Dedicated Track Car Progress Thread

[tuonokid]

Hi Stu
Never driven Donnington but it's me and my sons favourite track. We often sit on the outside of the chicane where the FRP went off as you get most of the action there and you can spot who's not going to make the bend from 100m away. Those kerbs are evil though... :grin:
Barry

 

[trublustu]

Here is a short video from yesterday
The conditions could not have been better at the end of October..
as my laptop would literally take all night to process a video of a full session, I`ve only done this one for now.

How to get things wrong while still learning the track
I change down way too deep into the bend and the back end snaps out as I lift the clutch..

https://youtu.be/4NNHfEMIGjE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[trublustu]

Here are a couple more of videos from donny.

First up is my vid of a pretty clear session hanging onto the tails of a few rapid motors.

https://youtu.be/ieHJ-gzNhLg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Secondly we have a bit of a treat.
This is not my vid, but a session from a chap in a souped up Integra (bloody quick)
He spends the first 9 minutes of the video following his mate in his FRP.
No standard FRP this thing. It had a big fat bulge on the o/s of the bonnet where he had shoe horned a 2.3 Duratec in!
He told me it was making 260 bhp. (bollocks)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpsHHjpQkUw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well at about 8 1/2 minutes they catch me up. he tries to out drag me along the fastest part of the track ( well over 100mph on gps)
If that`s all that doubling your bhp does, then you can keep it.
At 9:00 he flies off the track at the Esses, losing both his arch liners and probably buckling all 4 wheels (nasty kerb that one)

I`m REALLY happy with my 1679cc car after seeing that...

 

[Brian']

Nice videos! Really like your videos, Pity for the FRP but if you believe it has 260bhp I would imaging that it will pass you in seconds.. Track looks great fun, Drove it a lot on Project Cars, one of my favourites - Looking forward to spring, eager to know what you will change during the winter!

 

[trublustu]

Thanks Brian.

I really enjoy making them too :grin:

The FRP made a mess of Coppice (the bend before), nearly driving off track and killing his momentum.
I got through clean. Thats the difference. (plus I comfortably out-braked him)

Not sure what treats the car will get this winter.
Buckets and some polycarbonate are next on the list..

 

[trublustu]

Hi all.
Since Donington in October, my car has been safely tucked up in a new home while the weather gets on with itself..

2016 winter build 1

• trublustu
• Jan 5, 2016

Now my day at Donny went well untill 4:15, when my temperature went through the roof. I coasted in and watched helpless as a huge plume of steam ejected from the exhaust.
Head gone.. :roll:
Ah well, I thought. Engines aren`t too hard to find and sure enough, a mate pulled an 80k example out of his shed for sixty quid.
So since then every week it`s been hurricane and flood alerts.
`till this week
I`m having some well earned time off and enjoyed getting stuck in. It took just an hour fifteen to get to this point..

2016 winter build 2

• trublustu
• Jan 5, 2016

An hour more has left the motor held in by it`s mounts only.I just need to remember to take the keys tomorrow so I can pop the driveshafts (otherwise it`d been out today.)
The new engine has no ancillaries so I stripped off the inlet, alternator and so on to start building it up.

I did find what had gone wrong at Donny.
The auxiliary belt tensioner failed (which came to me off a scrapper when I did the power steering removal)

PS and AC pumps removed 3

• trublustu
• Sep 15, 2014
• 1

So the water pump lost it`s drive. soon after - game over

 

[trublustu]

I`ve had the engine out and back into this car no small number of times and am getting quite proficient at it
(I am a driver not a mechanic!)
So with no hurricanes etc for a change I cracked on
It didn`t take long to swap my acnilliaries and clutch and I was sure I must have missed something when I got here..

[image]5516[/image]

But no, everything slotted into place and all nuts and bolts have been accounted for!
Apart from bodywork, the car is back together.

2016 winter build 5

• trublustu
• Jan 10, 2016

The only reason it`s not running is that as I moved my NS driveshaft
one of the CV spider rollers fell out.
Now, they shouldnt do that! So I have got a bit of grease to clean off to fit a new roller set.

Also, i have done 19 trackdays in this car, with the exhaust set-up it came with.
It`s a `Protek` manifold (FRP clone), link pipe and Milltek system. It goes well.
But..
I had to get a crack welded in my manifold last year.
This year I need to get 3 of the headers welded, tht`s being dropped off tomorrow..

