Quote: Come on Craig, I know that you are much more inteligent than that.

A vehicle with an engine in front has what is euphamisticly called a 'crumple zone' between the firewall & the grille. Regardless of how efficient it might or might not be, it is still better than having your feet only inches from the impact point.

For tree, substitute 'other vehicle' It does not need to happen often, but if it happens only once,.... & it's to you, then it's once too often, & as for roll cages, they offer great protection,... in a rollover.
Granted that they are also designed to protect in a variety of other situations, but your feet are still only inches from the impact point, & in competition, that impact happens at racing speed. How much weight of protective structure do you think would be needed to protect this area adequately?

From my personal standpoint, this foward control type of vehicle is "Unsafe at any speed"

My point? If you have a look at the damage to most racing vehicles that are involved in an 'incident' I'm sure that you would agree that most of the damage, most of the time, is to the front of the vehicle, & in a foward control vehicle, this is where the driver sits.
I guess it's all fun untill someone gets hurt.

If u could still track down a Z18T I think it would be lots of fun in a Urvan!
Oh! & it would give u a whole lot more usable torque when fully loaded Dodgeman

So how is that different from any other car hitting a wall at 160kph??
Or a racing a motorcycle???
Remember they would have full cages in them.
Also I cant remember any trees or power poles being present at racetracks without some sort of good barrier between you and them.

Someone in adelaide has a honey brown 1600 with a z18, I think they bolt in anywhere an l-series does, dont quote me on that though.

Nissan Urvan was a great vvehicle ! Fantastic workhorse...

I think they had a Z20 OHC engine in it... At least the one we had did...

Wonder if it would be worth putting one of those engines in a Datto ??

Quote:
After almost being involved in two head-on collisions in my work HiAce, where the other vehicles were on my side of the road, & seeing the wreckage of a workmates van, in which various parts of his body were found in diferent places, I can't even begin to imagine the prospect of having an 'off' at racing speed in one of these foward control coffins.
I have seen the results of these things running into trees, power poles & other solid objects too many times to regard racing one as anything other than a form of Russian Roulette.

wasnt there a Nissan works urvan with a tripple webered L28?
I remember an L28 urvan for sale not that long ago, probably go better than the z24.

Thanks guys. So the engine mounts and stuff arent the same on them? Also, I'd like to build a vanette turbo but I'd probably go with a later engine. You just can't beat that rush the ca's give you in the top end

There was a race on Togear on SBS last monday night, with minvans racing on a circuit. There were taragos, serenas etc etc all battling out for line honours. Apparently very entertaining anda friend has taped it. I reckon there is a real market for doing up and racing vans on the circuit. The high centre of gravity would ensure great racing.
They also look fantastic when they are done up.
I reckon a hot vanette with A 15 would be awsome or a Serena with a SR20...all are RWD.

Hippys like vans, someone next door has a Urvan. I think they make better wrecks than mobile vehicles, but only because they have brake and clutch m/c's for under the dash and the z-series.