It's not yellow and it's no 21 [image heavy]

[philfingers]

Well I've bought another Sylva, just a day after my Yellow Striker went to it's new home in Scotland I picked up this from the North East, nr Newcastle upon Tyne. I've never been in a bike engined car and being so much into my bikes it seemed a natural choice.



The previous owner claims the car was built by Stuart Taylor Motorsport. Apparently it was built with a Honda V Twin, which I guess would be a VTR 1000[?] But the log book states capacity is 1100cc. Then they fitted an R1 before he bought it. Certainly they [STM] were the first owner on the log book. The car is on an 2005 age related plate.
Briefly there's a 2004 R1 engine, it's got a paddle shift, Quaiffe Reversing Box, Quaiffe LSD, Spa tacho, bias brakes with Outlaw M16 4 pot calipers.
So the spec sounds good. The car was on ebay, he had a reserve of £7750. You know when you get home with something and you look at it and think 'what have I done'!
Have a look through the pictures and weep at the state of it!
I'd welcome any comments, both good and bad. I suspect mostly the latter!
Few questions before I head out for the day, the diff, what is it out of. It's definitely an LSD as I've jacked it up. Outlaw calipers, are they any good? I had a brief run down the road in it yesterday once the insurance [cost me £63 to change over from the Striker - which was £117] and tax were sorted. How the f*ck it got an mot a month ago I don't know. the brakes are awful, and spitting out fluid as you can see. Also the perished ball joint boot! I'm sure that was an MOT fail last time I looked!
The gear linkage is appalling, the bodywork is all scuffed from what I would imagine was a tarpauline over the top. I think it will polish up.

[matt_gsxr]

Looks like its from the same era as mine (actually if it were registered in 2005 that makes sense). Square tube chassis (so early STM), IRS Sierra back end, escort rack, escort/capri cutdown uprights, sierra column,

From what I remember Stuart Taylor were keen on putting the st1100 Honda Pan European engine in the Phoenix for a while. The motivation (I believe) was that they were cheap and bulletproof. Although they were cheap and bulletproof, they were also a bit heavy and pretty low on power (my not just get a zetec!) which made it a sales failure. So I'd be pretty confident that was what you had in there originally.

Diff is Sierra. I have the same Outlaw front calipers, they were variously branded as Bremsport (mine), Outlaw, Raceleda. I think Rob (Motorsport Rob) said that they would put any name you wanted on them if you bought a dozen sets. They seem to work fine for me although finding pads requires some detective work.

The car you have looks like it just needs some love. The bits look expensive (reversing box, SPA design tacho/speedo) just not as cared for as you might hope. Looks like a great little project.

Matt

[jeffw]

Bit of TLC and it will be a great little car. I certainly wouldn't have paid over £7k for it but if you got it at a good price then happy days.

[philfingers]

thanks guys

The car was registered 1st July 2005, previous owner got it 1st Aug 2006. chassis number ends in 13874 Matt, maybe it's close to yours?
I was thinking about the motor today and came to the same Pan European conclusion, it's about the only 1100cc motor, but V4 and not V twin.
Sierra diff makes sense must be the Quaiffe ATB type. I run a plate TranX in my 205, they're really good, klunky when new that's all. Have you got a reverse box on yours? This is left with only the short shaft sticking out, and it's hard to stay in drive position, either forward or back and seems to make a racket when spinning the IP shaft with it in neutral. Brakes need sorting. Also throttle is stiff and the airbox needs lifting by some means very slightly, once lifted it's nice a smooth. I'll be adding some springs to the throttle to give it more 'weight'. Also the throttle pedal pivot has lots of play in it and feels just plain nasty, probably going to turn some bushes up in nylon or something to sort the play out. Brakes need sorting. Might need a rebuild or just strip and clean. Gear linkage is shocking.
Have you ever seen any STM factory cars? What was the build like? I'm wondering if maybe STM didn't swap the motor over and it was done by someone else.
Jeff- price was sensible. It certainly needs some work. Even the bodywork isn't great. the Yellow Phoenix I had was much better laid glassfibre. This one could maybe do with painting once the issues have been addressed
off out to play with it!

[RobMsport]

Perhaps still a little pricey looking at the condition of everything and it would seem non practical owner/s treating it like a production car (which you can't with a kit or it'll rot) Those bolts through the OUTLAW calipers -- what a bodge

[philfingers]

Rob- on hindsight even £6250 was too much.
The caliper bolts is standard, see http://www.outlawdiscbrakes.com/m16.html some bike calipers use a bolt for pad retention
I bled the brakes this morning, nothing seized. Bled up ok, no leaks, no sticking calipers.
Working on sorting the throttle linkage now, made a better pivot, so there's no play, some stronger return springs to give a bit of weight to the pedal. Under the back end is really good. order so better rod ends to do the gear linkage better. I have a lathe so shouldn't struggle with bits. Avo shocks have some surface rust but will clean up ok.

[dopdog]

looks like you need to swap that bolt around on the diff to stop it touching the hand break cable. looks like a lot of work all the best with it and make sure we see some nice photos of the progress.

[RobMsport]

Rob- on hindsight even £6250 was too much.
The caliper bolts is standard, see http://www.outlawdiscbrakes.com/m16.html some bike calipers use a bolt for pad retention
I bled the brakes this morning, nothing seized. Bled up ok, no leaks, no sticking calipers.
Working on sorting the throttle linkage now, made a better pivot, so there's no play, some stronger return springs to give a bit of weight to the pedal. Under the back end is really good. order so better rod ends to do the gear linkage better. I have a lathe so shouldn't struggle with bits. Avo shocks have some surface rust but will clean up ok.

I've got RACELEDA/OUTLAW but the bolt isn't anywhere near that long , just looks wrong somehow Put them on in 2004 from memory , along with ally uprights , hubs etc . It was then that I made up my first pair of wishbones to allow rodends all round , followed by lighter top rockers with outboard rodend(critisized by many using in shear position BUT have never snapped , even hitting the tree at EELMOOR , when all the other rodends snapped used correctly)

[David]

I have the Bremsport version of these calipers. Served me well sprinting for the last nine years -- but new pads are about twice the price of Wilwoods'.

[matt_gsxr]

Phil,

My chassis came without a number. So I made one up, so no use there.

Also I have no reverse box, just get out and shove.

Agreed on the diff Sierra with expensive internals.

The throttle pedals on the STM cars are all a bit agricultural (nylon bodgery and a strong spring both help).

I'd be pretty sure the engine was not put in by STM.
The engine frame mounts are not their normal versions and the cradle doesn't look like the ones that I have seen STM produce.
Finally a proper company would surely have removed the side panel before welding the mounts, and also finished the holes for the headers!

What is your plan for the bonnet? A big bulge.


I'd encourage you to change the way the bonnet pivots to avoid it hinging into the ground. I followed Rob's example and it works much more nicely now.