Carbon '72 Mini C20XE Including Build Details
Discussion
Hungry Freak said:
Not a Vauxhall bloke myself, but a bigger engine in an old skool Mini is definitely a beautiful way to go.
After I finish Uni and have some money, I'll get a VTEC in the back of mine and race you!
Working for Vauxhall I really had to go the Red Top route hahaaAfter I finish Uni and have some money, I'll get a VTEC in the back of mine and race you!
My Boss would have killed me if I went VTec
Anyway I like Torque Steer
Transmitter Man said:
Congrats Dougie to you and the crew on a great looking build.
You like your carbon
Only things I'd consider would be RWD (don't like torque steer) and a de-seamed shell.
Other than that, perfect.
Phil
TVR 420 SEAC
Cheers for the comments PhilYou like your carbon
Only things I'd consider would be RWD (don't like torque steer) and a de-seamed shell.
Other than that, perfect.
Phil
TVR 420 SEAC
I also like RWD had a Chimaera and a Tuscan previously but as you say the Torque Steer is immence and exagerated with the 260mm steering wheel and wide track but thats half the fun
Last Friday we had the best Pat on the back for all involved in the project
We had our Miniworld Front Cover Photoshoot in Studio down in Kent.
Great Experience and finally I will get some decent Photos of it
Will post them up once its out in the Shops
masermartin said:
I make no apologies for dragging this thread back to the front page - I saw this at the Petrolhead Nirvana Ace meet on Monday. Awesome, awesome car. You have to take your hat off to people who take two pieces of car that were never designed for each other, put them together and make them look as good as that.
Deserves every single trophy, covershoot and bit of recognition it's had.
ETA - and after all that modification and a completely different engine, how come it still has a hint of Mini about the soundtrack !?!?
Thank You for your comments Deserves every single trophy, covershoot and bit of recognition it's had.
ETA - and after all that modification and a completely different engine, how come it still has a hint of Mini about the soundtrack !?!?
Edited by masermartin on Thursday 16th September 10:41
Yep cant wait to see the features December's Miniworld cover and January's Retrocar Cover with my Mates Mk1 Escort with the same engine
Yep she Barks on full Chat
jellison said:
Very Nicely done.
Everything looks really well executed, but why leave the hole in the bonnet / wing why on make a nice low level carbon buldge?
Thank You for your comments Everything looks really well executed, but why leave the hole in the bonnet / wing why on make a nice low level carbon buldge?
Regarding the Hole if you see it in the flesh you would see it works quite well
Problem with a Buldge would have been it crosses over onto the wing about 40mm this would then mean a cut/ join where the bonnet line is which really would have looked bad we wanted to keep the Mini lines etc etc and suttley show off the engine converstion
Weve seen some with the scoops and buldges etc etc and they are shocking
jellison said:
Good stuff Dougie.
What sort of poke does it make? Been in Stuart Wrights 190+bhp Turbo Miglia round Goodwood, that was really inpressive.
Yep its mad its 210BHP so more than enough but with the Redtop the Torque is awesome ( almost to the point too much What sort of poke does it make? Been in Stuart Wrights 190+bhp Turbo Miglia round Goodwood, that was really inpressive.
)But with the wide track and tiny steering wheel everything gets exaggerated
Finally got a Suspension guro round on Saturday to set it up correctly
Finally it drives aswell as it looks
Transmitter Man said:
Dougie,
My second post on this thread.
Dougie the photo's are great.
Can I ask you can you or your guys produce a carbon dash together from an original fibreglass part to use as a pattern?
Ballpark cost?
Phil
Im sure Rich will be along soon to answer your question My second post on this thread.
Dougie the photo's are great.
Can I ask you can you or your guys produce a carbon dash together from an original fibreglass part to use as a pattern?
Ballpark cost?
Phil
But it was a definate one off part
The amount of triming and cutting and ammending to get things fitting and that was before I arrived home with the Rollcage much to his amusement.
Buying it Im sure Rich would confirm would not be possible as people would physically not pay for the time that would be needed to do it.
And as you can see hes not interested in doing a half hearted job at it eithier
SkunkWorkz said:
Transmitter Man said:
Can I ask you can you or your guys produce a carbon dash together from an original fibreglass part to use as a pattern?
Ballpark cost?
Phil
No sorry Phil, i've retired after dougie's project due to all the money i made.Ballpark cost?
Phil
Edited by DougieMc on Monday 25th October 08:39
Please vote for my car for Retrocars Car of the Year 2010
30 PLEASE
http://www.retrocarsmag.com/caroftheyear.asp
30 PLEASE
http://www.retrocarsmag.com/caroftheyear.asp
Edited by DougieMc on Thursday 16th December 16:33
allgearnoidea said:
dinkel said:
We need a vid of this beastie in hard core action. Any chance please young sir?
