Scaffolding poles + old VW bits + Rotary engine....
Discussion
slomax said:
that is the definition of ridiculous....
I WANT IT!
Nah, the definition of ridiculous is the day it meets a pair of rotrax blowers...I WANT IT!
Anyhow, a bit of the buggy off the start line here - wet concrete and mud/terrain tyres don't work very well unfortunately, so the first 4 seconds is just a scrabble of wheelspin - we're setting off in 2nd gear as it is...
Looks a bit steady but the top of 3rd is just short of 90mph as it goes past the camera for reference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLKlZp6cMf0
Edited by PhillipM on Thursday 10th June 15:27
Right, we've traced the problem with misfiring to a dodgy throttle pot as well as the heat issue with the fuel, so a bit of tinkering over the weekend and we're away, sorted the hesitation/misfire with the throttle pot and just waiting for the new hoses to move the tank.
We've stripped down the rear wheel bearings to make some thicker shims to account for wear as the new bearings bed in, so that should be back together shortly, along with a new fuel tank shifted up front to help the turn in a little and hopefully solve the heat/boiling problem.
Spare throttle pot and a new set of leads on the way as they're a little past their best, and we'll see how she goes with the other half of the engine firing at the next one
We've stripped down the rear wheel bearings to make some thicker shims to account for wear as the new bearings bed in, so that should be back together shortly, along with a new fuel tank shifted up front to help the turn in a little and hopefully solve the heat/boiling problem.
Spare throttle pot and a new set of leads on the way as they're a little past their best, and we'll see how she goes with the other half of the engine firing at the next one
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 14th June 23:46
Well, after thinking we'd cured the misfire it's now back with a vengance, but in a different spot - at a guess we've been unlucky and had two problems, not one, which is why it's seemed so random! Anyway, we've stripped it all back down for a check over and I've just dropped the injectors off at a local garage for checking and cleaning - hopefully it's one of those - if not I'm stumped!
Anyway, we have had some good news in that the generous lads at Opie Oils have offered us some sponsorship by way of a lovely discount on oil/fluids/spark plugs, etc, which is much appreciated, being on a shoestring budget a little help on the consumables should hopefully go a long way towards modifications for more speed out of the old girl, so I'd like to say a big thanks to them
You never know, we might be able to afford a bacon butty each at the weekends shortly!
Anyway, we have had some good news in that the generous lads at Opie Oils have offered us some sponsorship by way of a lovely discount on oil/fluids/spark plugs, etc, which is much appreciated, being on a shoestring budget a little help on the consumables should hopefully go a long way towards modifications for more speed out of the old girl, so I'd like to say a big thanks to them
You never know, we might be able to afford a bacon butty each at the weekends shortly!
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 21st June 21:28
Right, new engine sorted with only 1000 miles on the clock, it's a 2009 model which has a lot of changes to the sump and oil system, so we need to tweak the rear chassis to get it in and alter a lot of the oil lines/blanks, but we're doing it with adapators so the car can then take either engine if need be.
That's because the plan is to rebuild the new engine with a bridgeported intake and possibly a peripheral port exhaust (it's only cracked a side seal so it's fixable, just going to take a lot of time and effort) - which should hopefully push her up to about 300bhp or so, albeit a bit higher up the range @ around 9.5/10krpm or so.
It'll be fun*!
That's because the plan is to rebuild the new engine with a bridgeported intake and possibly a peripheral port exhaust (it's only cracked a side seal so it's fixable, just going to take a lot of time and effort) - which should hopefully push her up to about 300bhp or so, albeit a bit higher up the range @ around 9.5/10krpm or so.
It'll be fun*!
- The kind of fun that involves learning new curse words.
more please?Give him a hand with bits.
Anyway, got the new engine finally installed, oil system changed, electrics altered and sat down and alter the timing in the map.
And she fired first time on the button, spot on.
Unfortuatly the DTA software showed the throttle pot reading was jumping so we need to sort a new throttle pot, little oil leak from one of the fabricated fittings and sort a new oil gauge out (this engine runs at 150psi of pressure instead of 90), but hopefully we should be at sweetlamb this weekend.
I'll do a full writeup with pictures the week after on the alterations hopefully.
IT'S ALIVE!
Anyway, got the new engine finally installed, oil system changed, electrics altered and sat down and alter the timing in the map.
And she fired first time on the button, spot on.
Unfortuatly the DTA software showed the throttle pot reading was jumping so we need to sort a new throttle pot, little oil leak from one of the fabricated fittings and sort a new oil gauge out (this engine runs at 150psi of pressure instead of 90), but hopefully we should be at sweetlamb this weekend.
I'll do a full writeup with pictures the week after on the alterations hopefully.
