MRE help needed

[jcv123]

Does anyone recall the MRE FF (circa 1973)?
I have a set of uprights that I will be using on a project and was wondering if someone know what the front rotor came off of. It is an odd piece, and I would like to see if any replacements are available. Not your typical Triumph/Mg stuff/
Here's a pic of the car to help.
http://www.motorsnippets.com/cars%5C...2%5Clot212.asp
Thanks in advance.

John

[Rick Kirchner]

I seem to recall that the MRE was a take-off of several Lotus employees. If so, I'd look at what the Lotus cars used.

[R John Lye]

Hi John,

Thanks again for your help today unloading the Swift from my
trailer. I forgot to bring my books with me, so as penance, I'll
type in this from "The A to Z of Formula Racing Cars" by David
Hodges:

MRE
This short lived marque, which disappeared as it was taken over
to become Tiga in 1975, is chiefly recalled for its production Formula
Ford cars in the early 1970s. Its 1973 F3 venture hardly took off;
the Max Boxtrom-designed space frame car, as imple adaptation
of the F Ford model appeared competent, but was was not competitive,
apparently let down by its engines in the final season of the 1.6 litre
F3 racing, and not developed.

From "The Anatomy and Development of the Formula Ford Race Car"
by Steve Nickless:

MRE (GB)
Jim Gleave's Bourne End, Bucks., England-based company employed
ex-Nemo F3 designer Max Boxtrom to design a straightforward, front
radiator-equipped FF which appeared as the MRE 73F in 1973.
Subsequent 74F and 75F models were successful in several markets,
and were also the basis for the first Tiga FF: Gleave sold MRE's assets
to Tim Schenken and Howden Ganley over the winter of '75-'76.

One of the most successful MRE drivers in the US was Bob Earl, '73
National Champion driving and ADF, who raced an MRE entered by
West Coast importer ProFormula.

I'm not sure that helps, but that's all I have.

John

[bob darcey]

Judging from the photo, it looks as if the MRE rotor is deeper than the Triumph units, looks a bit like the rotors on my Lola T-200. The Lola rotors have really deep top hats, 3.25" overall, 10" rotor OD and (4) on 4.25" bolt circle. Even if they were close to a match, the Lola rotors are nearly unobtanium, and the casting houses can't (or won't) replicate anything with that much depth. Some of the Lola owners go with two-piece rotors from TrueChoice or others. There was a thread on this a while back, may be of help:

http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/show...ht=lola+rotors

By the way, I know that GRD was formed by a bunch of ex-Lotus employees, MRE as well??

[Allan Davies]

No, it wasn't anyone from Lotus that was involved with MRE. As John points out, it was Jim Gleave, running what was in essence a prep shop called MRE in the little village of Bourne End who commissioned Max Boxstrom, a Canadian, to design an FF/F? car.

The tube frame was based (loosely) on the very successful Brabham BT-28. The FF did OK initially, I think Derek Lawrence won some club races in one. An F3 car was built and driven once or twice by Antiguan Mike Tyrell who was primarily running an Ensign F3 car in 1973, and an F2 variant was built with a BDA for hillclimbs.

As has been previously pointed out, MRE morphed into Tiga when Jim sold out to Tim Schenken and Howden Ganley. Maybe early Tiga brakes would suit, but I really don't know.

Good luck with it!

[Chuck Hovonick]

The guys are correct that MRE was bought out and became TIGA, and for reasons of economy, many of the specialized MRE hard parts were carried over onto the new cars. The photo shows a front suspension upright, steering arms, etc. that are exactly like the late 70's TIGAs. The rotors are not readily available from what I've heard. Check with J. Haydon at Pegasus to see what the present active TIGA owners are doing for front brakes - I suspect custom hats and rotors, which would be a lot lighter than the original pieces. My currently-being-restored TIGA is 100% original, so if I ever get it back together, I'll have to get the same question answered.

Chuck Hovonick

[jcv123]

Thanks to everyone who responded, there is a wealth of knowledge around here.
Because the hub, brake disk and bearing housing are all one cast piece (utilizing taper roller bearings, no less), I think I will be forced to machine off the rotor and go with a separate brake hat assembly. This seems to be the most reasonable approach for long term viability. I will still persue finding the original source of the rotor unit, if nothing than personal curiosity.

John

[Stan Clayton]

the hub, brake disk and bearing housing are all one cast piece

John,

Are you sure your car doesn't use VW Type 3 pieces? What you describe is exactly what is on my '75 Zink Z-10B FF. You might call Richard or Steve at ICP to find out if they can help you.

Stan