Help - KVA GT40????

hi guys (and girls maybe) - thought id jsut take a moment to pick your brains on the KVA gt40 - ive being looking around and have seen 1 that might be up for sale soon - its a kva but has had most bits changed away from the cortina/sierra bits - Are these any good?? what would one pay for something like this?? what would i look for?? i like the idea of having a more original car so i may have to save more and go for a GTD or similar........

also - it has a rover V8 - not exactly my choice of motor - i presume if i wanted to put a ford in - a 302 - would i need to chage transmission? and how much is a 302 complete engine gonna cost?

thanks for you help lads!

Dan - yorkshire

 

[Lynn Larsen]

Daniel,

Important first steps: you said bits changed away from cortina/sierra, but more important is "what were they changed to?" Has a rover v8, which I won't speak to, but as to changing it to a 302 or other windsor v8, the most important thing to know is what type of transaxle does it have now? Assuming it is some sort of Renault, the answer is maybe, but maybe not. You need to know exactly what kind of transaxle it is with part/casting numbers etc. Precision is true of all the information you get. For example: corvette rotors is not good enough; you need to know exact year parts are from. At the very least are they pre'84, 84-87, 88-92, etc. This is only an example, but using a real parts and info. So, it depending on what bits it does have, you'll need to find the acceptable year ranges for them. I'll let the guys over there take it from here because they know these kind of things for the parts you are likely to run into far better than I do.

Regards,
Lynn

 

[Paul W]

As Lynn says finding out what parts/year the car has now is very important.
With the gearbox if it's a renault you ideally want UN1-013.
It wouldn't be a problem to use this with a ford V8 but you would need a new bellhousing to accept your new motor.
The good thing is you will get a car that is completed and SVA'd already - providing it is reasonably priced. I don't think these days you can build a 40 for less than £25k ukp.
A rebuilt 302 to reasonable standard will cost you £3k ish.

 

yeah - thanks for that guys - i deffinately like the idea of getting a completed car cos i dont have the time but am very willing to learn once ive got the car. so if i was to go for a car thats a bit more original - say a gtd with a ford engine (302) what kinda prices will i be paying? seen a fe around and guessing id pay about 30k?? or would 25k do it?
thanks for all your help ppl!

 

[JimmyMac]

Daniel,
I guess I know how excited you will feel right now thinking of buying the KVA especially if you are getting a good deal and convincing yourself it's right for you by thinking "I'll customise it". I nearly did it myself.
But, if you are thinking of modifying it by retrofitting parts to make it look more like a GTD or some other marque, you might be opening Pandora's box.
For what it's worth, my advice is to decide on your ultimate specification and your limitations - what you really want and go from there. Then do plenty of research and this forum is the best place for that.
If you want a "more original car" (whatever that is these days) then shoot for it first time. Buying something with a Rover power unit to chop it out for a Ford is frustrating, wasting your precious time and hard earned cash and you are really only buying a rolling chassis (which will require modification) for the price of a full car.
It sounds as though you are not too happy with that Rover and some people think it's a poor relation but I can say that there are a lot of guys out there get a lot from them and still enjoy that GT40 ride.
Good fortune with your decision.