| Ultraright
Ultralite
Jerry
Eddens' WCM
By Darrel Arment
(Link
to online article here)
Jerry Eddens had two major goals
when he retired in 2000. First, he
needed to get all the little details
involved with the building of his
new house (and plenty of garage space)
taken care of, and second, he wanted
to build some kind of pleasure car
for himself.
While the housing project was being
completed, Jerry started researching
his automotive possibilities. He
was open to almost anything, but
after much conversation with other
enthusiasts, checking a variety of
car magazines, and visiting a bunch
of Internet sites, he decided that
what he really wanted to construct
was a kit/replicar.
He also knew that whatever he would
select would have to be roadster
or convertible, not require a lot
of welding or cutting, have ample
interior space, and be faster than
the C5 he drove daily. He charted
the specs on all the cars he had
looked at, visited the tuner Web
sites, compared all the prices, and,
in the end, settled on the Lotus
Seven style cars as the right vehicle
for him.
They were small, light, and simple
cars, and there were a lot of builders
to choose from, and that became a
major problem for Jerry. He narrowed
his choices down to six, and then
made a trip to Carlisle in the spring
of 2003 so he could kick the tires.
After all was said and done, it was
the Ultralite S2K that really seemed
to have the right combination of
quality, performance ,
low cost, and fun.
The next step was a September trip
to World Class Motorsports near Dallas
for a little ride-and-drive experience.
Well, that was it. Jerry selected
a color, picked some options, signed
the papers, left some cash, and waited
for delivery of his shiny new Ultralite.
Though the selection process was
over, the build was about to begin.
Jerry's S2K met all the performance
criteria he had set. The powertrain
he chose is a Honda S2000 VTec engine
backed by Honda's close-ratio six-speed
transmission. The combination produces
240 hp and 153 lb-ft torque and is
capable of 3.5 second 0-to-60 times
with a top speed in the 140-mph range.
At 1,240 lbs, this car can be a real
rocket ride!
The suspension is independent all
around with coilover shocks at all
four corners. The rear is a 10-link
system that controls the 4.44:1-geared
Subaru WRX rearend assembly. Up front,
a custom tubular A-arm and Fiero
spindle arrangement uses an MGB rack
for directional input.
The suspension system is well-balanced
and provides the right amount of
control and ride so that the car
is capable, yet not too harsh. The
last part added to the suspension
system is a full set of four Wilwood
12-inch four-piston disc brakes .
These guys can bring an Ultralite
down from 60 mph in 100 feet, which
is right up there with the best performance
cars.
The rolling chassis comes loosely
assembled, so by the time Jerry got
finished tightening bolts and aligning
the drivetrain, he was quite familiar
with the mechanicals of the car and
ready to move on to sheetmetal and
interior installation.
The body sheetmetal and lighting
hardware are furnished with the kit,
as are all of the interior items
including the upholstery and instruments.
Of course it's up to the owner to
do the installation of these items,
and truthfully, it's the owner that
makes the car either a stunner or
just another kit.In his case, Jerry
is a meticulous craftsman who is
not willing to settle for just "OK." It
has to be right if it is to be on
his car, and if it isn't, he is willing
to do whatever it takes to make it
that way. In the end it took Jerry
about seven months to finish his
car, which gave him a little time
to shake the car down a bit prior
to track testing at Run and Gun 2004.
In street trim the car turned a
12.69 at 107 mph on the dragstrip,
and took Fourth Place overall in
the street competition. If you were
to look around, there seems to be
an Ultralite revolution in the making,
as you can find more and more of
these types of kits coming into the
marketplace (and more still after
folks find out how much fun they
can be). And with guys like Jerry
and his ultraright Ultralite leading
the charge, they have every chance
of being a dominant force in the
kit car world very soon. .
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