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on February 01 2012Tuesday 31st January 2012
Fitted the fuel tank to the car. I've used some more of the sticky backed foam I scrounged from work, to cover the two straps that the tank sits on, which will help isolate the tank from any heat that comes up through the floor from the exhaust.
I've also fitted the new fuel pump. I cut out some spare Cool-It thermal mat, and have lined the floor to again insulate the pump from the heat from the exhaust underneath. I used a hole punch to cut out the two holes out where the exhaust bracket is bolted to the floor. (The exhaust is held on underneath the car using rubber insulators which also reduces the heat transfer). One problem is that the Ebay shop I bought the pump from, Torques.co.uk, has supplied the incorrect fitting for the pump. I asked for -6 outlet, which is what was in the box, however, the adaptor wont screw in to the pump as its the wrong thread for it. Torques also failed to ship the black pump bracket in the picture, which I also had to chase. I'm hoping that they'll sort this next problem out for me without too much grief.
Monday 30th January 2012
This evening I've fitted the fuel tank guard to the car, and pop-riveted it / sealed it in place using Sikaflex. I then turned my attention to the first of the two running boards. Carefully, using a Dremel with a flexible shaft, I've removed the lower edges of the drivers side front and rear wheel arches, sufficient enough to allow the running board to be offered up in to place. Before I cut the GRP I searched Google for any advice I could find, and the most common theme was to avoid breathing in the dust. So I made sure I wore a dust mask. The Dremel works really well when cutting GRP, however, the cutting disk is lethal, and wouldn't think twice about removing a finger, so utmost care was taken during this job.
The next task is to drill a series of 3mm holes along the length of the sill, to allow me to fit the sliding latches in place. The latch mechanisms will be fitted to the boards, and the spigots will protrude from the sills, so I'll use repair washers on the rear of the spigots to prevent them from distorting the sill. I think it looks good so far. Early days though, and it'll need some tidying before I'm happy with it, but the overall effect works.
I'm thinking of wrapping the boards rather than spraying them, what do you think? Red or Carbon effect?
Sunday 29th January 2012
I've made a metal box to sit below the fuel tank, in the hole I had to cut in to the boot floor. This is made from 0.6mm steel, and will protect the underneath of the tank. The box is painted with red primer, and the seams are sealed with Sikaflex. It'll be riveted in place to the floor, and will be sealed again using Sikaflex.
Wednesday 25th January 2012
My fuel tank brackets are finished. I bought 3 lengths of 900mm x 25mm x 3mm aluminium flat bar off Ebay. Quite straight forward to bend to the right shape. The original steel brackets are in the left of the picture, and weigh in at 1.48Kg. The aluminium brackets weigh 464grammes, so thats a 1Kg saving. ;)
The running boards have come back from Altiss and I'm very pleased with them. Fortunately the care I took measuring up has paid off, and they look like they'll fit. I just need to trim the lower edges of the front and rear GRP arches to allow them to slot underneath.
Monday 23rd January 2012
I won the Midland Speed Championship "Best Prepared Car" award on Saturday evening, for the 2nd time. I first won the award in 2003, so it was a very proud achievement for me to have won it for a second time.
Finally, I am selling my 11 year old ATL fuel cell on ebay. No reserve, no buy it now price. Click here to visit the Ebay listing
Friday 20th January 2012
Quite busy over the last few weeks. I've sprayed the louvres on to both rear wheel arches, ready to cut them out using the Dremel drill.
I've just bought a new fuel cell from Rally Design. Its the 5 gallon plastic JAZ fuel cell, foam filled, with -8 outlets, which cost approx £112. Its taller than the tank it replaces, and it also has a sump underneath the tank, so I'm having to cut a rectangle out of the boot floor to accommodate its unusual shape. The floor is now prepared, and I've bought some 25mm x 3mm aluminium flat bar from Ebay to make the brackets to hold the tank in place. It came with steel brackets, which are far too heavy for the job that they provide, so I'll save a bit more weight by making them myself from aluminium.
