I can't wait. I was thinking of doing Rockingham on Sunday, but the weather actually looks worse than this week, so I'm going to skip it, and book it in for the cage.
It's off for it's new cage: Hopefully back at the end of next week, along with the new perspex windows
Good job you’re relatively small as I don’t think I could get through that opening Looking good though Alex
Slow progress, but progress. The cage is now painted, so refitting everything. Wiring is back in and the car runs. A bit of coil pack bling, plus it fills the gap between the coils and rocker cover: I need a new windscreen as the original broke when the cage came out. Just waiting for the window guy to get one. I also have perspex windows to fit. Currently doing the door windows, and will then fit the doors once the windscreen is in. The window guy will do the rear perspex screen at the same time. I need to do some work on fitting the rear 3/4 windows, as the car had pop out windows. I've binned the mounts for those, and will just trim these to fit, and then need to secure them somehow. I have the fittings for the fuel pressure sensor as well, so will also fit that. I have all day Sunday on it, so hoping to have everything bar the windows done, so I can book a test day as soon as they're in.
Time to bring this up to date. It looks like a car again, if somewhat dirty (works in the unit created a lot of dust): The windows are in, if a bit rough and ready, with rivets and some window sealant I bought from the guy who fitted the windscreen. Plex Knock Monitor installed: I still need to finish the last bit of the set up, but that has to be done on the dyno, as I need a full run through the RPM range with no knock. It currently thinks I have knock at idle because I haven't set that up yet. I've connected both knock sensors, but only using one for now. I can easily change that. Wiring is also in for the fuel pressure sensor, but I haven't fitted the sensor in to the fuel line yet, as I ran out of time. I just need some hose clips. Off to @badger5 tomorrow for mapping, although it's supposed to be 30 tomorrow, so not sure how much we'll see. Hopefully we'll have time to fit the fuel pressure sensor. First race is 18/19th if tomorrow goes well.
General consensus is there was plenty of oil left, so internals will be fine. However, the bolts don't normally come loose, they tend to shear if this happens. Hopefully I can find an hour today to pull it apart and see. If it is just loose, new seal and gearbox oil, refill and go.
Good news - the bolt had come loose. Seal seems fine, so refitted it. Just need some gearbox oil now.
Gearbox is fine. Time to bring this up to date. I made it to Blyton, but it was on the Saturday, not the Sunday. I go there and unloaded. I was nervous as the car had never been scrutineered in it's current state. However, it passed with flying colours. I signed on and then walked the track. I'm taking a bicycle next time. Walking it doesn't help with working out the flow of it, and it took so long, I'd forgotten most of it. I went out on the first practice, and promptly locked the fronts up at the the first hairpin. I wasn't braking that hard, and felt I had very little feel. I also massively over cooked the chicane. I kept it straight and there wasn't really anything to hit, but it would have been a fail anyway. Down the back straight, I braked and locked up again. This obviously knocked my confidence. In hind sight, this was because I was on the R888Rs, and they were cold. Out for the second practice, and I was still struggling with braking. I still nearly overcooked the chicane. However, I can start to feel how good the suspension is now. The car simply rotated around me, and I was able to roll on the the throttle and get going. However, half way around the lap, the car cut out. I immediately knew what it was. Before going to Bill's for final mapping, I'd fitted the fuel pressure sensor, as this was needed last time, but I hadn't got around to fitting it. Unfortunately in doing so, we'd disturbed some of the wiring, and the DBW signal kept dropping out. However, I'd not fitted the bulkhead connector properly, so fitted that, and it was fine for mapping, so thought it was cured. It wasn't. I connected the laptop and started poking the wiring. Every time I prodded a certain area the signal dropped out. Unfortunately it was in the bulkhead connector, which is a two man job to get out, and I had no wiring tools with me. :sad: I packed up and went home. During the week we pulled out that wiring, and checked it from front to back. There were no breaks anywhere. Refitted it, and buzzed it back again, and could not reproduce the problem. Have I mentioned how much I hate wiring? I didn't have enough time to completely remake the subloom, so refitted it, and ran it numerous times in the workshop with no problem. Clearly I wasn't comfortable with this, so I booked a track day at Curborough on the Friday before the race there.
