V8 Sierra 3dr Track Day Car - Adios!
11-05-2015, 12:25 PM
#401
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Ha ha! Don't say the 'F' word - don't think this will ever be finished. In active use, definitely; but finished? Never 
Had a busy few days on it this weekend.
Starting Friday eve, the footwells have been taking a hammering with all the work proceeding on it, so I got out the wet and dry and scotch pads and tidied up the passenger footwell. My motivation was to finally fit the passenger seat and harness, and move the battery back a bit on the new tray I'd bought. I didn't want to do all this on a rough looking floor, so after a bit of sanding to get a better base, a quick lick of zinc primer and a fresh coat of paint on the rough bits, and it was sorted and could dry overnight.
Got my little breather set up by making a little brackety widget to mount it. Went for an e-bay special because of how little these breathe by all accounts, so my all all singing all dancing custom Spec R -12AN jobby is now redundant.
On saturday with the paint dry, the battery went in first. The tray sits on little rubber pads to cancel out some vibration, and some high density foam underneath for good measure. Went in a treat and weighs nowt (unlike the battery, but been there done that!)
Seat and harness in.
By this time I'd felt like I'd done a 3 hour mix of pilates and yoga, coupled with banging my head a good few times! By now though I could go and pay a visit to the Mitsubishi Evo Lancer Register sprint champ Rd2 at Oulton Park with my son James as my first official passenger. Had a good afternoon there, they put on a great championship for their members along with the Subaru's and a few guests for good measure. Think it'll be on Motors TV this week. Terry Pankhurst of Dimma fame has completed an Evo based 205 T16 shaped sprint/rally/drift car which looks ace and is a total weapon. As you can see my son got a bit over-excited by it all and fell asleep on the way home
And so on to Sunday and (finally) fitted my drivers' side door card, with the cut outs for the door bars. Came out well.
And whilst upside underneath the pedal box (that takes some doing in a car with race seats and full cage let me tell you) checking out the intricacies of my brake bias adjustment, I noticed that the big axle pin that the brake and clutch pivot on in the bias box had worked itself out of one side of the pedal box!!!!!! My brake pedal had always been a bit too spongey for my liking which considering the hardware involved never seemed quite right; hence me practically standing on my head in the footwell to check it out. I must confess I was a bit shaky after my discovery - not at being upside down but the thought of what might have happened if something had broken under the strain. The pin had worked itself out from one side entirely, and on closer inspection there's nothing there to retain it. It's not threaded, so you can't fit a nut on it, and there's no hole to fit a split pin etc. Pretty shocked to be honest. It was made and fitted by someone else a long time ago, but the car has been so long in getting on the road for any meaningful miles I hadn't felt the need to check it until now. I've now sourced a nice little clamp that will go on the free end and retain the pin in future. Needless to say the brake pedal is now much firmer, and I'm looking forward to trying it on the next drive.
Also going back to suspension set up I've had a chat with Blink Motorsport in Winsford up the road from me. Looks like (as Fraser said) prices are ok, the only difficulty now is booking it in with them due to my work and their existing commitments, but I'm going to try and get it to them before the end of the month if I can.
Still looking into ARB's etc. The group A stuff looks good but pricey and will need some fab work to fit it. I don't even have any standard stuff yet. I think a rear EsCos one might be the way to go. If you have one for sale or know of anyone who's selling one please let me know!
Cheers
Iain
Had a busy few days on it this weekend.
Starting Friday eve, the footwells have been taking a hammering with all the work proceeding on it, so I got out the wet and dry and scotch pads and tidied up the passenger footwell. My motivation was to finally fit the passenger seat and harness, and move the battery back a bit on the new tray I'd bought. I didn't want to do all this on a rough looking floor, so after a bit of sanding to get a better base, a quick lick of zinc primer and a fresh coat of paint on the rough bits, and it was sorted and could dry overnight.
Got my little breather set up by making a little brackety widget to mount it. Went for an e-bay special because of how little these breathe by all accounts, so my all all singing all dancing custom Spec R -12AN jobby is now redundant.
On saturday with the paint dry, the battery went in first. The tray sits on little rubber pads to cancel out some vibration, and some high density foam underneath for good measure. Went in a treat and weighs nowt (unlike the battery, but been there done that!)
Seat and harness in.
By this time I'd felt like I'd done a 3 hour mix of pilates and yoga, coupled with banging my head a good few times! By now though I could go and pay a visit to the Mitsubishi Evo Lancer Register sprint champ Rd2 at Oulton Park with my son James as my first official passenger. Had a good afternoon there, they put on a great championship for their members along with the Subaru's and a few guests for good measure. Think it'll be on Motors TV this week. Terry Pankhurst of Dimma fame has completed an Evo based 205 T16 shaped sprint/rally/drift car which looks ace and is a total weapon. As you can see my son got a bit over-excited by it all and fell asleep on the way home
And so on to Sunday and (finally) fitted my drivers' side door card, with the cut outs for the door bars. Came out well.
And whilst upside underneath the pedal box (that takes some doing in a car with race seats and full cage let me tell you) checking out the intricacies of my brake bias adjustment, I noticed that the big axle pin that the brake and clutch pivot on in the bias box had worked itself out of one side of the pedal box!!!!!! My brake pedal had always been a bit too spongey for my liking which considering the hardware involved never seemed quite right; hence me practically standing on my head in the footwell to check it out. I must confess I was a bit shaky after my discovery - not at being upside down but the thought of what might have happened if something had broken under the strain. The pin had worked itself out from one side entirely, and on closer inspection there's nothing there to retain it. It's not threaded, so you can't fit a nut on it, and there's no hole to fit a split pin etc. Pretty shocked to be honest. It was made and fitted by someone else a long time ago, but the car has been so long in getting on the road for any meaningful miles I hadn't felt the need to check it until now. I've now sourced a nice little clamp that will go on the free end and retain the pin in future. Needless to say the brake pedal is now much firmer, and I'm looking forward to trying it on the next drive.
Also going back to suspension set up I've had a chat with Blink Motorsport in Winsford up the road from me. Looks like (as Fraser said) prices are ok, the only difficulty now is booking it in with them due to my work and their existing commitments, but I'm going to try and get it to them before the end of the month if I can.
Still looking into ARB's etc. The group A stuff looks good but pricey and will need some fab work to fit it. I don't even have any standard stuff yet. I think a rear EsCos one might be the way to go. If you have one for sale or know of anyone who's selling one please let me know!
Cheers
Iain
Last edited by IainRS1700T; 11-05-2015 at 12:27 PM.
14-05-2015, 07:43 AM
#403
hi
car looks great I think those engines are ace ,you have put a lot of time and money in this car getting the bhp you want and the drive train ,then your going to skimp on your chassis fit cheap or standard roll bars or not having any at all ,I see this all the time people want 1000s bhp and trick gearboxes etc then don't set the chassis up properly then wonder why they don't handle ,if you cant run to new ones buy used bladed ones then you can set the car up properly and benefit from all that power lol
mark
car looks great I think those engines are ace ,you have put a lot of time and money in this car getting the bhp you want and the drive train ,then your going to skimp on your chassis fit cheap or standard roll bars or not having any at all ,I see this all the time people want 1000s bhp and trick gearboxes etc then don't set the chassis up properly then wonder why they don't handle ,if you cant run to new ones buy used bladed ones then you can set the car up properly and benefit from all that power lol
mark
15-05-2015, 08:03 PM
#404
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
I agree Mark.