What, being drove out of the garage onto a trailer? 
Would have loved a Trailer it would have saved the mileage, Stone chips and hours of cleaning to make the car the condition it is following the couple of thousand miles that the car has done since being finished
Typical PH comment
Feel free to comment with Facts next time
Edited by DougieMc on Monday 20th December 18:35
allgearnoidea said:
DougieMc said:
allgearnoidea said:
dinkel said:
We need a vid of this beastie in hard core action. Any chance please young sir?
What, being drove out of the garage onto a trailer? Would have loved a Trailer it would have saved the mileage, Stone chips and hours of cleaning to make the car the condition it is following the couple of thousand miles that the car has done since being finished
Typical PH comment
Feel free to comment with Facts next time
Edited by DougieMc on Monday 20th December 18:35
I was waiting for that! touched a nerve have i? 
That thing should be trailed everywhere theres no way i could drive it about in that condition. Hats off to you sir
Cheers for the comments
Here we are nearly a year on from when we finished the car, we've promised a build thread, and here it finally is.
Since then we've had one successful year drawing crowds wherever we've taken the car, in one way or another it seems to appeal to everyone. We've attended all sorts of events from Mini Shows, Classic Car Shows and Pistonheads meets along side million pound Hypercars. When you pull up at an event and the crowd walk away from a Ferrari Enzo to see the 'old mini' that turns up, you know you've created something special.
Yes the car has won multiple trophies, had 2 Magazine covers, but its all credit to the team of people who spent 2 years building it. During the build we didn't really have time to post up, plus we wanted to keep it top secret so that we could hit last years show scene with a bang, which we did! Skunkworkz, Chris, Danny, myself and a load of other mates worked very hard as you will appreciate below.
We've included as much as possible without giving everything away.
Firstly, lets answer the main frustrating questions of 2010
Is it all Carbon Wrap Vinyl?
afraid not, all real Carbon Fibre
How much is the front extended by?
its not, standard length roundnose
Is it Fibreglass?
nope, all metal panels apart from the Carbon Fibre. The front is a 1 piece removable aswell
Where's your Zeus Fasteners?
we hate them, all our fixings are hidden
Is it a VTEC?
nope its an Vauxhall 2.0L 16v XE, this was partly because of our background and because i work for Vauxhall HQ
We hope this clears up any confusion :-)
Breif history is it was my Grandfathers car from new in 1972, it stayed in the family until 1991 when I sold it after my little appearance in Miniworld May 1995.
Then in 2008 I found it again with only 120miles extra on the clock since I sold it, but in a sorry state, I then bought it back, which is where the fun began.
2.0 16V C20XE Allspeed Kit
QED Jenvey Throttle Bodies
Emerald Management
Z20LET Injectors
Piper 286 Road/Race Cams
Ported, Milled & Polished Head
Power Speed Custom 4-2-1 Manifold, 2.5” Bore, 3” Tailpipe
Quaife LSD
ProAlloy Custom Radiator, Header Tank, Pipe work & Oil Catch Tank
SFS Silicone Hoses
Rocker Cover Smoothed and Colour Coded with Oil Filler Cap & Removed & Breathers Rerouted
Custom Carbon Fibre Plug Cover
Custom Thermostat and Sensors
8x13 Revolution Split Rims
175-50-13 Yokohama A048
Front - Hi-Lo’s & Spax Adjustable Shocks
Rear - Hi-Lo’s & Spax Adjustable Shocks with Rear Camber Kit
Wilwood Dual Master Cylinder / Pedal assembly
Metro Turbo 4 Pot Callipers
Repainted in Ford Imperial Blue
Standard Length Full Metal, Fully Removable Roundnose with Hidden Fixings
Custom Metal Bonnet with Removable Hinges
Carbon Fibre Roof Skin
Custom Carbon Fibre Mirrors & Internal Covers
Carbon Fibre Miglia Arches
Mk2 Pop Out Rear Windows
LED Number Plate Lights
Custom Red Rear Lights with LED Bulbs
Crystal Clear Headlights
Clear Flat Glass Front Indicators with LED Bulbs
Carbon Fibre Shell Seats
Schroth 4 Point Harnesses
Custom 2” Diameter 6 Point Rollcage
Custom Carbon Fibre Dashboard with Rollcage Fitment
Custom Carbon Fibre Steering Column Shroud with Illuminated Starter Button
Custom Carbon Fibre Instrument Surround
Custom Carbon Fibre Gear lever Surround & Linkage Tube
New Mini Style Illuminated Switches with Loops
ETB Digital Dash
Corsa B Electric Power Steering
Momo Quick Release Steering Wheel
Carbon Fibre Gearknob
Handbrake Moved 8” Back
Custom Carbon Fibre Pedals
Custom 2 Speed Heater with Sealed
Custom Carbon Fibre Heater Cover
Custom Carbon Fibre Door Cards
Custom Billet Door Handles & Window Winders
Custom Made Wiring Loom
White LED Interior Puddle Lighting
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Headlining & A,B & C Pillar Covers
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Handbrake & Gearlever Gators
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Boot kit
Custom Carpet & Mats
Original Pics - 1991 (First Owned)
In the Barn - 2008 (Found after 13 years)
Moved to my parents house in Stranraer where we picked it up
The journey from Stranraer to Bedfordshire
What we found
Strip down the whole car main shell and floor was still good as my grandfather used to coat the underneath with waste tractor oil (The best Waxoyl money can buy)
After stripping we took it to Alex at A.B.S. Blasting who blasted the shell with Plastic granules to remove the paint then olivine to remove any rust
They opened up the sills to get any rust out
Once it was blasted, we took it to the bodyshop where they started chopping
The part were listed, bought and then Lee at Crash Care Centre Hitchin started to make them fit
The bodyshop finished the welding including the fabricated Throttle body box, Allspeed brace bars, gear linkage hole removing the rear bins and tubbing the rear arched then finally the car was Etch Primed
Carbon Roof
This was an off the shelf item, but again as with most other parts that have been 'off the shelf' it didn't fit straight away, in a way it was good as it allowed us to trim it down to get it to the perfect size.
