My RS2000 Rally Car (Well, one of them)
02-01-2018, 11:04 AM
#81
That pipe connection is after the pressure cap hence its not getting into the tank.
Needs that extra fitting below the cap level.
The wheels need to be proper things. In my experience even used wheels are often not worth buying. Compomotives are over priced by the road going lovers.
Buy new Revolutions. Much cheaper and available flow formed for rally use.
looks good though.
I fell foul of the mudflap thing. Not wide enough at logbook time. Had to spend £250 on a set from Kaylan.
Needs that extra fitting below the cap level.
The wheels need to be proper things. In my experience even used wheels are often not worth buying. Compomotives are over priced by the road going lovers.
Buy new Revolutions. Much cheaper and available flow formed for rally use.
looks good though.
I fell foul of the mudflap thing. Not wide enough at logbook time. Had to spend £250 on a set from Kaylan.
02-01-2018, 12:11 PM
#82
Yeah, schoolboy error really. Should be fixed in no time though.
You're certainly right about wheels. They used to be quite cheap but not any more. I won't be doing many rough events and, with the steels being so cheap, I can afford to wreck plenty of them and still spend less than anything new.
The mudflaps are ridiculous. Thankfully my tyres aren't too wide. It's pointless though, just a silly box ticking exercise.
You're certainly right about wheels. They used to be quite cheap but not any more. I won't be doing many rough events and, with the steels being so cheap, I can afford to wreck plenty of them and still spend less than anything new.
The mudflaps are ridiculous. Thankfully my tyres aren't too wide. It's pointless though, just a silly box ticking exercise.
08-01-2018, 04:03 PM
#84
Another little update. I ordered a new weld-in barb for the header tank, which my friend Mark kindly welded in for me on Saturday, like so:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
It was then fitted, which has made things much better. Ran the car up to temperature and all seems well, with no awful leaks. I have orded some more black hose for the top outlet, as the blue was just used for testing as it's all I had:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
That means that the engine bay is pretty much finished, apart from a blinkin' good clean. I might add the stickers to the spark plug cover if I can find them. Oh, and add some Jenvey throttle bodies if I suddenly find a few grand down the back of the sofa:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
I spent some time fiddling with the tacho and set that so that the revs and speedo display correctly. Also set the shift lights, but this might end up changing again as I start to test the car.
There are only a handful of jobs left now; seats, intercom, harnesses, setting the fuel gauge, a final check of the gearbox oil and, most annoyingly, the clutch. Still having gear selection issues. It will select gears with the engine off but, with it running, it won't. You can feel the car trying to move a tiny bit if you try to select a gear, so the clutch obviously isn't working correctly. It will drive if you select first and then start the car, but that's not really an ideal solution for driving the car.
There are two potential fixes to this problem. The first is a different master cylinder, but this might be too much for the slave cylinder. The second is to swap the Escort clutch and flywheel for a Focus one. The second option is not at all appealing for obvious reasons. Trying to source dimensions for both Escort and Focus flywheel and clutch to better understand where the problem may lie.
Until next time...
It was then fitted, which has made things much better. Ran the car up to temperature and all seems well, with no awful leaks. I have orded some more black hose for the top outlet, as the blue was just used for testing as it's all I had:
That means that the engine bay is pretty much finished, apart from a blinkin' good clean. I might add the stickers to the spark plug cover if I can find them. Oh, and add some Jenvey throttle bodies if I suddenly find a few grand down the back of the sofa:
I spent some time fiddling with the tacho and set that so that the revs and speedo display correctly. Also set the shift lights, but this might end up changing again as I start to test the car.
There are only a handful of jobs left now; seats, intercom, harnesses, setting the fuel gauge, a final check of the gearbox oil and, most annoyingly, the clutch. Still having gear selection issues. It will select gears with the engine off but, with it running, it won't. You can feel the car trying to move a tiny bit if you try to select a gear, so the clutch obviously isn't working correctly. It will drive if you select first and then start the car, but that's not really an ideal solution for driving the car.
There are two potential fixes to this problem. The first is a different master cylinder, but this might be too much for the slave cylinder. The second is to swap the Escort clutch and flywheel for a Focus one. The second option is not at all appealing for obvious reasons. Trying to source dimensions for both Escort and Focus flywheel and clutch to better understand where the problem may lie.
Until next time...
10-01-2018, 12:10 PM
#85
PassionFord Regular
waiting............