The Jaz cell is a fair bit lighter than the ATL cell. It weighs in at around 2.8Kg (dry) whereas the ATL cell is around 8.5 Kg. I've ordered a Bosch 044 fuel pump, 30 micron filter and some -8 to -6 adaptors for the fuel tank, and I'll plumb everything in, including the fuel cooler, just as soon as I've figured out what other swivel seal connectors I need. I'll be using the Earls Pro-Lite 350 Nylon fuel hose, as its so much easier to work with than the stainless overbraided hose..
The firewall, or tank cover, will also need modifying, because this new tank is as I mentioned taller than the old one.
The following pictures show how I made the templates for the louvres, cut them out and sprayed over them, and the end result.
Spraying the louvres on the rear arch.
The finished result, waiting to be cut out with the Dremel.
Sunday 8th January 2012
I'm trying to locate some Fiesta external pull-up door handle assemblies at the moment, for the XR2. I'm after anything from late face-lift Mk1's, 1981-1983. Please get in touch if you have anything.
No news on the running boards from Altiss yet. Hopefully ready somepoint this week. I've made some templates to cut slots in the rear of the fibreglass rear wheel arches. These will reduce drag by allowing air trapped in the arches to escape. No going back once I've cut them out, so I'll take my time and do a tidy job.
In the list of things to do this year, one is to wire in the ECU to allow flat-shifts. I've spoken to DTA and they are working on a firmware update for the S80 ECU that takes the input from the gear position sensor, and allows full power gear shifts. So rather than having to buy a 3rd party ECU to handle the event (such as the Geartronics black box) I can hopefully just update the S80 firmware when available, and add some extra wires to the ECU connector to read the position sensor voltage on the gearbox. Full throttle gearshifts will make the biggest difference to my times this year, so its very high up on my priorities. Together with wider wheels, tyres and the aero package of course.
I've entered the Midland Speed Championship in the all new Saloon Libre class. This is a special class for Saloons like mine that have engine swaps. We'll still be running amongst the Sports Libre cars on events, but the MidSpeed are allowing us to compete in a seperate class, based on the points scored determined by our finishing positions. I was going to try to run in Mod Prod in 2012, but given that Midland Speed comittee has made this additional class to encourage more people out with their engine swapped cars, I'm going to give it a go.
The calendar for 2012 looks to be very busy. I'll try to do the weekend 'Blyton' event in July, and the sprints at Mallory, and Silverstone, as well as returning to Loton Park. I'm also hoping to get another invite to the Retro Rides gathering again in August (held at the superb Prescott Hillclimb venue) and maybe get some track time at Santa Pod to see how quick the XR2 can drive down the strip. It all depends on my budgets, so we'll see as the year pans out, which events I can afford to do.
Sunday 25th December 2011
A very merry Christmas from Zetecinside.com
A big thankyou to Karl at Kustom Engineering for the work he did to the front suspension on the Fiesta, to accomodate the Quaife sequential gearbox at the start of the season.
And a big thankyou to the organisers of the Retro Rides Gathering, who allowed me unlimited runs up the Prescott Hill in August, which was such a good event, I'll be back again in 2012.
And of course, a thankyou to you, for visiting the site, coming to say hello at the shows and events I've been to in 2011, and for following me on twitter and facebook.
Take care, have a good Christmas break, and remember to keep coming back for regular updates over the coming 12 months.
Thursday 22nd December 2011
The drawing I created (below) has been dropped off with Altiss. These will form the running boards for the Fiesta, as it starts its evolution in to a Berg Cup aero package. They are going to fabricate the sections out of 16gauge or 1.6mm aluminium sheet.
The boards will be made from single sheets folded according to my drawing, and I'll fasten them directly to the sills with quick release fasteners, so I can take them off when loading/unloading the car from the trailer. At some venues, the bottom of the car floor already hits the trailer bed whilst loading the car up, due to the uneven surface in some of the grass paddocks, so the running boards will only make things worse.
The reason for fitting running boards is to try to accelerate the air between the body and the ground. The resulting low pressure can be managed to generate a portion of the cars downforce, and without running boards, the air underneath the body simply washes out between the front and rear wheels. Once the running boards are on, and the front spoiler/splitter is designed and fitted, I can work on rear diffusers to help exploit the low pressure area.
Tuesday 20th December 2011
Aside from burying fish from the kids fish tank this weekend, I've been making running boards (or call them what you will) for the Fiesta.
