605bhp Per Ton 200SX Powered Kitcar
Discussion
Jjones3008 said:
Just read this start to finish and cant believe how awesome this thing is. I found myself browsing ebay before finding this thread looking at atom based kits and unfinished projects. After seeing this I am even more convinced i need to own something like this. I have had a few tracks toys but never anything like this. I was wondering if you knew what kind of out lay you had initially and where this stands you at now
Thanks for the feedback 😁My initial layout was sub £3k.
DVLA/registration costs were another £700.
TB parts and mapping - £1k
...and so it goes on.
If I was to do it again I'd ignore the 'road-going' bit and stick to track only. If you were handy you could comfortably build something of a similar spec for sub £13k. Still a fair amount of cash but way way less than an Atom (or anything else with a similar power to weight). This may get moved on later this year for less than the above so keep your eyes open 😉
RS Grant said:
Brilliant thread and progress, however I'm assuming the original 'low budget' plan has somewhat faded away... 
New colour is lovely too.
Thanks Grant. I think you mis-understood the low budget comment; the budget was in relation to 'most' builds in this section of the forum. It was never my intention to hold back my spending on this project but through being a Yorkshireman and watching the pennies I've bought and sold parts at reasonable prices but still always consider all the options before purchase.New colour is lovely too.
You can pay £1500 for a cage, I found a second hand one for £200.
You can pay £800 for 4 pots, I paid £250 for second hand ones.
Etc etc
I try and spend the money where I feel it is most worthwhile. My only regret was the Capri LSD; it simply wasn't for for purpose andI should have waited and gone for a quaife from the outset. That being said, the Capri lads are like gold-dust and I won't loose anyoney on the item itself just a few hundred from he cost of having it replaced.
I hope that explains it in a better context.
I can't believe it's almost 6 months since I last updated this thread. I'd love to say it's been an amazing 6 months of tyre shredding antics, track-days, sprints and road-trips but alas it's been half a year of utter crap due to mechanical issues..
Read on...
I finally saved some pennies over Christmas and got the all important Quaife LSD I'd always wanted.
Out came the Ford Capri 2.0 axle and off it went to a chap in Sheffield to have swopped. A bargain at £75
That was fitted nicely back into the car. Bolts all checked and off we went to the local watering hole.
The difference from the Ford 'LSD' is quite simply phenomenal. Where before I span through the gears the car now hunts out even the smallest bits of traction and when struggling, instead of simply spinning up the wheel 'tramps' as it fights for grip. A serious serious improvement to the car.
I went to a coffee and cake meet at GBS cars in South Yorkshire
Finally replaced my old and crusty 'caterham' harnesses with some wider Titon Motorsport ones
Went out for some more spirited drives
Now back to the upgrades for a moment. You may recall the large front spoiler from previous posts. I mocked up some cardboard templates of brackets and a friend at a local engineering firm made me some CNC versions
Quickly offered up on the car
There was far too much side to side movement so I added some wire bracing and also made my own end-plates from carbon fibre.
Cleaned it and went out for some more drives
It was at this stage things took a turn for the worst...
...you can see the dark clouds rolling in.
Since putting the engine in I've always had a strange rattle. The rattle went away when the engine warmed up which implied there was no issue with the shells. I swopped them out anyway for ACL ones but the noise remained. I ignored it, for a bit but then noticed the engine was breathing a lot! To the point where people were pointing at it in traffic!
So, before the engine stained the country roads of Yorkshire I decided to take the head off for a nosey.
Pulled out the magnetic sump-plug to find this -
not ideal!
Shells had done just 35 miles and look 'ok'
Cylinders a bit of a mess
I decided at this point there was no going back so out came the pistons..with there rings in pieces
3 and 4 were gone. 4 being the worst
Note the varying fuel spray marks on the pistons which shows the fuelling in each cylinder is different -
My engine spread across my workbench
Engine out
At this point I wasn't sure what to do. I'd priced up forged rebuilds and new management (c.£2k) and even a normal rebuild (£1k) when I stumbled across a second-hand engine for sale for the right price.
On my way brick from London I called off the M1 and threw it in the back of the daily
..and back at home
The GTiR injectors had to be cleaned; no brainer decision. Off they went to a local cleaner who reported all were 'ok' but one was 'bad'. After cleaning all were 'good' and had matched spray patterns and quality. I also replaced both my fuel filters too.
