Mega Order

Phoned rally design, they don't stock the raceleda hubs any more, but do still stock their own group 4 ones which fit a standard stub with standard bearings. I decided to go for these, they are cheaper than the raceleda ones, but noticably heavier looking.

Speed-on stock an M10-1/8NPTF adaptor for a few euros so I'll give that a try assuming I can actually buy one from them, if not I'll lop the end off and fit one to the hose at a later date.

I ordered the rest of the braking system

• Escort RS Donor - Powerlite - 265mm Solid Kit (BK1R) Style of disc Grooved
• Sierra (Drum) Powerlite HB Caliper - 240mm Solid Kit (BK65)
• Powerlite Handbrake Caliper - CABLE (RD6902)
• Powerlite 4-Pot Fast Road Ceramic (Poly-Q) (15Q-8812K)

Some bits I need for the steering

• Escort MK2 2.9 Ratio Steering Rack RHD (RD870)
• ALLOY RACK CLAMPS Escort MK1 & MK2 (RD848)
• 2 WHEEL BEARING KITs, PER HUB (RD744)
• 2 Group 4 Ally Hub - STD/STD (RD199)
• 2 STANDARD GREASE CAPS - ALLOY - ESCORT (RD757escort)
• 16 Standard plus 25mm 63mm long 12mm 1.5 Ford (SS37)
• 16 Wheels Nuts - 12mm 1.5 19mm (3/4") HEX 60º (SN41)

And the rest of the fuel system

• 8mm - 5/16 ID HOSE (LMA367)
• Copper Nickel Brake Pipe 1/4 - 25 Foot Coil (CNF014)

After getting expensive quotes from breakeryard.com I relented and bought a diff from ebay. I also need to get some track rod ends, probably from ebay too.

Just waiting on Chris confirming the costs for the Tank, Powdercoating and uprights, and of course a delivery date.

The next logical thing to get will be the Shock absorbers, Nitrons are going to be expensive though sadly, I will then find myself some build wheels and I'll have a car that can roll, stop, turn and spray fuel into the engine bay.

After that its the reverse box and drivetrain.

Order Progress

Spoke to Chris today, Arranged for everything including the floor to be powdercoated tangerine. Discussed a number of points of confusion for me, the brake flexible hoses will be m10x1 male on the end, so I need to convert them to 1/8th ntpf somehow. I might just whip the ends off and stick an NTPF fittings, or at least M10 Female. Ordered a 6Gallon tank, a bit small perhaps, but will do nicely for now, complete with baffles, a sump, and return pipe. We're still not sure on the uprights, in theory standard Escort ones should be fine, but I was planning on putting Alloy hubs on, so I need to check that they fit the smaller stubs. I shall place an order at raldes sometime later today.

On the list of things to do is:

• Check the price for the fuel tank
• Confirm the colour code that the whole kit and kaboodle will be powder coated
• Check with Rally Design that the hubs will fit
  

Chris recons the order will be ready mid to late November, which is more or less Ideal as I'll be back from Supercomputing and the US no later than the 8th of December.

The Speed-On Minute

The seven has been at Speed-on now since the 26th of August, thats quite a long time, in fact thats almost two months.   You would think that in that time i'd be having a new build, but no, here is the list of things to do:

• Weld on a nut to the manifold so that I can plug in the LC1
  
• Align the wheels
  
• Balance and tune the webers
  
• Import into the netherlands.
  

The wheel alignment has been done, but still waiting on everything else. Not amused.  Thankfully the weather is so pants I can't drive it anyway.

Yet More Ordering

Bought a bunch of stuff for the build:

• Sytec Universal Fuel Filter and Bracket 9.99 ebay
  
• 2 Freelander diff/driveshaft oil seals 10.58 Ebay
  
• Walbro Injection Pump 50.00 Ebay
  
• Oil Drain pan to replace the one i dropped the car on 13.99 Ebay
  
• 2 Sierra Wheel bearings 19.98 Ebay
  
• Steering Column Bush 2.95 Ebay
  
• Sierra Driveshafts, Hub Assemblies, Handbrake, Column and Link, spare column 219.95 - Ebay
  

Didnt manage to lay my hands on a diff, standard ones keep going for silly money, nor did i get a reverse box which was a shame too.

More Ordering

Ordered some wheel bearings from Ebay - Very impressed with the Quinton Hazell web site, not only can you still download the good old fashioned catalogues and browse through an amazing about of detail on every single component ever made, but they have a new application called Q-PID which enables some seriously handy searching.  That in itself could have been done of course using the web, but for some reason they chose to make it an application, now thats were normally I'd go back to catalogues.  Today however i noticed it ran on Adobe AIR, which I've never used before, but I gave it a go.  Not only does it work on my Mac-book, its well designed, fast and makes live unbelievably simple.  Using it I could find out what parts would fit, what the competitors part numbers were, and then pump that into Ebay to find the bits I needed. Clever stuff.

