Beef's scratch built ditchmeister

[B33fy]

More Chassis stuff..

 

I've done some work on the engine mounts/mounting points though not entirely happy with it, still needs some work, the mounts are all hardrace jobbies and a mix of Fiesta ST and Focus RS/ST mounts because of the mismatched gearbox. As you may have guessed the Duratec range of engines was developed in partnership with Ford/Mazda, though a bit of a mine field parts are generally interchangeable. It is made more complex with Ford also calling some of the Zetec engines particularly in the focus, duratec's. No worse than the different variations of impreza engines though.

 

 

Fuel tank is from a Lotus Elise/Exige, another builder in the states discovered that it fitted, saves fabricating a tank, in fact a lot cheaper to buy than to fabricate, they are buried in the Elise/Exige so don't get damaged when the driver has an off, they are often replaced with aftermarket items as well because they are a bit on the small side and not baffled with fuel starvation on long left handers especially on triple 8's. Mods are in hand to stop all that, which will include a large swirl pot.

 

 

Steering rack is an escort fast rack, 2.4 turns (I think) so I can catch the inevitable lift off over steer, again not 100% happy about how I've mounted it so might look at it again, ideally it needs machined blocks on a bulkhead which I can't do because of radiator cooling.

 

 

Seats are from JK composite's another favourite in the kitcar scene, great seat for the money, mine are the largest version they do, had one in the Storm and loved it. they are both now fitted and on OMP runners which were a pain, in hindsight I should have just bolted them to a rail, though I like the flexibility of the adjustment, helps with getting in and out.

 

 

Laters..

[Gizmo]

Loving this Mike 

 

a lot of respect to you for doing something different as well, I tried and failed in my youth to build a GTM Coupé (rear engined A series) but with a 2L red top! time restraints stopped me so It was given to a good friend to complete for me... this never happened  so was eventually sold on. 

[Taylor93]

Looking good mike

If you want a hand with the wiring, give me a shout, always willing to land a hand when I can

[B33fy]

Cheers Martin, Taylor,.. wirings quite a way off, just collecting a few bits as and when I can. always on the lookout for parts. On the look out for a megane steering column though I need it as complete as possible including shrouds, barrel, switchgear with connectors and tails etc. Breakers seem to dismantle everything down to the last nut and bolt and there's always bits missing. Looking to try and use a megane column as everything I need to switch is available on the stalks.

[grr666]

Mike. 

Awesome.

Watching.  

[B33fy]

Thanks Gary and thanks all, I'm very humbled by the level of genuine interest in this, with it being a bit off the wall so to speak, wish I'd done it from the start. I'll endeavour to bring the thread up to date over the next week or so, though not much more to add. Hope my ramblings aren't too... eerrr...rambling, I tend to speak as I find or do.. I'll cover the fuel system in a little more detail once I eventually get the fuel rail which was ordered a month ago, a damaged one sent then a delay with a replacement and argument over return postage,.. Not a lot of dosh but I'm not going to be shafted by anyone who thinks they can send any old sh!te and get away with it. For the first time ever a paypal dispute has been raised.

 

I bought some specialist tools to make up braided hoses with AN fittings as I'm going to use them as much as possible (also bought a trick tool for the water side of things, though more of that another time) I completed the fuel pump/filter assembly this afternoon with no scratches, marks or braiding cuts to fingers. Would have preferred black fittings though can live with the red/blue,.. its down to cost and parts availability at the end of the day.

 

[J45ON]

Loving how this is coming together. 

The brakes look fantastic, but is there a chance of 'over braking' the car? As i would imagine there isn't going to be a lot of weight over the wheels and they would lock-up really easily (i'm sure you've thought of most of the Q's I've asked, but i'm just interested to see how you've dealt with these things).

[B33fy]

Good Question Jason, didn't want to bore people with the technical detail, though now you asked......

 

A mid engine car has quite a different brake setup to the usual front engine installation. The weight distribution and "shift under braking is a little different. The rears tend to do a little more work and have less tendency to lock up because of the engine sitting above them. In essence the car needs an almost 50/50 brake set up though obviously still biased to the front to prevent it swapping ends.

 

The storm had a typical Caterham set up (per factory recommendations  ) which was totally wrong for the car After loads of brake calculations (calculations and formulae available on the www) The sister car was sorted with 4 pots all round etc. and it transformed the car giving it the brakes it should have had in the first place. lessons were learnt and all that.. We also looked at Atoms, Porsches etc. to see what the setups were and the rears were not much smaller than the fronts.

 

There's more to it than the size of the calipers and discs, there are two master cylinders' one front, one back. these can be changed for different piston sizes. As mentioned there is a bias bar that can fine tune the balance. Pedal ratio is also important (mine is short so will require a little more effort) Caliper piston sizes also vary and need to be considered. You can also vary the disc diameter though aesthetically nice to have huge drilled and grooved discs I'll be fitting plain custom bells and rotors,.. 300's front and 275's rear.

 

You mentioned locking up,, the brakes are not served so will require a bit of a shove on the pedal, pedal feel can be altered by the factors above and ABS is down to the pilot..

 

As for overbraking, I don't believe everything I read on the internet  Though I did mean to ask Brimma how he got on with his cayenne brakes, I think he removed them after a while. The hope is they will not fade/overheat etc with continual hard use whilst on a typical Sunday drive. or trackday with the girls . I'll get them working one way or another, varying the factors already mentioned. Brake pad types are pretty critical to this, as different types work better at different temperatures so 'll have a play with them as well. Though the expectation is that the brakes will be glowing in the dark straight out the box..

[B33fy]

Bringing this thread up to date, here's a couple of images of the chassis which is pretty much its current state, though I've been working on the harness mounting points and a few other small bits..