I fitted the Avon A15s to test as well, and headed down. I started my first run on the R888s. First run out, back down the straight, and I braked hard, and turned right at the hairpin. The back instantly stepped out. Hmmm. Cold tyres? No funny noises, so pressed on. Into the right hand at the top, and the back stepped out again. OK. Down the front sraight, taking it easy, but suddenly there was smoke from under the bonnet!! Back around to the pits, clouds of smoke now. Jump out and pop the bonnet, and there's coolant everywhere! The plastic housing on the side of the head had split. Why now, when it's been run numerous times the previous week, I have no idea. Coolant on the rear tyres is interesting! I tracked one down at GSF in Birmingham, which was 25 minutes away. They had 118 in stock, so I guess this is a common failure. I have a spare now. It took 15 minutes to change and bleed, and then I did a quick lap before lunch. This went well. I switched to the A15s for the afternoon, and also to test launch and traction. Launch didn't work. I didn't have my spreadsheet with me, but was confident I'd made a simple mistake with the circumference calculations. Traction doesn't need tyre circumference, and was working well, so this confirmed my suspicions. A15s are ridiculous. However, they are only 210 wide, and I could feel they were going off quite quickly. Tyre pressures leapt up. The front left went from 24 to 37 psi in two two lap runs. I dropped them down and did a couple more, and then had to leave. At least I had some confidence in the wiring, an idea of how A15s worked, and had actually done a couple of laps in the same configuration I was racing on Sunday.
Sunday required an early start, and I got to Curborough around 7:30. Unpacked and set up right at the end of the pits, in the weeds and stinging nettles. Not much room, but never mind. It was the last event of the season, so was full. I was more relaxed at scrutineering, but he then asked me for my car passport. Er, what? I didn't get asked for one at Blyton, so didn't have one. Fortunately the Blue Book only says you must have one, not what happens if you don't, so I was cleared to race. I then went to sign on, and found I'd left my race license behind. £70 later, and I was able to take part. First run, and it wasn't my best start. I lined up with a brief wheel spin, and the DBW cut out. I shut off and restarted, and was about to launch when the marshall stopped me. No idea why. He then let me go. Start line RPM was too high, so the launch wasn't great. I shifted to second, and the front tyres just lit up. Ah, traction is off. Reached over and switched that on, and just concentrated on the rest of the lap. I made sure not to overdo it, and completed the lap. I ran a 36.9 on my first go, with a 2.7 60 ft. There was one other car in my class, a 350z being double driven by a husband and wife. He ran a 42 and she ran a 43. For a first attempt, I was delighted. I lowered the start line RPM, and lined up for my second practice run. Launch worked better, but I need to lower the start line RPM more. I short shift to second at Curborough, so there's a few tenths where the launch is active but not correct due to the gear, so I lit the front up a bit, and then the traction kicked in which unsettled the car a bit. I still carried reasonable speed through the left hander, and attacked the rest of the lap. I was still a bit early on the brakes, so there's more time to be had. On to the front straight in second, and I can feel the fronts going off, but the traction works, and I get a good run on to the straight, Shift lights on, and I grab 3rd for the run to the line. Except I get first instead. Revs go through the roof, and I can't disengage as the dogs are locked on. I tried pumping the clutch and throttle to release the dogs, but nothing worked. Revs eventually dropped, and I was able to disengage, but it was too late. The engine wouldn't restart. Yes, that's nearly 9700RPM on a 1.8t. I went home, and stripped the inlet off. I found this: Yes, that's an inlet valve in the inlet manifold, along with other bits of the engine. I've nearly pulled it out, but just haven't had the time. I'll have to build a new engine over the winter, but will see what's salvageable from this one.
Bloody hell, I'd have thrown my toys out of the pram so many times. Sorry that it's been such a rough ride, but it is refreshing to hear a 'warts and all' account of racing.
Every cylinder has damage. All the pistons are marked, I wouldn't trust the valves now, the block is deeply marked in cylinder 1. The head is quite impressive really. I reckon I can save the crank, cams, 3 rods and the sump. Headbolts are reusable.