My perspective was I wanted to understand how a roll bar would affect things, so it seems like a good idea to start with a strong standard variation (Escos) which would be low cost and easy to fit; get a feel for how it affected handling and go from there. Otherwise I'm just spending £700+ per end on gp A stuff without any insight as to what SWG bars to go for etc etc. Everyone has a budget and I don't have circa £1.5k for ARB's right now.. Donations welcome though..
That said I've given the car a damn good seeing to when conditions have permitted this week (90miles today alone) and it's bloody fantastic, especially seeing as I haven't had geo done yet. Ironically I can't currently see the need for an ARB at either end at the moment, but things might change by the time I've tackled Oulton Park at full tilt. Turn in, (lack of) roll, steering feedback all seem pretty sweet so far. For sure the higher braking and cornering forces on track can definitely change that so I'll see how it pans out.
I have to say power delivery on this thing is totally epic, and yet it's still a pussy cat pootling about in traffic. It's overtaking ability in practically any gear even from very low revs is staggering, and it just keeps going.
As ever, the jobs list doesn't end, but that's what these few weeks was for... Most pressing is sorting the pesky clutch slave which is cracking me a bit and making gear changes a bit of a lottery. Just as well the power delivery is so flexible. Speaking with Ashley today we've got some ideas lined up, so hopefully we'll crack it next time it's on the ramp.
I got some helper springs today to help take up the droop on the rear coil overs when it's up on the jack, so will look to fit them this week. And I've also ordered an ATL fuel gauge to match the sender, as my current one (VDO) works in completely the opposite direction to what it should when paired with an ATL sender.
The other thing I need to do is budget more time into my journey or destinations for speaking with folks that come up for a chat! Even waiting at traffic lights can turn into a conversation. I even had to turn down an offer from someone wanting to buy it today. Everyone wants to see it given some beans too, so well, it's hard to say no isn't it?
Cheers
Iain
My perspective was I wanted to understand how a roll bar would affect things, so it seems like a good idea to start with a strong standard variation (Escos) which would be low cost and easy to fit; get a feel for how it affected handling and go from there. Otherwise I'm just spending £700+ per end on gp A stuff without any insight as to what SWG bars to go for etc etc. Everyone has a budget and I don't have circa £1.5k for ARB's right now.. Donations welcome though..
That said I've given the car a damn good seeing to when conditions have permitted this week (90miles today alone) and it's bloody fantastic, especially seeing as I haven't had geo done yet. Ironically I can't currently see the need for an ARB at either end at the moment, but things might change by the time I've tackled Oulton Park at full tilt. Turn in, (lack of) roll, steering feedback all seem pretty sweet so far. For sure the higher braking and cornering forces on track can definitely change that so I'll see how it pans out.
I have to say power delivery on this thing is totally epic, and yet it's still a pussy cat pootling about in traffic. It's overtaking ability in practically any gear even from very low revs is staggering, and it just keeps going.
As ever, the jobs list doesn't end, but that's what these few weeks was for... Most pressing is sorting the pesky clutch slave which is cracking me a bit and making gear changes a bit of a lottery. Just as well the power delivery is so flexible. Speaking with Ashley today we've got some ideas lined up, so hopefully we'll crack it next time it's on the ramp.
I got some helper springs today to help take up the droop on the rear coil overs when it's up on the jack, so will look to fit them this week. And I've also ordered an ATL fuel gauge to match the sender, as my current one (VDO) works in completely the opposite direction to what it should when paired with an ATL sender.
The other thing I need to do is budget more time into my journey or destinations for speaking with folks that come up for a chat! Even waiting at traffic lights can turn into a conversation. I even had to turn down an offer from someone wanting to buy it today. Everyone wants to see it given some beans too, so well, it's hard to say no isn't it?
Cheers
Iain
17-05-2015, 08:46 PM
#405
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Got an afternoon on it yesterday.
Had been out for a spin with my son James to see how the focus touring car build was going with Craig & the boys at Horseshoe Garage, and must have been inspired to get the spammers out later on! The weather was on my side too
Decided to tackle the helper springs & get my track wheels on. Everything came apart fine. Took some pics along the way to record all the 909 no's for reference.
Put it all back together again after a bit of swearing (takes another Jack to compress a 300/150 damper enough to get it back into the trailing arm!). I then realised I'd ballsed up..
Spot where I went wrong?
The helper spring adapter doesn't clear the o.d. of the long spring platform, and it just sat on top of it! Doh!
Off it all came, and replaced with a spare Bilstein lock ring - minus the long sleeve part. This time success and everything compresses as it should and the helper spring keeps the main spring engaged with the top cap on full droop.
Time now to see how the track wheels fit. My new compo's are exactly the same fit as the others, but my tires are larger at 225/45. I got a bit of a shock when I rolled one out and put it next to the road ones (215/40)..
So on it went and sure enough surgery was needed on the leading edge inside the arch plastics. The metal work had been rolled back sometime before when I was looking at 18's so I knew I had the chance of getting the clearance I needed.
They say the first cut is the deepest..
Ended up taking a bit more off near the top of that pic above but it came out pretty good and the arch itself is still well solid on the car.
Despite not trying to go too white (too modern) on my wheels they're yet another shade of white on the car! Bit of brake dust will sort that I'm sure.
All I've got to do now is the other side and then fit the front wheels ready for geo at Blink.
Cheers
Iain
Had been out for a spin with my son James to see how the focus touring car build was going with Craig & the boys at Horseshoe Garage, and must have been inspired to get the spammers out later on! The weather was on my side too
Decided to tackle the helper springs & get my track wheels on. Everything came apart fine. Took some pics along the way to record all the 909 no's for reference.
Put it all back together again after a bit of swearing (takes another Jack to compress a 300/150 damper enough to get it back into the trailing arm!). I then realised I'd ballsed up..
Spot where I went wrong?
The helper spring adapter doesn't clear the o.d. of the long spring platform, and it just sat on top of it! Doh!
Off it all came, and replaced with a spare Bilstein lock ring - minus the long sleeve part. This time success and everything compresses as it should and the helper spring keeps the main spring engaged with the top cap on full droop.
Time now to see how the track wheels fit. My new compo's are exactly the same fit as the others, but my tires are larger at 225/45. I got a bit of a shock when I rolled one out and put it next to the road ones (215/40)..
So on it went and sure enough surgery was needed on the leading edge inside the arch plastics. The metal work had been rolled back sometime before when I was looking at 18's so I knew I had the chance of getting the clearance I needed.
They say the first cut is the deepest..
Ended up taking a bit more off near the top of that pic above but it came out pretty good and the arch itself is still well solid on the car.
Despite not trying to go too white (too modern) on my wheels they're yet another shade of white on the car! Bit of brake dust will sort that I'm sure.
All I've got to do now is the other side and then fit the front wheels ready for geo at Blink.
Cheers
Iain
Last edited by IainRS1700T; 17-05-2015 at 09:14 PM.
18-05-2015, 08:13 PM
#407
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Thought the same after it was already too late of course
That said that collar bit of the lock ring seems pretty redundant - the spring doesn't rub or slide against it - and plenty of coilover manufacturers don't use them? (Just two lock rings like I did). I'll see what Blink say next week.
Cheers
Iain
That said that collar bit of the lock ring seems pretty redundant - the spring doesn't rub or slide against it - and plenty of coilover manufacturers don't use them? (Just two lock rings like I did). I'll see what Blink say next week.
Cheers
Iain
Last edited by IainRS1700T; 18-05-2015 at 08:16 PM.
