Dedicated Track Car Progress Thread

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Hi Neil,
As I crudely understand it.
The spats are essentially an extension of the side skirts
They, theoretically, help stop high pressure air folding under the car.

My plan is to develop the undertray into a diffuser, the spats should help. (which is why I did both jobs at once)
Although just how effective the whole set up will be is anybodys guess.

I`m enjoying thinking through the benefits vs hassle ratio.
and not to mention the oil free car fiddling!
 
Last weekend was the third round of the Javelin sprint Series,
we are now half way through the season.
As the car came back from Blyton running like a sewing machine getting to the circuit and setting up camp went like clockwork.
we got to pick a spot where we could park all our cars were together between runs (by our spot)


The eagle eyed amongst you might notive that there are TWO pumas in our group!!
The Medium Steel beauty is owned and was being raced by our very own Puma Babe

Being so organised we managed to walk the track while the barbie was doing it`s thing..
I was really surprised by the surface at this circuit.
It was bloody awful, it was literally lumpy! as well as being cracked, literally all over.
Bumpy is an understatement.

So, After the scrutineering, signing on and briefing we lined up for our sighting laps and timed runs.


I never expected to do well at Croft, It`s a power circuit wher the long straights would see my chances take a serious hit.
Strangely I didnt get much faster over the day.
My fastest lap was only 0.6 seconds faster than my first!
I had trouble putting the power down all day, my suspension did not like the rough surface at all.
Powering out of the first corner through the chicaine was a world of wheelspin
All at 70+ in third gear!

This was my first visit to Croft and I was far from clean all day.
But by the end of the day I was really going for it resulting in some unorthodox and spectacular cornering...


To really rub salt into my wounds,
I was hoping for 6th in class
I was running 7th in class
And at the end of the day A caged and race prepped Abarth Punto popped up and pipped me by 0.01 second!
So 8th in class it was.

Angelsey should be better, at least it`s smooth!
 
No posts for a while, apologies..
After competeing (and picking up scraps in the 2.0 class) For 2/3 of the season, I have managed to both, break my foot and buy a house.
That was the end of my trackdaying and having any car money in August. Pretty much writing the rest of the year off.

The good news is that my new place is 100 times better than the old `un, with room to store and work on cars.
So I`ve been plotting my return (and how to pick up a few more points in next years sprints (gotta have another crack)
Now the class leader was driving an MR2 with 190 bhp Celica engine (I doubt I`d catch that if I fitted rockets) But just behind that were a clutch of tricked up Clio`s. lapping between 3-6 seconds faster than me.
I`m after them lot!
So now I`m thinking, how on earth am I going to make up for a 50 bhp head start.

The answer I came up with has nothing to do with trying to squeeze more out of the motor...
But by getting it down more efficiently. :wink:

I used Nankang NS2r tyres (soft compound) in 2016. They are a great trackday tyre, but just not quite up there with the semi slicks for sprinting.
So the NS2r`s will be going to be replaced with either Dunlop Direzzas or Toyo 888`s. There`s a second or so..

The Ford Racing Puma came with a 10% lower final drive (bigger wheels), fitting this gearbox with 15" wheels would drop my top speed (which I never ever get anywhere near) But acceleration out of the corners should be transformed.
The FRP box also has shot peened input shaft and 1st and 2nd gears, so it`s a stronger box too.
Imagine my joy when such a box came available, even better it`s fitted fitted with an LSD.
This is really the cherry on top!

I really do believe that this (along with some front suspension tweeks) should see me pulling the pants down of a few smug French junk pilots.

Nothing will be happening until after Christmas (car wrapped up out of the weather) when I`ll be doing a drivetrain rebuild...
 
Good to see you back Stu!

Hopefully you'll have better luck with this gearbox than in the past, and the LSD alone will make a world of difference.

What are you planning to do with the Nankangs?
 
Hi Tom :)
LSD will really make a difference. The box was on another sprint car last year, a tricked up 1.6 fiesta. And he was silly fast. So we`ll see...
As for the tyres, they`re up for sale
Six of em, 5.8-7.0mm (in pairs) on ebay for 230 (6 tyres). I`d take two off anyone here.
pm me if your interested.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322324474376?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649
 
So is your foot better now Stu?

Congrats on the house buying though :eek:k:

Good luck with catching the Frenchies. It's a tall order without more power but I hope you do it.
 