I also managed to find some well priced Freelander diffs.  One of them even has a Quaife LSD, hopefully i'll get a bargain on that, if not i'll stick with an open diff.

Things to do before the car arrives

• Sort out new garage, i've rented one starting 1st december, have plenty of space in my own one for the bits if needed, but would like to have everything ready for the car arriving. Before I can use the garage I need:
  
• to get the floor painted, I plan on using good quality epoxy, my current garage is so dusty I hate working in it as I come home covered in concrete dust and it gets everywhere.
• Some shelves and a workbench. My garage is tall and relatively wide so I plan on putting a mezzanine in, and some tall industrial shelving. At the rear will be a workbench, toolboxes and pillar drill.
  
• Sort out lighting, air hoses, and power feeds so that i can actually get some work done.
• Install the car lift if I have one by then.
• Order the bits I need for the first part of the build, this will leave me with the rear of the car almost at rolling chassis stage. To do this I need:
• Fuel tank and fuel system
• Braking system
• Differential
• Confirm the colour choice with Chris at BGH
  
• Check what ends the flexi hoses are coming with, and make sure the brake lines are Copper/Nickel.
• Find a fuel tank supplier who can make an alloy fuel tank with a swirl pot and the right connectors.
  

Fury Design

Before I end up going overboard, I thought I'd better think out the design some more before its too late. I did this before ordering the chassis, as I needed to know what I was going to do before I decided on the engine mounts etc. In the end I went bike engine spider with a windscreen.

Here are the gory details.

Chassis

• IRS Chassis with Freelander differential mountings and Escort Front end
• Crutch Straps
• A taller pedal box as my feet are too big for the standard one.
• Side Impact protection
• Lowered floor for the driver, this should mean I sit an inch lower in the car and give me better visibility, and lower COG too.
• Higher Rollover bar as I'm too tall for the current one.
• Powder coating in Orange. Tempted to also get the chassis plated, Chris mentioned this is something new they are starting to offer. I think it might be too expensive considering the cost of a new chassis.
• The column mount is raised to give me better clearence around my legs

Braking

• 3/16" Copper Nickel brake lines
• Goodridge braided brake hoses
• Wilwood powerlite handbrake calipers on rear
• Wilwood powerlite calipers on front
• Solid grooved disks at the front
• Solid disks at the rear
• Wilwood Handbrake cable modified to fit Sierra handbrake
• Wilwood fast road pads
• Modified Sierra handbrake
• Fully in-car adjustable bias bar braking system
• Pressure switch for brake lights
• Floor mounted pedal box with adjustable pedals.

Rear Drivetrain

• Freelander Differential - Later upgrade to torsen 3.2 final drive
  
• Modified Sierra driveshafts
• Sierra Hub Assemblies
• New rear wheel bearings
• Rear prop form bailey and morris with cush drive.
• Quaife Reverse Box
• Paddel Shift

Front Drivetrain

• MK2 Escort uprights
• Raceleda Alloy Hubs
• New front wheel bearings

Bodywork

• Full Screen Spider Tub
• Gelcoat finish in Orange
• Frenched rear lamps (LED)
• Smoked headlight covers
• Windscreen
• Fully internal bonnet catches (IE, nothing visible from outside.)
• Mesh grill
• Mini Wipers
• Black washer jets
• Black wiper stalks
• Black Mirrors
  

Cooling and Heater

• Polo Radiator
• Pacet 11" Fan
• Aluminum Header tank on bulkhead (Fully pressurized system.)
• Bleed tee at significant high points. (Header tank will be highest point in system.)
• Aluminum pipe and Blue silicon hoses used
• Aluminum T-Pieces (Plastic parts to be avoided.)
• Heater Unit for de-misting and some heat (ha.)
• Temperature sender pre-thermostat
• Temperature sender post-radiator
• Transit heater bypass solenoid to control temperature inside car.

Instrumentation and Dashboard

• Carbon Fiber dashboard
• Savage Switches/Warning lights
  
• Stack Tachometer
• Digidash 2 pro display and data logging
• Fuel Pressure sensor
• LC1 Lamda sensor
• GPS Reciever
• Input Air Temp
• Adjustable Fuel Sender
• Flocked panels where required
• No gaps in dashboard/interior where possible

Electrical

• Custom wiring loom
• Very loud horn
• FIA Cut out Switch
• Light bike battery

Engine

• 2006 R1 Engine
• Baffled Sump with Tulip
• Remote Oil Filter
  
• Sausage Air Filter (unless can be made to fit under bonnet)
• 4-2-1 Exhaust Manifold
• Cat
• Free flow Silencer
  
• Sandwich plate for oil pressure and temperature take off
• Power Commander
• Crankcase breather
• Cold air ducting
• Uprated clutch springs
• Uprate clutch plate
• Accusump

Fuelling

• 8mm Copper/Nickel Lines
• 34-40Litre Petrol Tank
• Compression fittings on all fuel lines
• RV8 Fuel Pump
• Fuel Filter
• Locking aviation cap, top mounted flush with boot with lead free insert.
  