A few days later the new engine was in the car
Noticed a burnt through vacuum hose going to my boost controller solenoid which I promptly replaced
All back together (just 11 days off the road!)
..and mostly importantly working well
The old engine was clearly dying as the new one felt like a monster in comparison... until on it's second outing to Wakefield the temperature rose suddenly and water burst out of the expansion tank.
I limped to a lay-by, let the car cool down, topped up the water and then cruised home slowly.
Deciding that the new engine probably had a manky water-pump and galleries I flushed it all out and replaced the water-pump. (old on the left obviously!)
Coolant refreshed and engine timed up again I plodded around the local area for a test drive. No issues forthcoming so I headed for the local hillclimb - 'Holme Moss'.
Holme Moss is a 524metre high hill between Yorkshire and Derbyshire with a windy road all the way to the top. A national speed limit of course so speeds of up to *cough*60mph are achievable
I got less than a third of the way up the hill when I saw the temp sore past 100deg and smoke come out of the bonnet. I pulled over and saw smoke-machine style effect coming from my exhaust. That'd be the head gasket then
Turned round, rested in a layby and called a mate to tow me home.
Sooo...off with the head again -
Clearly a blown gasket between the waterways around cylinder 4 (the one furthest from the pump)
The spark plugs show a huge variance in colour and from the image indicate 1 & 3 are running very lean
I've no idea what the actual problem is. The tune hasn't changed. The fuel quality hasn't changed. Dunno, out of ideas.
I took the cylinder head to a local form which has now been pressure tested and skimmed and I've also ordered a thicker Cometic head-gasket to fit.
The plan is to get it all back together and get it back to my tuner for some runs on the rolling road to check it all over before I melt something else.
IF, if this engine can get me through the rest of Summer then I am committed to a forged build with proper aftermarket management and a target of 400bhp+ over Winter. If it doesn't, then it's likely to be the end of the road for me and the car.
Read on...
I finally saved some pennies over Christmas and got the all important Quaife LSD I'd always wanted.
Out came the Ford Capri 2.0 axle and off it went to a chap in Sheffield to have swopped. A bargain at £75
That was fitted nicely back into the car. Bolts all checked and off we went to the local watering hole.
The difference from the Ford 'LSD' is quite simply phenomenal. Where before I span through the gears the car now hunts out even the smallest bits of traction and when struggling, instead of simply spinning up the wheel 'tramps' as it fights for grip. A serious serious improvement to the car.
I went to a coffee and cake meet at GBS cars in South Yorkshire
Finally replaced my old and crusty 'caterham' harnesses with some wider Titon Motorsport ones
Went out for some more spirited drives
Now back to the upgrades for a moment. You may recall the large front spoiler from previous posts. I mocked up some cardboard templates of brackets and a friend at a local engineering firm made me some CNC versions
Quickly offered up on the car
There was far too much side to side movement so I added some wire bracing and also made my own end-plates from carbon fibre.
Cleaned it and went out for some more drives
It was at this stage things took a turn for the worst...
...you can see the dark clouds rolling in.
Since putting the engine in I've always had a strange rattle. The rattle went away when the engine warmed up which implied there was no issue with the shells. I swopped them out anyway for ACL ones but the noise remained. I ignored it, for a bit but then noticed the engine was breathing a lot! To the point where people were pointing at it in traffic!
So, before the engine stained the country roads of Yorkshire I decided to take the head off for a nosey.
Pulled out the magnetic sump-plug to find this -
not ideal!
Shells had done just 35 miles and look 'ok'
Cylinders a bit of a mess
I decided at this point there was no going back so out came the pistons..with there rings in pieces
3 and 4 were gone. 4 being the worst
Note the varying fuel spray marks on the pistons which shows the fuelling in each cylinder is different -
My engine spread across my workbench
Engine out
At this point I wasn't sure what to do. I'd priced up forged rebuilds and new management (c.£2k) and even a normal rebuild (£1k) when I stumbled across a second-hand engine for sale for the right price.
On my way brick from London I called off the M1 and threw it in the back of the daily
..and back at home
The GTiR injectors had to be cleaned; no brainer decision. Off they went to a local cleaner who reported all were 'ok' but one was 'bad'. After cleaning all were 'good' and had matched spray patterns and quality. I also replaced both my fuel filters too.