28-05-2015, 09:41 PM
#408
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Been progressing on two fronts this week.
First up I think I may have solved the clutch issue. Turns out I need a 0.75 master cylinder (which is what I thought I had on there tbh) but I've got a 0.625.. Not only that but the recommended MC has a 32mm throw, and my AP one only 25mm so it seems like I'm not moving enough fluid with my pedal travel which would explain our issues. Looking forward to seeing if tackling this will solve things, so got some bits and bobs on order.
The other stuff is geo and resultant clearance issues arising from my track day wheels and tires.
I took the car down to Blink Motorsport in Winsford this morning for Geo. On setting off I immediately noticed a bit of spring binding going on when I was manoeuvring. Not had that before but dealt with that one a bit later on.
The guys set to, and after a bit of jiggling about managed to get close to what I was after.
A bit more castor (4*) would have been ideal, but with the eccentric top mount design ends up being a compromise between impacting camber and castor. I could get more castor via the comp struts pushing the bottom out, but the issue there is I run out of room before hitting the front bumper, so doing a mild combo of both got me close. Adjustable TCA's would undoubtedly help a little (as it would free the top mount uep just to get the castor), but I got to the 3* camber I was looking for there. Given the back end is totally unadjustable looking at the figures, I think I've got away with that one - ish!
Along the way the guys found that the spring pinging sound I was getting was coming from the wrc top mount bearing being too stiff. Think they'd just dried out. We got some lubricant into one of them when we adjusted the top mount and gave it a good stir around, and lo and behold sound disappears and the bearing started working properly. I got a cracking impact wrench the other day on a good deal, but now it seems I need to track down a grease gun now, as they have a grease nipple to service them.
In the end with concerns about the bodywork clearance I ended up with, I opted to fit the road wheels to the front to get me home and then tackle the bodywork when I got back. Bit more evidence when I got home too:
Thought I sorted that clearance out last week with my mega flap wheel session! Oh well, out with the angle grinder and flap wheel again. Grateful it's only plastic. It doesn't take long to free up a bit more space. Just to help the clearance along a fraction more, as I don't want to be on tenterhooks worrying about it catching, I've bought an arch roller to push things out a fraction further behind the plastic arch.
On the front bumper/splitter I got a bit more sneaky. I wanted to push forward a fraction and push it out a little bit too. Forward was possible with the way it's mounted on the bolts at the side, but I only got a little bit. I found I could push out in a couple of ways. The first one was spacing out those side bolt mounts a little, and the second was to space out the fittings of the inner bumper skin from the outer skin where it's riveted together, and also to space out the fitting near the top. Those of an oem or concourse nature look away now;
Not pretty but it had the desired effect. This is where I ended up; a little hard to see in the light.
Lastly with these 225's I've ended up pretty close to the spring inside the fronts. I haven't got quite head on in this pic, but I think I must only have about 3-4mm, something like that. Do you reckon I'll get away with it?
So that's where I'm up to now. Will do a bit of arch rolling for good measure on the weekend if I can and take it out for a spin and see how I fare. Oh, and track down a grease gun! Must have one somewhere...
Cheers
Iain
First up I think I may have solved the clutch issue. Turns out I need a 0.75 master cylinder (which is what I thought I had on there tbh) but I've got a 0.625.. Not only that but the recommended MC has a 32mm throw, and my AP one only 25mm so it seems like I'm not moving enough fluid with my pedal travel which would explain our issues. Looking forward to seeing if tackling this will solve things, so got some bits and bobs on order.
The other stuff is geo and resultant clearance issues arising from my track day wheels and tires.
I took the car down to Blink Motorsport in Winsford this morning for Geo. On setting off I immediately noticed a bit of spring binding going on when I was manoeuvring. Not had that before but dealt with that one a bit later on.
The guys set to, and after a bit of jiggling about managed to get close to what I was after.
A bit more castor (4*) would have been ideal, but with the eccentric top mount design ends up being a compromise between impacting camber and castor. I could get more castor via the comp struts pushing the bottom out, but the issue there is I run out of room before hitting the front bumper, so doing a mild combo of both got me close. Adjustable TCA's would undoubtedly help a little (as it would free the top mount uep just to get the castor), but I got to the 3* camber I was looking for there. Given the back end is totally unadjustable looking at the figures, I think I've got away with that one - ish!
Along the way the guys found that the spring pinging sound I was getting was coming from the wrc top mount bearing being too stiff. Think they'd just dried out. We got some lubricant into one of them when we adjusted the top mount and gave it a good stir around, and lo and behold sound disappears and the bearing started working properly. I got a cracking impact wrench the other day on a good deal, but now it seems I need to track down a grease gun now, as they have a grease nipple to service them.
In the end with concerns about the bodywork clearance I ended up with, I opted to fit the road wheels to the front to get me home and then tackle the bodywork when I got back. Bit more evidence when I got home too:
Thought I sorted that clearance out last week with my mega flap wheel session! Oh well, out with the angle grinder and flap wheel again. Grateful it's only plastic. It doesn't take long to free up a bit more space. Just to help the clearance along a fraction more, as I don't want to be on tenterhooks worrying about it catching, I've bought an arch roller to push things out a fraction further behind the plastic arch.
On the front bumper/splitter I got a bit more sneaky. I wanted to push forward a fraction and push it out a little bit too. Forward was possible with the way it's mounted on the bolts at the side, but I only got a little bit. I found I could push out in a couple of ways. The first one was spacing out those side bolt mounts a little, and the second was to space out the fittings of the inner bumper skin from the outer skin where it's riveted together, and also to space out the fitting near the top. Those of an oem or concourse nature look away now;
Not pretty but it had the desired effect. This is where I ended up; a little hard to see in the light.
Lastly with these 225's I've ended up pretty close to the spring inside the fronts. I haven't got quite head on in this pic, but I think I must only have about 3-4mm, something like that. Do you reckon I'll get away with it?
So that's where I'm up to now. Will do a bit of arch rolling for good measure on the weekend if I can and take it out for a spin and see how I fare. Oh, and track down a grease gun! Must have one somewhere...
Cheers
Iain
02-06-2015, 09:16 PM
#413
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Gave it a good going over but didn't get much out of it. The inner lip had already been folded over before so I was looking the push the whole lot out a bit more.
A bottle jack did the trick and as actually more progressive and gentle than it sounds, so hopefully I'm sorted now.
I haven't been able to drive it in anger since being set up, so I'll keep an eye on the rubbing up front. I've been close before on other cars and been ok, so hopefully i will this time too, but time will tell..
Thanks again for the offer.
02-06-2015, 09:17 PM
#414
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
I have a look from time to time to check my clamp is still there and it's doing fine
Cheers
Iain
03-06-2015, 08:58 PM
#416
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
60mm springs? Sorry Rob, you've lost me there!
I've got 60lb helper springs on the back if that's what you mean?
Cheers
Iain
I've got 60lb helper springs on the back if that's what you mean?
Cheers
Iain
Last edited by IainRS1700T; 03-06-2015 at 09:01 PM.
04-06-2015, 07:40 AM
#417
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Made sure after the recent arch fettling everything was still looking vaguely respectable
And every now & then have a little clean underneath
So following the arch work and getting the wheels on and geo done thought it would be best to make the most of a summer's evening and give the car a damn good shakedown last night
Kept stopping every now and then to check if tires were rubbing or catching anywhere
Could have been an arty shot if I'd have thought about it a bit more!