Thanks.
My mate sold his blue oval soul and bought one. Gotta try to catch him
I`m lost on the power tracks, but on the tighter sprints they`re there for the taking, need to loose even more weight too!
 
well it`s finally here...
Winter rebuild week :thumbs:

Following my early retirement from last years frivolities, coupled with my house move. The cars been under wraps :-(
I have been really looking forward to getting my teeth into this years action.

I have found my first couple of trackdays for the year and the Javelin Sprint Series dates have been announced.
My year on track Starts with a little testing and setting up day at the 3 sisters in Wigan
First trackday, as last year will be Silverstone GP with Circuit days on the 20th Feb.
Then to Cadwell on the 6th March with Opentrack
All Building up to the first Sprint of the season at Snetterton on the 26th March.
A real treat will see me doing my flagship trackday of 2017,
driving the Brand Hatch GP circuit on the 11th April with some unbelievably exotic cars. (Javelin trackdays)

Any how, none of that will be happening before my rebuild..
I am off work next week and have been collecting parts for months! :-D

The main ingredient in my quest for more speed is a genuine Racing Puma gearbox with factory limited slip diff.
The difference in the final drive ratio, means it`s down geared by 10%.
With the extra traction from the LSD it should transform the cars acceleration.


Here`s a view through the diff. something you can`t do on a standard box.

For looking after the corners a little better i am fitting Compbrake solid suspension mounts. I was never quite happy with how my coilovers went on. with a little thought, and conversation on the subject, I`m quite sure that these coilovers (gaz gold) are designed to dispense with the rubber bush and be solidly mounted. While I`m in there I`m fitting some black powerflex ARB bushes. Which I replaced with floflex when I first got the car and before the car had become so focused.
There`ll be a couple of other bits getting attention this week, I`ll get pics as I go..
 
Cheets Brian..
Indeed they do. I'd have had them delivered by how but they are based about 10 miles away, so ill call in next week and have a chat with them.
 
Hi Stu,

Perhaps you could do away with the roll bar all together to save yet more weight.

The anti-roll can be built into the spring rates. Depending on the lb rating of the springs you're running it may not be doing anything anyway.

:)
 
Sounds like a bit much of a too highly strung set up for me.
An important part of my build is the whole `built on the drive for a grand` principle (well, a couple)
This does mean compromise, but I want reliablity and easy self servicing.
So I have to stick with some of Fords stuff..
 
So it starts.
After spending the weekend clearing my chores list and fixing my road cars (which both decided to hit me with out of the blue faults last week) I have finally got round to digging the track car out of hibernation


Unfortunately I have found one tyre rather flat (I thought this would be the case)
but more seriously the condensation under the bonnet was astonishing and there was water everywhere.
Lots of new white fluff and muck everywhere,
The battery appears to have died a little since I parked it up so I`ve stuck it onto an overnight charge and towelled down the engine.
Tomorrow I`ll get it to where it`ll eb getting it`s work done and get set up for a big spanner day Tuesday...
 
I have contacted compbrake for the solid top mounts. They told me that they can do them with built-in 1deg negative camber and 1 deg caster. (extra from the oem setup). I think it's a good idea.
My question is how do you mount them accurately because I have the impression that they can move around a bit so you have to find a way to centre them when you drill the mounting holes.
 
I have had exactly the same thought.
I'm going at this a lot slower than I intended but will be visiting Compbrake HQ to buy the mounts. So ill ask while I'm there.

As for the car, a overnight charge sorted out the battery and it started first time.
But when I went to move it it was missing and spluttering like I've never heard it. But ticking over okay.
A quick check I've found the spark plug wells has about an inch of water in them!
A bit of mopping out with some paper towel has cured the problem.
Though those plugs look very much like they'd benefit from replacements....
 
The weather has been a bit on the harsh side for my winter rebuild and progress is slow.
Though thats not to say it`s not happening.
Yesterday I set about swapping the gearbox.
It`s been a while, but it was all as I left it. Apart from some battered heat wrap, no issues.
So, apart from the ten layers and gloves the FRP LSD box was a doddle to fit.


Looking at this gearbox gives me little shivers,
Going by the tarnishing on the bolts and 1st gear detent I think I may have a almost new gearbox.
Pumabuild are selling them at £1200.
I sooo want to get this on tarmac...