04-04-2018, 12:32 PM
#86
Minor update - the car is gone! It's gone to a specialist nearby to have the last few jobs finished off, as I was struggling to find the time to work on it. They will be doing the MOT, as well as giving it the once over to make sure it is all MSA-compliant. I did do a couple of jobs before it went, though didn't take any pictures. I replaced the short rubber fuel hoses that go from the pump to the pump cover with braided ones, as I wasn't happy with the rubber ones and did a couple of other little tidy-up jobs. There are still a couple of other things to do, but they can wait until it's back.
Finally, I chucked a driver's seat and harness in so it could have the MOT done. The proper seats are on order, but haven't arrived yet. I thought I might as well take a few pictures of it in it's 'almost finished' state, after a quick wipe down:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
Last Monday it was collected...
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
And then unloaded at the garage:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
Had a chat with the guy, came up with a bit of a plan and left it with him. No ETA for it's return, as told him not to rush too much. He said he would make a start this week. Annoyingly there are a couple of areas where he said it will need some modifications, one of which includes the mounts for the main hoop of the roll cage. That's a bit worrying, as that was done 17 years ago, so it's done plenty of rallies like that! Hopefully it won't take too long for them to sorted and, with any luck, I'll be able to drive it home from the garage, which will be pretty exciting.
Until next time...
Finally, I chucked a driver's seat and harness in so it could have the MOT done. The proper seats are on order, but haven't arrived yet. I thought I might as well take a few pictures of it in it's 'almost finished' state, after a quick wipe down:
Last Monday it was collected...
And then unloaded at the garage:
Had a chat with the guy, came up with a bit of a plan and left it with him. No ETA for it's return, as told him not to rush too much. He said he would make a start this week. Annoyingly there are a couple of areas where he said it will need some modifications, one of which includes the mounts for the main hoop of the roll cage. That's a bit worrying, as that was done 17 years ago, so it's done plenty of rallies like that! Hopefully it won't take too long for them to sorted and, with any luck, I'll be able to drive it home from the garage, which will be pretty exciting.
Until next time...
26-04-2018, 08:30 AM
#89
Minor update from the garage. He took the car out on trade plates yesterday and, although he has managed to get it to engage/disengage, the clutch is slipping when you drive the car with any aggression. This is no doubt a result of the combination of RS2000 flywheel/clutch and Focus gearbox. Annoying, as it means it has to come apart again! Trying to work out what the best way forward is. I guess I'm going to have to buy a Focus flywheel, but not sure whether to go for the RS one, or a regular one. The RS one is 240mm, so the same size as the RS2000, but simply idiotic money, while the regular Focus one is only 230mm. Seeing as they used it on the diesel, it should be up to the job, as that has more torque than the RS, but I don't want to buy bits, only to find they don't work!
08-03-2019, 11:01 AM
#90
Wow, haven't updated this for a while. Lots has happened....
Anyway, the clutch was fixed last summer, by fitting the flywheel and clutch from a Focus. With that done, I finished off a couple of minor jobs, then fitted the new seats, belts and a new steering wheel.
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
One thing the scrutineer didn't seem to like was the position of the cut-off/extinguisher pull, so I moved those to a panel between the seats:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
With the car basically done, I took it for a quick drive over to my friend's work, where he has access to a weigh bridge. Not the most scientific approach, as it only weighs to the nearest 20kg and has a ridiculous tolerance level, but it came out at 1120kg anyway. About what I expected, but would be good to get it on some proper scales at some stage. I could get plenty more weight out of it if I fitted a GRP boot and bonnet, but it is what it is for the moment.
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
It was good to put some more miles on the car, but the brakes were crap, so it was time for an upgrade....
More to follow shortly.
Anyway, the clutch was fixed last summer, by fitting the flywheel and clutch from a Focus. With that done, I finished off a couple of minor jobs, then fitted the new seats, belts and a new steering wheel.
One thing the scrutineer didn't seem to like was the position of the cut-off/extinguisher pull, so I moved those to a panel between the seats:
With the car basically done, I took it for a quick drive over to my friend's work, where he has access to a weigh bridge. Not the most scientific approach, as it only weighs to the nearest 20kg and has a ridiculous tolerance level, but it came out at 1120kg anyway. About what I expected, but would be good to get it on some proper scales at some stage. I could get plenty more weight out of it if I fitted a GRP boot and bonnet, but it is what it is for the moment.
