605bhp Per Ton 200SX Powered Kitcar
Discussion
It's been a while since my last update - the car has probably spent more time off the road than on it unfortunately. I've had a very very bad run with alternators dying on me - I've been through 4 so far. The first couple of times were probably my own fault but the latter I'm blaming on part failure.
Just to prove it did actually get driven -
I've finally fitted a gizzmo boost controller to the car and it's running just over 1 bar of boost, so should equate to around 270-280bhp, or around 450bhp per ton.
The car was suffering from serious heat issues - this was down to me routing the coolant pipes on the rear of the block incorrectly
This has now been resolved and the car really seems to manage the heat a lot better. I also wrapped the downpipe with exhaust wrap which make a huge difference to under-bonnet temperatures.
I've replaced my remote gear-shifter solution with an extended linkage straight from the box. The other one worked well but was a bit too tight for my driving style and kept causing me to miss gears. The new extended linkage is from a VW campervan and cost just £12 from eBay
The tunnel panel and carpet will be getting changed over winter.
I still needed to resolve the issue of the inlet sticking out the top of the bonnet, so I went back to my fabricator (Clark Customs in Barnsley) to have the standard inlet shortened and adjusted accordingly.
Inlet Off
Before and After
Fitted to the car again
The new bonnet was fitted but the cambelt cover still sticks out, there's nothing I can do about this so bought a carbon scoop to sit over this. I intend to fully cut out the bonnet underneath the scoop - this will give additional air into the bonnet which will hit the coils and keep them cool. (CA18 coils on modified engines have a habit of over-heating)
Over Winter I've decided the car will be getting a colour change, most likely to green. I realised that 8 lights on the back of the car looked ridiculous so I'm changing that as well. The inner fog and reverse lights have been removed. The reverse has gone in the bin and won't be returning. The fog will be replaced by a tiny rain-light.
The 2 lights on each arch will be replaced by a 'hamburger' style clear LED light, thereby reducing the number of lights on the rear of the car from 8 to 5.
Whilst in the bodyshop the arches will be resprayed in a metallic black to tie in with the carbon-kevlar shimmer of the front arches.
A fairly boring update but there'll be lots of change over the Winter break.
Just to prove it did actually get driven -
I've finally fitted a gizzmo boost controller to the car and it's running just over 1 bar of boost, so should equate to around 270-280bhp, or around 450bhp per ton.
The car was suffering from serious heat issues - this was down to me routing the coolant pipes on the rear of the block incorrectly
This has now been resolved and the car really seems to manage the heat a lot better. I also wrapped the downpipe with exhaust wrap which make a huge difference to under-bonnet temperatures.
I've replaced my remote gear-shifter solution with an extended linkage straight from the box. The other one worked well but was a bit too tight for my driving style and kept causing me to miss gears. The new extended linkage is from a VW campervan and cost just £12 from eBay
The tunnel panel and carpet will be getting changed over winter.
I still needed to resolve the issue of the inlet sticking out the top of the bonnet, so I went back to my fabricator (Clark Customs in Barnsley) to have the standard inlet shortened and adjusted accordingly.
Inlet Off
Before and After
Fitted to the car again
The new bonnet was fitted but the cambelt cover still sticks out, there's nothing I can do about this so bought a carbon scoop to sit over this. I intend to fully cut out the bonnet underneath the scoop - this will give additional air into the bonnet which will hit the coils and keep them cool. (CA18 coils on modified engines have a habit of over-heating)
Over Winter I've decided the car will be getting a colour change, most likely to green. I realised that 8 lights on the back of the car looked ridiculous so I'm changing that as well. The inner fog and reverse lights have been removed. The reverse has gone in the bin and won't be returning. The fog will be replaced by a tiny rain-light.
The 2 lights on each arch will be replaced by a 'hamburger' style clear LED light, thereby reducing the number of lights on the rear of the car from 8 to 5.
Whilst in the bodyshop the arches will be resprayed in a metallic black to tie in with the carbon-kevlar shimmer of the front arches.
