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RedMist


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Tatum - More than a Jimco at under half the price.
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After selling on my Jimco 2000 I wanted to configure a new car that was designed to be as light as possible while maintaining enough security for a father of two. My budget wasn't in the realms of a new Jimco "Ausi Special" and the Jimco 2000, I had previously owned, was too heavy to make it compeditive in NZ.

I chose Tatum to build a new car to CAMS specs simply because they provided an exceptional car for a very good price. The, industry cheap, off the shelf components will also allow me to start a proper maintenance program rather than being trapped by having to maintain older and very expensive componentry used on my Jimco 98.

Tatum have come a very long way from the days where thier boxy and simple cars dominated mid and lower field. They now produce a range of single and two seater 10 and 1 cars that are sure to start and make an impact on both US and NZ racing. 

I would hope that some of you consider Tatum when spec'ing a new car. You'd be idiotic to ignore them.

We've spec'ed the car with a Fortin FRS6 and have taken a gamble with a rotary turbo. Given competition in Ausi we'll remove the rotary and either place a Nissan V6 or run a rotary 12a triple rotor (400whp) in Pro Lite.

Car will end up looking very much like the Smiley 10 car

The ali work on my car.

The car three weeks ago.


 



-- Edited by RedMist on Monday 27th of February 2012 04:56:48 AM

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obr184


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nice looking car mate.

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RedMist


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Thanks Gents. Car is looking very very nice. It's exceptional considering the value for money and the low cost of replacement components. I think it'll make a very compeditive pro lite and a good NZ class 1. Given sale of my 98 Jimco, I'll replace it with a second similar Tatum only a middy Nissan/Cosworth turbo/ Albins.... then come and play in the red dust!



-- Edited by RedMist on Thursday 1st of March 2012 04:22:08 AM

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Great looking car Dan, can't wait to see it over here in prolite (with a NISSAN in it )biggrin. Should be a very fast car from the looks of it. 



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RedMist


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If only Tatum were producing these cars several years ago... I wouldn't have owned either of my two Jimco's.







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tine


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how much room around the rotor


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RedMist


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Enough to ensure I can keep a small cheerleading team in the rear cage.... or ... put in a VQ twin turbo if needed.

It's a well layed out car built short to ensure it turns on a dime (NZ tracks are tight).



-- Edited by RedMist on Wednesday 7th of March 2012 03:06:44 PM

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jones off road


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When does it arrive?
You must be keen to get it?


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Pedroski


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I know it's a rude question, but what is the final cost of a turn key with your specs?
Tell me to mind my own business if you want.

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RedMist


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Car should be completed bar plumbing and wiring (things I want strict control of) within a couple of weeks. I'm seriously hanging out for her. It's a serious piece of kit for the money but very nervous about the Rotary. Would have preferred to go with my Jimco setup, Cosworth/Nissan turbo and Albins sequential, but I simply didn't have the money and wanted to prove you could construct a class 1 on a reasonable budget.

I don't want to set you astray in terms of price simply because I recieved a special price on the roller given it's the first Tatum "Ausi Special". If you know how much a Jimco Ausi Special roller is... it's approximately a third, and it's a considerably better build/design than the Jimco 2000 I owned. Funny thing is I think the ali work resembles Brad's car. (although it's shorter to allow a quicker turn in and reduce weight)

Having cheap parts off the shelf was also a fantastic bonus. Check out www.tatummotorsports.com

I've queried Rich Ronco (owner of Tatum) to give me a roller price for general publication.


 



-- Edited by RedMist on Thursday 8th of March 2012 11:47:12 AM

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tine


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maybe how much was the smiley motorsports one,because its finished,your wallet probably still emptying

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Pedroski


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My wallet is anorexic, but a man can dream.

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Dan,

i was just wondering what size tube the cross behind the seat and down to beside the gearbox is, as it looks fairly small. I could be wrong but i think for it to be passed to race here by CAMS it has to be 1.5 inch or 38mm. Might be worth checking before you go to far, that is if you want to race here



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RedMist


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Indeed, was seen to be easy bars to replace if needed. (however on reflection might replace the lowers while it's on the jig) We've tried to scrub every ounce from the car and reduction in the size of the cross member was not seen to reduce the structrual regidity of the car and was the only concession to NZ regs. There may also be some issue in terms of the floor crossmember, however it's substancially stronger than the idiotic north south cross dictated by the CAMS manual.