This of course is only part of my winter rebuild.
while the front end is in the air I`m swapping these things for Powerflex Black versions


They have stood up well to 3 years of track abuse and my opinion of floflex has softened.
I am only messing about swapping these for stiffer polyurethane.
I am blessed with access to the front subframe alignment pins so the swap will be easy as I can drop the subframe and replace it spot on.

My front suspension top mounts are getting attention too.

And this is far from straightforward,

Currently my coilovers are mounted onto OE rubber bush top mounts.
They were a pig to fit and I had to find spacers to stop them binding.
this is them now.


Since the coilovers were fitted I have not been 100% happy.
I have found understeer a problem, not good when gunning it at all times.
After no small amount of midnight oil I concluded the problem must lie here.
So I looked into solid top mounts, and sure enough Compbrake list just the part.
Now, their advertisements say stuff about extra camber and show different items.
So, while they are just half an hour away, I wanted to make sure I was buying the right thing and get tips on fitment.
So I gave them a call and popped round to their industrial unit.
Glad I did.
I`m also extra glad I was in a Puma!
The chaps were saying they sell very few of them and when he brought them out, we had quite a surprise.
Neither of the parts would fit without not insignificant work to the turret.
Of all the random tools I had in the car, I had a set of vernier calipers so with a bit of measuring up, off he went into his (HUGE) stock room and he returned with a model which will fit the Puma perfectly (I hope)


Tomorrows spannering will get this lot together.
Need to start thinking about my shakedown plans..
 
IRC a guy in zsoc designed these top mounts for his own fiesta racecar and got compbrake to manufacture them. I have seen them fitted (i mean the original design). But i don't know the amount of work to make them work!
If the second set that compbrake showed you works plug n play that would be wonderful. I suggest that you have a look at the height of the suspension because the top mounts seem to be quite "high". If this is the case then the top of the coilover would be mounted lower than normal and the ride height would be higher. That would mean that you should lower the height and as a result decreasing the suspension travel.
I don't know if I describe accurately what I want to say!
 
Well I`m not sure on their development. The ones he found are the simplest fit. I`ll explain below.

I started by stripping off the whole suspension legs, giving plenty of space to get to both the arb and the top mounts.
Firstly, I tackled the arb bushes.
As I can realign the subframe It`s quite easy Ijust removed all but the front 2 subrame bolts, which I unwound and pulled the subframe away from the body. It`s not quite free (steering column) but there plenty to get a 1/4 drive 10mm in there which makes things easier than using an open ender!
Not half an hour had them in,


Onto those top mounts..

The two designs listed were different. One was a round plate with bolt hoes. the other a 2 piece round affair.
The round plate would have needed the `top hat` shape at the top of the turret removing and a flat plate welding in. By the time I`d gone that far I could fit any of the multi adjustable stuff they had. But that`s not where I`m up to.
This design would suit something like a late Escort which has a bolt on top mount already.
No, for the `floating` type top mount, with the lumpy inner wing, we need the 2 piece type.
The one he had listed would probably have fitted but the diameter was huge.
When he went off digging he brought me the smallest of the 2 piece they do.

So here we go
The hole at the top of the turret is 45mm


Compbrakes smallest bush, 50mm


I used the vernier calipers set to precisely 2.5mm, to score a line in the paint around the hole.
I then used a marker drawn right to the line.


Then using a mixture of
Angle grinder with well used grinding disc (effective but terrifying)
Rip-off Dremel and milling bit (not effective, but controlled)
Hald round file (Effective and precise, just hard work)
I ended up with this.


I gently smoothed out the hole untill the mount fitted snugly without snagging.


Assembly couldnt be easier. Spin top on and c-spanner tight. One more side to do (couple of hours on this..)


I did work out as I was getting on with this that a bit of canny grinding while widening the hole could relocate the top mount 2.5mm inboard.
Which would give a little extra camber.

As One side is done, I`d better stick to standard geometry on the other side too....
 
I`ll be sure to report back.

I`ve also managed to book myself some dyno time.
As I`m running round in a bog standard 1.7 I had a cheeky thought and asked a favour.
The organisers have very kindly agreed to let me use the road car on one run and my modified motor on the others.
Good opportunity to compare.

Could be a bit of a gulp moment,
or a Wow one!!!
 

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