Got to the point of really giving it full beans numerous times through a couple of gears and to say it's pretty vivid would be an understatement! The geo and rubber makes the car pretty lively on bumpy B roads to say the least, but grip seemed good once the tires were warm.
Happy to report only the slightest touch on one NSR which is easily solved, so that'll be Saturday's job.
On Monday the car goes back to Kyle & Ashley at Pushrod Performance for a few jobs on the snagging list & an oil change and after that I think I'll start to feel like I'm getting there and can start to look forward to a track day or some sprint practice.
Cheers for now
Iain
And every now & then have a little clean underneath
So following the arch work and getting the wheels on and geo done thought it would be best to make the most of a summer's evening and give the car a damn good shakedown last night
Kept stopping every now and then to check if tires were rubbing or catching anywhere
Could have been an arty shot if I'd have thought about it a bit more!
Got to the point of really giving it full beans numerous times through a couple of gears and to say it's pretty vivid would be an understatement! The geo and rubber makes the car pretty lively on bumpy B roads to say the least, but grip seemed good once the tires were warm.
Happy to report only the slightest touch on one NSR which is easily solved, so that'll be Saturday's job.
On Monday the car goes back to Kyle & Ashley at Pushrod Performance for a few jobs on the snagging list & an oil change and after that I think I'll start to feel like I'm getting there and can start to look forward to a track day or some sprint practice.
Cheers for now
Iain
06-06-2015, 08:50 PM
#419
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
09-06-2015, 06:41 AM
#420
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Dropped the car off yesterday.
Hoping to finally nail my clutch woes.
Ashley also going to tweak belt alignment, oil cooler take off, and do a nut & bolt check and oil change.
Had a bit of a worry after getting there with oil traces up bk bumper and boot lid, but turned out diff was blowing some oil out of it's breather. Need to revise the breather pipe on that, but probably also filling up a bit when car tilted on the jack. Not a biggy tho.
Car going well on the new rubber. And with new geo you've only got to think about taking a corner and you're round it before you know it!
Cheers
Iain
Hoping to finally nail my clutch woes.
Ashley also going to tweak belt alignment, oil cooler take off, and do a nut & bolt check and oil change.
Had a bit of a worry after getting there with oil traces up bk bumper and boot lid, but turned out diff was blowing some oil out of it's breather. Need to revise the breather pipe on that, but probably also filling up a bit when car tilted on the jack. Not a biggy tho.
Car going well on the new rubber. And with new geo you've only got to think about taking a corner and you're round it before you know it!
Cheers
Iain
22-06-2015, 09:58 PM
#422
Hi Folks,
Alot of head scratching concerned the drive shaft lengths. Following on from previous conversions (Rod Tarry's being the first) I had my drive shafts manufactured by Wilson (same co.) to the same dimensions, but as you can see the shorter side came up short and the longer side came up too long..
This is how short the short side was. It was a similar story but vv on the other side.
This was with the diff fully jigged up with everything properly square and in position. Mat used a temporary version of the intended mount of the beam (so ignore the thin off cut of steel):
And if he attempted to rely on the drive shaft length to position the diff, (by loosening off the diff mount bolts) this is what happened:
Clearly it knocked the diff way off line. After double checking and checking again against a spare beam we came to the conclusion that for whatever reason, the drive shaft lengths weren't right for our circumstances and they needed to go back to Wilson. It's most likely that our diff casing is different to the other diffs that had been used in this conversion. Nevertheless, Wilson were very helpful and remanufactured the driveshafts for me for just the cost of the labour, so hats off to those guys for helping me out.
As soon as the new shafts came back they fitted straight in with no hassle, and with everything lined up as it should be. Mat then cracked on with fabricating the proper beam mounts for the diff - on the top mating surface and also down underneath as well. There's a few potential spots to fabricate mounting points.
This pic shows the beam and diff mounted in position and you can see the top and side mounts that Mat fabricated from the beam. On this next one you can just about see the mounts tying in through the floor panel of the shell:
With the beam sorted Mat could then tackle the reinforcing of diff mount via the cage inside the car. I don't have to worry about any NVH niceities so using the cage in this way provides added security to the diff mounting. This is what we came up with:
Cheers
Iain
Alot of head scratching concerned the drive shaft lengths. Following on from previous conversions (Rod Tarry's being the first) I had my drive shafts manufactured by Wilson (same co.) to the same dimensions, but as you can see the shorter side came up short and the longer side came up too long..
This is how short the short side was. It was a similar story but vv on the other side.
This was with the diff fully jigged up with everything properly square and in position. Mat used a temporary version of the intended mount of the beam (so ignore the thin off cut of steel):
And if he attempted to rely on the drive shaft length to position the diff, (by loosening off the diff mount bolts) this is what happened:
Clearly it knocked the diff way off line. After double checking and checking again against a spare beam we came to the conclusion that for whatever reason, the drive shaft lengths weren't right for our circumstances and they needed to go back to Wilson. It's most likely that our diff casing is different to the other diffs that had been used in this conversion. Nevertheless, Wilson were very helpful and remanufactured the driveshafts for me for just the cost of the labour, so hats off to those guys for helping me out.
As soon as the new shafts came back they fitted straight in with no hassle, and with everything lined up as it should be. Mat then cracked on with fabricating the proper beam mounts for the diff - on the top mating surface and also down underneath as well. There's a few potential spots to fabricate mounting points.
This pic shows the beam and diff mounted in position and you can see the top and side mounts that Mat fabricated from the beam. On this next one you can just about see the mounts tying in through the floor panel of the shell:
With the beam sorted Mat could then tackle the reinforcing of diff mount via the cage inside the car. I don't have to worry about any NVH niceities so using the cage in this way provides added security to the diff mounting. This is what we came up with:
Cheers
Iain
Just having a look through some of your old pics dating back to 2012 on your car, I still have a soft spot for the 3dr.
Found your using the Jag powerlok - Rod was no where near the first to use one, the idea in Rods came from my garage when a certain couple of people visited one night (another story)
This was probably the first conversion using the 4HU/4HA
This was in my car in 1999, I can trace this diff in the same cradle back to 1984 when it was run in an RED 3dr, then bought by Neil Weardon for his 3dr rally car, then bought by the Squires brother in Stoke, then by me.
Note they always ran standard 7.5" 2wd shafts - I ran this diff on 10" wide slicks with 450ft/lb - dog box and the 3dr regularly did 3.9 0-60's
A bit of histroy for you there
23-06-2015, 09:31 PM
#423
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Cheers for that Mark, you learn something everyday
It was only after posting that I then found the 3dr rally car thread on here too with the Jag diff in. Didn't know the history behind it!
I amazed the drive shafts lasted though - it was definitely something I wanted to tackle from the outset, but at least I'm where I prefer to be on the over engineered side of things! That's where Rod came in, as I used the same company that did his and a set for James IIRC.
Seeing all the supra stuff makes me wonder if I could have achieved something similar a bit cheaper, but there will always be something new coming along, and sometimes you just have to crack on and get it done.
Cheers
Iain
It was only after posting that I then found the 3dr rally car thread on here too with the Jag diff in. Didn't know the history behind it!
I amazed the drive shafts lasted though - it was definitely something I wanted to tackle from the outset, but at least I'm where I prefer to be on the over engineered side of things! That's where Rod came in, as I used the same company that did his and a set for James IIRC.
Seeing all the supra stuff makes me wonder if I could have achieved something similar a bit cheaper, but there will always be something new coming along, and sometimes you just have to crack on and get it done.