Also we wanted the minimum metalwork left on the roof so 95% of it was chopped out leaving 1" around the edges to give us something to bond the Carbon to.
And after 17 coats of lacquer to make it the depth of Carbon that we wanted for the project.
Then the engine bay, interior and boot were painted bodycolour
This would allow us to start fitting things up and being able to leave them in as apposed to removing them again before final paint.
Once we got it back we started to get it rolling
We needed to get the car on its wheels to make it easier to move about, and to preserve the underseal/stonechip that had been applied at the bodyshop.
First chance to get engine subframe in and the engine mounted, started to piece together the suspension, steering etc..
Trial Front end first fitted on to see what would need chopping, this was later replaced with all new panels
It was a bit higher than we expected.... this was where the fun started
Since then we've had one successful year drawing crowds wherever we've taken the car, in one way or another it seems to appeal to everyone. We've attended all sorts of events from Mini Shows, Classic Car Shows and Pistonheads meets along side million pound Hypercars. When you pull up at an event and the crowd walk away from a Ferrari Enzo to see the 'old mini' that turns up, you know you've created something special.
Yes the car has won multiple trophies, had 2 Magazine covers, but its all credit to the team of people who spent 2 years building it. During the build we didn't really have time to post up, plus we wanted to keep it top secret so that we could hit last years show scene with a bang, which we did! Skunkworkz, Chris, Danny, myself and a load of other mates worked very hard as you will appreciate below.
We've included as much as possible without giving everything away.
Firstly, lets answer the main frustrating questions of 2010
Is it all Carbon Wrap Vinyl?
afraid not, all real Carbon Fibre
How much is the front extended by?
its not, standard length roundnose
Is it Fibreglass?
nope, all metal panels apart from the Carbon Fibre. The front is a 1 piece removable aswell
Where's your Zeus Fasteners?
we hate them, all our fixings are hidden
Is it a VTEC?
nope its an Vauxhall 2.0L 16v XE, this was partly because of our background and because i work for Vauxhall HQ
We hope this clears up any confusion :-)
Breif history is it was my Grandfathers car from new in 1972, it stayed in the family until 1991 when I sold it after my little appearance in Miniworld May 1995.
Then in 2008 I found it again with only 120miles extra on the clock since I sold it, but in a sorry state, I then bought it back, which is where the fun began.