• Fuel breather

Roof

• Side Windows
• Hood Frame
• Double duck hood

Seating

• Cobra seats, or if i fit and they are comfortable, perhaps some light tillet ones

Steering

• Sierra column
• New column bushes
• 2.9 turn quick rack (Escort)
• Quick release steering boss
• Light, 10-12" steering wheel
• I will use the sierra one for SVA

Suspension

• Nitron Shocks (The consensus is they are worth the money.)

Safety

• Scroth six point harnesses
• Manually operated gas based fire suppression system for cockpit and engine bay. Additional pull located on outside of car.
  

Lighting

• To be decided

Broken Diff

For a while I've been wearing earplugs in the office, and quite often in the car too, its pretty noisy with the roof down, and with the roof up, it isnt so quiet either. Ayway somewhere on the way to work it must have started whining like crazy, the diff made constant clunking noises, generally sounded funky, which I assumed was due to the clutch or torsen unit.

On leaving the office it sounded like a tractor with a straight cut gearbox, I was amazed it made it home. Upon removing the diff (Diff bolts to PPF were tight, everything else came off easily) and examining it, a tooth was missing from the pinion gear, which I found at the bottom of the casing. Everything else seemed ok, but obviously this wont happen on its own. I suspect bearings have worn out allowing too much lash.
At first, couldn't find anything broken until slowly rotating it around i noticed the missing tooth. Nothing obvious had fallen out when i drained the oil, but a scrape around the bottom of the housing revealed the missing tooth:
There was no other broken bits I could see. I got a new diff from Autolink in the UK, its a 1.6 viscous LSD, it works well and is more predictible than the torsen, but with much less power on oversteer at the loss of grip of course. I now find the inside wheel spins quite a lot when exiting tight corners hard whereas before i would get the full power down or slide gently out. Its completely silent though, no clunking so far which is a big bonus.

The Fury

In the end I have chosen a Fury, from BGH Geartech, having had a look at a few, and been driven around in one I decided it was a great compromise for what I was looking for. The fury has the styling that I was looking for (Although I think the rear is better in the Phoenix.) its well priced, and it does remarkably well in the RGB series. Overall I'm a big fan of the Phoenix, and having seen a few in the flesh, I was tempted, but the lack of windscreen put me off, and its a bit smaller than the Fury too.

On the 1st of October, I placed an order for the chassis, I have decided on an IRS chassis, but with escort uprights as they are lighter, and have better caster/ackerman angles. I have chosen a freelander differential too as the ratio is better. Worst case scenario, I will revert to Sierra one if it fails. I think it should be OK though. I can also uprate it to a quaife torsen differential if needed.

For the initial order I have ordered:

• IRS Chassis with Freelander differential mountings and Escort Front end
• Crutch Straps
• A taller pedal box as my feet are too big for the standard one.
• Side Impact protection
• Lowered floor for the driver, this should mean I sit an inch lower in the car and give me better visibility, and lower COG too.
• Higher Rollover bar as I'm too tall for the current one.
• Rear Drive-shafts
• Bias bar breaking system
• Brake-lines and braided hoses

This should enable me to get the car well on its way to being a rolling chassis. Before I collect it, I will need to get some bits from a breakers yard such as drive-shafts, and hand-brake so that they can be modified.

Kit Car Requirements

Here are some of the requirements I wanted from the new kit, there are a lot more reasons, but these are ones which I actively looked for:

• A lightweight, Colin chapman-esque sports car: Simplicate, then add lightness. I'm looking for a very light car, I don't need many creature comforts, but it should give me some basic comfort, everything else is surplus to my requirements. It must be very focussed.
  
• Four seconds for 0-100Kph. Acceleration is very important, it comes generally through lightweight design, this is a very important target though, as it will make it one of the fastest cars around.
• Max speed at least 180Kph. My MX5 is electronically limited here, and to be honest i rarely get the opportunity to drive this quickly. What I want is something that is fun at slower speeds too.
  
