moondustka
Active member
Good report Stu, keep up the updates 
Dedicated Track Car Progress Thread
- Thread starter trublustu
- Start date
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Puma Babe
Active member
It'll be interesting to see how it goes with the new cams and gear box next time
trublustu
New member
That corner is the left following Port Froid at Blyton, in my car your a second or two away from the rev limiter in 3rd (84mph) It`s dead easy to drift wide, correct and spin. It takes a bit of bravery, but its a flat out corner. Bang on the apex in that shot.
One of my mirrors is forever part of the scenery at Oulton Park,
so I just removed the other (don`t need em sprinting!)
I have a pair of silver oe mirrors for trackdays.
One of my mirrors is forever part of the scenery at Oulton Park,
so I just removed the other (don`t need em sprinting!)
I have a pair of silver oe mirrors for trackdays.
Puma Babe
Active member
grayfox said:[post]350810[/post] Nice report, car looks so wrong without wing mirrors though
How did you make that tight corner doing 80mph, or didn't you?
I could show you a series of pics of Stewart coming through that corner if I could remember how to post them on here
trublustu
New member
I Had originally booked a coulpe of days off before this (Bank Holiday) weekend in order to slip in a sneaky Cadwell Park trackday.
But with my car giving me so much trouble with it`s gears and missing the punch that comes from the FRP cams I booked myself into my mates unit for a few days to get it sorted.
So Thursday I dropped the car off and pulled out a rather cruddy looking 80k gearbox. I also dusted off my cams.
Now I figured two days should be good to drop the motor and do these said jobs..
Unfortunately, my mates landlord didnt see it that way so I had to get this done in double quick time.
I was working alone so cracked on...
I`ve taken the motor out a few times and it took just 2 1/4 hours to have the powerplant sat on the floor in front of the car
[image]5633[/image]
The gearboxbox, which I thought would be a 10 minute job turned out to be a pita!
Mine came off dead easy and I took my almost brand new clutch slave cylinder to transfer to gearabox number FOUR!
When I went to fit it. It just wouldn`t go on!
I an certain it`s a 1.7 Puma box as I took it off it`s engine. but this thing just wouldn`t go.
Upon closer inspection I found that the two holes in the bell housing for the hydraulic pipe/bleeder, were smaller on my new box (16mm compared to 20mm on my other box)
So with my time constraints I set to work with a round file.
Twenty minutes later the slave was fitted and the box ready to go.
The cams which I`d struggled to sort in the car were almost easy with the motor out.
undoing the cam bolts and water pump pulley bolts (which had beaten me previously) were easy to do with room to swing on the spanners.
They went in nice and easy and I timed them up without too much of a problem.
So I started throwing it all back in the car.
At about half seven (ten hours after lifting the bonnet) I connected the battery and was relieved and happy to hear it fire up first turn
Still with no radiator, coolant, gear oil or cluch bleed.
So I just threw all the bits into the car.
Wiped up my oil puddles and brought it home.
With the big jobs done I can finish it off at home.
And it`s three weeks till the next sprint, and raining/hailing/snowing!
So I was very glad to have got this done in the warm and dry.
I was very close to a couple of other cars in the first sprint, so it`ll be interesting to see just how much faster I might have been.
I`m looking at going back to Blyton for an Ad-hoc sprint in September, to see what time I should have run with Javelin.
But with my car giving me so much trouble with it`s gears and missing the punch that comes from the FRP cams I booked myself into my mates unit for a few days to get it sorted.
So Thursday I dropped the car off and pulled out a rather cruddy looking 80k gearbox. I also dusted off my cams.
Now I figured two days should be good to drop the motor and do these said jobs..
Unfortunately, my mates landlord didnt see it that way so I had to get this done in double quick time.
I was working alone so cracked on...
I`ve taken the motor out a few times and it took just 2 1/4 hours to have the powerplant sat on the floor in front of the car
[image]5633[/image]
The gearboxbox, which I thought would be a 10 minute job turned out to be a pita!
