Whittie

19 July 2010 Well, HUGE success with the tie-rods today! I made a new thread over here: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?/topic/93632-custom-tie-rods-that-fit-standard-suspension/page__gopid__882965#entry882965 That details the whole procedure. In short, it works a treat and fits with standard suspension AND wheels, even with TTT Roll Center Adjusters. Here are a couple pics showing the final product. Old vs new: On the car: Massive thanks to Dad for following this mod through after I had given up on it and was convinced it couldn’t be done!

Cheers Guys! Thanks for clearing that up Jon. I was thinking about bump-steer and the very little I know about it just today looking over the pics and it also occurred to me that the shape of the tie-rod should not effect it, just the location of the pivots. The new tie-rod pivots around the same vertical height in respect to the turn buckle as the standard tie-rod and so should not effect bump-steer at all.

Custom Tie-rods for Datsun 260Z As many people in front of me, I have come across the limitations of the front steering tie-rod length on the Zed. With new TTT front control arms with a minimum 3.5Degrees negative camber I have 6 degrees toe-in… You should have heard the tyres protesting on the way home from Wheels World!! So, the challenge was on. Plenty of people said that the only way to go is custom because nobody makes a tie-rod that fits and gives the range of movement and extension we required, about 40mm. So, 280zx tie-rods were no good but still, SOMETHING had to be done. I couldn’t go with a rose joint setup because I still have relatively standard suspension and the huge suspension travel would bind even the highest movement rose-joints I could find. Despite being told it couldn’t be done by plenty of people on this forum, my Father decided that everyone just hadn’t tried hard enough… Sure… We went to about 6 or 7 suspension mobs in town, who all couldn’t get us out of their shops fast enough, before My dad ran into the State Manager for the Pedder’s suspension mob who, after hearing about our poor reception at several of their stores, measured up the standard zed tie rod pitch, thread and thread height and got the national R&D department onto the case. It took them 3 days, but they came back with a solution! A threaded tie-rod off of a Ford XY Falcon! It has the same pitch, thread height and thread as the zed tie-rod. In short, it fits in the standard steering knuckle without any modification! To complete the tie-rod I used: - 2 RH thread Falcon Tie-rod ends, Pedder’s Part #PTE391R. These come off an XT-XW-XY Ford Falcon from 1968-1972. I don’t know what you could use in the states, but probably something off of a mustang or similar. - 2 Datsun RH thread rack-end ball joints - Chrome-molly tube, cut to the extra length you require - Steel nuts to fit on the tie-rod and the rack end to act as lock nuts and another set to weld onto the chrome-molly tube to fix to the nuts. You then simply tap the Steel nuts and then weld them into the chrome-molly tube. I then had mine electro-plated so the steel nuts don’t rust. Using all Right Hand threads means that expensive and difficult to find 14mmx1.5 LH die’s don’t have to be found to tap the nuts for the LH thread ball joint on the standard Z steering rack. Also, because the ball joint in the rack end can spin the tie-rods can still be adjusted on the car by spinning the ball joint end instead of turning the tie-rod itself, very much the same as the standard suspension. However, the thread on the Tie-rod is a really weird size and nobody in town could supply nuts of the correct thread, they kept telling us it was like a Hydraulic fitting thread. Therefore, we had to have a machine shop make up the nuts and plugs for the tie-rod end of the middle tube. And here are the pics everyone has been waiting for: New rod next to old one demonstrating the extra length of the new tie-rod. The middle section of the rod A blown-up view of all the pieces And finally, the new tie-rod on the car. The angle look great and I’m not expecting any bump-steer but I’m yet to drive the car so can’t comment just yet. Versus the non-modified tie-rod: Here is the in-board side of the new rob, showing how it all mates up. Nothing binds even at full droop. And here is the clearance with the stock 14†rims and with TTT Roll centre adjusters fitted as well. With any luck this mod will be useful to someone looking to avoid going full custom rose-joints on this part of the suspension, as well as fitting on COMPLETELY STANDARD SUSPENSION. Total cost for both sides came in at around AU$300 for all parts and machining, but could be replicated for less given a few hiccups with attempting to get everything to work together.