A few days later the new engine was in the car
Noticed a burnt through vacuum hose going to my boost controller solenoid which I promptly replaced
All back together (just 11 days off the road!)
..and mostly importantly working well
The old engine was clearly dying as the new one felt like a monster in comparison... until on it's second outing to Wakefield the temperature rose suddenly and water burst out of the expansion tank.
I limped to a lay-by, let the car cool down, topped up the water and then cruised home slowly.
Deciding that the new engine probably had a manky water-pump and galleries I flushed it all out and replaced the water-pump. (old on the left obviously!)
Coolant refreshed and engine timed up again I plodded around the local area for a test drive. No issues forthcoming so I headed for the local hillclimb - 'Holme Moss'.
Holme Moss is a 524metre high hill between Yorkshire and Derbyshire with a windy road all the way to the top. A national speed limit of course so speeds of up to *cough*60mph are achievable
I got less than a third of the way up the hill when I saw the temp sore past 100deg and smoke come out of the bonnet. I pulled over and saw smoke-machine style effect coming from my exhaust. That'd be the head gasket then
Turned round, rested in a layby and called a mate to tow me home.
Sooo...off with the head again -
Clearly a blown gasket between the waterways around cylinder 4 (the one furthest from the pump)
The spark plugs show a huge variance in colour and from the image indicate 1 & 3 are running very lean
I've no idea what the actual problem is. The tune hasn't changed. The fuel quality hasn't changed. Dunno, out of ideas.
I took the cylinder head to a local form which has now been pressure tested and skimmed and I've also ordered a thicker Cometic head-gasket to fit.
The plan is to get it all back together and get it back to my tuner for some runs on the rolling road to check it all over before I melt something else.
IF, if this engine can get me through the rest of Summer then I am committed to a forged build with proper aftermarket management and a target of 400bhp+ over Winter. If it doesn't, then it's likely to be the end of the road for me and the car.
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:46
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:50
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.
It’s been 14 months since I last updated this thread and to say it’s been one hell of a journey is an understatement.
Following the replacement cylinder head and thicker head gasket in my last post, I suffered further problems. Whilst re-fitting the camcovers I dropped a bolt into the cylinder ?
The head had to come off again to get it. In my haste of refitting I put the head gasket on the wrong way round! I didn’t notice and ran the engine. Oil couldn’t get from the block to the cylinder and bang. The cams seized and the cambelt snapped. One dead engine.
Not to be put off, I threw all my spare parts together and finally, finally got the car running. But alas, the eBay engine was a bag of nails and smoked (and clearly had lots of metal floating around in it). I made the decision to do a forged build.
Over the next 3 months I amassed my pile of parts; APR rod bolts, ACL race bearings, cometic head gasket, carillo forged pistons and maxspeeding rods.
I also bought a new turbo (gt2860rs) along with a tubular manifold. I acquired another cylinder head which I sent off to local specialist AL Developments to be improved and checked over.
With money (somehow) still in my bank, I invested in proper aftermarket management. My loom was old, maybe 30 years, so I wanted something that would work well but came with a new loom.
After many many hours of research I plumped for MaxxEcu. It’s a largely unheard of system in the UK but its features largely outweigh those of Link, especially for the what it cost – sub £800 WITH a loom.
I entrusted the making of the loom with a company near Leicester that will rename nameless. The engine build was entrusted to a good friend from Kent.
Fast forward to early January and I had a new loom, ECU and a built engine. The engine was built-up in my garage and then fitted to my car over the period of a few days..
I didn’t want to go through the process of running the engine in on the road. It was Winter, I have no roof or windscreen and didn’t want to risk breaking down somewhere.
The chap that sold me the ECU and loom offered to run in and map the engine for me at his mates rolling road.
Early April I’m all booked in and trailer the car down to ‘StreetRacers’ so we could borrow the rolling road. The run-in commenced around midday and we completed around mid-afternoon. Injectors were swopped for 1000cc ones and then proper mapping commenced.
During mapping, I noticed the car was breathing quite heavily but apparently the guy knew what he was doing so I kept quiet.
Mapping stopped around 11.30pm. The car apparently made 299bhp (although I have no evidence of that) but would not respond to increased boost levels. Boost increase was attempted up to 1.6bar but the power remained the same.
I was told that the poor intercooler design and pipe routing was to blame. We did a quick test drive on the road and the car had huge amounts of lag, but when boost came in shot went well.
I went back home and was told to get the intercooler fixed and then come back for further mapping.
Over the next few weeks I continued to use the car, fairly hard.
I broke down on two occasions. On the first, it appeared as though my lift pump was not powerful enough to keep up with the new fuel demands. My swirl pot was ending up empty. A high-powered lift pump was purchased and installed.
The second time, an oil cooler hose split leaving me stranded and required further assistance to get home from a friend.
The car then went over to Clark Custom Fabrication in Barnsley to have the intercooler pipes modified; which at the very least made a good visual improvement!
It should be noted at no point did the car suddenly loose power or feel any different to my midnight drive immediately after mapping.
At this point, I just wanted the car done and working so went to my regular tuner in Leeds – RS Tuning.
Once on the rollers, Paul attempted to do a power run and immediately stopped. I was told it was knocking [DET]. He took 4 degrees out across the map. He tried again. Still knocking [DET]. He took another 4 degrees out and just about managed a full pull.
The fuel and ignition maps looked like a mountain range. Paul tidied up the fuel and ignition maps before a figure of 255bhp was produced. Something wasn’t right.
We pulled the timing cover and found that the timing had jumped 3 teeth on each cam. Mapping was halted and I was sent off to replace the entire timing belt setup.
I replaced the belt and pulleys but the car still breathed and had smoke emitting from the exhaust. I decided to take off the cylinder head.
On doing so, it was apparent that the head gasket had gone and cylinder 4 had some bore damage. All 4 pistons had evidence of DET marks.
I pulled out piston 4 and it looked like this. Basically scrap from sustained DET. Pistons 1,2 and 3 were all the same.
The pistons went in the bin along the head gasket, bearings and block.
I spoke to the original tuner, who blamed the new intercooler pipework for the cause DET and of course the slipped timing. I drove the car daily since it was originally mapped and I know it never felt any different. At this stage, I think the timing jumped whilst it was on the rollers whilst it was being run in and the DET was never noticed.
Of course I have no proof of this so just need to take this one on the chin.
After a few days moping about I picked myself and started ordering parts; pistons, head gasket, gasket set and bearings.
My spare block went to the engine builders and was machined and another friend gratefully came to my house and built the engine up for me.
The engine was fitted, run up to temp and the oil dropped. New running in oil was fitted and I took the car back to my regular tuner; RS Tuning in Leeds.
A coil pack died during mapping, so a trip to GSF fixed that. Around lunchtime we ended up with 307bhp @ 6,500rpm @ 1bar of boost. The original standard engine made 298bhp @ 7,500rpm @ 1.1bar of boost. So I’m making more power, at less rpm and less boost.
Throughout the mid-range I have an increased of between 30-40bhp across the board so a huge improvement in that regard.
There was a problem though, the engine was getting hot on boost and wouldn’t cool down. I was told to have a look at the cooling problem, swop the oil out again and get some road miles on it. Then return to finish the mapping.
The cooling issues was found to be a lack of thermostat. I’d removed this from the eBay engine and simply never refitted it as I stupidly thought an engine without a stat would run cooler but apparently this isn’t the case.
I’ve dropped the oil again and been out for my first drive which I’m pleased to say went very well.
Over the next few weeks, my plan is to get out in the car as much as possible before heading back over to Leeds to get the mapping finished and see what she can make. Based on other engines with a similar specification I’m hoping for somewhere in the region of 330-340bhp but it is of course not just about chasing numbers.
It’s been 14 months since I last updated this thread and to say it’s been one hell of a journey is an understatement.
Following the replacement cylinder head and thicker head gasket in my last post, I suffered further problems. Whilst re-fitting the camcovers I dropped a bolt into the cylinder ?
The head had to come off again to get it. In my haste of refitting I put the head gasket on the wrong way round! I didn’t notice and ran the engine. Oil couldn’t get from the block to the cylinder and bang. The cams seized and the cambelt snapped. One dead engine.
Not to be put off, I threw all my spare parts together and finally, finally got the car running. But alas, the eBay engine was a bag of nails and smoked (and clearly had lots of metal floating around in it). I made the decision to do a forged build.
Over the next 3 months I amassed my pile of parts; APR rod bolts, ACL race bearings, cometic head gasket, carillo forged pistons and maxspeeding rods.
I also bought a new turbo (gt2860rs) along with a tubular manifold. I acquired another cylinder head which I sent off to local specialist AL Developments to be improved and checked over.
With money (somehow) still in my bank, I invested in proper aftermarket management. My loom was old, maybe 30 years, so I wanted something that would work well but came with a new loom.
After many many hours of research I plumped for MaxxEcu. It’s a largely unheard of system in the UK but its features largely outweigh those of Link, especially for the what it cost – sub £800 WITH a loom.
I entrusted the making of the loom with a company near Leicester that will rename nameless. The engine build was entrusted to a good friend from Kent.
Fast forward to early January and I had a new loom, ECU and a built engine. The engine was built-up in my garage and then fitted to my car over the period of a few days..
I didn’t want to go through the process of running the engine in on the road. It was Winter, I have no roof or windscreen and didn’t want to risk breaking down somewhere.
The chap that sold me the ECU and loom offered to run in and map the engine for me at his mates rolling road.
Early April I’m all booked in and trailer the car down to ‘StreetRacers’ so we could borrow the rolling road. The run-in commenced around midday and we completed around mid-afternoon. Injectors were swopped for 1000cc ones and then proper mapping commenced.
During mapping, I noticed the car was breathing quite heavily but apparently the guy knew what he was doing so I kept quiet.
Mapping stopped around 11.30pm. The car apparently made 299bhp (although I have no evidence of that) but would not respond to increased boost levels. Boost increase was attempted up to 1.6bar but the power remained the same.
I was told that the poor intercooler design and pipe routing was to blame. We did a quick test drive on the road and the car had huge amounts of lag, but when boost came in shot went well.
I went back home and was told to get the intercooler fixed and then come back for further mapping.
Over the next few weeks I continued to use the car, fairly hard.
I broke down on two occasions. On the first, it appeared as though my lift pump was not powerful enough to keep up with the new fuel demands. My swirl pot was ending up empty. A high-powered lift pump was purchased and installed.
The second time, an oil cooler hose split leaving me stranded and required further assistance to get home from a friend.
The car then went over to Clark Custom Fabrication in Barnsley to have the intercooler pipes modified; which at the very least made a good visual improvement!
It should be noted at no point did the car suddenly loose power or feel any different to my midnight drive immediately after mapping.
At this point, I just wanted the car done and working so went to my regular tuner in Leeds – RS Tuning.
Once on the rollers, Paul attempted to do a power run and immediately stopped. I was told it was knocking [DET]. He took 4 degrees out across the map. He tried again. Still knocking [DET]. He took another 4 degrees out and just about managed a full pull.
The fuel and ignition maps looked like a mountain range. Paul tidied up the fuel and ignition maps before a figure of 255bhp was produced. Something wasn’t right.
We pulled the timing cover and found that the timing had jumped 3 teeth on each cam. Mapping was halted and I was sent off to replace the entire timing belt setup.
I replaced the belt and pulleys but the car still breathed and had smoke emitting from the exhaust. I decided to take off the cylinder head.
On doing so, it was apparent that the head gasket had gone and cylinder 4 had some bore damage. All 4 pistons had evidence of DET marks.
I pulled out piston 4 and it looked like this. Basically scrap from sustained DET. Pistons 1,2 and 3 were all the same.
The pistons went in the bin along the head gasket, bearings and block.
I spoke to the original tuner, who blamed the new intercooler pipework for the cause DET and of course the slipped timing. I drove the car daily since it was originally mapped and I know it never felt any different. At this stage, I think the timing jumped whilst it was on the rollers whilst it was being run in and the DET was never noticed.
Of course I have no proof of this so just need to take this one on the chin.
After a few days moping about I picked myself and started ordering parts; pistons, head gasket, gasket set and bearings.
My spare block went to the engine builders and was machined and another friend gratefully came to my house and built the engine up for me.
The engine was fitted, run up to temp and the oil dropped. New running in oil was fitted and I took the car back to my regular tuner; RS Tuning in Leeds.
A coil pack died during mapping, so a trip to GSF fixed that. Around lunchtime we ended up with 307bhp @ 6,500rpm @ 1bar of boost. The original standard engine made 298bhp @ 7,500rpm @ 1.1bar of boost. So I’m making more power, at less rpm and less boost.
Throughout the mid-range I have an increased of between 30-40bhp across the board so a huge improvement in that regard.
There was a problem though, the engine was getting hot on boost and wouldn’t cool down. I was told to have a look at the cooling problem, swop the oil out again and get some road miles on it. Then return to finish the mapping.
The cooling issues was found to be a lack of thermostat. I’d removed this from the eBay engine and simply never refitted it as I stupidly thought an engine without a stat would run cooler but apparently this isn’t the case.
I’ve dropped the oil again and been out for my first drive which I’m pleased to say went very well.
Over the next few weeks, my plan is to get out in the car as much as possible before heading back over to Leeds to get the mapping finished and see what she can make. Based on other engines with a similar specification I’m hoping for somewhere in the region of 330-340bhp but it is of course not just about chasing numbers.
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:44
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:52
Fair play to you for trying to build/fix as much of this as you can - I admire the enthusiasm.
However, I think a lot of your struggles have been a combination of the self-build aspects and the general flakiness of the CA18DET (I had one - I know).
It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
However, I think a lot of your struggles have been a combination of the self-build aspects and the general flakiness of the CA18DET (I had one - I know).
It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
MKnight702 said:
The trials and tribulations of modifying.
One question, when you went turbocharged, why didn't you stick with the Zetec? Or was the engine swap supposed to make things easier?
Great question - one I've had many times.One question, when you went turbocharged, why didn't you stick with the Zetec? Or was the engine swap supposed to make things easier?
I wanted an engine that was meant to both have a turbo and be RWD to start with - the zetec isn't either.
I sold the zetec engine, gearbox, loom, ecu and throttle bodies for just short of £2k as a turn-key package. The ca18det stuff I bought as a package cost me just £600. A further £300 or so to fit and then off I went with over a grand still left over for 'stuff'.
C70R said:
However, I think a lot of your struggles have been a combination of the self-build aspects and the general flakiness of the CA18DET (I had one - I know).
It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
I think that's a bit harsh on the CA18DET engine. When I bought it it came on the back of a recovery truck in bits, well, 2 engines in bits. The engine that was dead had been in a drift car, at the youngest they were both 26 years old. After putting it in my car, adding another 60bhp and giving it hell for 2 years I then added another 30bhp or so.It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
Sure things broke but most were in relation to heat management, braking or traction.
The latest eBay engine was a bad call, as what having it mapped by someone that clearly lacks basic numerical ability but I wouldn't change anything. I've learnt so much about this engine particularly, engines in general, turbos, mechanising, engine management, fuel and ignition maps. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you (or get you divorced) only makes you stronger.
I know hope I'm in a position to make the most of my new found strength
Side note: I've done a few videos of the last few months - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo5IQ4lTmiEAVhrNU...
and also plenty more pictures and videos on instagram: www.instagram.com/locost_turbo
Edited by dave2007bc on Tuesday 17th September 19:33
Really enjoyed reading this whole thread, thanks for sharing. I have a similar car with 400bhp, though I went old-school LS2 V8 rather than boost, and there is so much fun to be had in such toys.
I would love to hear more about whether the aero additions (front and rear wings) make much of a difference. With mine, I find it is fairly easily to lock all four wide, sticky tyres under braking given the relative light weight of these cars, and wondering if the aero produces any noticeable downforce that may help.
Martin.
I would love to hear more about whether the aero additions (front and rear wings) make much of a difference. With mine, I find it is fairly easily to lock all four wide, sticky tyres under braking given the relative light weight of these cars, and wondering if the aero produces any noticeable downforce that may help.
Martin.
dave2007bc said:
MKnight702 said:
The trials and tribulations of modifying.
One question, when you went turbocharged, why didn't you stick with the Zetec? Or was the engine swap supposed to make things easier?
Great question - one I've had many times.One question, when you went turbocharged, why didn't you stick with the Zetec? Or was the engine swap supposed to make things easier?
I wanted an engine that was meant to both have a turbo and be RWD to start with - the zetec isn't either.
I sold the zetec engine, gearbox, loom, ecu and throttle bodies for just short of £2k as a turn-key package. The ca18det stuff I bought as a package cost me just £600. A further £300 or so to fit and then off I went with over a grand still left over for 'stuff'.
