Update (and tow eyes...)

[Pedders]

It would be fair to say that most of my posts on the Ultima forum are normally about trivial trim and similar matters.

This post will be no exception (as I want to ask about toe eyes), however, to try and establish some credibility first and show that I have being doing more on the car than worrying about things like whether to have an interior light or not (still grappling with this one....), here's a few update pics.

After 3 years and 3 months - it's nearly finished and can actually be driven! Am waiting on new wheels and tyres, and the lead time on those will give me enough time to pick off the few remaining little jobs, and then it will be IVA time!

Completed engine bay - now satisfyingly leak free following a while searching out an annoying coolant leak:

|http://thumbsnap.com/9SJ7S0Zq[/url]

Finished interior (intentionally minimalist for those wondering if I have forgotten the gauges).



Now back to toe eyes. I was just wondering if there were any alternatives to the factory option? Pics would be much appreciated if anyone has done something different.

[macgtech]

Exceptionally neat - great job!

[Storer]

Very good looking build. What is the engine? I can tell it is an Autobionics exhaust, as they like to use lots of tube.....

You could use a fibre strap if only occasional use.


Paul

[confusionhunter]

LSA? Looking real good.

Factory option looks light weight and practical but Iprefer something a bit more stealth.
I currently have one of these in the car and I can wrap it round the frame or bolt it when needing towed.


I was thinking of taking a tow hook from a vw polo or golf and welding an appropriate thread from said vehicle to the frame, gusseted and that means the same toing eye could be used front or back. Just an idea as you need to be careful with the strap, if the pressure goes the wrong way it might damage the bodywork.

Edited by confusionhunter on Friday 22 January 22:28

Edited by confusionhunter on Friday 22 January 22:29

Edited by confusionhunter on Friday 22 January 22:30

[Pedders]

Thanks for the comments all - it's an LSA engine and exhaust package supplied by AB. I had expected that getting the engine running would be the hardest part of the build (due to lack of experience on my part). When it fired up on the first attempt, and purred like a (very big) kitten on idle, you could have literally knocked me down with a feather - it was a great moment in the build.

Fibre strap for occasional use is a good idea, particularly for use on the back of the car, but then bodywork damage is a similarly good point.

Welded boss is also neat, but a bit more work than the drill and bolt method.

I think it's attaching something to the front of the car which is the most challenging, as there doesn't seem to be many options in terms of attachment points, which I guess is how the factory ended up with their solution.

[845ste]

WOW! great work of the engine compartment.

I'm sorry I do not understand: you have a volumetric?

from where it takes the air intake?

[highflyer]

I have a front towing eye and bracket if you want it
its the 4 bolt one with a detachable towing eye that only needs a small hole to fit through the front grill and the front clip can be lifted without any modifications ie cutting

Edited by highflyer on Saturday 23 January 18:10

[highflyer]

[Pedders]

That's a neat solution, Highflyer - and many thanks for your kind offer. I'd be quite happy to pay you for it, too, so will send you a pm.

[Pedders]

845ste said:

WOW! great work of the engine compartment.

I'm sorry I do not understand: you have a volumetric?

from where it takes the air intake?

Hi 845ste - it's a supercharged engine and you can just make out the top of the air intake on the left hand side of the engine (under the chassis brace bar).

Here's a pic of the pipe (apologies to those who have seen this pic before!) which puts the filter close to the bottom of the engine bay where the air temps are cooler, but still out of the way of road muck.



As was pointed out when I posted this photo on the ultima owners Facebook page, the pic makes the air filter look small, when it's actually pretty big!

Edited by Pedders on Sunday 24th January 11:10

[BogBeast]

Very nice car, looking forward to seeing some vids and maybe seeing in the flesh, grp/ally/steel.

Planning on coming to Silvertone?

[Pedders]

BogBeast said:

Very nice car, looking forward to seeing some vids and maybe seeing in the flesh, grp/ally/steel.

Planning on coming to Silvertone?

Thanks BogBeast. I'd love to run the car at Silverstone, especially if there was another Ultima or two. Not 100% sure when the car will be finally ready and road registered, but Spring is the goal.

I have driven Silverstone a couple of time in a Nissan GTR, and had a huge amount of fun despite my lack of driving talent. Happy to be corrected, but if I recall the only corner where you need to be mindful of there being less run off is the right hander going into the new start finish straight (with the 'Wing' on the right hand side). In the big Datsun, you could bury the throttle when you were ready to accelerate onto the straight, and would feel the back end of the car do a little 'shimmy'. That was the traction control stopping you from an expensive incident involving concrete. I think I will be a bit more cautious in the Ultima!

[Storer]

I think I will be a bit more cautious in the Ultima!
[/quote]

Good plan.

I think the Silverstone question eluded to the Silverstone Classic in July which should have a very large Ultima turn out with the Factory supporting the event.


Paul

[ROWDYRENAULT]

Pedders that build is absolutely gorgeous. I would only caution you that the filter you show may be to small for the volume of air that the engine may require. When I was running a Fast manifold with a single filter about that size I got the chance to run the car top end at a airbase for a movie shoot. At the end of the day the filter had collapsed. Maybe run it on a dyno with the filter off and see if the numbers change a great deal. But as we say in So Cal "Dude that things way cool" Lee

[845ste]

Pedders, but so you do not lose effect airbox?

it happened to me with another car that the intake pipe, at a certain speed, imploded, because the filter and the tube diameter had were too small.
a 6L / 7L needs massive amounts of air, i think.

however beautiful job!

[Storer]

Your engine will be consuming 25200 litres per min at WOT normally aspirated (7L engine).

If you are boosting that by about 6.5psi then it will be about 35000 litres / min.


Can your filter cope with that.

I use 2 x 4.6litre Range Rover air filters on my LS7.


Paul

[BogBeast]

Storer said:

..
I think the Silverstone question eluded to the Silverstone Classic in July which should have a very large Ultima turn out with the Factory supporting the event.
..

Yup - that one....

[Pedders]

I really appreciate all the comments chaps - thank you! Had a spare half an hour tonight so thought I'd pop down to the garage and tweak the panel gaps of the rear clamshell. Half an hour is up and as is usually the way with jobs I try and fit in limited time slots, it's all gone a bit wrong so the car is not looking quite so close to being finished now! Always amazed at how much difference the slightest turn of the threaded rose joints makes to the panel positioning. If only I could remember this before starting the job.... Something I will need to return to at the weekend!

Comments on the air filter are noted.The photo is quite an optical illusion - the carbon fibre pipe is a consistent diameter throughout, whereas the picture suggests it tapers towards the bottom, so as mentioned it's a big unit in the flesh and as such I think it's up to the job. I believe there are a few other LS cars out there running the same filter with success too, but I do like Rowdy's suggestion of the dyno run with and without, just to prove it - thanks for this Rowdy.

Was a bit slow on the Silverstone reference - sorry!

[deadscoob]

Measure the surface area of the filter and you'll be able to work out from that if it's enough or not

[chuntington101]

On the air filter, if the engine is making say 650bhp then the air needed will be similar to any other 650bhp engine. I wouldn't worry about it too much. You could try running it on a dyno with and without but it would be an expensive test! Just keep an eye on it for any signs of collapsing.

What supercharger inlet is that off (car wise)? I don't think I have ever seen a LSA with such a compact entry to the supercharger. Most stick much further forward I thought.