18 July 2010 Well I got back from work last week and flew out on holiday the next day, but I arrived last night and got stuck into the car today before flying out again this week. Wow, this is getting hectic! Today I took a look at making up a bug/stone guard for the radiator as I talked about last update and also had a crack at the headlight covers I bought 4 months ago. I’m not slow at things, honest…. Here is the radiator guard, simply some aluminium fly screen wire to keep the soft aluminium of the radiator safe. Believe me, you need something like this with the ally radiators! I folded the top underneath the rubber that seals the bonnet and down the bottom I simply used some zip-ties. A nice and simple mod that should be very effective. And then after 2 hours to fit the driver’s side, and 10 minutes to fit the passenger side, the new headlight covers in all their glory with the new bug guard making a cameo appearance: And how it should all look when the front wheels are back on the ground: Tomorrow the car gets the tie-rods fitted after being picked up from the electroplater’s and then she’ll be driving again =D =D =D Keep posted for the tie-rod upgrade, I’ll shortly post plenty of pics and part numbers to replicate the mod. I can confirm now that the mod works with the standard 14†rims, even with roll centre adjusters, and doesn’t bind over the full range of motion of the standard suspension!!

Well, It's only been a year since I said I would post up this tutorial with pics and learnings.... The original word document is 31 pages long and 3500 words so hopefully you can all struggle through it and not give up. It is long but I have included everything that I thought was relevant and then some, including plenty of photos. I would have liked to have posted it as a text post with pictures but I think the post would just have been too big and would have made it unreadable, so I have just attached the original document. I have instead just posted the full res pics on photobucket because I shrunk the ones in the word doc right down to keep the file size small enough for everyone to enjoy. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Tommo560/Datsun%20260Z/FS5W71C%20Gearbox%20Install/ I also attached the FS5W71C gearbox manual as I thought it was particularly useful when I was stripping an rebuilding the gearbox. It is the gearbox chapter from the official Nissan Repair Manual. I do not believe sharing one chapter is a breach of copyright (1 chapter or 10% of the publication is the limit) but if it is then let me know and I'll remove it. I just found it posted on the internet in the first place. Please enjoy and let me know what you think of the document. Hopefully it can be of some use to someone and save them the 3 gearboxes and 2 bell-housings it took me to get this right!!!! Please feel free to re-use anything you like in the document, print it out and share it around. Of course, a mention of thanks is always appreciated! How to Install A Late Model FS5W71C Gearbox Onto An L Series Engine - small.doc FS5W71C Transmission Manual.pdf

27 June 2010 Well, I thought the last 8 day gap between updates was a long one, this one has been phenomenal. A few reasons for that, nothing less than enough setbacks to upset me enough that I couldn’t be bothered to work on the car at all for about 2 weeks. To inform you, the car has been sitting on blocks since just after the last update, about 3 weeks. I didn’t just miss the event that I was looking forward to, things REALLY hit the fan. Dad took the car to Wheels World in the morning after the front suspension was installed and in the afternoon I got the bad news, with the tie-rods wound all the way out the car has about 6 degrees of toe-in so I need new tie-rods... And standard replacement longer tie-rods don't exist... And nobody manufatures a ball joint with enough rotation that will work with standard suspensoin travel... Which means that I'm going to have to custom make something… And the front control arms don't clear the brakes properly and it's gouged a great big groove in the passenger side disc rotor.... That was brand new about 2 months ago... And then the car has had a bit of blow-by for a while and the mechanic rekons it needs a rebuild... And that the crank keyway is so badly destroyed from the harmonic balancer coming loose that I need a new crank..... Oh, and the harmonic balancer is out of round and is 'wobbling' so I need a new one of them, and the BMW solid gold super-dooper harmonic balancers are just super cheap.... And then this all means that I'm going to miss the next regularity round for the series. That I was winning... Right…. Fantastic…. Yup, good excuse for some time-off and a scotch or three in my opinion. But then, after some time off (about 3 weeks, as I said) I finally got stuck into things last weekend. Firstly, it seems I’ve found the limit with the front tie-rods and need to find a solution. In the last week I have spent a bit of time trying to find a solution for the tie-rod and think I have something. I’ll have an answer on Monday about possibly a, VERY SIMPLE, solution to the custom tie-rod issue and I’ll let you know how it goes. If it turns out to be a winner, this could turn the whole custom tie-rod issue on its head. Otherwise, on with other things, I got the radiator installed over the course of the last few weekends. It was a bit of a struggle trying to work out how to mount it, where to mount the fans and install all the wiring. Be prepared or an onslaught of pics, I got a bit carried away… The old radiator: weighing in at 11.5kg, it’s no light-weight. This is with the 16†fan mounted. In another thread I asked about where the thermo fans should be mounted, high, low or in the middle of the radiator. I did a test fit of the radiator with the fans on the engine side of the radiator and this was the result: Yup, don’t think that’s gonna work… I settled on installing the fans on the upstream side of the radiator. I think I fluked it and the fans miss fouling on the radiator mount by about 1cm, this was installed unmeasured, on all sides. I also forget about the mounting washers on the radiator that spread out the force of clamping the fans on. I tried to fit the second fan and the washers over-lapped. Thanks Murphy, now I get to pull the whole thing apart, modify all the mounts and try again. The final result, AMAZING. Weighing in at 6.5kg without fans, its also a fair sight lighter than the old radiator. The new fans weigh in at 2.5kg Give or take the accuracy of the scales and the extra volume (water weight) of the radiator and I would say that there is no weight saving in the new radiator, but with any luck it solves the over-heating. Side-by-side from the top, you can see the extra width and length of the ally radiator. And from the side you can see the extra height of the radiator, the extra size gives me confidence that the new radiator will keep the car cool for a change. All installed the radiator looks something like this: And from the front: So, that’s the latest for now. I head offshore again on Tuesday so the car won’t progress much for the next 3 weeks or so but hopefully I hear back about a ball joint that fits the zed without modification so I can mount the tie-rods and get the wheels pointing straight again.