IT'S ALIVE!
Unfortunately the new TPS didn't arrive (obviously the Royal Mail vans need some remapping, and a bigger turbo, and slicks, and someone awake at the wheel).
Anyway, we managed to get hold of one this week and replaced the knackered one, spent this morning refining the mapping (bit conservative on the timing and fuel up top originally until we'd got all our issues with cooling sorted, so altered that).
The new engine seems to run a lot smoother, might be me imagining it, or it's down to the extra oil pressure (80PSI at idle!) and better water pump, and she gets to peak power earlier now and holds it for longer (there's 90%+ of peak power now from 7500-9400rpm), feels much quicker up top.
Runs even cooler too now with the new water pump + extra oil flow.
Apart from a little oil weep that we expected from a temporary fitting, all seems well, so we're gonna get some milage in to bed the engine in (it's a little down on the old one 261bhp vs 268bhp, according to the rollers, but you know how good they are on different days), as it's done under 1000 miles and it's definately a bit tight.
Might just crack over 270bhp once she's done some miles, hopefully.
Anyway, we managed to get hold of one this week and replaced the knackered one, spent this morning refining the mapping (bit conservative on the timing and fuel up top originally until we'd got all our issues with cooling sorted, so altered that).
The new engine seems to run a lot smoother, might be me imagining it, or it's down to the extra oil pressure (80PSI at idle!) and better water pump, and she gets to peak power earlier now and holds it for longer (there's 90%+ of peak power now from 7500-9400rpm), feels much quicker up top.
Runs even cooler too now with the new water pump + extra oil flow.
Apart from a little oil weep that we expected from a temporary fitting, all seems well, so we're gonna get some milage in to bed the engine in (it's a little down on the old one 261bhp vs 268bhp, according to the rollers, but you know how good they are on different days), as it's done under 1000 miles and it's definately a bit tight.
Might just crack over 270bhp once she's done some miles, hopefully.
Well, despite not being able to sort the slight oil weep from a fitting we went to the last event at Ebbw Vale this weekend anyway, and apart from a bit of a heat problem (long slog uphill through some peat bog, horrible stuff, the car sunk in about half a foot when you hit it), and knackering the sidewall on a tyre after a little overexuberance through the final chicane - which was made of rock, so not very forgiving - we kept going all day.
As it was, we were the only 2wd car to get around the whole event, it was slippery and very rough and rocky in places, the new floorpan looks like it's been shot peened underneath from the rougher bits...
Anyway, other than that, we managed to slug around, it was never going to be a course that favoured 2wd vehicles as the uphill slogs were on mud or peat bog, but we made some time up early on with a bit of gravel track and ended up tenth overall anyway, obviously 1st in class.
Which means we've finally won the 2wd Championship class
with over 100 points to spare, and we've now got 3 months to make some more bits to bolt on 
Obviously a big thanks to the few suppliers who've helped us out with a bit of discount and a lot of technical help - Carbotech Europe, Gtechniq, Opie Oils and McGill Motorsports in particular, when you're racing on a budget it's a hell of a help even to have a little discount, and the service and support from all of them has been flawless.
Watch this space for the upgrade program
First step is to shift the oil cooler and make some high-flow endcaps for the radiator just to help out with the cooling - it's been perfect everywhere else but a long uphill slog in peat saw it climb to 105*c so a few tweaks should help a bit with engine life and, more importantly, stop the driver from looking at the gauge instead of where he's going
Then onto some damper work again and perhaps rework the front end for better geo. and travel, see if we can sort a cheap digi-dash to loose some wiring from behind the dashboard and hopefully sort out some sort of limited slip diff so we're not struggling so much in the really wet stuff.
As it was, we were the only 2wd car to get around the whole event, it was slippery and very rough and rocky in places, the new floorpan looks like it's been shot peened underneath from the rougher bits...
Anyway, other than that, we managed to slug around, it was never going to be a course that favoured 2wd vehicles as the uphill slogs were on mud or peat bog, but we made some time up early on with a bit of gravel track and ended up tenth overall anyway, obviously 1st in class.
Which means we've finally won the 2wd Championship class
with over 100 points to spare, and we've now got 3 months to make some more bits to bolt on Obviously a big thanks to the few suppliers who've helped us out with a bit of discount and a lot of technical help - Carbotech Europe, Gtechniq, Opie Oils and McGill Motorsports in particular, when you're racing on a budget it's a hell of a help even to have a little discount, and the service and support from all of them has been flawless.