Carboard again is the patron saint of home brewers like myself.
I'll get Altiss to make them up from Aluminium as soon as I've worked out how to fasten them to the sills of the Fiesta. The GRP arches will be trimmed to allow the boxes to fit beneath them. Looking like 90mm (width), and around 85mm (height).
I toyed with fitting these MCR running boards, but they dont lower the effective height of the sills low enough without severe modifications.
This is the rare Kamei front spoiler I bought from Germany 5 years ago. I'd like to fit it, but have enquired with TK Motorsport in Germany about the Scirocco front spoiler, as that could be made to be removable (for trailering). The existing MCR front spoiler in the shot below would need to be removed, and the front wheel arch extensions fitted, modifed suitably.
Here is the scirocco front end I'd prefer to use.
Sunday 18th December 2011
The MSA has announced a change to their membership rules, that allows organising clubs to run Taster Events, therefore allowing drivers to have a go at various forms of motorsport, without the expense of a competition license. This is a good step forwards for the MSA, as it may encourage beginners in to the sport. The next problem to overcome is the cost of the personal protection equipment (PPE) for things such as crash helmets, flameproof overalls, boots and gloves. This is the next hurdle, as you can very easily spend £500 on PPE, just to try a sport that you dont really want to continue. So the changes go a small way to encourage new blood in to the sport, but we've still the PPE hurdle to cross.
The rule changes as announced by the MSA
My new 2012 MSA membership card has arrived for next season, so I've just the aero package to complete, some slicks to buy, the fuel system to finish off, and we're good to go :D
Friday 16th December 2011
The results from the Motorsport Questionnaire are now in.
Comments submitted during the survey
Thanks to everyone who participated. I'll be emailing the results out to everyone who left their email address, later today.
Now its time to digest the results and determine what to do next.
My conclusion is that we need to run a beginners series of RWYB format Speed Events, to help get people on to the ladder. How difficult that will be to establish, remains to be seen. Head on over to www.uphillracers.com to join in the discussion.
Thursday 8th December 2011
The Motorsport Survey is still open and running, and I've had 130 replies so far. I'll keep it running until the end of December, and publish the results in the new year. Speaking of which I've renewed my MSA competition license today, and next I need to decide which events I'd like to do next year. Crystal Palace should be on the list, as well as the new venue at Blyton, and the local sprint at Mallory Park.
With the relaxation on the aero rules for Sports Libre in 2012, I'm looking again at the front and rear aero of the Fiesta. The best rear setup I've seen is the one used on Joss Ronchetti's Sunbeam. I should be able to replicate this, to give me downforce on the high speed tracks like Llandow and Aintree. I'd probably remove it for the slower tracks, but certainly for sprints it would be worth a few more MPH on the faster corners.
Wednesday 30th November 2011
I know a lot of owners of modified cars, build their cars to very high standards, yet it always intrigues me as to why they're not used in competitive motorsports in the UK. A group of competitors on UphillRacers.com are interested in the reasons why owners of modified cars do not venture out on to the hills with them, in what is traditionally one of the safest and most rewarding forms of motorsport in the country.
A lot of discussion surrounds the class structures, complexity of the rules, and costs, and we'd like to get to the root cause of the dwindling numbers of competitors who do venture out. We only see the problem from the inside out, and it would be advantageous to see the problem from those who are kept away by whatever reason.
If you could take a couple of minutes to complete the following survey, it would be appreciated. The results will be analysed and published in the new year.
It is an anonymous survey, which only takes a couple of minutes to complete, and you may leave your name and email if you wish to receive further updates and surveys in the future. If you have a few minutes spare, please click this link
Edit: The questionnaire may now be accessed simply by visiting www.clubmans.co.uk which is a lot easier to remember :D
Thursday 17th November 2011
Did you know that fitting a private registration plate to your car may increase your insurance premium? Thats what I found out today. Having spent £80 on the V317, £40 on four new number plates, I then had to pay £17.50 to Elephant to change the Audi registration, and £25 to the RAC for the Subaru, to then be told that there was an additional premium increase for the Subaru, simply because it now had a private plate on it. What a liberty!
After some 'negotiation' on the phone, they dropped the increase, for this year. But I bet next year that the premium is still increased, though of course I would have no way of knowing, unless I asked at the time of renewal.