30 May 2010 Well, a productive weekend after a few cruisy weeks. I got home on Thursday to find these on my desk: They are simply fantastic bits ok kit. Heavy as all hell, but just by looking at them you can tell they are simply indestructible! So, with nothing else to do this weekend (right...) I got stuck in to trying to fit them. In a typical story of a job on the Datsun supposed to take an hour or two it took me two DAYS to finish this one. Mid way through I took a moment to compare old vs new. However, at 7:30pm on Sunday, 30 minutes before grand prix start, I got it finished. The result: Amazing! Please excuse the oily engine; I have a leak at the rear of the tappet cover gasket and possibly a rear seal gone. Engine will be rebuilt sometime this year so at the moment it just means an oily drive way... Fine by me, but getting an ass kicking from dad! Next event for the car is next Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing how the car goes with new suspension, new wheels and re-adjusted geometry. Also, my sister will be driving the car for the first time so probably a good thing I got the gearbox rebuilt and hopefully the new synchro’s keep it from munching itself... Over the next week I hope to get the new radiator fitted, finally. Keep posted!

23 May 2010 Wow, 8 days between updates, that’s the shortest yet! Well, not much has happened I suppose. I tried to fit the new 1†master cylinder last weekend and in typical fashion of this Datsun (and me) I bench bled the new master cylinder, removed the old one and THEN realised that the new one doesn’t fit without some serious mods. That was a Good days work spent there =P So, I had to put the original back on and I now have a feeling that I will probably need a new booster from a 280zx to fit it easily. I also need to get some new brake lines made up to fit the new master cylinder as the front and rear ports are swapped compared to the 15/16th master cylinder. Brake lines should be sorted out by dad during the week with any luck and I’ll see what happens about fitting this thing. Picked up the wheels I sent in earlier in the week (well, Dad did. And he delivered them... Not sure this is my build anymore... Thanks Dad!) and got them on the car today. I got a bit carried away with the photos, so I apologise in advance, but I LOVE these new rims! So many wheels to choose from now though! I think I have a fetish for hoarding parts in three’s (3xgearbox’s, 3xdiff’s, 3xwheel sets). Too many to choose from! I think I spot a common theme there with the wheels and something like black and silver, but it’s OH SO GOOD! Typical of Perth, I ordered some parts from Melbourne and had them shipped with Australia Post and selected their ‘Next Day Delivery’ service. Turns out that ‘Next Day Delivery’ in the fine print means 3 days for Perth =(. The package finally arrived Friday and I then I got all happy again once I opened it: Davies Craig 10†Thermo Fans and Thermo Switch. That is about it for this week. During the week I am looking forward to some new suspension bits from Techno Toy Tuning that should make the car faster. Then it’s new alternator and gel battery so that the car goes. Period... I’m also pondering the reason I’ve purchased so many things and have fitted so few, so I’ll have to get around to turning some spanners sometime soon and get things fitted. Keep posted.