Watch this space for the upgrade program
First step is to shift the oil cooler and make some high-flow endcaps for the radiator just to help out with the cooling - it's been perfect everywhere else but a long uphill slog in peat saw it climb to 105*c so a few tweaks should help a bit with engine life and, more importantly, stop the driver from looking at the gauge instead of where he's going
Then onto some damper work again and perhaps rework the front end for better geo. and travel, see if we can sort a cheap digi-dash to loose some wiring from behind the dashboard and hopefully sort out some sort of limited slip diff so we're not struggling so much in the really wet stuff.
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 25th October 23:29
Had a day at Curborough on Saturday for a bit more seat time, took my nephew for a spin in it too (he also took the first couple of pictures, and a lot more of the floor, grass, the track behind a passing car, his thumbs...)
Few pictures:
And a couple of the nephew in the car with Ed:
(he also took the first couple of pictures, and a lot more of the floor, grass, the track behind a passing car, his thumbs...)Few pictures:
And a couple of the nephew in the car with Ed:
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 8th November 13:31
And a little video here from the return of the Suspension Cam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjgk2R0Mw4
Can't see a lot as it's pointing sideways but you can watch the front wheel dangling in the air at the chicane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjgk2R0Mw4
Can't see a lot as it's pointing sideways but you can watch the front wheel dangling in the air at the chicane
Right, no, we haven't just locked it in a shed and forgot about it.
(Well, alright, maybe we did, for a bit. Beer got in the way over christmas, and new year)
However, it looks like the diff. isn't going to be ready for the first event, which is a pity, but the little elves in the workshop have been busy, we've ditched the rear torsion bars and the housings/bushes they ran in on the rear suspension, because they wore pretty rapidly and it gave really vague toe settings at the rear, which made it a bit in-consistant to drive after a few events.
So, the fabrication-fairies have been in, and kindly made new spring plates at the rear, that now terminate in a rose joint, that bolts into a new bracket made to clamp up to the original rear beam, which keeps the suspension geometery and load paths the same, but shouldn't wear as quickly (same sealed system as my joints on the 306's wishbones) and is a damn sight more precise as the bearing is metal-to-metal now.
At the risk of turning into cheque-book racers, we've also just sorted out some new Fox replacements for the rather tired old Bilstien dampers at the rear too (they are 30 years old now, they deserve a rest!), which means they're on my kitchen table looking incredibly clean and shiny.
They twin rate coilovers with a stop for the tender so they should give us much more options for the rear spring rate and the steps/progression that occurs over the travel too.
And we can't have that, so as usual when I get something shiny, I'll be tearing them to pieces tommorow and changing the valving and oil to my own special-brew...;)
The new radiator and cowling is all welded up and fits beautifully, so when Demon Tweeks get their arse in gear and send us a 60* silicone hose out (Yes, see, even more shiny new stuff, we'll be paying someone to put the kettle on too at this rate. Or we would if we hadn't nicked the wire out of it to run the fans in a last minute repair a few months ago...) the cooling upgrade should be all sorted ready the advent of boost sometime later this year.
Few pictures soon, write-ups are no good without lots of pictures, I know, sorry!
(Well, alright, maybe we did, for a bit. Beer got in the way over christmas, and new year)
However, it looks like the diff. isn't going to be ready for the first event, which is a pity, but the little elves in the workshop have been busy, we've ditched the rear torsion bars and the housings/bushes they ran in on the rear suspension, because they wore pretty rapidly and it gave really vague toe settings at the rear, which made it a bit in-consistant to drive after a few events.
So, the fabrication-fairies have been in, and kindly made new spring plates at the rear, that now terminate in a rose joint, that bolts into a new bracket made to clamp up to the original rear beam, which keeps the suspension geometery and load paths the same, but shouldn't wear as quickly (same sealed system as my joints on the 306's wishbones) and is a damn sight more precise as the bearing is metal-to-metal now.
At the risk of turning into cheque-book racers, we've also just sorted out some new Fox replacements for the rather tired old Bilstien dampers at the rear too (they are 30 years old now, they deserve a rest!), which means they're on my kitchen table looking incredibly clean and shiny.
They twin rate coilovers with a stop for the tender so they should give us much more options for the rear spring rate and the steps/progression that occurs over the travel too.
And we can't have that
, so as usual when I get something shiny, I'll be tearing them to pieces tommorow and changing the valving and oil to my own special-brew...;)The new radiator and cowling is all welded up and fits beautifully, so when Demon Tweeks get their arse in gear and send us a 60* silicone hose out (Yes, see, even more shiny new stuff, we'll be paying someone to put the kettle on too at this rate. Or we would if we hadn't nicked the wire out of it to run the fans in a last minute repair a few months ago...) the cooling upgrade should be all sorted ready the advent of boost sometime later this year.
Few pictures soon, write-ups are no good without lots of pictures, I know, sorry!
Edited by PhillipM on Monday 14th March 00:06
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