• Driveable on the motorway, I may use this car to go to work and back, so it must be capable of cruising.
• Very lightweight ideally no more than 500KG with me in the car (I weigh 120kg, so its going to be tight, or i need a diet.)
• Two seats. I don't want a single seater.
• A screamer, or a thumper, nothing in between. So in a nutshell its a bike engine, or its six or more cylinders.
• It should look like a sports car. I don't want something that looks like a super car, nor do I want something which looks mundane.
• It should be functional, but also cosmetically elegant.
• It must have a windscreen, whilst I'll probably wear a helmet regardless, its nice not to have to, and despite the aero screen making a big difference, there is too much wind at higher speeds, and with a helmet i end up with a red forehead after a few hours due to the pressure.
• I must be able to use the car in most weather, so the option of roof or hardtop should be an option. A heater would be nice in the winter time.
• It should be a proven design I've built one car from existing design and de-bodged most of Mr Champions dodgy bits, it would be nice not to have to do it a second time around.
• I must fit comfortably. I'm quite a big bloke with wide shoulders, i need something relatively spacious, especially if its got a body to go on.
  

New Project

I've been looking at a new project for some time now, the seven is as good as its ever going to get, the wiring is now perfect, the engine rebuilt, the suspension sorted, and the dashboard looking good. The body work is a bit tatty and could do with a respray, but there isn't much more I can do to improve the look and feel of the car greatly, so its time to start enjoying the driving, and start another technical project. I have considered a number of options which I have considered, discussed in more detail below.

TVR Tuscan Speed 6
When these first came out I thought they were horrible, then I actually saw one and thought, 'oh its not so bad after all.' One went passed me on the M6 I guess pretty much at V-Max and it sounded good and i thought, 'Actually, its quite nice.' Then I had a go in one, and I came out shaking with a grin from ear to ear, and decided 'Its one of the best cars I've ever driven.' However, its a TVR, so it isn't cheap to begin with, (But hey, 0-60 in four seconds, 180ish vmax) but its still a TVR, and I do not have a spare tow vehicle.


Also, for that kind of money you can buy a second hand DB7, and lets face it, I'd rather be James bond, even if I am getting a tow home, than some bloke in a rattly sounding sports car. In the end I decided to look for some crashed ones, and whilst they come up, the work involved doesn't interest me all that much. I can't spray paint to save myself, and I don't really have the patience for sanding down bits of fiber glass, so I'd have to spend quite a lot of cash repairing one. So that idea is out until I get some tax refunded to me. Insurance was quite cheap though at 350Euro/yr, and road tax is cheapish since its still a lightweight car. But right now, its just not going to happen.

Older DB7

Its a DB7, I can pretend to be James bond, and for under 20kGBP who wouldn't buy one. Then I decided that really I'd only be happy with a DBS, or maybe a vantage, but really, its a DBS or nothing. So I guess I'll have to work a bit longer for that one. Besides, I'm too young for an Aston, and it would get keyed if I parked outside my house for more than 30 seconds, if the F430 or the Maserati Gran Sport parked nearby are anything to go by, the badge wouldn't last a week before it gets stolen either.

Sports Coupe/Roadster/GT Car

Did consider Porsche boxer for a few seconds, but everybody has one these days and they are plain boring, I have an MX5 as my daily driver, and a Seven for the weekends, I want something that is different, much more raw than an every day sports car. The MX5 is pretty soft, I don't want any real creature comforts in this car, and I want something I can get my hands dirty with.

R1 Powered Mini Van

Quite like the idea of a van, mainly because it would be a bit of a street sleeper, and still practical (2 seats, plenty of parts hauling space.) easy to fix, and very, very good fun. In the end the lack of decent quality van shells (In the NL people rip out the van part and turn it into the estate.) and I'm not sure if I have the determination and sado-masochistic tendencies required for patching up decaying mini shells. There are a couple of good R1 conversions though, some even have a decent reverse which originally put me off.

These also get really expensive over time, as lets face it if your going to tune a mini with an R1, you need to go whole hog. The outside should stay stock, however you need some serious brakes, updated suspension, steering. I'd also want a trick interior, then of course you need to shed weight big time, so that means Perspex windows, lots of fiber glass. Excellent fun, but not what I'm currently looking for.

Space Framed Imp

Another street sleeper, subtle on the outside, rocket on the inside, but would have to be much, much faster than standard, and space framed imps are like hens teeth.

Morris Minor

I am in complete awe of the beardmore brothers, one of my favorite British cars, have been considering fiat twin cam conversion, or perhaps VAG Turbo conversion, this is quite likely to happen as a side project I think. I like the idea of doing a seriously custom Minor, possibly space frame, but more likely just lots of chopping of the original chassis.

Kit Car

Not another Seven, when my current one rots, or gets bent, I'll buy an MNR, its that simple. However there are plenty of other kits which I like. Ultima - lovely, but over budget for me, cobra - dream car, but V8's are expensive to run, and lets face it, a pinto powered cobra isn't a cobra. I wanted something full bodied, so Fury, Phoenix, Ginetta, there was loads to choose from.

I looked at quite some detail at the Ginetta, Fury, and Phoenix. The Ginetta was a bit too plug and play for my liking and in the end it came down to the Fury, or the Phoenix, but of course Gardner Douglas, an XTR, and a few others were lurking in the background, so it was time to do some high level requirements.