 litre V-twin motorcycle. It should come as no surprise that he was Australian!