Mine came off dead easy and I took my almost brand new clutch slave cylinder to transfer to gearabox number FOUR!
When I went to fit it. It just wouldn`t go on!
I an certain it`s a 1.7 Puma box as I took it off it`s engine. but this thing just wouldn`t go.
Upon closer inspection I found that the two holes in the bell housing for the hydraulic pipe/bleeder, were smaller on my new box (16mm compared to 20mm on my other box)
So with my time constraints I set to work with a round file.
Twenty minutes later the slave was fitted and the box ready to go.
The cams which I`d struggled to sort in the car were almost easy with the motor out.
undoing the cam bolts and water pump pulley bolts (which had beaten me previously) were easy to do with room to swing on the spanners.
They went in nice and easy and I timed them up without too much of a problem.
So I started throwing it all back in the car.
At about half seven (ten hours after lifting the bonnet) I connected the battery and was relieved and happy to hear it fire up first turn
Still with no radiator, coolant, gear oil or cluch bleed.
So I just threw all the bits into the car.
Wiped up my oil puddles and brought it home.
With the big jobs done I can finish it off at home.
And it`s three weeks till the next sprint, and raining/hailing/snowing!
So I was very glad to have got this done in the warm and dry.
I was very close to a couple of other cars in the first sprint, so it`ll be interesting to see just how much faster I might have been.
I`m looking at going back to Blyton for an Ad-hoc sprint in September, to see what time I should have run with Javelin.
moondustka
Active member
I've had to do that in the past too Stu, for the slave cylinder. I used a cone bit in a drill to enlargen the holes.
Good progress there and not easy circumstances by the sounds of itk:
Good progress there and not easy circumstances by the sounds of it
k:
trublustu
New member
At someone elses place with the toolbox I`d brought I was quite impressed that I managed to pull this off so quickly.
Just got make sure you remember all your tools and not have to rush off home for your timing pins. Erm.....
Between hailstorms I`ll have it fully back together today (what is going on with this weather?)
I should be able to give the car a couple of shakedown sessions before my next sprint.
Just got make sure you remember all your tools and not have to rush off home for your timing pins. Erm.....
Between hailstorms I`ll have it fully back together today (what is going on with this weather?)
I should be able to give the car a couple of shakedown sessions before my next sprint.
moondustka
Active member
Nice.
Yes the weather is interesting at the moment.
Yes the weather is interesting at the moment.
trublustu
New member
So yesterday, once the clouds blew away I cracked on.
I had a small issue bleeding the clutch.
Nothing to do with the car.
My Gunson pressure bleeder is a couple of years old and when I connected it up, it was leaking air so badly that it just didn`t work, plus it flattened a spare tyre in minutes...
The lid seal looked like a dried up doggie-doo. Must be that brake fluid and chinese rubber seals don`t mix.
A good wrapping with plumbers ptfe sorted it right out and I was happy to see `milky` fluid being expelled when I pumped the pedal.
Clutch good, so I moved onto the Radiator.
With all the space round the engine bay, this went together easily.
I found, when I refilled my saved coolant that I`d lost about half a liter. As I run with quite a `rich` solution, I just topped up with Manchester tap water.
With the battery and airbox on, I decided It would be a good idea to make sure it gets up to temperature properly.
So I fired it up and ran it for ten minutes or so and found all good
But...
Once warm I gave it some revs, up to about 5500 and back to tickover a few times.
No banging or grinding but it didn`t quite sound right.
A quick look under the bonnet revealed a huge (and growing) puddle of engine oil depositiong itself on the drive from the cambelt end of the motor.
Oh Sh** I exclaimed and stopped the engine.
From this I could tell it was coming from under the cam cover and I had visions of a missing plug/oil seal.
there was oil seeping out onto the top engine mount bracket, So I guessed it must be at the cams (makes sense)
I have snapped my timing cover to make it easy to get to the cam pulleys and with the cover off I found the problem straight away.