Midland Speed Championship are running a new Saloon Libre class next year. This is an initial step to try to entice more engine swapped cars in to the sport of speed hillclimbing and sprinting, and a move that I welcome. I still dont want to be lumped together with space framed fibre glass bodied racing cars, (eg 6R4's or RS200's) but at least it should bring out the Tintops with swapped engines. I'm intending to get back out again in 2012, and was planning on trying ModProd for a change, but this could be a very positive move, and time will tell if its a step in the right direction.
Sports Libre numbers have dwindled drastically over the years, and the sport needs new blood to survive. Hundreds of people run modified road cars, with swapped engines, and we need to entice them away from Track days, in to competitive motorsport. Look at how successful the Retro Rides gathering was at Prescott this year. I read somewhere that they completed something like 800 runs up the hill on the Sunday, and I'm sure that most of the people who took part, would be willing to stick a crash helmet on and have a go at a sanctioned, organised, speed event. What would they have to loose?
Tuesday 15th November 2011
The website has undergone various changes over the past few weeks. The longer articles have been split over 3 or 4 pages, with a Related Pages section at the bottom of each page, to allow visitors to navigate through the articles more easily. Nothing worse than landing on a page that takes an age to load, and involves wading through reams of information to find what you are looking for.
Speaking of looking for information, I've also improved the search facility (top right of the page above the menu links), as well as providing a +1 button and a Facebook Like button (over on the left). The site has getting on for 230,000 words across 220 pages, and there's a lot of information available on tuning and modifying Fiestas, so I'm hoping the popularity of the site will continue to grow, as I continue adding information to it.
One thing I'm quite passionate about at the moment, is the Fair Fuel UK campaign, to bring the price of fuel at the pumps in the UK, down to a level that people can afford to pay. Its high time that government stopped forcing buyers of petrol and diesel to dig this country out of recession. Instead they need to liberate people to use their vehicles to travel, rather than tax them to the point that they cant afford to even drive to see their relatives.
The Fair Fuel UK website
Please visit the site, join the campaign, sign the petition, and together we can put pressure on the government not just to scrap the planned increases next year, but to reduce the duty we pay now to bring the price of fuel down.
Friday 4th November 2011
Not a great deal of progress on the Fiesta since the last update. To be honest, there's not much to do to it anyway, but my focus in October has been getting the Subaru through its first MOT, a very expensive 48,000 mile service (£530), a new set of tyres (£430), and taxing and insuring the car (£430) for the next twelve months, as well as making the final £5454 balloon payment which legally makes the car mine to sell or keep. I am transferring the cherised plate off the Audi A6 on to the Subaru this month, as the Audi is due to be replaced shortly with a smaller, more economical car.
So with all that expense out of the way, I'm concerned about just what I'm going to do with the Fiesta next year. Fuel costs and other things are getting out of hand now, and the new job I started in August doesn't pay as well as the contracting role I left behind, so we're squeezing belts and trying to make ends meet at the moment.
For 2012 I want to continue hillclimbing and sprinting, and am moving in to Mod Prod for the first time. Sports Libre is too lonely nowadays, with just myself registered in the class in the Midland Speed Championship this year. I'm looking for fresh competition to better myself as a driver, and to continue to develop the car. So I'm quite looking forwards to the challenges that Mod Prod brings, but I'm definitely going to have to locate a sponsor to pay for the travel to/from the events, as what little spare money I have, I can ill afford to spend it on entry fees and travel costs.
On the Mk2 Escort, my Dad has now fitted electric power steering, a kit supplied by Matt Downing, and the results are quite satisfactory. The steering is still heavy, and the strut tops need to be dismantled, as the struts themselves dont want to turn, so we have a theory that they're not assembled correctly. The brake master cylinder has also been replaced, with a new item, and the brakes are finally working correctly. The latest issue is that the water temperature drops when the car is moving, and despite the thermostat testing out ok in a pan of boiling water, we suspect that the heater in the car is drawing too much water away from the engine, so there's more work to do in that area.
On the website front, I've created a new set of favicons, including an apple-touch icon, so if you create a shortcut to the zetecinside website on an ipad/iphone or an htc phone, you get a nice looking hires zi icon.
