Capri GTT... V10, 550bhp
Discussion
eliot said:
I wonder what actually goes wrong with the solenoids? electrical or mechanical failure? Sounds like an opportunity to repair them. Anyone got a faulty one handy?
It's usually mechanical, as they run metal on metal internally and run high pressure..... Lots of talk of finding someone who can repair or rebuild the solenoids, they are nothing special apparently, probably cost pence to produce lolI don't suppose he did any dyno runs on it.... Be nice to tally know what the power curve looks like compare to stock, I, not worried about low down as it's an engine to be revved anyhow. And as you say it will have more than enough to move a 1000kgs car around at low revs anyhow.
Getting rid of the vanos would simplify the engine enough to make me consider it again lol.... Wouldn't be that expensive to replace rings and bearings for a decent rebuild then, my plan is to run a triple plate clutch regardless of engine so that quick gear changes will be possible.... Fancied a dsg but the missus is adement we have a manual as hates the flappy paddles in the M5 we have... And a manual is hardly slumming it lol
Getting rid of the vanos would simplify the engine enough to make me consider it again lol.... Wouldn't be that expensive to replace rings and bearings for a decent rebuild then, my plan is to run a triple plate clutch regardless of engine so that quick gear changes will be possible.... Fancied a dsg but the missus is adement we have a manual as hates the flappy paddles in the M5 we have... And a manual is hardly slumming it lol
Well progress is slow on the Capri as I have been a bit mad at work and having to finish the building work off in the house as I had to remove all the floors and put in new joists etc and apparently having a bedroom takes priority over garage time.
What I have been doing is working out what Im going to do with the suspension, specifically hubs.... I have designed the suspension around the same wheels I use on the noble as they are ford fitment, the correct size for my look AND means I only need 1 set of track tyres for the 2 cars... lots of transference
The next step is is hubs.... usually people are fixed with what they have, but I'm not as my suspension is clean sheet design, therefore I put the wishbone pickups exactly were I wanted them.... Great you say, but makes finding an upright a nightmare, I didn't really want to go for billet clean sheet design as I figures stuff must exist rather than spend a fortune on a new design and after 9mths I have found them and have finalised the plan and done mock up.
Im going to use a much more expensive cast unit on the front, and a cheaper billet (so stronger) on the rear.... Billet is loverly, but it expands on the style of bearing I'm going to run and thus isn't suited to long sessions on track as the bearings become loose. Less of an issue on the rear as less brake heat will be present so Im going for strength at the rear.... plus I wanted to buy a pair of each type to compare.
This is the rear, I already have the brand new 4 pot As for the rear and a mock up handbrake calliper... I will start with a 100mm joint as per what I run on the noble without issue and 200fltb more than the capri will have. Unlike the noble I will have room to go to a 108mm if needed. I will actually be using a billet version of this cast upright on the rear, but dimensions are all identical so it was a valid initial mock up to prove it all works lol
Both pics are next to the 'noble' uprights which I had spares. Ive had failures of the noble uprights so wanted to ensure the ones I designed for the capri were better and they use the same hubs so its actually a good comparison.
The front I used the same 4 pot callipers, going to actually run 6pots however.
Ive also decided on the bushes and joints I'm going to use... I had bought rose joints etc for every joint, but I have decided against that now and running proper bushes lol
What I have been doing is working out what Im going to do with the suspension, specifically hubs.... I have designed the suspension around the same wheels I use on the noble as they are ford fitment, the correct size for my look AND means I only need 1 set of track tyres for the 2 cars... lots of transference
The next step is is hubs.... usually people are fixed with what they have, but I'm not as my suspension is clean sheet design, therefore I put the wishbone pickups exactly were I wanted them.... Great you say, but makes finding an upright a nightmare, I didn't really want to go for billet clean sheet design as I figures stuff must exist rather than spend a fortune on a new design and after 9mths I have found them and have finalised the plan and done mock up.