A fairly boring update but there'll be lots of change over the Winter break.
Hello, back after a 2 month break.
I've slowly been putting the car back together, there should be hundreds of photos from the hours I've put in but alas, there are just a handful.
I finished the bonnet by cutting in some rear holes to allow hot air to escape at the rear to hopefully prevent future heat-soak issues.
I also smoothed the holes where my previous rear lights were
Then went grocery shopping
When I got home, I was stripping the car ready for the paint shop when I noted this. Not ideal obviously but thankfully just a reinforcing bracket and not the actual bracket itself (I had wondered why it was creaking abit when setting off). [This has since been re-welded by a good mate]
I stripped everything off the car ready for paint;
The car then went for paint and came back looking absolutely stunning VW Viper Green with a matt-lacquer
Since it came back I've started re-fitting some bits - new nose-cone scoop in CF, need rear arch guards in CF, new interior carpets.
I've now I've moved on to the new dashboard in of course, CF.
..and that takes me to current day. Still lots to do till it gets back on the road but I will get there ready for the nice weather
I've slowly been putting the car back together, there should be hundreds of photos from the hours I've put in but alas, there are just a handful.
I finished the bonnet by cutting in some rear holes to allow hot air to escape at the rear to hopefully prevent future heat-soak issues.
I also smoothed the holes where my previous rear lights were
Then went grocery shopping
When I got home, I was stripping the car ready for the paint shop when I noted this. Not ideal obviously but thankfully just a reinforcing bracket and not the actual bracket itself (I had wondered why it was creaking abit when setting off). [This has since been re-welded by a good mate]
I stripped everything off the car ready for paint;
The car then went for paint and came back looking absolutely stunning
VW Viper Green with a matt-lacquerSince it came back I've started re-fitting some bits - new nose-cone scoop in CF, need rear arch guards in CF, new interior carpets.
I've now I've moved on to the new dashboard in of course, CF.
..and that takes me to current day. Still lots to do till it gets back on the road but I will get there ready for the nice weather
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:04
Update time!
6 weeks since the last one and loads happening
Dash has been finished, and includes a new battery switch for security and safety.
The car went to RS Tuning to have the Gizzmo boost controller setup. It was running a bit lean at high-end (needed a bigger fuel filter - now fitted) so boost was set to around 15psi and the car made 262bhp (Flywheel).
Went for a run with out with my mate Matthew Morton
I really love the new colour, the pearl looks stunning in the sunshine.
Booked in on a last minute trackday at Teeside -
Video here -
Need to get used to the new car a lot more; I'd nailed heel/toe in the zetec but the new pedal layout and engine means it drives a lot differently to when it had the Zetec in it [still learning], and I need some new rubber. These PE2 tyres are great but they just can't deal with the power I'm trying to put down. My semi-slicks get fitted this evening, hopefully that will make the car a bit easier to drive.
6 weeks since the last one and loads happening
Dash has been finished, and includes a new battery switch for security and safety.
The car went to RS Tuning to have the Gizzmo boost controller setup. It was running a bit lean at high-end (needed a bigger fuel filter - now fitted) so boost was set to around 15psi and the car made 262bhp (Flywheel).
Went for a run with out with my mate Matthew Morton
I really love the new colour, the pearl looks stunning in the sunshine.
Booked in on a last minute trackday at Teeside -
Video here -
Need to get used to the new car a lot more; I'd nailed heel/toe in the zetec but the new pedal layout and engine means it drives a lot differently to when it had the Zetec in it [still learning], and I need some new rubber. These PE2 tyres are great but they just can't deal with the power I'm trying to put down. My semi-slicks get fitted this evening, hopefully that will make the car a bit easier to drive.
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:05
clarki said:
Great stuff - love the new colour scheme well worth the effort.
Always think that the wheels look too big though??
Top motor.
Agreed - they do always look big in photos; they're only 15" though. They're getting done in gloss-back in the next month or so, at the moment they're just a dirty black lolAlways think that the wheels look too big though??