 

 

 

I'm also using an RS2000 alloy radiator with a thicker core its the biggest I could find that I could make fit. It's had a few alterations, filler neck removed, sensor boss added and mounting brackets moved along with a hovercraft lift fan stuck onto it..

 

 

The fan will be operated by the ECU (Omex) the boss will be used for a sensor to operate an additional electric water pump probably a Davies Craig item. The car has taken a bit of a back seat as I've had to engage in some desperately needed DIY, though will be cracking on with it soon, in the meantime I'll source a few bits if they come up at the right price.

 

Oh the TPS connector fitted, snipped it off the V8 loom and jobs a good'un.

[J45ON]

Ok, it would appear a considerable amount of thought has gone into this! Although with the general layout being similar to an Atom there are some base figures to work from. Is there any way the Aerodynamics and be used to help with the higher speed stability during braking and cornering etc...? 

Omex is some good stuff, know a couple of people who have used it in the past and highly rate it.

[B33fy]

Aero on a sevenesque car is always a bit of a struggle as the basic shape is a brick. I wouldn't say there are base figures out there,.. more informed choice's,.. educated guess's..  Apparently the Atom isn't that brilliant at super high speeds, arguably the wings etc. are more for aesthetic reasons than out and out functionality, I'm not saying they don't do anything though. Its worth checking out Chris Harris in a V8 Atom and his view on its aero. TBH any car which isn't designed as a race/track car from the onset will be compromised in the aero dept.

 

I'm not into add ons for the sake of it, everything on the car has to have a purpose and function and do it well, if not then it doesn't go on the car, though I have given in to two 100mm centre exhaust tailpipes  Also I'm not into the halfrauds ram raid look. Hopefully as the car is built it will evolve into the look I want. which is urban street fighter meets track car.. hard as fook look...

 

The plan for this is to have a small front splitter and bib spoiler built into the nose cone, a totally flat bottom and a double diffuser arrangement at the back. Aero style cycle wings all round and maybe a few carbon canards dotted about. If it can be stable around 130'ish then its a bonus.

 

I do look for inspiration in other cars, and the rear end especially has some scope for creativity, current favourite rear end is the Rocket Bunny NSX below..

 

 

Just needs some flames added, which will be mapped into the ECU. You can go bright on the paint scheme and get away with it on these type of cars. More of the proposed colour scheme another day,.. though leaving a little clue.. the base colour will be a recent skoda colour..

[grr666]

Metallic green (Ralleye green) I'd wager...

My Kawasaki is a similar colour. (Candy apple green)

[B33fy]

Metallic green (Ralleye green) I'd wager...

My Kawasaki is a similar colour. (Candy apple green)

 

You'd have lost your money Gary..   Kawasaki Green is quite a popular colour on these cars, but not for me.

[JoshH]

Love this, following with interest

[grr666]

I'm not a betting man in real life. 

It's a mugs game.

[B33fy]

I'm not a betting man in real life. 

It's a mugs game.

 

Me neither Gary, don't bet as a rule, though I did have a punt on Button/Brawn wining the world championship,,.. happy days. I certainly wouldn't bet on the colour of the car, not an obvious choice. I did have a check, it is a past Fabia Colour and is still current in the Skoda range..

[mdk1]

No! Not Fantasy Green!

[B33fy]

No! Not Fantasy Green!

 

Yes, you are right,.. not fantasy green.

[J45ON]

Ok, well i will certainly be paying attention to how this evolves. 

[Wardy]

Great project! Looking forward to seeing how this one goes

[B33fy]

Thanks Wardy, Jason,.. caught up with the crew at the Maidstone meet tonight, the issue over the colour came up, a bit of a marmite colour.. Meteor Grey is the colour of choice, though it will be complimented with a black chassis/suspension and wheels, along with fluorescent highlights, probably in orange.. nose cone wing mirrors, roll cage, stripe etc.. Inspiration from the grey porkers you occasionally see, along with the couple of examples below..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[J45ON]

MMMmmm, yes, i think that'll work very well.

[Wardy]

Yep - good colour combo 

[B33fy]

Still scavenging parts for the fuel system, not sure why I'm focusing on that, but once sorted another job out the way. Having problems sourcing a billet fuel rail, I wanted a bit of bling,.. though more importantly, I prefer a fuel rail with an in and out rather than a "blind" one with the return and regulator teeing off the feed. Probably not critical but I want to avoid any fuel starvation issues especially at the last injector in the run. Long story short, bought a lovely anodised rail a couple of months ago, returned because of damage now can't get another, as they have been withdrawn from sale, so have decided to modify the original rail and TIG a couple of AN6 fittings to it, then I can get the rail fitted.

 

AN6 fitting below

 

 

Also in the image a new set of injectors awaiting a home,.. 630cc jobbies,. should be up to the job. At 3 bar running at 100% duty cycle they are good for around 430bhp. you can "overclock" them by increasing the fuel pressure, 4 bar will give 500'ish bhp All according to the internet injector calculators. In the real world 550cc injectors on a Scooby give around 400bhp, so they should be well up to what I want. Injectors ideally should be sized so the engine max'es out close to their maximum duty cycle for the best efficiency. Got a blinged up adjustable race spec fuel pressure regulator to ensure I get what I need out of the injectors.

 

Had a metal delivery so I can get back on the chassis, once I finish a few other jobs, including sons A level project. At least he's getting some welding practice so I can get him on the chassis.

 

James on the torch below, sorry about the arty image, done with a crap camera,.. like a challenge..

 

[BossFox]

Yes, you are right,.. not fantasy green.

 

Booo!