Im going to use a much more expensive cast unit on the front, and a cheaper billet (so stronger) on the rear.... Billet is loverly, but it expands on the style of bearing I'm going to run and thus isn't suited to long sessions on track as the bearings become loose. Less of an issue on the rear as less brake heat will be present so Im going for strength at the rear.... plus I wanted to buy a pair of each type to compare.
This is the rear, I already have the brand new 4 pot As for the rear and a mock up handbrake calliper... I will start with a 100mm joint as per what I run on the noble without issue and 200fltb more than the capri will have. Unlike the noble I will have room to go to a 108mm if needed. I will actually be using a billet version of this cast upright on the rear, but dimensions are all identical so it was a valid initial mock up to prove it all works lol
Both pics are next to the 'noble' uprights which I had spares. Ive had failures of the noble uprights so wanted to ensure the ones I designed for the capri were better and they use the same hubs so its actually a good comparison.
The front I used the same 4 pot callipers, going to actually run 6pots however.
Ive also decided on the bushes and joints I'm going to use... I had bought rose joints etc for every joint, but I have decided against that now and running proper bushes lol
Edited by andygtt on Tuesday 27th March 13:36
Decided I needed to start making progress on the capri, so the noble go kicked out of the garage briefly and the engine was removed from the capri... I'm always amazed by the sheer size of the V10, I have a noble engine also in the garage and its tiny in comparison (yet makes loads more power and torque lol).
Another decision I have taken is to make the car mid engined (engine still in front of driver), this was driven by the fact the steering rack position was going to be tough to package under the engine while retaining my geometry design so it needs to go in front of the engine... this has knock on effects of making the pedal and driving position a challenge and also how to bring the steering around the very wide engine.
Its still in its infancy but here is progress thus far.
Wife bought me a little Milling machine for Xmas so I can make the uprights and odd bits... should have got one years back it a fantastically useful tool for the garage
Another decision I have taken is to make the car mid engined (engine still in front of driver), this was driven by the fact the steering rack position was going to be tough to package under the engine while retaining my geometry design so it needs to go in front of the engine... this has knock on effects of making the pedal and driving position a challenge and also how to bring the steering around the very wide engine.
Its still in its infancy but here is progress thus far.
Wife bought me a little Milling machine for Xmas so I can make the uprights and odd bits... should have got one years back it a fantastically useful tool for the garage
Edited by andygtt on Tuesday 27th March 13:39
dom9 said:
Great update, Andy!
Will be interested to hear how you get on with the milling machine!
I'd love one... I'm just not sure it would get the use?
Loving the Mill, personally will do more on the mill than i would on the lathe as i want to machine uprights etc... its already 20% through paying for itself with parts i've made as machine shops are expensive for the type of 1 off stuff I want doing and none are closer than 30mins away so as long as a job takes less than 2 hrs I have saved time as well Will be interested to hear how you get on with the milling machine!
I'd love one... I'm just not sure it would get the use?
sheepdip said:
I had the same problem with the LS1 V8 in my Escort - spent ages trying to position the seat and controls in the end I have had to sit well back with the pedals from above. Wanted floor mounted pedal box but the exhaust and manifold eat into the floor space.
be interested to see any pics you have of the driving position... I'm trying to stay with a hung pedal arrangement
sheepdip said:
Hi Andy
Search Escort MK2 LS1 in Orange on here. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=136...
its always hard looking at pics to see how they compare to your own example.... must say i did follow your thread and its an awesome car you have built Search Escort MK2 LS1 in Orange on here. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=136...
hope your still enjoying it to the max!Got the donor capri rolling again and got it outside under a sheet so I could make better progress on the Chassis.