The plug, sealing the VCT cam pulley wasn`t tight,
so when the VCT kicked in, it just puked the oil straight out :roll:
Explaining why it didn`t show up at tickover..
Thankfully it didn`t fall off!!!
Tightened up and with a liter or so of Formula-F, I tried again.
This time with no mess.
Thank god for that..
The rest of the car soon went back together and I spent the end of the day with some Daz and hot water cleaning up my mess.
I had a small issue bleeding the clutch.
Nothing to do with the car.
My Gunson pressure bleeder is a couple of years old and when I connected it up, it was leaking air so badly that it just didn`t work, plus it flattened a spare tyre in minutes...
The lid seal looked like a dried up doggie-doo. Must be that brake fluid and chinese rubber seals don`t mix.
A good wrapping with plumbers ptfe sorted it right out and I was happy to see `milky` fluid being expelled when I pumped the pedal.
Clutch good, so I moved onto the Radiator.
With all the space round the engine bay, this went together easily.
I found, when I refilled my saved coolant that I`d lost about half a liter. As I run with quite a `rich` solution, I just topped up with Manchester tap water.
With the battery and airbox on, I decided It would be a good idea to make sure it gets up to temperature properly.
So I fired it up and ran it for ten minutes or so and found all good
But...
Once warm I gave it some revs, up to about 5500 and back to tickover a few times.
No banging or grinding but it didn`t quite sound right.
A quick look under the bonnet revealed a huge (and growing) puddle of engine oil depositiong itself on the drive from the cambelt end of the motor.
Oh Sh** I exclaimed and stopped the engine.
From this I could tell it was coming from under the cam cover and I had visions of a missing plug/oil seal.
there was oil seeping out onto the top engine mount bracket, So I guessed it must be at the cams (makes sense)
I have snapped my timing cover to make it easy to get to the cam pulleys and with the cover off I found the problem straight away.
The plug, sealing the VCT cam pulley wasn`t tight,
so when the VCT kicked in, it just puked the oil straight out :roll:
Explaining why it didn`t show up at tickover..
Thankfully it didn`t fall off!!!
Tightened up and with a liter or so of Formula-F, I tried again.
This time with no mess.
Thank god for that..
The rest of the car soon went back together and I spent the end of the day with some Daz and hot water cleaning up my mess.
trublustu
New member
Well we`ve got to the last day of my long car building bank holiday weekend.
As I`ve got the mechanicals pretty much how I want them I turned my attention to some modest weight saving.
Quite a while back I stripped the bulb and lens assembly out of the headlights.
This took about a kilo per side out of the lights.
Not enough for me!
So I split the lights down the seam, leaving just the outer plastic cover.
Making the frame that the light attaches to, redundant. and strips another 1.5 kg out of each light.
This is what I`ve just discarded
I cut and tigerbonded the lug from the top of the light inner so it can attatch at the top.
The bottom of the lens was now flapping loose, so I drilled two holes at the bottom of the light and two matching holes in the bumper.
I put two 6mm bolts through and tightened them up. Like this.
The lights have been rubbed down with 1000 wet & dry with a view to polishing the outer and painted black on the inside.
Should look quite good, but most importantly it`s another 3 kg out of the front of the car..
Back to work tomorrow :?
As I`ve got the mechanicals pretty much how I want them I turned my attention to some modest weight saving.
Quite a while back I stripped the bulb and lens assembly out of the headlights.
This took about a kilo per side out of the lights.
Not enough for me!
So I split the lights down the seam, leaving just the outer plastic cover.
Making the frame that the light attaches to, redundant. and strips another 1.5 kg out of each light.
This is what I`ve just discarded
I cut and tigerbonded the lug from the top of the light inner so it can attatch at the top.
The bottom of the lens was now flapping loose, so I drilled two holes at the bottom of the light and two matching holes in the bumper.
I put two 6mm bolts through and tightened them up. Like this.
The lights have been rubbed down with 1000 wet & dry with a view to polishing the outer and painted black on the inside.