Cheers
Iain
23-06-2015, 09:35 PM
#424
Cheers for that Mark, you learn something everyday
It was only after posting that I then found the 3dr rally car thread on here too with the Jag diff in. Didn't know the history behind it!
I amazed the drive shafts lasted though - it was definitely something I wanted to tackle from the outset, but at least I'm where I prefer to be on the over engineered side of things! That's where Rod came in, as I used the same company that did his and a set for James IIRC.
Seeing all the supra stuff makes me wonder if I could have achieved something similar a bit cheaper, but there will always be something new coming along, and sometimes you just have to crack on and get it done.
Cheers
Iain
It was only after posting that I then found the 3dr rally car thread on here too with the Jag diff in. Didn't know the history behind it!
I amazed the drive shafts lasted though - it was definitely something I wanted to tackle from the outset, but at least I'm where I prefer to be on the over engineered side of things! That's where Rod came in, as I used the same company that did his and a set for James IIRC.
Seeing all the supra stuff makes me wonder if I could have achieved something similar a bit cheaper, but there will always be something new coming along, and sometimes you just have to crack on and get it done.
Cheers
Iain
20-07-2015, 01:06 PM
#425
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Time for a little update.
It's back home now from Pushrod Performance.
The engine ended up having a bit more than an oil change.
Originally we tried to keep my PAS set up and remote tank. I drove away know belt alignment wasn't great, but in the process of shaking it down end up destroying the belt and the crank damper pulley :0
So in the end we had to face facts and go back to the std LS PAS set up with integral reservoir, along with a new damper pulley. It doesn't look quite as smart as my old set up, but it works, and I can't fault that.
The big win was finally getting the clutch nailed. As mentioned before, the master cylinder change was the main thing. As much as I hate the cast look of the Girling m/c it works well with my slave cylinder set up, and now the pedal is nice and firm, and the gear change spot on. It's taken a lot of head scratching and sorting by Ashley but we're there now
Dave from Can-Ems sorted my rev counter out when he popped over to Tim Adams for some mapping. It's good to have a working rev counter now, but he's actually got it to perform a full rev sweep of the needle when you switch the car on. It's a small thing, but looks pretty trick when you switch the ignition on!
With all the jobs getting crossed off the list, it's the things that you put to the back of your mind that end up coming back to kick you in the nuts just when you think you're home and dry. In my case a little knocking sound coming from the back of the car in driveshaft/rear hub territory has been getting louder and more frequent.
I had suspected that the driveshaft on the OSR might be too long and placing pressure on the cv joint/hub bearing side of things. After putting the car up on the ramp it actually seems the opposite might be true.
With going the to the bigger FZ201 track rubber, which are 225/45R17's, but come in nearer 230's and a bit fatter diameter, I've lifted the car a fair bit, and had to raise suspension on the back to gain clearance in to the bargain. I ended up with quite an angle of the driveshafts and effectively been shortening their working length. So I've resolved to return the car to it's other Comp MO's with basic road rubber on (Yoko Parada's 215/40 on the back), and reduce ride height with winding down the coil overs too. Measuring the height of the diff from the ground before and after shows I've lowered the car 4cm in the process and improved the driveshaft angle and working length no end.
To assist with the length element I also made up a spacer. We'd played around with some packing washers to test the theory before hand which quietened the noise down (and was basically all the evidence I needed to proceed with these changes). As you've seen from the pics above there's a nice little spacer already in to locate the driveshaft flange. Jaguar did their own thin plate spacers originally to tailor this.
So I made up a thicker 2mm alloy spacer and have the old Jag ones to hand too. This should allow me to fine tune things. Hopefully if I'm on the right track, I could get one single spacer CNC'd up and put this issue to bed. So far I've trial fitted the spacer and need to bolt everything back and go for a test spin.
Then no doubt, I'll move on to the next job, but I'm getting there...
Cheers
Iain
It's back home now from Pushrod Performance.
The engine ended up having a bit more than an oil change.
Originally we tried to keep my PAS set up and remote tank. I drove away know belt alignment wasn't great, but in the process of shaking it down end up destroying the belt and the crank damper pulley :0
So in the end we had to face facts and go back to the std LS PAS set up with integral reservoir, along with a new damper pulley. It doesn't look quite as smart as my old set up, but it works, and I can't fault that.
The big win was finally getting the clutch nailed. As mentioned before, the master cylinder change was the main thing. As much as I hate the cast look of the Girling m/c it works well with my slave cylinder set up, and now the pedal is nice and firm, and the gear change spot on. It's taken a lot of head scratching and sorting by Ashley but we're there now
Dave from Can-Ems sorted my rev counter out when he popped over to Tim Adams for some mapping. It's good to have a working rev counter now, but he's actually got it to perform a full rev sweep of the needle when you switch the car on. It's a small thing, but looks pretty trick when you switch the ignition on!
With all the jobs getting crossed off the list, it's the things that you put to the back of your mind that end up coming back to kick you in the nuts just when you think you're home and dry. In my case a little knocking sound coming from the back of the car in driveshaft/rear hub territory has been getting louder and more frequent.
I had suspected that the driveshaft on the OSR might be too long and placing pressure on the cv joint/hub bearing side of things. After putting the car up on the ramp it actually seems the opposite might be true.
With going the to the bigger FZ201 track rubber, which are 225/45R17's, but come in nearer 230's and a bit fatter diameter, I've lifted the car a fair bit, and had to raise suspension on the back to gain clearance in to the bargain. I ended up with quite an angle of the driveshafts and effectively been shortening their working length. So I've resolved to return the car to it's other Comp MO's with basic road rubber on (Yoko Parada's 215/40 on the back), and reduce ride height with winding down the coil overs too. Measuring the height of the diff from the ground before and after shows I've lowered the car 4cm in the process and improved the driveshaft angle and working length no end.
To assist with the length element I also made up a spacer. We'd played around with some packing washers to test the theory before hand which quietened the noise down (and was basically all the evidence I needed to proceed with these changes). As you've seen from the pics above there's a nice little spacer already in to locate the driveshaft flange. Jaguar did their own thin plate spacers originally to tailor this.
So I made up a thicker 2mm alloy spacer and have the old Jag ones to hand too. This should allow me to fine tune things. Hopefully if I'm on the right track, I could get one single spacer CNC'd up and put this issue to bed. So far I've trial fitted the spacer and need to bolt everything back and go for a test spin.
Then no doubt, I'll move on to the next job, but I'm getting there...
Cheers
Iain
03-08-2015, 06:59 PM
#426
Thats a sweet project ive just started a p100 project.. and want to put a 302 lump in got a mustang for doner bits just scratching my head on how to getthe engine in
what did you do to position the engine so you could make the mounts?
what did you do to position the engine so you could make the mounts?
04-08-2015, 08:49 PM
#427
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Well that was quite a few versions ago so I'm struggling to remember!
I do recall buying a kit from the 'States, but it positioned the engine so high and forward that I ditched that.
It's just a case of juggling everything with the jack and chokking the engine into the position where you want it. Main consideration ends up being bell housing clearing the bulkhead and tunnel, and getting the ideal propshaft line - or as close as you can.
Get the engine mounts you want to use (think I used Torino ones on the 351w, but there's a few options at the likes of Real Steal to choose from) then work out what you want to fab up to make it work. As you might have seen, I went the way of ears coming off the cross member which worked pretty well.
If you need a rear hump sump to clear the Sierra crossmember (and steering rack) let me know as I've still got a Ford Racing one spare which might save you a few bob..