I was considering that originally but had totally forgot once I actually had the fans in hand... It would be best for cooling. Thinking some more it would also be pretty good for air flow through the engine bay with some up top, some down low... I suppose one fan is not too heavy to have up high, but I track the car so if I have to add weight, I would like it to be down low. **EDIT** I just mocked the fans up on the radiator with them situated as far right as possible with the left up top and right side one down bottom and I must say it looks pretty neat! I might go for this one, Cheers octopus

Hi All, I've just bought a new aluminium radiator and a couple of 10" thermo fans to fit to the back of it. The issue I am having trouble deciding on, is where to mount the fans. I want to mount them side by side but should I mount them at the top, middle or bottom of the radiator. The fans are to mounted on the engine bay side of the radiator. They are fairly heavy so I was thinking down low, but then that would force air into the bottom of the engine bay and make it likely to go under the car, a bad thing. I have bonnet vents installed so I was thinking that if I mounted them up high this would help push the air out the vents and not under the car. Although this would put the weight up quite high. The other option is to put them in the middle. This is the typical location I see but I wonder if it's just because that's where everyone puts them so people just do it without thinking? I plan to build a radiator box in front of the radiator to reduce the radiator air inlet, also to help push air over the car instead of stalling it in the engine bay. The box will be biased towards the top of the radiator because that is the only place I can fit it, so maybe having fans down low will help spread the air flow over the radiator considering the vents should pull air through from the top of the radiator? I will be fully sealing the front of the chassis so all air will have to go through the radiator into the engine bay if this makes any difference in terms of fan placement. Here is a pic of the radiator and fans in the low location: Advice would be greatly appreciated!

Incar vid of a zed at the Ring? Yes please! Also Rich, I would LOVE to see incar vid of a zed going that fast! I, as you know, did 250 there, but it was CRAZY scary! When is the next event for you to find out about that them there suspension?

Cheers John. Looks like I need a new brake booster anyways cause I can't be bothered dealing with modifying this one to fit the 1" master cylinder that has mounting screws horizontally instead of vertically. I'll be sure to check it out though either way.

They drag. There is pressure being applied to the rear brakes when there is no pressure on the brake peddle or hand brake. They also seem to do it intermittently of late. Sometimes they will be on slightly, other times they will not. They lock up after the front brakes so it's not a biasing issue, they just drag.

Looks like a pretty tricky track there Rich!! First things first, I'd be getting some gloves! I don't want to be nit-picky, but there seems to be plenty of track that you aren't using on the inside and outside of a few corners, most pointedly the last corner (2:05) For the particular corner in your question I would suggest, this will be hard to follow without showing you in person, but at 3:00 in the video I would be full throttle aiming for the right hand edge of that white sign and the very right hand edge of the inside of the corner. Braking hard in a straight line up hill and turning in tight for a late apex at the very last bit of the inside ripple strip on the way out for an early start on the throttle. It looks VERY hard with the undulations, so take my word with a grain of salt considering I've never been there, but basically at 3:06 to 3:07 in that video you should be on full throttle aiming for the outside edge of the track. You are still coasting at this point. At 3:09 there is a bit of brown dirt on the outside edge of the track. I would be hitting the edge of the track at this point. I would then aim for the same inside apex you use on the last corner, flat stick, sliding to the outside edge of the track. As frank280zx said, you seem to be apexing too early. This corner is followed by a reasonable straight and while you are following a good line for a double apex nuetral corner, by making it a single late apex you should get a faster run in, a slower mid corner, but a much faster late corner and exit. You do a better job on the next lap, but I would still stay on the gas longer on the way in, tuck in more on the right hand side on the way in and apex later and drive out wider. On the same next lap, during the left hander coming in to it I would stay on the gas more, drift right out to the right hand edge of the track, come back in to about half track instead of the left hand outer edge and then turn in to the right to hit the inside of the track, brake in a straight line towards the edge of that white sign and rip it around. At 5:09 where you are turning in from mid track I would be out towards the left hand edge(make a straight line toward the edge of the white sign and that is where I would be, at the same turn in angle you are at that time, but with more steering angle) and aiming for a much shallower exit. At 5:15 I'd already be on the outer edge of the track, full throttle, and then turning in much earlier for the last corner and riding it all the way out to the far edge. Maybe stiffen the front sway bar a little to help that mid corner, neutral throttle, under-steer? Hopefully that is understandable!