C70R said:
However, I think a lot of your struggles have been a combination of the self-build aspects and the general flakiness of the CA18DET (I had one - I know).
It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
I think that's a bit harsh on the CA18DET engine. When I bought it it came on the back of a recovery truck in bits, well, 2 engines in bits. The engine that was dead had been in a drift car, at the youngest they were both 26 years old. After putting it in my car, adding another 60bhp and giving it hell for 2 years I then added another 30bhp or so.It's been great that you've been able to go on a journey with the car, but I suspect you'd have reached your destination quicker by being a bit more risk-averse.
Sure things broke but most were in relation to heat management, braking or traction.
The latest eBay engine was a bad call, as what having it mapped by someone that clearly lacks basic numerical ability but I wouldn't change anything. I've learnt so much about this engine particularly, engines in general, turbos, mechanising, engine management, fuel and ignition maps. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you (or get you divorced) only makes you stronger.
I know hope I'm in a position to make the most of my new found strength
Side note: I've done a few videos of the last few months - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo5IQ4lTmiEAVhrNU...
and also plenty more pictures and videos on instagram: www.instagram.com/locost_turbo
Edited by dave2007bc on Tuesday 17th September 19:33
If you're going to go ahead and spend your time rebuilding the bottom end and forging the internals to get to 300bhp, that's great. But you could have probably had a similar end result without the arseache if you'd gone with a different engine (like an SR20, or a bike engine, or tuned Zetec, or an MX5 with a turbo etc.).
[quote]
I get it, honestly I do. The CA is a great way to pretty cheap power, but they are old tech and not particularly robust.
If you're going to go ahead and spend your time rebuilding the bottom end and forging the internals to get to 300bhp, that's great. But you could have probably had a similar end result without the arseache if you'd gone with a different engine (like an SR20, or a bike engine, or tuned Zetec, or an MX5 with a turbo etc.).
[/quote]
Bike engines aren't for me
Sr20 engine too expensive and taller
Zetec as above
Mx5 potentially
Any of those options would have meant new mounts, gearbox propshaft, exhaust, ,flywheel, clutch , rad and intercooler piping. Not to mention management. It all quickly adds up. I did the sums, it's what I do for a job.
You get so far invested in something it's not cost effective to look at other options.
The engine isn't built for 300bhp, it's massively over specced and would do 500bhp with the right turbo.
I get it, honestly I do. The CA is a great way to pretty cheap power, but they are old tech and not particularly robust.
If you're going to go ahead and spend your time rebuilding the bottom end and forging the internals to get to 300bhp, that's great. But you could have probably had a similar end result without the arseache if you'd gone with a different engine (like an SR20, or a bike engine, or tuned Zetec, or an MX5 with a turbo etc.).
[/quote]
Bike engines aren't for me
Sr20 engine too expensive and taller
Zetec as above
Mx5 potentially
Any of those options would have meant new mounts, gearbox propshaft, exhaust, ,flywheel, clutch , rad and intercooler piping. Not to mention management. It all quickly adds up. I did the sums, it's what I do for a job.
You get so far invested in something it's not cost effective to look at other options.
The engine isn't built for 300bhp, it's massively over specced and would do 500bhp with the right turbo.
yonex said:
I’d be looking at a Honda K or even B series, they are capable of monster HP when built properly.
b series turns the wrong way so that won't work.K series should have been an option and, if I'd known it fitted in my car I'd have fitted one instead of forging it. 🤷🏼♂️
Great watching somebody else messing about with engines, blowing them up etc. Thought it was just me.
Interesting choice the CA18DET. Did you ever consider the B235 2.3L turbo engine from Saab? Originally fitted to the 9-5 Aero, they make 250hp standard and with a software remap (£90 from Noontune) will easily make 300hp with standard hardware. You can pick them up on eBay for about £400 complete. Chain driven camshafts too.
Interesting choice the CA18DET. Did you ever consider the B235 2.3L turbo engine from Saab? Originally fitted to the 9-5 Aero, they make 250hp standard and with a software remap (£90 from Noontune) will easily make 300hp with standard hardware. You can pick them up on eBay for about £400 complete. Chain driven camshafts too.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 19th September 07:27
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