Another track car build... MG ZR
Discussion
I keep meaning to put this up but every time I log on I get distracted by another thread. Having said this, I appreciate that there are some very nice cars and impressive builds on here. My car has been done for fun almost completely in a single garage at my parents house with the help of my Dad and a few friends. I'm not a mechanic and this project began whilst I was a student. The car currently resides in my parents garage because I live and work in London.
I bought it as a completely standard 1.4 ZR in 2008 whilst still at uni. I ran it for a couple of years with a few modifications and a couple of engine changes due to a failure the first time and an upgrade the second time. By the time I left uni the spec was as follows; 1.6 VVC conversion, full janspeed exhaust, BMC airfilter, lowering springs and some bigger brakes.
I loved it and enjoyed being able to work on it myself but I'd discovered trackdays and was moving to London for work where I wouldn't need a car and more to the point, I had nowhere to keep one. The obvious thing to do was sell it but I had other ideas...
Shortly after finishing my final exams at uni I started ripping out the interior in order to fit a couple of bucket seats I bought on ebay. The end result was as follows;
Now I needed to check out my handywork and convince my Dad that it wasn't a stupid idea and that he should let me store it in his garage. This was taken care of with a couple of trackdays, one of which was at Cadwell. I'd also splurged my first payslip on some new wheels and coilovers.
This was now towards the end of 2010, I was hooked and my Dad suitably convinced - he needed to be because all my future plans involved him to some degree! The car was already pretty horrible on the road so I decided that it should become a dedicated track toy. Without insurance & tax to worry about I could make some further modifications too, but I wanted to do things properly and this is where it gets more interesting.
The engine came out in early 2011, the plan was simply to fit a slightly bigger (1.8) K series that had been completely rebuilt and if I could afford it maybe some nice bits and pieces for more power.
The replacement engine, or parts of anyway. I retained my VVC head and just used the bigger bottom end.
The engine was stripped, cleaned and rebuilt with new liners, pistons, shells and gaskets throughout. At this stage I chose to keep the Variable Valve Control setup (the other option being a solid cam conversion) because it would help keep the costs down and made re-assembly easier. I did however get hold of an alternative exhaust cam from Piper which should spice things up a little. I never intended on messing with the VVC mechanism but we were forced to when the mechanism became jammed. It was a nightmare of cogs, dowels and fiddly alignment;
I never intended on messing with the VVC mechanism but we were forced to when the mechanism became jammed. It was a nightmare of cogs, dowels and fiddly alignment;
We had a number of problems during reassembly, mostly annoying little things but when you’ve only got the occasional weekend it’s a real pain. Finally back together, tidied up and back in its rightful place.
With the engine and gearbox finally complete I could focus on the rest of the car, I’d purchased a cage identical to those used in the ZR190 race cars and hadn’t yet fitted it. Amongst other things I had a rear disc conversion to fit, a sunroof to cover, front brakes to refurbish amongst a load of other bits and pieces. I won’t go through each piece in depth (this is already a bit of an epic) but the only part of this we couldn’t do at home was the welding for the cage mounts – this was completed by a local well known fabricator of mx5 parts, T.R. Lane.
And as it stands today having been driven for the first time this past weekend;
Still a list of jobs to do and parts to buy, hopefully the jobs are all relatively simple now though and the required parts are largely to be date compliant. The plan is to get the car ready for next year when I’d like to start with a few trackdays. Depending on budget and any issues I encounter I’d like to have a go at some sprints, ultimately the aim would be to enter the tin tops series or similar but I’m aware that there are things I might need to change.
Thanks for looking,
Leigh
I bought it as a completely standard 1.4 ZR in 2008 whilst still at uni. I ran it for a couple of years with a few modifications and a couple of engine changes due to a failure the first time and an upgrade the second time. By the time I left uni the spec was as follows; 1.6 VVC conversion, full janspeed exhaust, BMC airfilter, lowering springs and some bigger brakes.
I loved it and enjoyed being able to work on it myself but I'd discovered trackdays and was moving to London for work where I wouldn't need a car and more to the point, I had nowhere to keep one. The obvious thing to do was sell it but I had other ideas...