Should look quite good, but most importantly it`s another 3 kg out of the front of the car..
Back to work tomorrow :?
TGPlayer1
Active member
You'll have to strap it down on the drive Stu or it'll float away!
trublustu
New member
That's where the sticky tyres come in handy Tom..
trublustu
New member
Next weekend is Round 2 of the Javelin Sprint Series.
Following my dissapointing outing last time I`ve been busy getting the car right since I got back.
Because of this I`ve not had a last minute rush of jobs, giving me chance to do a few of the niggly jobs that want doing.
I did a bit more on the lights,
A couple of layers of black smooth hammerite on the inside of the lens has left an even finish outside.
At the moment they`re just rubbed down with 1200 wet and dry. I`ll try to polish the lens outers before weekend.
I touched up a few bits of silver bodywork that was poking out around the grilles. (purely for aestetics...)
I finally got round to fitting my custom rear plate and I`m delighted with the look.
Other jobs were to add some spacers to stop the coilovers fouling the top mounts (lightened the steering no end)
Add some grip tape to the pedals and drivers footwell. I`ve been meaning to do this for a while..
And clean the wheels (my god they were grotty,)
So The car is right up to speed for next week, just need to find my camping stuff now...
Following my dissapointing outing last time I`ve been busy getting the car right since I got back.
Because of this I`ve not had a last minute rush of jobs, giving me chance to do a few of the niggly jobs that want doing.
I did a bit more on the lights,
A couple of layers of black smooth hammerite on the inside of the lens has left an even finish outside.
At the moment they`re just rubbed down with 1200 wet and dry. I`ll try to polish the lens outers before weekend.
I touched up a few bits of silver bodywork that was poking out around the grilles. (purely for aestetics...)
I finally got round to fitting my custom rear plate and I`m delighted with the look.
Other jobs were to add some spacers to stop the coilovers fouling the top mounts (lightened the steering no end)
Add some grip tape to the pedals and drivers footwell. I`ve been meaning to do this for a while..
And clean the wheels (my god they were grotty,)
So The car is right up to speed for next week, just need to find my camping stuff now...
moondustka
Active member
I was literally thinking about something like your rear lip on the boot the other day. Should be a huge improvement on air flow off the rear of the car and should make it detach at that point, rather than stumbling over the edge.
:thumbs:
:thumbs:
trublustu
New member
Last weekend was the second round of the Javelon Sprints.
Without doubt, the car was a revelation.
Steering more precise and lighter, more power and crisper gear changes too.
I`d not driven this circuit layout before (Blyton Eastern) and it is a totally different animal to the Outer Circuit.
It`s loads more technical and tweeking suspension settings during the event kept getting a little more out of the car.
I came tenth in class (one place better than round 1) and 51st 0verall (out of 70) which is 5 places better.
My new Martini stripes, helped make sure the car stood out in the crowd ;-)
The car also behaved impeccably, meaning no rebuild before it`s next outing :thumbs:
So that brings us to this nice long weekend.
With nothing on the urgent list, I turned my attention to the `get round to it` list.
The top of this list is my spare wheel void.
So, I dug out the fiberglass spats that were on the car when I got it. (the bumper was damaged but I saved these)
They needed a bit of tidying up but they look like they should work with a diffuser.
I figured it would be easier to fit the spats with the bumper off the car. Here I hit quite a problem.
As I went to lift the bumper off, the outer skin and inner frame sperated completely, they must of been hanging together,
which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. as I could do a bit of weight saving to offset the weight of the spats.
I cut down the inner frame, keeping the mountings and enough to glue it on with tiger bond.
The big holes along the middle were not for weight saving, but to give the expanding foam adhesive somewhere to expand to stopping it lifting off. (powerfull stuff that foam)
I`m happy it`s as strong as I can get it.
Fitting the spats was straightforward, but I found that previously they`ve been adapted so the lower edge is square, but meaning the upper edge doesnt quite follow the cars lines. No matter, they`ll be smoothed with filler.