2.0 16V C20XE Allspeed Kit
QED Jenvey Throttle Bodies
Emerald Management
Z20LET Injectors
Piper 286 Road/Race Cams
Ported, Milled & Polished Head
Power Speed Custom 4-2-1 Manifold, 2.5” Bore, 3” Tailpipe
Quaife LSD
ProAlloy Custom Radiator, Header Tank, Pipe work & Oil Catch Tank
SFS Silicone Hoses
Rocker Cover Smoothed and Colour Coded with Oil Filler Cap & Removed & Breathers Rerouted
Custom Carbon Fibre Plug Cover
Custom Thermostat and Sensors
8x13 Revolution Split Rims
175-50-13 Yokohama A048
Front - Hi-Lo’s & Spax Adjustable Shocks
Rear - Hi-Lo’s & Spax Adjustable Shocks with Rear Camber Kit
Wilwood Dual Master Cylinder / Pedal assembly
Metro Turbo 4 Pot Callipers
Repainted in Ford Imperial Blue
Standard Length Full Metal, Fully Removable Roundnose with Hidden Fixings
Custom Metal Bonnet with Removable Hinges
Carbon Fibre Roof Skin
Custom Carbon Fibre Mirrors & Internal Covers
Carbon Fibre Miglia Arches
Mk2 Pop Out Rear Windows
LED Number Plate Lights
Custom Red Rear Lights with LED Bulbs
Crystal Clear Headlights
Clear Flat Glass Front Indicators with LED Bulbs
Carbon Fibre Shell Seats
Schroth 4 Point Harnesses
Custom 2” Diameter 6 Point Rollcage
Custom Carbon Fibre Dashboard with Rollcage Fitment
Custom Carbon Fibre Steering Column Shroud with Illuminated Starter Button
Custom Carbon Fibre Instrument Surround
Custom Carbon Fibre Gear lever Surround & Linkage Tube
New Mini Style Illuminated Switches with Loops
ETB Digital Dash
Corsa B Electric Power Steering
Momo Quick Release Steering Wheel
Carbon Fibre Gearknob
Handbrake Moved 8” Back
Custom Carbon Fibre Pedals
Custom 2 Speed Heater with Sealed
Custom Carbon Fibre Heater Cover
Custom Carbon Fibre Door Cards
Custom Billet Door Handles & Window Winders
Custom Made Wiring Loom
White LED Interior Puddle Lighting
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Headlining & A,B & C Pillar Covers
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Handbrake & Gearlever Gators
Retro Re-trims Carbon Fibre Leather Boot kit
Custom Carpet & Mats
Original Pics - 1991 (First Owned)
In the Barn - 2008 (Found after 13 years)
Moved to my parents house in Stranraer where we picked it up
The journey from Stranraer to Bedfordshire
What we found
Strip down the whole car main shell and floor was still good as my grandfather used to coat the underneath with waste tractor oil (The best Waxoyl money can buy)
After stripping we took it to Alex at A.B.S. Blasting who blasted the shell with Plastic granules to remove the paint then olivine to remove any rust
They opened up the sills to get any rust out
Once it was blasted, we took it to the bodyshop where they started chopping
The part were listed, bought and then Lee at Crash Care Centre Hitchin started to make them fit
The bodyshop finished the welding including the fabricated Throttle body box, Allspeed brace bars, gear linkage hole removing the rear bins and tubbing the rear arched then finally the car was Etch Primed
Carbon Roof
This was an off the shelf item, but again as with most other parts that have been 'off the shelf' it didn't fit straight away, in a way it was good as it allowed us to trim it down to get it to the perfect size.
Also we wanted the minimum metalwork left on the roof so 95% of it was chopped out leaving 1" around the edges to give us something to bond the Carbon to.
And after 17 coats of lacquer to make it the depth of Carbon that we wanted for the project.
Then the engine bay, interior and boot were painted bodycolour
This would allow us to start fitting things up and being able to leave them in as apposed to removing them again before final paint.
Once we got it back we started to get it rolling
We needed to get the car on its wheels to make it easier to move about, and to preserve the underseal/stonechip that had been applied at the bodyshop.
First chance to get engine subframe in and the engine mounted, started to piece together the suspension, steering etc..
Trial Front end first fitted on to see what would need chopping, this was later replaced with all new panels
It was a bit higher than we expected.... this was where the fun started
Edited by DougieMc on Sunday 20th February 12:09
Edited by DougieMc on Monday 21st February 16:42
Exhaust by Powerspeed
As part of our challenge to fit this huge engine under a standard length roundnose steel front end using an Allspeed subframe, we were going to be faced with a few problems, hence nobody had done it. Yes people have fitted XE's under roundnose mini's, but they are on custom made subframes that work for their application. But for us sadly we needed more ground clearance as we wanted to run the car nice and low.
So we needed a custom made exhaust. We'd been recommended Powerspeed by a friend who has a Dax Rush with a 450bhp C20LET out of a Calibra Turbo, they shoehorned a trick manifold into his small space so we knew they were the people for the job.
As with any custom exhaust we were asked the normal questions and from them gave our answers. We wanted a super skinny 4-2-1 manifold & downpipe that hugged the engine block as tight as possible, taking the standard route under the sump into a flexi joint, then into a straight 2.25" centre pipe, this would then join up with a medium sized backbox that needed to be tucked up as high as possible inside the rear subframe, then we wanted a 3" outwardly rolled tailpipe in the same position as many other performance exhausts. Oh and it needed a lambda boss welding in for when the car went for mapping. Not much eh!
Then we removed the manifold and wrapped it in heat resistant exhaust wrap to try to keep the engine bay temperatures down.