Cheers
Iain
I do recall buying a kit from the 'States, but it positioned the engine so high and forward that I ditched that.
It's just a case of juggling everything with the jack and chokking the engine into the position where you want it. Main consideration ends up being bell housing clearing the bulkhead and tunnel, and getting the ideal propshaft line - or as close as you can.
Get the engine mounts you want to use (think I used Torino ones on the 351w, but there's a few options at the likes of Real Steal to choose from) then work out what you want to fab up to make it work. As you might have seen, I went the way of ears coming off the cross member which worked pretty well.
If you need a rear hump sump to clear the Sierra crossmember (and steering rack) let me know as I've still got a Ford Racing one spare which might save you a few bob..
Cheers
Iain
14-08-2015, 06:12 PM
#428
Sweet cheers dude i was gonna mount the box in using the cossie t5 cradle then use the fork truck to suspend the engine in postion and a jack
Never thought about the sump
i will be fitting engine some point next month so will let you know if i need a single hump sump thankyou 
Never thought about the sump
i will be fitting engine some point next month so will let you know if i need a single hump sump thankyou
29-08-2015, 11:28 AM
#431
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Thanks for your comments Gents
Getting there now and beginning to explore it's potential and tweak things.
Found the upper part of the prop near the diff flange where it was weighted was just touching on the underside of the tunnel and that was my noise that had been bugging me. A bit of relieving later, and made big progress on that bloody knocking noise! At least nothing was falling off and I know what it is now...
Have been doing all my shakedown mileage on the road. A combination of work and family stopping me getting to some possible track days. So I began to turn my attention to spring rates as I was in danger of losing my filings on the track set up, and wanted to see the impact that changes made.
Popped to Demon Thieves (a good excuse for a cross country blast) and an afternoon later had swapped in 9" 600lb springs to the front, and 12" 375lb to the rears. Which was a fair change (softer) from where I was.
Of course another good excuse for a bit of test mileage. I'd say on road at least a positive change, with seemingly little negatives to report. Short of taking Cascades or Druids at full tilt I'm not really going to get a handle on ultimate impact on the road, but I sense an improvement so I'll keep them on for now. Still pretty meaty for a 3dr I realise, but my damping rates are at the softer end of the touring car spectrum (which is to say bloody stiff for normal use) so I can't go much lower on the spring stiffness, otherwise I'll just be hopping everywhere.
Got to say giving the car some exercise, and getting a bit more used to it, still never fails to take my breath away. In gear acceleration is just off the scale giving it full beans in 3rd/4th is vivid to say the least...
Done a long overdue repaint of driver's footwell and some general tidying up. Am going to be in the Oulton Park Gold Cup classic car display this weekend so I've a free ticket in, and want it to look vaguely respectable!
All that said, I'm preparing for a slight change in direction over the winter. Wanting to go a little more rally inspired which will help me keep the car a little more multi-purpose. My workload hasn't allowed a lot of opportunities on track, and next year won't be any different, so I want the car to be a little more useable on the road, and offer possibilities for some sprints, or at least sprint practice. All of which involves a bit more road mileage than out and out track day mileage.
I'm going to downsize in the wheels and brake department for starters. Having scoured the country to get two sets of 8x17" gpA MO's I think I'll probably move those on.
I've got some great gpA Mag Speedlines in 16" (mega light) ages ago, and yesterday did a little test fit to suss out the offsets etc. Looked ok (apart from the yellow paint!)
Then got these off Dave (Ridgey) which I'm pleased with. Many thanks to Dave. Will probably pair up with some similar looking 8.5 or 8.75" split rims on back as per the old gpA rally days.
With downsizing the wheels means I'll need to replace my CP5555's up front as I'm running 355mm discs, and look for something like an older gpA style AP caliper and run 315-330mm discs.
I then want to look at some more adjustable front coil overs as my Ledas were rebuilt for track spec, and I want something that will work with different uses. I'll probably look to Gaz Golds for that unless I drop on something else in the meantime. Bilstein will re-valve my rears, and then I can change springs again to suit.
So ultimately I'll end up with something a fraction softer and more adjustable. ARB's will help me in this too. So apart from new ARB mounts, I think a move towards sill stands will be the only change I make to the shell. And having repainted the footwells twice already, I think some sort of carbon footwells would be in order.
Overall I think a move towards gpA rally kit is doable over time, and with a YB tucked away in the corner I think in the years to come that's where I'll end up, but the LS is too impressive for now.
In the meantime if any of you have sight of any of the older gp A stuff (ARB's, TCA's, brakes etc) don't hesitate to give me a shout!
Cheers all
Iain
Getting there now and beginning to explore it's potential and tweak things.
Found the upper part of the prop near the diff flange where it was weighted was just touching on the underside of the tunnel and that was my noise that had been bugging me. A bit of relieving later, and made big progress on that bloody knocking noise! At least nothing was falling off and I know what it is now...
Have been doing all my shakedown mileage on the road. A combination of work and family stopping me getting to some possible track days. So I began to turn my attention to spring rates as I was in danger of losing my filings on the track set up, and wanted to see the impact that changes made.
Popped to Demon Thieves (a good excuse for a cross country blast) and an afternoon later had swapped in 9" 600lb springs to the front, and 12" 375lb to the rears. Which was a fair change (softer) from where I was.
Of course another good excuse for a bit of test mileage. I'd say on road at least a positive change, with seemingly little negatives to report. Short of taking Cascades or Druids at full tilt I'm not really going to get a handle on ultimate impact on the road, but I sense an improvement so I'll keep them on for now. Still pretty meaty for a 3dr I realise, but my damping rates are at the softer end of the touring car spectrum (which is to say bloody stiff for normal use) so I can't go much lower on the spring stiffness, otherwise I'll just be hopping everywhere.
Got to say giving the car some exercise, and getting a bit more used to it, still never fails to take my breath away. In gear acceleration is just off the scale giving it full beans in 3rd/4th is vivid to say the least...
Done a long overdue repaint of driver's footwell and some general tidying up. Am going to be in the Oulton Park Gold Cup classic car display this weekend so I've a free ticket in, and want it to look vaguely respectable!
All that said, I'm preparing for a slight change in direction over the winter. Wanting to go a little more rally inspired which will help me keep the car a little more multi-purpose. My workload hasn't allowed a lot of opportunities on track, and next year won't be any different, so I want the car to be a little more useable on the road, and offer possibilities for some sprints, or at least sprint practice. All of which involves a bit more road mileage than out and out track day mileage.
I'm going to downsize in the wheels and brake department for starters. Having scoured the country to get two sets of 8x17" gpA MO's I think I'll probably move those on.
I've got some great gpA Mag Speedlines in 16" (mega light) ages ago, and yesterday did a little test fit to suss out the offsets etc. Looked ok (apart from the yellow paint!)
Then got these off Dave (Ridgey) which I'm pleased with. Many thanks to Dave. Will probably pair up with some similar looking 8.5 or 8.75" split rims on back as per the old gpA rally days.
With downsizing the wheels means I'll need to replace my CP5555's up front as I'm running 355mm discs, and look for something like an older gpA style AP caliper and run 315-330mm discs.
I then want to look at some more adjustable front coil overs as my Ledas were rebuilt for track spec, and I want something that will work with different uses. I'll probably look to Gaz Golds for that unless I drop on something else in the meantime. Bilstein will re-valve my rears, and then I can change springs again to suit.
So ultimately I'll end up with something a fraction softer and more adjustable. ARB's will help me in this too. So apart from new ARB mounts, I think a move towards sill stands will be the only change I make to the shell. And having repainted the footwells twice already, I think some sort of carbon footwells would be in order.
Overall I think a move towards gpA rally kit is doable over time, and with a YB tucked away in the corner I think in the years to come that's where I'll end up, but the LS is too impressive for now.
In the meantime if any of you have sight of any of the older gp A stuff (ARB's, TCA's, brakes etc) don't hesitate to give me a shout!
Cheers all
Iain
29-08-2015, 12:21 PM
#432
Thanks for your comments Gents
Getting there now and beginning to explore it's potential and tweak things.
Found the upper part of the prop near the diff flange where it was weighted was just touching on the underside of the tunnel and that was my noise that had been bugging me. A bit of relieving later, and made big progress on that bloody knocking noise! At least nothing was falling off and I know what it is now...
Have been doing all my shakedown mileage on the road. A combination of work and family stopping me getting to some possible track days. So I began to turn my attention to spring rates as I was in danger of losing my filings on the track set up, and wanted to see the impact that changes made.
Popped to Demon Thieves (a good excuse for a cross country blast) and an afternoon later had swapped in 9" 600lb springs to the front, and 12" 375lb to the rears. Which was a fair change (softer) from where I was.
Of course another good excuse for a bit of test mileage. I'd say on road at least a positive change, with seemingly little negatives to report. Short of taking Cascades or Druids at full tilt I'm not really going to get a handle on ultimate impact on the road, but I sense an improvement so I'll keep them on for now. Still pretty meaty for a 3dr I realise, but my damping rates are at the softer end of the touring car spectrum (which is to say bloody stiff for normal use) so I can't go much lower on the spring stiffness, otherwise I'll just be hopping everywhere.
Got to say giving the car some exercise, and getting a bit more used to it, still never fails to take my breath away. In gear acceleration is just off the scale giving it full beans in 3rd/4th is vivid to say the least...
Done a long overdue repaint of driver's footwell and some general tidying up. Am going to be in the Oulton Park Gold Cup classic car display this weekend so I've a free ticket in, and want it to look vaguely respectable!
All that said, I'm preparing for a slight change in direction over the winter. Wanting to go a little more rally inspired which will help me keep the car a little more multi-purpose. My workload hasn't allowed a lot of opportunities on track, and next year won't be any different, so I want the car to be a little more useable on the road, and offer possibilities for some sprints, or at least sprint practice. All of which involves a bit more road mileage than out and out track day mileage.
I'm going to downsize in the wheels and brake department for starters. Having scoured the country to get two sets of 8x17" gpA MO's I think I'll probably move those on.
I've got some great gpA Mag Speedlines in 16" (mega light) ages ago, and yesterday did a little test fit to suss out the offsets etc. Looked ok (apart from the yellow paint!)
Then got these off Dave (Ridgey) which I'm pleased with. Many thanks to Dave. Will probably pair up with some similar looking 8.5 or 8.75" split rims on back as per the old gpA rally days.
With downsizing the wheels means I'll need to replace my CP5555's up front as I'm running 355mm discs, and look for something like an older gpA style AP caliper and run 315-330mm discs.
I then want to look at some more adjustable front coil overs as my Ledas were rebuilt for track spec, and I want something that will work with different uses. I'll probably look to Gaz Golds for that unless I drop on something else in the meantime. Bilstein will re-valve my rears, and then I can change springs again to suit.
So ultimately I'll end up with something a fraction softer and more adjustable. ARB's will help me in this too. So apart from new ARB mounts, I think a move towards sill stands will be the only change I make to the shell. And having repainted the footwells twice already, I think some sort of carbon footwells would be in order.
Overall I think a move towards gpA rally kit is doable over time, and with a YB tucked away in the corner I think in the years to come that's where I'll end up, but the LS is too impressive for now.
In the meantime if any of you have sight of any of the older gp A stuff (ARB's, TCA's, brakes etc) don't hesitate to give me a shout!
Cheers all
Iain
Getting there now and beginning to explore it's potential and tweak things.
Found the upper part of the prop near the diff flange where it was weighted was just touching on the underside of the tunnel and that was my noise that had been bugging me. A bit of relieving later, and made big progress on that bloody knocking noise! At least nothing was falling off and I know what it is now...
Have been doing all my shakedown mileage on the road. A combination of work and family stopping me getting to some possible track days. So I began to turn my attention to spring rates as I was in danger of losing my filings on the track set up, and wanted to see the impact that changes made.
Popped to Demon Thieves (a good excuse for a cross country blast) and an afternoon later had swapped in 9" 600lb springs to the front, and 12" 375lb to the rears. Which was a fair change (softer) from where I was.
Of course another good excuse for a bit of test mileage. I'd say on road at least a positive change, with seemingly little negatives to report. Short of taking Cascades or Druids at full tilt I'm not really going to get a handle on ultimate impact on the road, but I sense an improvement so I'll keep them on for now. Still pretty meaty for a 3dr I realise, but my damping rates are at the softer end of the touring car spectrum (which is to say bloody stiff for normal use) so I can't go much lower on the spring stiffness, otherwise I'll just be hopping everywhere.
Got to say giving the car some exercise, and getting a bit more used to it, still never fails to take my breath away. In gear acceleration is just off the scale giving it full beans in 3rd/4th is vivid to say the least...
Done a long overdue repaint of driver's footwell and some general tidying up. Am going to be in the Oulton Park Gold Cup classic car display this weekend so I've a free ticket in, and want it to look vaguely respectable!
All that said, I'm preparing for a slight change in direction over the winter. Wanting to go a little more rally inspired which will help me keep the car a little more multi-purpose. My workload hasn't allowed a lot of opportunities on track, and next year won't be any different, so I want the car to be a little more useable on the road, and offer possibilities for some sprints, or at least sprint practice. All of which involves a bit more road mileage than out and out track day mileage.
I'm going to downsize in the wheels and brake department for starters. Having scoured the country to get two sets of 8x17" gpA MO's I think I'll probably move those on.
I've got some great gpA Mag Speedlines in 16" (mega light) ages ago, and yesterday did a little test fit to suss out the offsets etc. Looked ok (apart from the yellow paint!)
Then got these off Dave (Ridgey) which I'm pleased with. Many thanks to Dave. Will probably pair up with some similar looking 8.5 or 8.75" split rims on back as per the old gpA rally days.
With downsizing the wheels means I'll need to replace my CP5555's up front as I'm running 355mm discs, and look for something like an older gpA style AP caliper and run 315-330mm discs.
I then want to look at some more adjustable front coil overs as my Ledas were rebuilt for track spec, and I want something that will work with different uses. I'll probably look to Gaz Golds for that unless I drop on something else in the meantime. Bilstein will re-valve my rears, and then I can change springs again to suit.
So ultimately I'll end up with something a fraction softer and more adjustable. ARB's will help me in this too. So apart from new ARB mounts, I think a move towards sill stands will be the only change I make to the shell. And having repainted the footwells twice already, I think some sort of carbon footwells would be in order.
Overall I think a move towards gpA rally kit is doable over time, and with a YB tucked away in the corner I think in the years to come that's where I'll end up, but the LS is too impressive for now.
In the meantime if any of you have sight of any of the older gp A stuff (ARB's, TCA's, brakes etc) don't hesitate to give me a shout!
Cheers all
Iain
I also have brand new adjustable tcas (grpa/wrc)
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IainRS1700T (29-08-2015)
08-09-2015, 03:52 PM
#433
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Well, I'm thinking it might be time for a change.