It was good to put some more miles on the car, but the brakes were crap, so it was time for an upgrade....
More to follow shortly.
08-03-2019, 11:29 AM
#91
Time for an update following my first rally. It was a disaster
It's been an eventful couple of weeks to be honest. As you can see from the previous posts, I replaced the Wilwoods with Brembo four pots. One problem I hadn't anticipated - none of my wheels fitted over them - D'OH!!!! This was a bit of an issue. To be safe, I needed something around ET30/33, which isn't very common, so I had to have a rethink. One thing I had noticed when trawling eBay/gumtree/Facebook was that the 17" wheels from a Focus ST170 are common and pretty cheap. They're ET49 but, with a suitable spacer, I could get the clearance required. So, I ordered some 16mm hubcentric spacers and then set about buying a load of ST170 rims. When I say a load, I really do mean a load - 18 to be precise That might sound mental, but I bought one set with decent road tyres for MOTs etc, then enough for my wets and a few dry options.
This is where the mighty Vectra wagon comes in useful; 14 wheels in it here...
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
Of course, with a big pile of wheels in various states of kerbing and corrosion, my co-driver and I set about roughly preparing them for a quick blast over with some black paint:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
All very exciting. I haven't done them all, but did about half of them for now. I will buy some bolt-on spacers at some stage, but the ones I bought got me through for the moment. One little update was to add a sun strip:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
The plan was to take it over to my local scrutineer last Monday, just for a quick check over before the rally. So, early Monday morning, I defrosted the car, checked the tyre pressures, put my helmet/hans in the car (needed MSA stickers) and thought I would check the wheel nut torque. Smart move that was....
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
...a nice sheared stud to contend with. I didn't think this would be too much of a problem, as I had a spare hub so, ten minutes after starting, the car looked like this:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
This is where it really started to go wrong lol. I offered up the new hub and it wouldn't fit over the spline of the outer CV joint! I spent hours trying to get it to fit. Eventually, several frustrating hours later, it was on, but the idea of having the car checked over before the event was long gone. A couple of days away for work then meant I didn't get back to the car until Friday. The hope was to collect the hired trailer and get to Snetterton for scrutineering on Friday evening. Cue another mishap - the trailer wasn't there. Lost a couple of hours because of that cock-up (the fault of the hire company) and meant scrutineering would have to be done Saturday morning. The drama wasn't done yet either. Before loading the car, I took it out to bed-in the brakes. All was fine, got them up to temperature, then the pedal started to go spongy. When I got home, I noticed a leak from the banjo bolt on one of the front calipers. I nipped it up and bled the brakes, then we loaded up the trailer and van:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
Was up stupidly early on Saturday to get to Snetterton in plenty of time. I was feeling pretty nervous by this point, having never done a rally before and not feeling very confident with the car (I've barely driven it). Thankfully, we passed the noise test with ease:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
Then we promptly failed scrutineering for a seized pull cable Managed to sort that and we were ready for the first stage.
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
It's been an eventful couple of weeks to be honest. As you can see from the previous posts, I replaced the Wilwoods with Brembo four pots. One problem I hadn't anticipated - none of my wheels fitted over them - D'OH!!!! This was a bit of an issue. To be safe, I needed something around ET30/33, which isn't very common, so I had to have a rethink. One thing I had noticed when trawling eBay/gumtree/Facebook was that the 17" wheels from a Focus ST170 are common and pretty cheap. They're ET49 but, with a suitable spacer, I could get the clearance required. So, I ordered some 16mm hubcentric spacers and then set about buying a load of ST170 rims. When I say a load, I really do mean a load - 18 to be precise That might sound mental, but I bought one set with decent road tyres for MOTs etc, then enough for my wets and a few dry options.
This is where the mighty Vectra wagon comes in useful; 14 wheels in it here...
Of course, with a big pile of wheels in various states of kerbing and corrosion, my co-driver and I set about roughly preparing them for a quick blast over with some black paint:
All very exciting. I haven't done them all, but did about half of them for now. I will buy some bolt-on spacers at some stage, but the ones I bought got me through for the moment. One little update was to add a sun strip:
The plan was to take it over to my local scrutineer last Monday, just for a quick check over before the rally. So, early Monday morning, I defrosted the car, checked the tyre pressures, put my helmet/hans in the car (needed MSA stickers) and thought I would check the wheel nut torque. Smart move that was....