Finalised the driving and pedal position, bought some nice floor mount pedals as hung ones simply were not going to work. Im very happy with the driving position now, even more comfortable than the Noble (which I have always considered good and is comfortable on 14hr long road trips in Europe).... most significantly I will be able to rest my elbow on the window which as anyone who's owned a capri is an absolute much have
Started making the rear chassis, the backbone of the car is made from T45 tube. I bought a roll cage from Custom cages and have been using that for the 'extra' rigidity... No doubt its going to be heavier than it needs, but it will be very rigid and strong.... I will save the weight with the carbon bodywork
Im undecided if I'm going to have the roll cage go forward along the door... i won't need it for rigidity and it will never be raced, final decision will be when the final body is on and I can see if I can push it right into the corners of the body and effectively 'hide' it.
Finalised the driving and pedal position, bought some nice floor mount pedals as hung ones simply were not going to work. Im very happy with the driving position now, even more comfortable than the Noble (which I have always considered good and is comfortable on 14hr long road trips in Europe).... most significantly I will be able to rest my elbow on the window which as anyone who's owned a capri is an absolute much have
Started making the rear chassis, the backbone of the car is made from T45 tube. I bought a roll cage from Custom cages and have been using that for the 'extra' rigidity... No doubt its going to be heavier than it needs, but it will be very rigid and strong.... I will save the weight with the carbon bodywork
Im undecided if I'm going to have the roll cage go forward along the door... i won't need it for rigidity and it will never be raced, final decision will be when the final body is on and I can see if I can push it right into the corners of the body and effectively 'hide' it.
Edited by andygtt on Monday 26th March 10:16
Im not going to have door bars like that (well not as intrusive as them)... Idea is Im building a space frame rather than trying to strengthen a monocoque... rally cars have to do this as they are only allowed to 'touch' something like 6 positions so they end up with lots of cross bracing within the roll cage itself to compensate. I don't have any rules to obey or comply with, only IVA and my own QC
as an example if you look at a sagaris road car chassis its significantly less structure to mine so I am already going pretty OTT for a road car.
BTW I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a TVR chassis just showing how I'm using a similar centre tunnel structure but beefed up with an additional roll cage structure as well
as an example if you look at a sagaris road car chassis its significantly less structure to mine so I am already going pretty OTT for a road car.
BTW I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a TVR chassis just showing how I'm using a similar centre tunnel structure but beefed up with an additional roll cage structure as well
I have been working on the Left side of the car over the last few weekends... basically I have to reproduce the shapes that I have done on the right side.
You would be amazed how much filler goes into building basic shapes, of cause most of it ends up on the floor and eventually in the hoover lol.
Ive painted, sanded it and painted it again repeatedly in my quest to get it perfect, I'm certainly close now and hopefully I will have it in a flawless coat of black paint this evening after work
Anyhow pics...usurprisingly they look very much like the ones earlier in the thread
Initially after filtering i wanted to 'see' what i had so i premiered it and them glossed it up.... wasn't as close as i had hoped so i flatted it back and added filler.
I them used a new product to me which is a polyester filler primer, effectively its like spraying a very hard filler over the car... fantastic stuff and really helped me get the roof closer to what it needs to be (remember I welded up the sunroof).
After another flat back and some more filler on the roof I used a normal high build primer and its not ready for another flat back and hopefully so black.
You would be amazed how much filler goes into building basic shapes, of cause most of it ends up on the floor and eventually in the hoover lol.
Ive painted, sanded it and painted it again repeatedly in my quest to get it perfect, I'm certainly close now and hopefully I will have it in a flawless coat of black paint this evening after work
Anyhow pics...usurprisingly they look very much like the ones earlier in the thread
Initially after filtering i wanted to 'see' what i had so i premiered it and them glossed it up.... wasn't as close as i had hoped so i flatted it back and added filler.
I them used a new product to me which is a polyester filler primer, effectively its like spraying a very hard filler over the car... fantastic stuff and really helped me get the roof closer to what it needs to be (remember I welded up the sunroof).
After another flat back and some more filler on the roof I used a normal high build primer and its not ready for another flat back and hopefully so black.