Then we painted the wrap in heat resistant exhaust paint
Radiator & Pipework Manufacture, & Thermostat mods by Pro Alloy
Coolant Expansion Tank & Breather catch tank & Pipework by Pro Alloy
Rocker Cover Modifications by Pro Alloy
This picture shows the original rocker cover at the front, and the modified rocker cover at the back.
These were the 3 main mods that were carried out by Pro Alloy as well as Hotrod Guru and mate Jon Gurney.
Firstly the front breather was removed and smoothed over to fit under the bonnet.
Then the rear breathers (2) were chopped off and 1 large one was welded in instead, we also squared off this area of the rocker cover to make it smoother. Also note the removal of the oil filler cap, this is a modification that we have carried out before on other cars and really smoothes off the top of the engine, especially when its poking out of the bonnet! Not many people notice this unless you know what a standard engine looks like.
Plug Cover
We wanted a Carbon plug cover to break up the engine, especially as the engine would now be on show. Because of the changes to the rocker cover, there would be no 'off the shelf' cover, so the original one needed to be modified.
With the oil filler cap removed, there would be a small 1/8 of a circle part missing. So Rich filled it. Whilst he was there he filled the back of the cover with carbon fibre & resin. Then flatted the raised letters on the front down until the top face was flush.
Once we'd tested the fit, it was then wrapped in Carbon. Admittedly its not complete Carbon, but it¡¦s definitely not vinyl, so it was the best option available.
Rich also Carboned the plug lead holder that keeps the leads tidy (yes very anal, but attention to detail is everything)
Bonnet Fabrication by Crash Care Centre
Now if you've either come and spoke to us at a show or if you've read one of the magazine features you may know the story behind this one.
When we started looking at a few things such as how we wanted the engine to look with all the original covers, and obviously the engine position which finished above the wing level and how it would have had to be part of the front wing we knew that bulge would have took up half of the bonnet and gone into the wing.
So one night whilst having a 'thinking night' as apposed to a 'doing night' around the car, Chris's wife Karen who's house we were building the house at came out and suggested 'how about just cutting a hole in the bonnet?' At first I looked dubious, but as soon as the others heard it they was sold! After an agreement that we were going to have 2 bonnets, 1 for general use and 1 for show, I was sold! To this day we've never seen a 2nd bonnet, shows how much we all liked the crazy idea!
Luckily we had a spare bonnet, so we chopped a hole in it just to see what it would look like.
We got on the phone to top metal fabricator friend John who was up for making a frame for the bonnet, we dropped him over a spare rocker and some dimensions and days later he'd produced 2 identical frames that were rocker cover shaped with an even 10mm gap all the way around.
Now we had the parts needed we moved the car back to Crash Care Centre and explained the plan to Lee who luckily has a good imagination, and was well up for the challenge. Next thing you know we were cutting up a brand new bonnet and cutting in the edging strips ready for welding. We then handed it over to Lee for some expert welding.
Anyone would think he knew what he was doing ļ
When Lee had the car back for final painting he added some more details to the bonnet including extending the bonnet centreline down the new metalwork on the bonnet.
Rear Lights
Being a fan of the Euro Cleaned scene, Rich - Skunkworkz, needed to add some touches such as the 1 off rear lights. Also we wanted the older look of all red rear lights.
So we started with a spare old lens to check that the colour would end up right. After multiple coats all the orange was gone and the colour was even, it worked a treat!
Then some would call it anal, some would call it ingenious, but really its Rich's attention to detail that followed. To be honest these little touches of Rich Anal ness is what has made the car what it is (but don¡¦t tell him that).
A brand new set of lights were purchased:
and then totally flattened back with wet and dry to remove all writing including E marks etc..
Resulting in these:
With the addition of LED bulbs for both Stop/Tail/Indicators it really brings the rear end up to date. All colours show through the red lenses perfectly.
We've had lots of comments about them, such as 'are they Australian spec?'
Front Arches
We wanted the car to have a low wide stance, so Miglia Wide Carbon arches were purchased.
We'd seen too many other cars with arches that had been poorly fitted with uneven heights and gaps, visible screws holding them together. We wanted to do something a bit better so a lot of time and attention was spent getting them right. Original, Rich insisted that we fitted the arches with no rubber beading at all, which would have looked great and actually did as the arches were made to have a perfect fit, but knowing the car was going to be used and the car was going to flex and things would move he finally gave in and we sourced a 3mm P strip to sit between the arch and bodywork.
After we'd set the ride height with the 8x13 wheels, we then started trimming, fitting, trimming, fitting.... each arch! It was a never ending task.
We were somewhere near where we wanted to be. So the arches were mocked up as close as possible and taped in place to show us what part of the front wing would need trimming to allow tyre clearance when the wheels turned.
The arches were not going to be finally fitted up with the brackets bonded on until final fit up. And it took a fair amount of taping, clamping and bonding to get them perfect, but after a bit of work it all turned out good.
Rear Arches
These were actually done twice. Some of you may have noticed that when the car first came out the rear arches had 'dimples' around them, these were where the brackets were too tight. Also the rear arches went a little cloudy. We lived with them for a bit, then we decided to get some more.
The new ones fit perfectly, after some creative bonding.
Bootlid
Its pretty much a standard bootlid apart from it having no badges and the rear number plate bulbs have been swapped out for crystal white LED ones to enhance the modern feel with all chrome work being new.
Alternator
With limited space, we had to come up with something different. We originally planned to run the bracket from the Allspeed kit which mounted the alternator on the front of the engine as apposed to the rear on the standard engine. But even with the small Nipon Denso item that was purchased, there just wasn't enough space, but there was space in the inner wing! So with some research done on the alternator running backwards and a couple of brackets knocked up including an adjustable one plus a new belt purchased of the correct length, we mounted it up in its new position. There were a fair few people who said it would never work with the engine moving about, but for us with it being in line with the bottom pulley we had full confidence in it. With 2000 miles under our belt it has been 100% reliable (touch wood) and with a voltmeter on the digidash it shows a constant charging voltage of 14.2v regardless of how the car is being driven!
Paint
When it came to the bodywork, we left it to the pro's.
We entrusted in friend and master bodywork guru Lee, who runs Crash Care Centre in Hitchin, Herts.
With the idea of Ford Imperial Blue in contrast with the Carbon parts, we knew we were onto a winner.
The pictures show it all, so enjoy.
Primer
Painting
Buffed
Brakes
When you've got 200+bhp under your right foot, you need something substantial under your left foot. We looked at a lot of the billet conversions that are offered, but had heard mixed reviews on them. We also looked into rear disc conversions, but decided against it for the amount of braking the rear brakes do.
So in the end we decided to go for a Wilwood Dual Master Cylinder / Pedal assembly, along with fully refurbished Metro Turbo 4 Pot Callipers and discs up front with a standard set up in the rear. There is a bias valve installed to aid in distributing the braking power where you want/need it most. The handbrake was also moved back 8 inches due to the gear lever moving back. The car will be getting 'used' more this year so we'll see how the set up holds up under a bit more strain.
The Carbon Fibre....
I've been lucky enough to previously own some nice cars. TVR Chimera, TVR Tuscan and a Porsche 996 Turbo. The Porsche was clad with every piece of optional Carbon Fibre that could be purchased, and when you put the Porsche name on anything things aren't cheap! But the Carbon bug had bitten me!
Luckily for me, Rich works for an Aerospace company that uses lots of different materials including Carbon Fibre & Kevlar, and although he's not officially on the tools anymore, he tells me it¡¦s like riding a bike. So after some persuading we decided it would be good to have some custom pieces on the car, little did he know that it would grow as much as it did.
Dash
This started life as an off the shelf item, but its had so many hours spent on it Rich tells me we should have just started from scratch and made our own. It might aswell have been made for a Mk1 escort for how good it fitted. The problem was we wanted it to be functional with the heater, but with the heater hidden, and minimal switches visible.
So again, after a lot of cutting and trimming we had the basic shape fitted.
But this was just the start of things to come...
We then decided to fit Corsa power steering, which meant a bit more of the dash needed trimming to fit snugly.
And then I decided I wanted a 6 point rollcage, which sadly for Rich went straight through the freshly fitted dashboard. Again we have seen rollcages through dashboards, but there always crude holes that either don't fit properly or that you can see through to the wiring under the dash. We wouldn't have been happy with this so Rich got to work, making Carbon tubes that were 1" larger diameter than the rollcage giving a 1/2" gap all the way around the rollcage once fitted. These tubes were made on a 3" x 24" aluminium tube fixture that the carbon cloth was wrapped around. Once the resin was cured the inner aluminium tube was removed leaving carbon fibre tube. The dashboard was then cut to receive the tubes. These were then bonded into the dashboard with more Carbon fibre & Resin.
Whilst Rich was making the tubes he also made some Carbon 'L' shape filler strips to fill i the gaps between the dash and A pillar.
As part of our challenge to fit this huge engine under a standard length roundnose steel front end using an Allspeed subframe, we were going to be faced with a few problems, hence nobody had done it. Yes people have fitted XE's under roundnose mini's, but they are on custom made subframes that work for their application. But for us sadly we needed more ground clearance as we wanted to run the car nice and low.
So we needed a custom made exhaust. We'd been recommended Powerspeed by a friend who has a Dax Rush with a 450bhp C20LET out of a Calibra Turbo, they shoehorned a trick manifold into his small space so we knew they were the people for the job.