...a nice sheared stud to contend with. I didn't think this would be too much of a problem, as I had a spare hub so, ten minutes after starting, the car looked like this:
This is where it really started to go wrong lol. I offered up the new hub and it wouldn't fit over the spline of the outer CV joint! I spent hours trying to get it to fit. Eventually, several frustrating hours later, it was on, but the idea of having the car checked over before the event was long gone. A couple of days away for work then meant I didn't get back to the car until Friday. The hope was to collect the hired trailer and get to Snetterton for scrutineering on Friday evening. Cue another mishap - the trailer wasn't there. Lost a couple of hours because of that cock-up (the fault of the hire company) and meant scrutineering would have to be done Saturday morning. The drama wasn't done yet either. Before loading the car, I took it out to bed-in the brakes. All was fine, got them up to temperature, then the pedal started to go spongy. When I got home, I noticed a leak from the banjo bolt on one of the front calipers. I nipped it up and bled the brakes, then we loaded up the trailer and van:
Was up stupidly early on Saturday to get to Snetterton in plenty of time. I was feeling pretty nervous by this point, having never done a rally before and not feeling very confident with the car (I've barely driven it). Thankfully, we passed the noise test with ease:
Then we promptly failed scrutineering for a seized pull cable Managed to sort that and we were ready for the first stage.
08-03-2019, 11:33 AM
#92
I was definitely crapping myself now! We pulled up to the start line, both nervous at what was ahead, but I was relieved to have finally got there. The relief soon disappeared though. First, we jumped the start (oops!) but a bigger problem soon became apparent. The clutch started to slip and, with every application of the throttle, was getting worse and worse. We were going round the circuit backwards on the first stage, following a section in the paddock but, by the time we got to Agostini, drive disappeared altogether and we coasted to a gentle halt. Bugger.
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
I really wasn't sure what the problem was at this point but, despite the breakdown, I wasn't feeling too bad. The pressure was off I guess. We had to wait until the end of the second stage to be recovered, which was a little unfortunate:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
My friend Mat (who owns an Escort Maxi) was soon in action, trying to find the problem. When he released the clutch bleed nipple, fluid shot out of it. We bled it but couldn't find much wrong, so tried to go out for stage three. Sadly, the problem soon returned, so we limped back in after just one lap. Not a great start to my rallying career. Mat got back to it and we decided to change the master cylinder:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
He changed this and, when reassembling, noticed that the lock nut for the actuator rod had come loose and that the rod was permanently putting a small amount of load on the master cylinder, meaning the fluid couldn't bleed back through (hence the pressure). When messing with his own car, he had noticed that this caused problems, so we adjusted the length so there was a bit of free play. A quick drive round the service area seemed to suggest it was ok, but we would only tell once the clutch had some load put through it. Third time lucky we thought, so we set out for stage five (we missed four due to trying to fix the car).
I launched off the line and, to our great pleasure, the clutch worked perfectly! Finally! Sadly, what still wasn't working was the brakes. The leak was back, the pedal was long and the stopping power extremely limited. A shame, but we managed to complete the stage, which was a massive moment. After the breakdown on SS1, I really thought it was game over. With smiles on our faces, we went out again for stage six. The clutch was fine again and the brakes were still rubbish, but we were a good chunk faster all the same. Two stages completed, then a bit of a break while they did the final change around. Mat bled the brakes a bit, but the pedal was still pretty bad. There wasn't really any more we could do, as the problem seemed to be that the banjo wouldn't seal against the caliper. Anyway, we went out for SS7 and started to push a bit more (as much as the brakes would allow), but it seems that we were only going to be allowed so much luck. The oil pressure light started to come on around some of the right hand corners and, by the end of the stage, the top end was a little tappety.
With that, we decided that, rather than destroying the engine, it was better to skip the last stage and call it a day. It had been a challenge from start to finish, but I am still fairly pleased overall. The car handled well, the gearbox is really nice and it was good fun while we were running. To have got to the start line of rally is something I am pretty proud of and, despite the issues, to have completed almost half of the total mileage in a car nailed together on my driveway with virtually no outside help is not bad at all.
In terms of times, we weren't really anywhere. I have had a quick look through the time sheets and there are things to be encouraged about at least. There was a Clio R3 Access there and, while we were over 1:30 off him on our first complete stage, we were 1:08 off him on SS6 and 59sec off on SS7, so the times were going in the right direction, especially when you keep in mind that we had zero experience, less than zero brakes and about 50bhp less. I think there is potential in the old bucket, if I can sort the brakes and get some more time behind the wheel.