Edited by andygtt on Monday 26th March 10:27
dom9 said:
Looking great, Andy!
Any chance you could bring the Noble to this?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
We're not a million miles from you though I appreciate it's a good drive!
Its around 2.5hrs from me... but unfortunately I'm taking the noble off the road for 6mths for an engine refresh and a few 'tweeks'.Any chance you could bring the Noble to this?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
We're not a million miles from you though I appreciate it's a good drive!
Quick blow over with Black and a sand with 800 grit then polish to see if its finally where i want it to be, which at last it is... next step is to go through the grits and polish it hard to get it like glass, then i will start making moulds />
Been using the alloy wheels that came on the capri for painting as i don't care if they get overspray (look terrible and tyres are unusable anyhow)... this pic shows them with 50mm of spacers on the hub.
This is with the 10inch wide wheels (18s) that are being used on the car... I've made the car around 150mm wider at the rear.
/>Been using the alloy wheels that came on the capri for painting as i don't care if they get overspray (look terrible and tyres are unusable anyhow)... this pic shows them with 50mm of spacers on the hub.
This is with the 10inch wide wheels (18s) that are being used on the car... I've made the car around 150mm wider at the rear.
e21Mark said:
Automotive equivalent of 'child bearing hips'. I know it's a little way off yet but what sort of exhaust tailpipes are you going for? (twin exit like the donor or side exit etc?)
Im almost certainly going to use ones identical to the ones I made for the M5 that donated the engine 
Sooooo photo bucket changed their T&C's and decided to host pics for you to share to forums is now a £40ish per month benefit... well sod that lol.
Tried dropbox and the links don't seem to display an image, any suggestions how best to host pics online now would be welcome lol
anyhow, started making the moulds last weekend... hope to finish them within a month and then i can start to pull some final carbon panels.
also started designing the braking system, 8 pot 370mm front, 6 pot 370mm rear with my own design of logo on them.
Tried dropbox and the links don't seem to display an image, any suggestions how best to host pics online now would be welcome lol
anyhow, started making the moulds last weekend... hope to finish them within a month and then i can start to pull some final carbon panels.
also started designing the braking system, 8 pot 370mm front, 6 pot 370mm rear with my own design of logo on them.
Edited by andygtt on Friday 14th July 18:07
Tried Dropbox but eventually decided to simply host my own website www.gttsportscars.co.uk as a simple blog.
Moulds of the tub are done and started making some carbon over the last month.
Pulled the entire side of the car out the mould early monday morning, quick trim of the edges and it weighs 5.5kgs and is stiffer than the steel arches etc it replaces, pretty pleased with the result of a few years of on and off work
Moulds of the tub are done and started making some carbon over the last month.
Pulled the entire side of the car out the mould early monday morning, quick trim of the edges and it weighs 5.5kgs and is stiffer than the steel arches etc it replaces, pretty pleased with the result of a few years of on and off work
Storer said:
I have seen the Noble and know there is an Ultima in a 'shed'.
I am talking about a ground up build to Andy's own design. It is within his abilities, so why not?
I don't have an Ultima (sold the canam I built in 2003), the car in the 'shed' was my own design of body/chassis etc from the ground up.. The GTT.I am talking about a ground up build to Andy's own design. It is within his abilities, so why not?
Lots of reasons why I'm not working on that and instead am doing my own scratch version of a capri... Most significant is motivation, my wife always wanted a yellow Capri, I also love the shape of the Capri.
Also, I have fallen out of love with the GTT... but I am extremely enthusiastic for building the Capri.
Edited by andygtt on Thursday 10th August 09:30
stevieturbo said:
Absolutely superb work...and those moulds are massive !!
You're doing these as pre-preg now or infusion ?
Infusion for these... its a superior method as i can foam core parts of it to make it stronger and lighter than simply being solid carbon... I also include kevlar in places which i couldn't do with prepreg.You're doing these as pre-preg now or infusion ?
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff