March 2005
Thursday 31st March 2005
The engine and gearbox are back in the Fiesta again. Sent the coil bracket back to the supplier, they agreed it wasn't tested on the Series 2 Zetec, but it was really intended for the Focus Zetec coil pack.
I weighed the new crank under drive pulley before putting the engine back in the car, and it comes in at 395 grammes, compared to 1475 grammes for the steel one. Thats quite a weight saving.
Wednesday 30th March 2005
Fitted the new AP clutch. Fitted the gearbox back on to the engine. Bought a new stainless steel ignition coil bracket, but it doesn't seem to fit my coil pack. I'll call the suppliers in the morning. Fitted the collar clamp to the steering rack, and it appears to be ideal for adjusting the steering lock stops with the rack in situ.
Monday 28th March 2005
The Midland Speed Championship kicked off yesterday with a visit to a rather damp Harewood Hillclimb. And today it moves on to Croft race circuit. Nottingham Sports Car Club also starts their championship today at Loton Park, so its been quite a busy weekend for some competitors. After last years dismal weather when we went to 3 Sisters in April, I vowed never to do any events in March or April again. The weather is just too unpredictable. Much better to start in May and work your way through the summer months.
I've found a picture on the web of my Fiesta in action at Harewood last August 2004. The front spoiler definitely needs lowering, to aid the aerodynamics.
Saturday 26th March 2005
Painted the engine block today. Looks quite smart using the Foliatec paint. 1/2 a litre seems to go a very long way. Also cleaned the HiSpec brake calipers, brake dust sticks ever so well to aluminium it seems.
Friday 25th March 2005
Took the steering rack off of the Fiesta, and decided how to limit the steering lock. I'll be fitting a collar clamp to the end of the rack to limit the amount of movement.
Painted the hub carriers and the front engine mount with Foliatec caliper paint. The paint comes with a can of degreaser spray, and two tins. One of paint, and the other of a hardener solution. Mix the two tins together and give it a stir, and paint it on. Couldn't be simpler.
Cleaned the engine bay, and reassembled the front suspension. Just waiting for the clutch plate to arrive, and I can start putting everything back together again.
Thursday 24th March 2005
Spent the day cleaning and checking the Fiesta ready for the engine and gearbox to be reinstalled. The gearbox has been refilled with Silkolene 75 synthetic gearbox oil, which costs £11.99 per litre x 3 cans.
I took the clutch off of the engine, and discovered it was nearly down to the rivets. It was an AP Heavy Duty 220mm clutch, bought in 1998, so its seen a fair amount of abuse, including two seasons of sprinting with lots of tyre warming. A new one was ordered from Burtons today, it should be with me next Tuesday (after Easter).
I've finally fitted the aluminium under drive pulley from KKM. It is around 75% of the size of the original damper pulley, and weighs a fraction of the stock Ford item.
I've drilled some large holes in the zetec engine mounting bracket (which was designed for the Mk3 Fiesta Zetec). I've saved a fair amount of weight by doing this. My bracket supports the lightweight alternator, and the top engine mount so I'm not worried about weakening it.
The tow car, my Audi A6 Quattro, appears to have blown its gearbox. 96000 miles on the clock, and it sounds as though the transfer box, or the front diff has died. I took it in to my local garage, and they test drove it and confirmed my worst fears. Its in again next week for a full investigation. Hmm, I wonder if I could fit a replacement 6 speed box? Does anyone know how interchangeable Audi Quattro boxes are?
Monday 14th March 2005
I've been scanning the Mk1 Fiesta dealer guide again...
Sunday 13th March 2005
I bought an original Ford dealer guide for the Mk1 Fiesta on Ebay this week. What a find. It contains all the information for dealers, to tell them how to sell the Mk1 Fiesta, and it even includes a script for the original radio adverts. I'll get it all scanned in over the coming months, so its available as a download.
The Regs have now arrived for the Liverpool MC Aintree sprint in June, which I came 1st in class at last year. With the higher top speed, I shouldn't be on the rev limiter across the finish line this year.
Didn't sell the RS1800 gearbox bits. Not even a bite. I'll try again later in the year.
Modded the Step by Step guide to include some random images, using a small piece of Javascript I wrote.
Tuesday 8th March 2005
I've sent off my entry forms for the Nottingham Sports Car Club sprints at Curborough in June and July. Need to get the car back together so I can test the new gearbox, but I'm still waiting for the suspension and brakes to come back.
Continuing the garage clearout theme, I'm selling the Fiesta RS1800 gearbox internals on ebay
Saturday 5th March 2005
Sold the sunroof, but the Quaife gearkit only fetched £26 on ebay, and its worth a lot more than that, so it didn't sell.