For the undertray I Have stuck to my Heath Robinson school of research and development making the `Mk1` from scrap I have lying around..
I fabricated a frame, attatched to the original spare wheel hanger brackets.
The aluminium angle at the bottom popped up on my travels and needs to be longer, but this is the Mk1 remember.
I cut a 3mm plywood sheet to fill the space between the spats and trimmed it around the silencer.
This is bolted to the frame and the lower edge of the bumper.
This undertyray, really needs remanufacturing out of a formable material (with a curve to it) and sides/vanes fitting.
Oh yes and the spats need a bit if filler and rattle can..
It`s made a wonderful change to be able to get on with the development of the car, rather than dealing with running repairs..
Without doubt, the car was a revelation.
Steering more precise and lighter, more power and crisper gear changes too.
I`d not driven this circuit layout before (Blyton Eastern) and it is a totally different animal to the Outer Circuit.
It`s loads more technical and tweeking suspension settings during the event kept getting a little more out of the car.
I came tenth in class (one place better than round 1) and 51st 0verall (out of 70) which is 5 places better.
My new Martini stripes, helped make sure the car stood out in the crowd ;-)
The car also behaved impeccably, meaning no rebuild before it`s next outing :thumbs:
So that brings us to this nice long weekend.
With nothing on the urgent list, I turned my attention to the `get round to it` list.
The top of this list is my spare wheel void.
So, I dug out the fiberglass spats that were on the car when I got it. (the bumper was damaged but I saved these)
They needed a bit of tidying up but they look like they should work with a diffuser.
I figured it would be easier to fit the spats with the bumper off the car. Here I hit quite a problem.
As I went to lift the bumper off, the outer skin and inner frame sperated completely, they must of been hanging together,
which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. as I could do a bit of weight saving to offset the weight of the spats.
I cut down the inner frame, keeping the mountings and enough to glue it on with tiger bond.
The big holes along the middle were not for weight saving, but to give the expanding foam adhesive somewhere to expand to stopping it lifting off. (powerfull stuff that foam)
I`m happy it`s as strong as I can get it.
Fitting the spats was straightforward, but I found that previously they`ve been adapted so the lower edge is square, but meaning the upper edge doesnt quite follow the cars lines. No matter, they`ll be smoothed with filler.
For the undertray I Have stuck to my Heath Robinson school of research and development making the `Mk1` from scrap I have lying around..
I fabricated a frame, attatched to the original spare wheel hanger brackets.
The aluminium angle at the bottom popped up on my travels and needs to be longer, but this is the Mk1 remember.
I cut a 3mm plywood sheet to fill the space between the spats and trimmed it around the silencer.
This is bolted to the frame and the lower edge of the bumper.
This undertyray, really needs remanufacturing out of a formable material (with a curve to it) and sides/vanes fitting.
Oh yes and the spats need a bit if filler and rattle can..
It`s made a wonderful change to be able to get on with the development of the car, rather than dealing with running repairs..
moondustka
Active member
Should help with air flow :grin:
Puma Babe
Active member
Are they the official photographers pics on track Stewart? I might have to see whether he has any of mine
trublustu
New member
he will yvonne. He`s on facebook on the Javelin Sprint page. Darren C O`Brien is his name.
He`s the best value photographer around, loads of shots and he pops up everywhere...
He`s the best value photographer around, loads of shots and he pops up everywhere...
There's something satisfying about seeing that that void filled over nice job!
Don't yet understand the function of the 'spats'? are they something to simply fit a makeshift diffuser between? Sure Tiger Seal would have held it's own bud (jay and others have done so with cutting the frame right down) but can see why you added the expanding foam though surprisingly heavy for what is once hardened.
Looking forward to what's next
Don't yet understand the function of the 'spats'? are they something to simply fit a makeshift diffuser between? Sure Tiger Seal would have held it's own bud (jay and others have done so with cutting the frame right down) but can see why you added the expanding foam though surprisingly heavy for what is once hardened.
Looking forward to what's next