Shortly after finishing my final exams at uni I started ripping out the interior in order to fit a couple of bucket seats I bought on ebay. The end result was as follows;
Now I needed to check out my handywork and convince my Dad that it wasn't a stupid idea and that he should let me store it in his garage. This was taken care of with a couple of trackdays, one of which was at Cadwell. I'd also splurged my first payslip on some new wheels and coilovers.
This was now towards the end of 2010, I was hooked and my Dad suitably convinced - he needed to be because all my future plans involved him to some degree! The car was already pretty horrible on the road so I decided that it should become a dedicated track toy. Without insurance & tax to worry about I could make some further modifications too, but I wanted to do things properly and this is where it gets more interesting.
The engine came out in early 2011, the plan was simply to fit a slightly bigger (1.8) K series that had been completely rebuilt and if I could afford it maybe some nice bits and pieces for more power.
The replacement engine, or parts of anyway. I retained my VVC head and just used the bigger bottom end.
The engine was stripped, cleaned and rebuilt with new liners, pistons, shells and gaskets throughout. At this stage I chose to keep the Variable Valve Control setup (the other option being a solid cam conversion) because it would help keep the costs down and made re-assembly easier. I did however get hold of an alternative exhaust cam from Piper which should spice things up a little. I never intended on messing with the VVC mechanism but we were forced to when the mechanism became jammed. It was a nightmare of cogs, dowels and fiddly alignment;
I never intended on messing with the VVC mechanism but we were forced to when the mechanism became jammed. It was a nightmare of cogs, dowels and fiddly alignment;
We had a number of problems during reassembly, mostly annoying little things but when you’ve only got the occasional weekend it’s a real pain. Finally back together, tidied up and back in its rightful place.
With the engine and gearbox finally complete I could focus on the rest of the car, I’d purchased a cage identical to those used in the ZR190 race cars and hadn’t yet fitted it. Amongst other things I had a rear disc conversion to fit, a sunroof to cover, front brakes to refurbish amongst a load of other bits and pieces. I won’t go through each piece in depth (this is already a bit of an epic) but the only part of this we couldn’t do at home was the welding for the cage mounts – this was completed by a local well known fabricator of mx5 parts, T.R. Lane.
And as it stands today having been driven for the first time this past weekend;
Still a list of jobs to do and parts to buy, hopefully the jobs are all relatively simple now though and the required parts are largely to be date compliant. The plan is to get the car ready for next year when I’d like to start with a few trackdays. Depending on budget and any issues I encounter I’d like to have a go at some sprints, ultimately the aim would be to enter the tin tops series or similar but I’m aware that there are things I might need to change.
Thanks for looking,
Leigh
Now that looks like fun. Not sure on the red bits! But it's a toy so aesthetics aren't exactly of great importance.
My local bodyshop (Finishline UK) run 3 Trophy cars in the championship, always worth having a little nosey at the track-prepped cars. You could probably get in touch for some cheap spares? As they buy vast quantities of parts in at a time...
My local bodyshop (Finishline UK) run 3 Trophy cars in the championship, always worth having a little nosey at the track-prepped cars. You could probably get in touch for some cheap spares? As they buy vast quantities of parts in at a time...
Bit of a thread revival due to some recent progress and a rainy Saturday afternoon...
So it's been 18 months or so since I last updated. Key changes - the car is now kept in my garage, not 200 miles away so I've been able to crack on. The car was actually MOT'd and on the road in May 2013 - for running in purposes and a couple of Sunday afternoon trips. Here is how it stood after the MOT and a snap from Cadwell shortly after
We did 2 trackdays at Blyton and Cadwell without serious issue, though there were a couple of things I wasn't happy with. In particular I'd had issues with the timing, it was too loud (tested at 101db)and there were some bits that could be done better. And then I bought some throttle bodies!
First up I started looking at the timing and after a while found a slightly damaged keyway on the timing belt pulley that had been allowing the timing to slip slightly after it was set;
With this sorted I turned my attention to the noise issue and replaced the big oval backbox with this twin system - much better.
A couple of other little bits before the real fun and games;
Dash replaced for a neater cut around the cage and a little less weight, then flocked for authentic race car feel. I also grabbed an undertray from a diesel and chopped a lot of the unwanted wiring from under the dash and engine bay - enough to fill several carrier bags!