I need to get a flex section welded into my link-pipe too.
To save my manifold...

 

[trublustu]

I`m very happy to report that the car fired up the second I turned the key. RESULT :thumbs:
Apart from a really fast tickover, it all seems well.
I`ll work that one out..
I really need to get round to fitting shorter droplinks. Standard ones are @250mm so I`m ordering a pair of 150-200mm adjustable jobbies.
It looks much like it did last week when I started but here`s the car done..

[image]5535[/image]

Apart from said droplinks. It`s ready for Silverstone GP on 22nd Febuary

Before the sprint season starts I will be getting some race graphics so my car stands out.
Trying to pick a design which you wont see twice, is not as easy as it sounds...

 

[moondustka]

Love what you do with this Puma Stu and how much use you get out of it.

I really need to take a leaf out of your book - I will get my puma back on the road for this spring!

Keep it up!

 

[trublustu]

It`s not even remotely suitable for road use and only goes playing out on track.

I did nine trackdays last year, eight in 2014 and three in my first year. 20 trackdays at 9 circuits.
This year I`m doing 6 Sprints with Javelin.
I`ll be doing 3 or 4 regular trackdays, plus Fordfair.

Bucket seats next...

 

[moondustka]

Still sounds like more mileage and light of day than I've seen in mine :lol:

Good luck for this season :thumbs:

 

[moondustka]

Stu, what's the idea of shorter drop links? I got a set of adjustable ones but was under the impression that making them longer meant less roll.

I googled this and now I'm more confused :lol:

 

[trublustu]

My suspension is lowered, so with the standards drop links my arb is at the wrong angle.

Like this it wont work as effectively as it can, and could even foul the wishbones (It`s really low)

So the shorter links just put the arb back where Ford put it.

 

[moondustka]

I see... some people go for custom lower arms with spaced hub pins to put the arms back to the right angle also. Can also do that to track rod ends. Mostly seen all that on Fiestas, but same car essentially.

 

[trublustu]

Yes. The arms also should really be adjusted too..
I've seen bolt on kits for stuff like Clio's but nowt for the Fiesta platform.
I may have to experiment raising the car an little, sacrificing the ride height to get my suspension working optimally.
Its all trial and error....

 

[PumKa]

Have you ever done brands, I've got one booked the 19th of Feb so will let you know how mine gets on, as I'm very similar spec as you.

Also, how do you find them mirrors on track? I'm wanting a set but not too sure if theyll be too small for track?

Harry,

 

[trublustu]

Hi PumKa.
No, I`ve not made it to Brands (one of the most distant tracks for me)
By all accounts the Puma goes well thee.

As for the `Panda ear mirrors`, When I first fitted them I was unsure. And they took a bit of getting used to.
Coz they have flat glass they are not very good at spotting cars alongside.
I`ve found that they are fine. I can check the back down the track so I`m well aware of any faster cars drawing closer.
I wouldn`t recomend them on the road where a wider rear view would help..

Good luck on the 19th..

 

[trublustu]

I have just a couple more weekends before my season opener at Silverstone.
So i figured I`d better get busy sorting those last few little jobs on the car.
With a bit of coolant in the car I found it started and ran cleanly for a good few minutes to circulate the coolant.
Unfortunately There are still cable ties holding the cut back heat wrap in place on the exhaust headers.
The postman has brought me some more titanium heat wrap but a rather late night meant I didn`t get as long on the car today as i`d have liked...
The tickover is high (constant gripe) but engine no 3 sounds sweet.

The other thing the postman brought was a pair of adjustable droplinks.
They are chunky as hell compared to the originals..

[image]5541[/image]

I wasn`t very happy to find they weigh 480g compared to 250g for a standard one.
So to find that they wont fit because the head is about 8mm deeper than the original, I decided that the cheapest ebay has to offer, might not be the best way forward here.

So I`m returning the adjustables and getting a pair of standard droplinks shortened by 40mm to compensate for my lowered suspension.

Two weeks and It has to be done!

 

[moondustka]

I suspect mine are a similar weight then. Is the turn buckle on those aluminium or steel?

I went for rose jointed ones, but were £80 for the pair. I was going to buy the parts and build them myself but worked out almost no extra to buy the kit.

 

[trublustu]

thirty five quid and all steel.
still, I suppose you get what you pay for.
I`m happy to go for permenantly shortened links as Its hardly getting different set ups etc