Hi All, I picked up a new Nissan (Tokico) 1" master cylinder, allegedly from a Nissan Patrol. Pic: When I went to install it on the weekend and I was bleeding fluid through it by hand I noticed that I had to plug the front port and apply a lot of pressure to get any fluid to come out of the rear port. Now, I have an issue with the current 15/16" Master Cylinder in that the rear brakes drag. I have read a bit about a "Proportioning Valve" but searches can't find anything conclusive only some more mystery about some valve that maintains pressure in the system to the rear brakes for the drum brakes. I initially thought I had an issue with the calipers so I bought replacement ones but I still have the same problem so I'm beginning to believe this alleged myth. I have Holden 2pot front brakes and R31 skyline rear disc brakes. This is a HUGE bit of kit, fronts equivalent to 4-6pot brakes for any other manufacturer. I believe this new 1" master cylinder is internally regulated and I would like to remove this and also the valve maintaining (I think) pressure on the rear brakes. Can someone with experience let me know what is involved in swapping this master cylinder in so that it all works properly? I would like to do this once and not have to come back to it again. Thanks!

Thanks for all the input guys. Well due to an unfortunate incident I had some credit with Gabe at Techno Toy Tuning so I thought "Why not?!!" and ordered some Front Control Arms. They are on their way as we speak I believe. Good to hear you'll be there Rich! I'll be in my new improved Zed (see my build thread if you haven't yet) and looking to do a 1:4x lap =D

You have PM. I never looked into a desert cooler cause the PWR looks nice and is made specifically for the car so I knew it would fit.

15 May 2010 Well, good day today =D I picked up my nice, new, VERY shiny PWR Aluminium Radiator. I don’t know how much a standard steel and copper radiator weighs but this thing is very light. Did I also Mention that is it HUGE? Because it is! I’ve put an order in for a couple of Davies Craig 10†thermo fans and a new Davies Craig thermo switch so I’ll have a crack at fitting the radiator when they come along, perhaps later in the week. I even got to drive the zed to go and pick it up! The battery has finally died though and is no longer holding a charge. The little rebuilt original alternator just can’t keep up either so that new 60amp Bosch alternator looks to have catapulted up the To-Do list pretty quick. The new rear suspension was setup on Friday and feels fantastic. Combined with a rebuilt gearbox, the new diff mount PolyUrethane bushes I put in a few months ago and the CV shaft bolt mod that Dad did during the week, this car is finally a pleasure to drive with absolutely NO play in the driveline, you can drop the clutch and the drive train doesn’t make a peep. The body is so creaky though, I’ve never noticed it before. I got some wheels from a friend probably going on a year ago now because he went up to an 8†rim width to fit even wider tyres. The rims I have on the car are only 6.5†with a 205 tyre so we did a little deal and I took these, 15x7â€, rims and tyres off him. Dad finally got around to giving them a quick spruce up and I’ll get the tyres fitted during the week before the next track day and see if I go any faster with an extra 20mm of rubber on a wheel that is designed for it. Fingers crossed! Even though I did spot the word “Performance†stamped into the face of the rim they are still heavier than the 3 piece aluminium rims on the car. I suspect the extra rubber will offset the un-sprung weight and rotating mass cost but time will tell. June 5th should be the next event. Look how fantastic the wheels turned up, Thanks Dad!

11 May 2010 Got a call from my mate and my PWR Aluminium Radiator showed up at his shop today and is ready for me to collect. I’ll probably try and get it fitted over the weekend. 13 May 2010 Thanks to Osborne Park Service Centre the rebuilt gearbox is in the car. I’ve not yet had a chance to drive it but I’m told it’s still notchy... Better have a drive and see how it goes. A synchro and Bearing job should not be notchy changing gears even if the box has, allegedly, been run dry and had water in it. I’m still convinced the gearbox guy was having a go at me, especially when he wanted $900 for a new gear set. I could buy TWO gearboxes and a couple cartons of boutique beer for that money. The rear suspension finally got fitted after all the trouble getting the struts off the rear trailing arms. The good guys at Wheels World also re-adjusted the suspension back to how it should be, plus a little more rear camber now that the rear allows it =D I am very happy with the rear arms and having talked to Shane, the suspension guy, he’s convinced me to buy the TTT front arms as well. Not sure I want to spend more money on shipping though. Dad also organised some longer Hex bolts and Nyloc nuts to replace the botls inside the CV shafts. Teach those suckers to come loose again!