I've definitely decided on going further down the rally inspired route.
As above; full rallies will be beyond me time and commitment-wise but sprints, hill climbs and some local outings (Oulton drift circuit, Curborough etc) are all do-able.
This has got me thinking about sorting the YB out that I've got tucked away and then going the whole 9 yards on the Sierra (group A style), but the Mk3 RWD Escort shell I have at my brother's place keeps nagging away in the back of my mind (see P1 of this thread for a pic). I've got no end of bits, plus the engine of course, that I can chuck in that.
I'm pretty keen on the whole RS1700T story/history and having failed to get one replica fully off the ground a while back, think it may be time to move on the Sierra.
Thing is will I regret it? The Sierra is the next Mk2 Escort (everyone had one, and now only a few can afford one) so I know if I sell that now, I'll probably never have another, and definitely not as clean and rust free as mine.
The other thing is I've built it up to a nice spec as it stands. I know I'll never get my money back on a complete car, but think I'll have to break it to make it viable (and get a budget for the Escort). I'm not sure what the market looks like for a V8 Sierra, even with 480bhp...
Anyway just getting my head round it all. Can't have both. Any advice? Do I sell, break, or stay with it? I enjoy the building and researching almost as much as the driving! If I had a bigger garage and more cash I wouldn't have to worry about it!
Cheers
Iain
I've definitely decided on going further down the rally inspired route.
As above; full rallies will be beyond me time and commitment-wise but sprints, hill climbs and some local outings (Oulton drift circuit, Curborough etc) are all do-able.
This has got me thinking about sorting the YB out that I've got tucked away and then going the whole 9 yards on the Sierra (group A style), but the Mk3 RWD Escort shell I have at my brother's place keeps nagging away in the back of my mind (see P1 of this thread for a pic). I've got no end of bits, plus the engine of course, that I can chuck in that.
I'm pretty keen on the whole RS1700T story/history and having failed to get one replica fully off the ground a while back, think it may be time to move on the Sierra.
Thing is will I regret it? The Sierra is the next Mk2 Escort (everyone had one, and now only a few can afford one) so I know if I sell that now, I'll probably never have another, and definitely not as clean and rust free as mine.
The other thing is I've built it up to a nice spec as it stands. I know I'll never get my money back on a complete car, but think I'll have to break it to make it viable (and get a budget for the Escort). I'm not sure what the market looks like for a V8 Sierra, even with 480bhp...
Anyway just getting my head round it all. Can't have both. Any advice? Do I sell, break, or stay with it? I enjoy the building and researching almost as much as the driving! If I had a bigger garage and more cash I wouldn't have to worry about it!
Cheers
Iain
08-09-2015, 08:57 PM
#435
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
yeah know what you mean Mark, trouble is I think that makes it worse!
Seeing it and working on it is better I find in terms of keeping the bond.
It's the Escort I can't see, but the pull is strong!
Seeing it and working on it is better I find in terms of keeping the bond.
It's the Escort I can't see, but the pull is strong!
09-09-2015, 11:55 AM
#436
It's a fair point, I find many people actually prefer building/speccing cars than driving them sometimes.
As you say, I'm not sure there's a big market for V8 powered Sierras. If you wanted to see any decent money back out of it, you would have to break it IMO. Which is a shame, but at least you won't be quite so envious when you see it around.
At the end of the day it's a lovely car as is , you have to ask whether you would actually be moving 'on' with another project though...
As you say, I'm not sure there's a big market for V8 powered Sierras. If you wanted to see any decent money back out of it, you would have to break it IMO. Which is a shame, but at least you won't be quite so envious when you see it around.
At the end of the day it's a lovely car as is , you have to ask whether you would actually be moving 'on' with another project though...
09-09-2015, 12:01 PM
#437
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
I know what you mean Si, here I have an awesome 480bhp machine, tremec box, jag diff, full cage, carbon roof, massive brakes etc, the list goes on.
As I say though the RS1700T project is nagging at me! I can't leave it at my brothers forever either.
I'm thinking I could poss sell the engine from the Sierra to kick start my budget, in the knowledge I have some interchangeable parts between both cars (Escort has Sierra floor), but then I'd only end up robbing the Sierra of it's bits and I wouldn't be able to use it then anyway.
Leaning towards breaking it at the moment, and maybe storing the shell for a rainy day...
Cheers
Iain
As I say though the RS1700T project is nagging at me! I can't leave it at my brothers forever either.
I'm thinking I could poss sell the engine from the Sierra to kick start my budget, in the knowledge I have some interchangeable parts between both cars (Escort has Sierra floor), but then I'd only end up robbing the Sierra of it's bits and I wouldn't be able to use it then anyway.
Leaning towards breaking it at the moment, and maybe storing the shell for a rainy day...
Cheers
Iain
09-09-2015, 12:59 PM
#438
I'm Finding My Feet Here Now
Left hooker kills it for me,
If it's goin cheap I'll have it
Suspect it won't be cheap so best advice would be to transfer everything over to the rs1700t
Unless u want it to be concourse replica like some doin the rounds the now. Then yer back to sq1 with a sierra u don't want..... And you'll have to open yer wallet very wide lol
If it's goin cheap I'll have it
Suspect it won't be cheap so best advice would be to transfer everything over to the rs1700t
Unless u want it to be concourse replica like some doin the rounds the now. Then yer back to sq1 with a sierra u don't want..... And you'll have to open yer wallet very wide lol
09-09-2015, 04:50 PM
#439
PassionFord Regular
Thread Starter
Ha ha! I would have thought left hooker ideal for you in the Antarctic? (Sort of..)
Concourse? Nah, not my scene.
Don't think a left hooker is too big a deal for this type of car; you don't really need to worry about car parks and road driving, but I know some might think like that. Had an Integrale in the past too, you'd be amazed how quickly you get used to it. That said, I've quite enjoyed taking it out on the road for a spin.
Think the engine would sell fine - lots of potential users for that - but not sure how much of the rest I'd transfer over to the Escort. Have a Skyline GTR back end ready to go in that already, so thought about that direction. If I used the gearbox from the Sierra, would leave me with a Sierra rolling shell effectively, and then I could pick and choose what I sell off, and if I store the shell.
I think that may be the route I end up going down.
If I was to go totally group A with the Sierra that's what I'd need to peel it back to - but as you say I'll need to open my wallet and bend over! I stand a better chance in that respect with the RS1700T as I don't have to be a slave to originality quite so much.
I think I may start with an ad for a complete car and see where it gets to. See if I last 24hrs!
Cheers
Iain
Concourse? Nah, not my scene.
Don't think a left hooker is too big a deal for this type of car; you don't really need to worry about car parks and road driving, but I know some might think like that. Had an Integrale in the past too, you'd be amazed how quickly you get used to it. That said, I've quite enjoyed taking it out on the road for a spin.
Think the engine would sell fine - lots of potential users for that - but not sure how much of the rest I'd transfer over to the Escort. Have a Skyline GTR back end ready to go in that already, so thought about that direction. If I used the gearbox from the Sierra, would leave me with a Sierra rolling shell effectively, and then I could pick and choose what I sell off, and if I store the shell.
I think that may be the route I end up going down.
If I was to go totally group A with the Sierra that's what I'd need to peel it back to - but as you say I'll need to open my wallet and bend over! I stand a better chance in that respect with the RS1700T as I don't have to be a slave to originality quite so much.
I think I may start with an ad for a complete car and see where it gets to. See if I last 24hrs!
Cheers
Iain