Some pictures of the car when it was actually on the stages:
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473428@N02/, on Flickr
So that's that, first ever rally completed (sort of). To be honest, the last couple of weeks have been quite draining, so I'm going to have a couple of weeks away from the car to just relax and enjoy the fact I have reached such a milestone and achieved a dream I've had for many years. However, when I do get back to it, I'll get the front calipers off, get the mating faces for the banjos cleaned up and hopefully that will sort the braking issue. Then I need to have a look at the engine and make sure it's ok. A decision will have to be made in that regard though, as the oil starvation problem will need to be addressed. I'm not sure a baffled sump will be possible but, if it's not, I might have to look down other avenues. A forged, throttle bodied Duratec would be nice, but isn't really realistic. We'll see.
Until next time...
I really wasn't sure what the problem was at this point but, despite the breakdown, I wasn't feeling too bad. The pressure was off I guess. We had to wait until the end of the second stage to be recovered, which was a little unfortunate:
My friend Mat (who owns an Escort Maxi) was soon in action, trying to find the problem. When he released the clutch bleed nipple, fluid shot out of it. We bled it but couldn't find much wrong, so tried to go out for stage three. Sadly, the problem soon returned, so we limped back in after just one lap. Not a great start to my rallying career. Mat got back to it and we decided to change the master cylinder:
He changed this and, when reassembling, noticed that the lock nut for the actuator rod had come loose and that the rod was permanently putting a small amount of load on the master cylinder, meaning the fluid couldn't bleed back through (hence the pressure). When messing with his own car, he had noticed that this caused problems, so we adjusted the length so there was a bit of free play. A quick drive round the service area seemed to suggest it was ok, but we would only tell once the clutch had some load put through it. Third time lucky we thought, so we set out for stage five (we missed four due to trying to fix the car).
I launched off the line and, to our great pleasure, the clutch worked perfectly! Finally! Sadly, what still wasn't working was the brakes. The leak was back, the pedal was long and the stopping power extremely limited. A shame, but we managed to complete the stage, which was a massive moment. After the breakdown on SS1, I really thought it was game over. With smiles on our faces, we went out again for stage six. The clutch was fine again and the brakes were still rubbish, but we were a good chunk faster all the same. Two stages completed, then a bit of a break while they did the final change around. Mat bled the brakes a bit, but the pedal was still pretty bad. There wasn't really any more we could do, as the problem seemed to be that the banjo wouldn't seal against the caliper. Anyway, we went out for SS7 and started to push a bit more (as much as the brakes would allow), but it seems that we were only going to be allowed so much luck. The oil pressure light started to come on around some of the right hand corners and, by the end of the stage, the top end was a little tappety.
With that, we decided that, rather than destroying the engine, it was better to skip the last stage and call it a day. It had been a challenge from start to finish, but I am still fairly pleased overall. The car handled well, the gearbox is really nice and it was good fun while we were running. To have got to the start line of rally is something I am pretty proud of and, despite the issues, to have completed almost half of the total mileage in a car nailed together on my driveway with virtually no outside help is not bad at all.
In terms of times, we weren't really anywhere. I have had a quick look through the time sheets and there are things to be encouraged about at least. There was a Clio R3 Access there and, while we were over 1:30 off him on our first complete stage, we were 1:08 off him on SS6 and 59sec off on SS7, so the times were going in the right direction, especially when you keep in mind that we had zero experience, less than zero brakes and about 50bhp less. I think there is potential in the old bucket, if I can sort the brakes and get some more time behind the wheel.
Some pictures of the car when it was actually on the stages:
So that's that, first ever rally completed (sort of). To be honest, the last couple of weeks have been quite draining, so I'm going to have a couple of weeks away from the car to just relax and enjoy the fact I have reached such a milestone and achieved a dream I've had for many years. However, when I do get back to it, I'll get the front calipers off, get the mating faces for the banjos cleaned up and hopefully that will sort the braking issue. Then I need to have a look at the engine and make sure it's ok. A decision will have to be made in that regard though, as the oil starvation problem will need to be addressed. I'm not sure a baffled sump will be possible but, if it's not, I might have to look down other avenues. A forged, throttle bodied Duratec would be nice, but isn't really realistic. We'll see.
Until next time...
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