Cheers Dan, That's what I thought but it's great to get another opinion. I have booked in for it to be adjusted back to neutral next week. Tom.

Thanks Jon, Delrin, that's the stuff. I was told they were self lubricating, or at least didn't nead oiling when I bought replacement bushes but I decided to stop being a cheap-scate and get some proper arms on the rear instead of instaling them just to have them wear out again. I've not had an issue with the caster in the front before, a differant guy at the shop did the adjustment this time and thought he was doing the right thing. Back to the shop it goes **EDIT** I didn't wanna do it cause shipping is gonna be a killer but I'm probably gonna order some TTT front arms. Would have been so much easier to just buy some new front arms when I ordered the rears....

Hi All, Just to set the scene: I just put new TTT rear control arms and Roll Centre Adjusters on the car. I previously have fitted TTT Radius Rods. When I took the car to the shop that does my setup they adjusted a fair bit of caster into the front of the car by winding out the Radius Rods. I only have the standard Lower Arms with Elliptical bushes at the cross member to get some negative camber. The arm is now so far forward that the front wheels rub on the guards when turning. I didn't pick up the car personally so I didn’t get to speak to them and get their input so I couldn't ask them about it, but I am going to take the car to them on Saturday and get the full setup measurements just for my own info. Now, when I searched I found reference to a few people with the same radius rods and using them to adjust caster, However, I would have thought that this was a pretty bad way to adjust caster as it will just put some crazy bending forces into the lower control arm and the joint on the cross member. If there was a rose joint on the arm at the cross member end then there would be no binding, but with a standard joint I can't imagine this is doing anything good for it. I just put the Rear Control Arms on the rear because I was using elliptical bushes to adjust toe in and I wore one of the self lubricating bushes out in about 2000k's. I don't like doing things dodgy so if someone with a little more knowledge than me can give their input please that would be greatly appreciated. **UPDATE** Just spoke to them and he's wound in 4 Degrees of caster on the front. He rekons the arms looked like they could handle it, but I wouldn't have thought so personally...

Cheers MREDDLE. I can't express how excited I am to be finally building this car! UPDATE: 8 May 2010 Well the rear suspension and the gearbox were supposed to be in the car for an event today. Unfortunately the pin that holds the strut to the rear trailing arm had seized inside the strut and was impossible to get out. The workshop blew a hydraulic hose on a 50t press trying to get it out... Hopefully it’s out by Monday so the car isn’t stuck on the hoist in the workshop Also, the local zed mechanic who I’ve been stirring up about weight loss and aero dynamics bought a 2+2 a few months ago and has it down to 1130kg. He did a time the same as my Dad’s PB, 0.1s slower than my own. It’s time to get a move on with this build! 10 May 2010 Suspension and rebuilt gearbox are back in the car. A car is stuck underneath the hoist with my car on it so no pictures of the suspension yet. On a brighter note, the Alcantara sample card my Aunty sourced for me showed up today. This stuff is AWESOME!!