As with any custom exhaust we were asked the normal questions and from them gave our answers. We wanted a super skinny 4-2-1 manifold & downpipe that hugged the engine block as tight as possible, taking the standard route under the sump into a flexi joint, then into a straight 2.25" centre pipe, this would then join up with a medium sized backbox that needed to be tucked up as high as possible inside the rear subframe, then we wanted a 3" outwardly rolled tailpipe in the same position as many other performance exhausts. Oh and it needed a lambda boss welding in for when the car went for mapping. Not much eh!
Then we removed the manifold and wrapped it in heat resistant exhaust wrap to try to keep the engine bay temperatures down.
Then we painted the wrap in heat resistant exhaust paint
Radiator & Pipework Manufacture, & Thermostat mods by Pro Alloy
Coolant Expansion Tank & Breather catch tank & Pipework by Pro Alloy
Rocker Cover Modifications by Pro Alloy
This picture shows the original rocker cover at the front, and the modified rocker cover at the back.
These were the 3 main mods that were carried out by Pro Alloy as well as Hotrod Guru and mate Jon Gurney.
Firstly the front breather was removed and smoothed over to fit under the bonnet.
Then the rear breathers (2) were chopped off and 1 large one was welded in instead, we also squared off this area of the rocker cover to make it smoother. Also note the removal of the oil filler cap, this is a modification that we have carried out before on other cars and really smoothes off the top of the engine, especially when its poking out of the bonnet! Not many people notice this unless you know what a standard engine looks like.
Plug Cover
We wanted a Carbon plug cover to break up the engine, especially as the engine would now be on show. Because of the changes to the rocker cover, there would be no 'off the shelf' cover, so the original one needed to be modified.
With the oil filler cap removed, there would be a small 1/8 of a circle part missing. So Rich filled it. Whilst he was there he filled the back of the cover with carbon fibre & resin. Then flatted the raised letters on the front down until the top face was flush.
Once we'd tested the fit, it was then wrapped in Carbon. Admittedly its not complete Carbon, but it¡¦s definitely not vinyl, so it was the best option available.
Rich also Carboned the plug lead holder that keeps the leads tidy (yes very anal, but attention to detail is everything)
Bonnet Fabrication by Crash Care Centre
Now if you've either come and spoke to us at a show or if you've read one of the magazine features you may know the story behind this one.
When we started looking at a few things such as how we wanted the engine to look with all the original covers, and obviously the engine position which finished above the wing level and how it would have had to be part of the front wing we knew that bulge would have took up half of the bonnet and gone into the wing.
So one night whilst having a 'thinking night' as apposed to a 'doing night' around the car, Chris's wife Karen who's house we were building the house at came out and suggested 'how about just cutting a hole in the bonnet?' At first I looked dubious, but as soon as the others heard it they was sold! After an agreement that we were going to have 2 bonnets, 1 for general use and 1 for show, I was sold! To this day we've never seen a 2nd bonnet, shows how much we all liked the crazy idea!
Luckily we had a spare bonnet, so we chopped a hole in it just to see what it would look like.
We got on the phone to top metal fabricator friend John who was up for making a frame for the bonnet, we dropped him over a spare rocker and some dimensions and days later he'd produced 2 identical frames that were rocker cover shaped with an even 10mm gap all the way around.
Now we had the parts needed we moved the car back to Crash Care Centre and explained the plan to Lee who luckily has a good imagination, and was well up for the challenge. Next thing you know we were cutting up a brand new bonnet and cutting in the edging strips ready for welding. We then handed it over to Lee for some expert welding.
Anyone would think he knew what he was doing ļ
When Lee had the car back for final painting he added some more details to the bonnet including extending the bonnet centreline down the new metalwork on the bonnet.
Rear Lights
Being a fan of the Euro Cleaned scene, Rich - Skunkworkz, needed to add some touches such as the 1 off rear lights. Also we wanted the older look of all red rear lights.
So we started with a spare old lens to check that the colour would end up right. After multiple coats all the orange was gone and the colour was even, it worked a treat!
Then some would call it anal, some would call it ingenious, but really its Rich's attention to detail that followed. To be honest these little touches of Rich Anal ness is what has made the car what it is (but don¡¦t tell him that).
A brand new set of lights were purchased:
and then totally flattened back with wet and dry to remove all writing including E marks etc..
Resulting in these:
With the addition of LED bulbs for both Stop/Tail/Indicators it really brings the rear end up to date. All colours show through the red lenses perfectly.
We've had lots of comments about them, such as 'are they Australian spec?'
Front Arches
We wanted the car to have a low wide stance, so Miglia Wide Carbon arches were purchased.
We'd seen too many other cars with arches that had been poorly fitted with uneven heights and gaps, visible screws holding them together. We wanted to do something a bit better so a lot of time and attention was spent getting them right. Original, Rich insisted that we fitted the arches with no rubber beading at all, which would have looked great and actually did as the arches were made to have a perfect fit, but knowing the car was going to be used and the car was going to flex and things would move he finally gave in and we sourced a 3mm P strip to sit between the arch and bodywork.