Now then, those throttle bodies... they were sold to me as something that would bolt on though I knew they were originally from a GSXR750. My plan was to bolt them on asap and see if I could get it to work with the standard management - I'd planned to make a fibreglass airbox to accommodate some of the sensors etc.
This plan quickly went to pot;the intakes were too long to fit between the block and the bulkhead and none of the brackets lined up. The fuel rail was also upside down and back to front. I did make a fairly decent attempt at an airbox though!
I had the inlets shortened 60mm by a local engineering firm and with he help of some friends, adjusted or made new brackets, mounts & fuel lines. They now fitted the car but no matter what I did with sensors etc the standard ecu was having none of it. I'd come this far and saw it as an opportunity to learn and do something different with the car (not many k-series on ITBs with the VVC still operational) so I invested some money in an Emerald ecu. I also deceided I didn't want to mount the expensive ecu in the original location - right behind the front bumper. A secondary reason was aesthetics - the fusebox was horrible.
So here's how it now looks with the ITBs mounted securely and the ecu / fusebox under the dash out of harms way.
As for the results, there is always more to do but it's improving. The car was mapped earlier this week and whilst the numbers perhaps aren't what I expected, but in a direct comparison to a standard car on the same dyno I'm pleased. Peak power was 161bhp & torque 135ftlb - about 20bhp over the standard car and on a par with a 182 clio that ran immediately before me. It sounds great though! Graph below if anyone is interested.
Plans now are to just try and get some use out of it this summer before some inevitable changes over the winter.
Thanks for looking.
So it's been 18 months or so since I last updated. Key changes - the car is now kept in my garage, not 200 miles away so I've been able to crack on. The car was actually MOT'd and on the road in May 2013 - for running in purposes and a couple of Sunday afternoon trips. Here is how it stood after the MOT and a snap from Cadwell shortly after
We did 2 trackdays at Blyton and Cadwell without serious issue, though there were a couple of things I wasn't happy with. In particular I'd had issues with the timing, it was too loud (tested at 101db)and there were some bits that could be done better. And then I bought some throttle bodies!
First up I started looking at the timing and after a while found a slightly damaged keyway on the timing belt pulley that had been allowing the timing to slip slightly after it was set;
With this sorted I turned my attention to the noise issue and replaced the big oval backbox with this twin system - much better.
A couple of other little bits before the real fun and games;
Dash replaced for a neater cut around the cage and a little less weight, then flocked for authentic race car feel. I also grabbed an undertray from a diesel and chopped a lot of the unwanted wiring from under the dash and engine bay - enough to fill several carrier bags!
Now then, those throttle bodies... they were sold to me as something that would bolt on though I knew they were originally from a GSXR750. My plan was to bolt them on asap and see if I could get it to work with the standard management - I'd planned to make a fibreglass airbox to accommodate some of the sensors etc.
This plan quickly went to pot;the intakes were too long to fit between the block and the bulkhead and none of the brackets lined up. The fuel rail was also upside down and back to front. I did make a fairly decent attempt at an airbox though!
I had the inlets shortened 60mm by a local engineering firm and with he help of some friends, adjusted or made new brackets, mounts & fuel lines. They now fitted the car but no matter what I did with sensors etc the standard ecu was having none of it. I'd come this far and saw it as an opportunity to learn and do something different with the car (not many k-series on ITBs with the VVC still operational) so I invested some money in an Emerald ecu. I also deceided I didn't want to mount the expensive ecu in the original location - right behind the front bumper. A secondary reason was aesthetics - the fusebox was horrible.
So here's how it now looks with the ITBs mounted securely and the ecu / fusebox under the dash out of harms way.
As for the results, there is always more to do but it's improving. The car was mapped earlier this week and whilst the numbers perhaps aren't what I expected, but in a direct comparison to a standard car on the same dyno I'm pleased. Peak power was 161bhp & torque 135ftlb - about 20bhp over the standard car and on a par with a 182 clio that ran immediately before me. It sounds great though! Graph below if anyone is interested.
Plans now are to just try and get some use out of it this summer before some inevitable changes over the winter.
Thanks for looking.
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