Dadson Racing – 2010 Rebuild Introduction Well, originally I wasn’t going to start a histogram on this build; I wanted to keep it to myself and just appear one day with a totally new car. But (there is always a but ) then things changed and what was once going to be a quick re-spray with fibreglass front and rear end has turned into so much more. The History The History: This car is an English delivered 260z that now resides in Australia. Back in the day rust-proof meant coating the entire car in grease and tar. The panels from the underneath of the car all have about 2-3mm of tar on them and the inside of the car was sprayed on the panels. 33 years has done its worst and now all that grease is pooled in nooks and crannies EVERYWHERE. I’ve owned this car since I was 15 (2004), the day before my 16th birthday and I got my L-plates. The first time I drove it was on the race track. Since then I’ve never had enough money to do more than keep the old girl in good enough condition to enjoy her at the track. Now, a newly graduated uni student with no financial ties and a new job I want to tackle the project I have dreamed of since I first drove this car all those years ago, sideways in third =D When I started this project my car weighed in a hefty 1180kg (2600 pounds for the slow Americans). This puts it in a territory heavier than some of the 2+2 cars I compete against. I did the sums and thought about a 3.1L motor. With 175rwhp on tap and an expected gain of 30rwhp (17%, 173.7hp/tonne) for probably not much change from 10k I thought about what else I could do to get some decent performance from the car. Keep in mind I already set the benchmark for the guys I compete with and consistently go undefeated in fastest times. Basically, I want a fun, street driveable race car without trying to totally blow away the competition. In the regularity events here in Perth, there is nobody in my class faster than the zed I could possibly catch in a zed without a turbo motor, so I want to stay in touch with the zeds without having people chapping too close at the bit. Introduce bright thought number 2: Weight loss! With weight loss I will not only gain straight line speed but also stop and turn faster. When 2km/h increase in speed around the local track is worth 1s I rekon I can take more than this out of the car with weight loss. 100kg (10%, 166.7 hp/tonne) less in the car will give me almost the same extra power to weight ratio of that 3.1L too! All things equal, 10% less weight to haul around the corners should give more than a 2kph (1.7%) corner and straight line speed increase. I could do the maths, but it’s late The Goal So, the goal: Take 100+ kg out of the car, make it a show stopper and track stomper, for not much more than a cheap stroker-motor build. 1050 is the target, but lower would always be nicer. The Parts To get 100kg out of the car should be fairly simple. With a literal metric ton of rust proofing sprayed on the car back at its birth in the UK the car is carrying a lot of tar and grease. I want to remove all the old fashioned tech rust proofing and apply more modern stuff. So, the parts to get me to 1050 or less kg: Fiberglass bonnet Fiberglass Hatch Fiberglass mud guards Fiberglass front and rear bumper bars Acrylic rear window Acrylic winding side windows Acrylic quarter windows Replace sunroof with a new roof skin Headlight Covers 1†master cylinder Fiberglass driver and passenger seats PWR Aluminium radiator Aluminium Radiator Air box Fiberglass Cold air intake box Aluminium front splitter Full ground up bare metal rebuild Front strut brace, braced across, to firewall and to front chassis rails Delete rust Delete old-school grease and tar Metallic blue paint High-tech sound deadener and rust-proofing under body coating Powder coated suspension Roll centre adjusters On car adjustable rear suspension arms Gearbox rebuild Central Locking Alcantara interior trim The Deadline This year over Easter I competed in the regularity trials held annually at Mount Panorama Bathurst. I did a 2:55.4, 5s faster than the last time I went there in 2008 and clocked a top speed of 240kph. Next year I want the car there and I want to do a 2:4X.XX (probably a 2:49.99 ) and 245+kph. Initially I was going to hoard parts and then do the rebuild in one go, but things changed and I’ve decided I will do it gradually over the course of the year. December/January will be the final deadline. Diary This “Diary†will cover the entire build process, any changes of mind (expect many ) and all the heartache and pain along the way. 7 April 2010 Headlight Covers, new roof and 1†master cylinder purchased. The car is in Sydney in these pics and has a 3500km truck ride to get back home before work can start 20 April 2010 Roof sent to the panel beater for storage. New PWR Aluminium radiator ordered. 30 April 2010 I ordered Roll Centre Adjusters (RCA’s) and Rear Control Arms from Techno Toy Tuning. I already have their front torsion/compression (T/C) bars and LOVE the strength and over-engineering of their parts. I had a T/C snap at 200kph on full brake into an 80kph 90o right hander and don’t need another similar scare again. Unfortunately the box was pretty tattered when it rocked up and one of the control arms had been damaged in transit But, Gabriel (the great man he is!) covered the cost of the repairs and so I sent them to a shop. In the mean time I got stuck into fitting the RCA’s: This pic shows a modified arm on the right of the pic and the ummodified arm on the left of the pic. You can see how the control arm points upwards on the left and down on the right. Down is better =D. Another quality TTT part! The close fit with standard rims. In fact I had to remove the wheel weights on the front right hand wheel because they fouled on the steering knuckle The new look front suspension with both of the RCA’s fitted

Yeah, the springs are WAY too soft for bathurst. My whole car is a compromise though cause I still want to drive it on the road. For home and hillclimbs/sprints on cloased public roads it's good, but not so much on a dedicated track. I just can't justify 5-8k for suspension tho! Anyways, that's another thread. For now, Airbox and splitter are the next jobs. Plus ally radiator!