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RedMist


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Rear shocks and mounts, completion of bracing, new IBP's on the front... don't know why the upright is on the wrong side, guess it's just mockup for travel on the IBP. Not long until it's rolling complete, from where it's shipped to NZ for plumbing and wiring.





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Jackass


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Hello Redmist,

Just wondering if you have received your new toy yet?

I will be in the market for a new machine later in the year and I am looking at all of my options which could see with me with a trophy truck yet ........... but who knows - would like to stick with a buggy :)

Cheers

Chris



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simpson


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Hey Chris keep an eye on Alumicraft they are looking at building trucks could be an option !

http://alumicraft.info/new/racecars/

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RedMist


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Chris, we haven't pushed hard for the car as we'll run the JImco for the remainder of the season. I'm also considering an engine change to allow me to run in pro lite. Which will mean the replacement of the rear cage. I'm also playing for time as there is the possibility of completing the car in the states and running a US/Mexico event towards the end of the year.
If I were you I'd look at all options. Tatum is very similar to the Jimco Ausi special (with a little better geometry). It should also be considerably lighter than my Jimco 2000 was.
Alumicraft have some very good lightweight machines and John is very good to work with.
I spent some time in the states looking at options and the Tatum simply could't be touched for price. I do suspect that components won't be as strong as some others, however in NZ with rock and mud egress my name brand components don't last either. The price gives me the abilty to drag around a good spares package and replace components to a replacement schedule rather than waiting until failure.
Jimco, Alumicraft, Racer all have very similar products using high end componentry.
Tatum give you the option of either using thier components or whatever you wish
Bunderson make cars a little differently but just as sucessful.

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Jackass


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Thanks for the info Simpson and I was thinking of doing the same thing Redmist - do a race in the states before bringing whatever it is home.  But then again I think that there is some great fab work being completed here in Australia. 

There are so many choices these days.  For now I will just keep dreaming hahahahahaha and keep working on putting my old girl back together.

Cheers

Chris



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RedMist


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Final rolling assembly.






-- Edited by RedMist on Friday 1st of June 2012 10:37:30 AM

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RedMist


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Very close to Tatum completion. I'm in the states on the 27th to signoff the car and lock the doors on the container to NZ.






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jones off road


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Looks great, well done!
If you are unsure about the rotary, then why are they building it with it? Are you going to race it over there like that? I assume there is a reason, otherwise you would have just put a nissan it it?

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RedMist


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jones off road wrote:

Looks great, well done!
If you are unsure about the rotary, then why are they building it with it? Are you going to race it over there like that? I assume there is a reason, otherwise you would have just put a nissan it it?

 

The FRS6 can only handle 450whp and the goal was to create an extremely lightweight car suitable for that HP (I find it hard to get any more power to the ground in my Nissan turbo anyway). On paper the rotary is a stupidly good race engine. Linear power, light weight, simple and reliable. It's simply a matter if the paper matches the dirt.



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tumbleweed


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We had a 13B bridgeport in a datto 1600 class 5. Very good power/weight. Prick to start on cold mornings (ours was 48IDA webers not injected).

Absolute key to rotarys is immaculate filtering. the smallest amount of dust will set your apex seals backwards fast. Cooling was also an issue although we were running some events in 35 degrees plus. We fixed cooling with an external bypass system.


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RedMist


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Thanks for the advice and the experience.

I've yet to purchase the rotary specific starter, however given the stories I've heard about both cold and warm starts I think it's a wise investment!

Seen the radiator in the Tatum? It's a dual pass, three fan, internal heat exchanger, work of art!
We don't see high ambiant races here in NZ, however if the internal heat exchanger proves an issue I can alway add a seperate oil cooler for additional cooling.

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Jackass


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have you got this vehicle home yet redmist???

If so, how did it turn out?

Cheers

Chris

 



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digsy


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Hey Chris

Not sure about this Tatum - but Team Taylor have been campaigning a Tatum with a V8 for the last couple of races in Aus and have had some great results.

Highest was 3rd outright at Lockyer Valley AORC Rnd 5.

They were also up into 3/4ish at Gundy 400 in 2013 before they had a converter seal failure.

It runs a VERY mild LS - Fortin 4 Speed - KING suspension!

Great car - I'd highly recommend them as they have been well proven as a great car for the $$$$



(I hear a rumour that if you offered Taylors some folding for thier Tatum that they would let it go....)

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