Top motor.
My friend gets slicks/semi-slicks cheap for 15" so I can't justify moving to 13" wheels as in the long run it will cost me a lot more money and it would lower the car (a bit) and the Nissan sump is already dangerously close to the floor.
Thanks for the other comments, really appreciated.
selym; I hope you enjoy it. If you go for it you've just lost about 300 hours of your life building the thing, haha
Mr MXT said:
That looks epic, very impressive....just two minor things as a fellow sevenesque owner..
1. I'd want some cross bracing on that cage
2. I'd always wear a helmet (your road test video)
Bracing across the middle from corner to corner? - I was going to but it made get in and out an absolute pain in the balls (I'm 6'4) - I may change my mind this year now I have be-friended a fabricator lol1. I'd want some cross bracing on that cage
2. I'd always wear a helmet (your road test video)
I agree with the helmet comments - the glasses do have bullet proof lenses but unless I'm just pootling to the shops I always wear a helmet now.
dave2007bc said:
Bracing across the middle from corner to corner? - I was going to but it made get in and out an absolute pain in the balls (I'm 6'4) - I may change my mind this year now I have be-friended a fabricator lol
I agree with the helmet comments - the glasses do have bullet proof lenses but unless I'm just pootling to the shops I always wear a helmet now.
Like the ones on the White cars half way down this thread made by 'caged'. That was most of us Westfield owners use, myself includedI agree with the helmet comments - the glasses do have bullet proof lenses but unless I'm just pootling to the shops I always wear a helmet now.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
HElmet for protection from smacking your head on the bar if something bad does happen, it's fairly close to the side of your head..
Those cages look lovely; there's generally a big difference in the owners annual income when comparing Locost and Westfield owners though ;-) I will look at adding bracing but it's not at the top of my list. It's not an FIA cage and never will be; side impact bars are more of a priority atm to be honest, but it's all weight and the CA18 is a heavy lump as it is.
A few videos from the Blyton trackday -
Me getting letter an S/C Ariel Atom past and thinking I could keep up! ha.
The same lap on-board the Ariel Atom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayi21iuRdyw
Me chasing a 250bhp K20 powered Lotus Cup Elise. Top owner and good fun. I was faster in the straights, he was quicker in the corners; damn those wide tyres and race-prepped cars :-\
...and finally a spectator was looking to build a Locost so asked for a few laps as a passenger, I was more than happy to oblige.
With (my first) little one on the way at the end of May I've booked one last trackday before she arrives so I'm heading back over to Blyton this Saturday for a final blast before parent-hood commences. With a great weather forecast I'm hoping to find the team to play with the suspension and tyre pressures a bit more
Me getting letter an S/C Ariel Atom past and thinking I could keep up! ha.
The same lap on-board the Ariel Atom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayi21iuRdyw
Me chasing a 250bhp K20 powered Lotus Cup Elise. Top owner and good fun. I was faster in the straights, he was quicker in the corners; damn those wide tyres and race-prepped cars :-\
...and finally a spectator was looking to build a Locost so asked for a few laps as a passenger, I was more than happy to oblige.
With (my first) little one on the way at the end of May I've booked one last trackday before she arrives so I'm heading back over to Blyton this Saturday for a final blast before parent-hood commences. With a great weather forecast I'm hoping to find the team to play with the suspension and tyre pressures a bit more
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:13
Well, I've been chasing Ariel Atoms', again :-) and I actually 'kept up' with one this time -
I urgently need to upgrade the brakes, I was having major issues slowing down..
I think the speed the three of us come back this chap says it all though, such good fun.
https://youtu.be/vn1OFOOvUj0?t=30s
I urgently need to upgrade the brakes, I was having major issues slowing down..
I think the speed the three of us come back this chap says it all though, such good fun.
https://youtu.be/vn1OFOOvUj0?t=30s
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:15
Edited by dave2007bc on Thursday 7th May 10:15
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