Ultima Can Am Build: A Mini-Diary

[UltimaCH]

GTR-TT said:

If the design/size of the radiator are the same then the one made of copper will be more efficient (and obviously heavier). If you make two radiators with the same weight, the one made of Aluminum will be more efficient (and bigger). I hope you understand the example

My experience with alu rads for street cars like Supras etc is that the alu rads never works better than the stock rads did and more than a few times they have worked less good. Save a kilo or two and get less good cooling... Not the best idea maybe.

The most effective way to make the rad work better is to make the surface area bigger. Thicker doesn't do much for the efficiency when you pass 2" thickness. The other thing is to make nice ducting for the air and make sure no air can escape on the sides of the radiator.

Thanks for the explaination and examples. I agree that a proper and leak free ducting system should be sufficient in most applications, with bigger fans added perhaps.

[356Speedster]

It's been a few weeks since my last update and despite helping friends join the Ultima scene, things are progressing nicely...

With another haul of parts in the garage, the wiring loom and a few other things have been sorted. I've managed to find some nice nylon twist wrapping that I'm covering the loom with (just for that finishing touch that no one will see!), as well as some great self-laminating labels that I'm putting on all the connectors as I go to make future work easier.

As it stands now, everything for the left hand side of the car is final fitted and the luggage pod is sound / heat proofed and fitted.





I'm working on a pair of rubber glands for the right hand side luggage pod (front & rear faces) which will allow me to push thru' the ECU connectors, but which will then close around loom to create a nice seal, keeping the housed ECU at a constant'ish temp. Once complete, I'll final fit the second luggage pod and with the exception of a few bits & bobs to tidy up, I'll be ready for the body, which is scheduled for the last week Oct.

The OZ wheels are in, which was a great delivery. When I got the tyres mounted, the guys at the garage were amazed by the size & lack of tread! They're expecting to be replacing them about 6mths after IVA, LOL!


My 996 turbo gearbox is away being 2WD converted & inverted, with a mixture of GT2 & turbo parts being fitted along the way. Many of the required engine components are on order / being fabricated and at the moment, the ambitious plan is to have the motor & 'box in place by Xmas, therefore, giving me 3-4mths to button everything up and build the interior, before my self-imposed Easter IVA.

For those of you who are that way inclined, I'm keeping a better updated photo diary of things over at: www.facebook.com/Ultima.Can.Am.Build although I will try to keep this thread updated once a month or so.

Thanks, Mark

[V8 Vum]

Ref the large holes each side under the dash...had a thought!

You know that stuff that is used for insulating walls...like tiny insulation beads? Is there is a fire resistant version? Fill the void and cap with plastic or insulating mat?

Any better ideas?

[V8 Vum]

I knew there was something like this.... The beads are Perlite - my house is full of them in the cavities!
Apparently fire-resistant!

Perlite - produced from volcanic material, Perlite has natural water and fire resistant properties and makes an excellent natural alternative to expanded polystyrene beads...

Sounds like a plan...unless you have holes in your side-pod that is... otherwise it would look like its snowing when you drive by!

[356Speedster]

That sort of filling would need a sealed space, or like you say, it'll be snowing! Could be an option if the space could be made air-tight in some way.

I'm currently planning on building a removable panel for the space, but until the body arrives next mth, I'm not sure how feasible that is.

[V8 Vum]

My side-pods are sealed - I have added an ally plate that seals the side-pods just behind the luggage containers, originally put in to make sure any fumes cannot get into the cab, so I am going to give it a try!

[Steve_D]

V8 Vum said:

My side-pods are sealed - I have added an ally plate that seals the side-pods just behind the luggage containers, originally put in to make sure any fumes cannot get into the cab, so I am going to give it a try!

This fume panel used to be part of the kit.

Before installing the body lay oval wire ducting tubes under the luggage containers so that later on you can feed through the wires you forgot you needed.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/tower-oval-conduit-16mm-...

Steve

[V8 Vum]

Here you go:

PERLITE IS MORE THAN JUST A BETTER INSULATION-- In addition to its excellent thermal performance, perlite insulation offers a number of additional advantages to architects, engineers, contractors and building owners.

EASY INSTALLATION-- Perlile loose-fill insulation is easy to install and requires no special training or equipment. In addition, it may be installed at any reasonable wall height as construction progresses.
PRICE COMPETITIVE-- Perlite loose-fill insulation is cost-competitive with other masonry block insulations. When you consider that perlite insulation will reduce heat loss through masonry walls by more than 50%, it may be the best investment you’ve ever made!
100% IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE RATING-- Independent studies show that the fire rating of concrete block is improved from 2 hours to 4 hours when the cores are filled with perlite loose-fill insulation.
WHAT IS PERLITE LOOSE-FILL INSULATION?-- Perlite loose-fill insulation is an inert volcanic glass expanded by heating to 1600 F (850 C). The resulting granular product is lightweight with countless tiny, sealed air cells which account for its excellent thermal performance. The characteristics of perlite loose-fill insulation provide many additional benefits including:

Perlite loose-fill insulation is free flowing and will uniformly and completely fill all cores and voids in masonry wall units.
Perlite loose-fill insulation is inorganic and is rot, vermin and termite resistant.
Perlite loose-fill insulation is non-combustible with a fusion point of approximately 2300 F (1260 C), while EPS products are combustible.
Perlite loose-fill insulation improves the fire-rating of an 8 inch concrete block from 2 hours to 4 hours --- a 100% improvement!
Perlite loose-fill insulation is non-sealing and supports its own weight in masonry wall cavities and masonry block cores.
Perlite loose-fill insulation may be easily installed without special training or equipment.
Thermal performance tests using ASTM C-236 Guarded Hot Box Method have shown conclusively that perlite masonry loose fill insulation is the superior concrete block insulation when compared to expanded polystyrene (EPS) inserts, expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads, and vermiculite.

[SchimmS]

Just on a side note, you`ll have to reroute the loom in the fuel tank area as the tanks have 2 flanges that are mounted on top of the chassis rail. On the first pic you posted you can see that the loom is fitted with 4 P-clips in that area (top).

[356Speedster]

SchimmS said:

Just on a side note, you`ll have to reroute the loom in the fuel tank area as the tanks have 2 flanges that are mounted on top of the chassis rail. On the first pic you posted you can see that the loom is fitted with 4 P-clips in that area (top).

Oh feck. I checked the manual for exactly that and couldn't find a chuffin pic showing them Thanks for the heads up, I'll either drop the wires over the side, or P-clip them to the flange if it's a mounting / anchoring location. Thanks for the spot!

[356Speedster]

Quick update..... the body's here along with the tanks and a few other goodies! Time to get on with prefitting The width is fine in the garage, but length is a bit tricky, so I've removed the front clam and stored it in the conservatory along with the wheels (wifey loves me at the moment, LOL!).

I'm so glad I chose black, the car look stunning and when it's down on the ground with the aeroscreen, it should look quite menacing.

[deadscoob]

Have the same problem, a bedroom is now officially the ultima parts room including the front clam.

[bauermann]

Hi you all,
yes i know this is my first post, normaly i'm only a reader of the forums.
I was wondering, reading about insulation, why don't you techfreaks
use 'cork for insulating the sidepipes and all the other hot areas,
its light, insulates very well heat and sound and it doesn't burn so quickly.

The Russians use it on there Soyus as heat protection for entering the
atmosphere, so cork, imo, is the best insulation-material available
and if you use enough of it, your beloved Ultima will float to.

Wilfried.

[356Speedster]

It's been a while since I updated the thread, but I see a few PH'ers are following my build site on FB, so that's nice to see. Since the last update, I've been busy with the body pre-fit and panel alignments. It's an interesting task and I can see why folks ask the factory to do it... one tweak affects something else and sometimes, it's a little tricky to see how to adjust a particular joint. That said, there was a point where it just "clicked" and everything really started to come together. I'm now at the point where I'm really happy with the alignments (and £2K saved!) and it's time to start locking it all in. If all goes to plan, I should be able to take it off the dolly in the next 10'ish days.

While setting up the body, I've also been getting the tanks ready to fit. They're now painted and heat shielded on the engine side. Hopefully that'll help keep their temperatures under control.

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll get some more engine pics out, as well as some showing the car down on the ground, which really will feel like a big step forwards. In the meantime, here's a few more pre-fit pics...

[chucknorris]

I am at exactly the same stage with my CanAm so it's great to be able to compare builds.
I am totally with you on the body fit, I must have spent a week of evenings tweaking the hinges thinking this is never going to line up, then bang! It all just fitted with perfect gaps all around :-)

[356Speedster]

chucknorris said:

I am at exactly the same stage with my CanAm so it's great to be able to compare builds.
I am totally with you on the body fit, I must have spent a week of evenings tweaking the hinges thinking this is never going to line up, then bang! It all just fitted with perfect gaps all around :-)

Ah, I didn't realise! I thought I was about the only Can Am builder on here at the moment... do you have any pics or a build site? I notice you're fabricating some parts yourself, I'd be interested to hear what you're doing

[chucknorris]

I'll get some pics up on here over the next few days, yes, the fabricating non standard bits seems to be the thing that slows me down the most... Tonight for example, I should have been sanding down the plug to make a mold for a centre console type thingie, but then I thought about making the oval wing mirror tubes out of carbon so I spent the evening working out the best way to make a mold and now I'll be making those over the course of this week... Another delay!!!

[356Speedster]

Following fitment of the side pods, today was a big day... the Can Am was hoisted off the dolly (now for sale in the classifieds ) and onto the floor. Using 2 engine cranes, we got it down pretty quickly and without issue. Now sat on it's wheels, rear clam removed and reversed into the garage, it's surprising how much more room there is around the car... I should have done this ages ago!

[V8 Vum]

Where did you put the clam?

[356Speedster]

It's hiding in the conservatory, Keith It's a good place to put it actually, as I can paint the inside of it, fit the grills & lights, as well as buidling an air intake into the top of it down to the filter. The workshop is spreading