After we'd set the ride height with the 8x13 wheels, we then started trimming, fitting, trimming, fitting.... each arch! It was a never ending task.
We were somewhere near where we wanted to be. So the arches were mocked up as close as possible and taped in place to show us what part of the front wing would need trimming to allow tyre clearance when the wheels turned.
The arches were not going to be finally fitted up with the brackets bonded on until final fit up. And it took a fair amount of taping, clamping and bonding to get them perfect, but after a bit of work it all turned out good.
Rear Arches
These were actually done twice. Some of you may have noticed that when the car first came out the rear arches had 'dimples' around them, these were where the brackets were too tight. Also the rear arches went a little cloudy. We lived with them for a bit, then we decided to get some more.
The new ones fit perfectly, after some creative bonding.
Bootlid
Its pretty much a standard bootlid apart from it having no badges and the rear number plate bulbs have been swapped out for crystal white LED ones to enhance the modern feel with all chrome work being new.
Alternator
With limited space, we had to come up with something different. We originally planned to run the bracket from the Allspeed kit which mounted the alternator on the front of the engine as apposed to the rear on the standard engine. But even with the small Nipon Denso item that was purchased, there just wasn't enough space, but there was space in the inner wing! So with some research done on the alternator running backwards and a couple of brackets knocked up including an adjustable one plus a new belt purchased of the correct length, we mounted it up in its new position. There were a fair few people who said it would never work with the engine moving about, but for us with it being in line with the bottom pulley we had full confidence in it. With 2000 miles under our belt it has been 100% reliable (touch wood) and with a voltmeter on the digidash it shows a constant charging voltage of 14.2v regardless of how the car is being driven!
Paint
When it came to the bodywork, we left it to the pro's.
We entrusted in friend and master bodywork guru Lee, who runs Crash Care Centre in Hitchin, Herts.
With the idea of Ford Imperial Blue in contrast with the Carbon parts, we knew we were onto a winner.
The pictures show it all, so enjoy.
Primer
Painting
Buffed
Brakes
When you've got 200+bhp under your right foot, you need something substantial under your left foot. We looked at a lot of the billet conversions that are offered, but had heard mixed reviews on them. We also looked into rear disc conversions, but decided against it for the amount of braking the rear brakes do.
So in the end we decided to go for a Wilwood Dual Master Cylinder / Pedal assembly, along with fully refurbished Metro Turbo 4 Pot Callipers and discs up front with a standard set up in the rear. There is a bias valve installed to aid in distributing the braking power where you want/need it most. The handbrake was also moved back 8 inches due to the gear lever moving back. The car will be getting 'used' more this year so we'll see how the set up holds up under a bit more strain.
The Carbon Fibre....
I've been lucky enough to previously own some nice cars. TVR Chimera, TVR Tuscan and a Porsche 996 Turbo. The Porsche was clad with every piece of optional Carbon Fibre that could be purchased, and when you put the Porsche name on anything things aren't cheap! But the Carbon bug had bitten me!
Luckily for me, Rich works for an Aerospace company that uses lots of different materials including Carbon Fibre & Kevlar, and although he's not officially on the tools anymore, he tells me it¡¦s like riding a bike. So after some persuading we decided it would be good to have some custom pieces on the car, little did he know that it would grow as much as it did.
Dash
This started life as an off the shelf item, but its had so many hours spent on it Rich tells me we should have just started from scratch and made our own. It might aswell have been made for a Mk1 escort for how good it fitted. The problem was we wanted it to be functional with the heater, but with the heater hidden, and minimal switches visible.
So again, after a lot of cutting and trimming we had the basic shape fitted.
But this was just the start of things to come...
We then decided to fit Corsa power steering, which meant a bit more of the dash needed trimming to fit snugly.
And then I decided I wanted a 6 point rollcage, which sadly for Rich went straight through the freshly fitted dashboard. Again we have seen rollcages through dashboards, but there always crude holes that either don't fit properly or that you can see through to the wiring under the dash. We wouldn't have been happy with this so Rich got to work, making Carbon tubes that were 1" larger diameter than the rollcage giving a 1/2" gap all the way around the rollcage once fitted. These tubes were made on a 3" x 24" aluminium tube fixture that the carbon cloth was wrapped around. Once the resin was cured the inner aluminium tube was removed leaving carbon fibre tube. The dashboard was then cut to receive the tubes. These were then bonded into the dashboard with more Carbon fibre & Resin.
Whilst Rich was making the tubes he also made some Carbon 'L' shape filler strips to fill i the gaps between the dash and A pillar.
Edited by DougieMc on Sunday 20th February 12:16
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