Track car project - Season 2 - Page 5

kaiowas · 21-03-2009, 22:56

Dunno what you're nervous for. I'm the one who will have buggered up our season if this engine plays up and I'm the one who'll have to fix it too

vix · 21-03-2009, 23:12

Oh yeah I did a really stupid thing today too

Put the alternator loost in the boot, on the way home, chucked my car round a roundabout and heard a massive *clonk* from the back. Alternator had gone flying and has dented the rear wing from inside the boot and cracked the paint. Doh

vix · 25-03-2009, 23:03

22/3/09

Whilst we were out on our test run, Phil had noticed the steering was heavy, so we took off the front wheel to make sure everything was ok. He had previously fitted a new anti roll bar and the droplinks it came with are slightly different. Here you can see how they have been too big and fouling on the arch:

So he replaced the new droplinks with the old ones. Here you can see how the bolt head sticks out too much on the new droplinks.

Once that was done, he fitted the rear anti roll bar. I took a picture so you can see how the new ARB is a lot thicker and therefore a lot stiffer.

Whilst Phil was doing this, I gave Humphrey his first wash in who knows how many months and attacked him with T-Cut and eventually the polishing machine, in order for him to look pretty for his first outing!

He had faded a lot again, as is the issue with old red cars :/

However he does scrub up quite well with a bit of elbow grease, T Cut and polishers!

vix · 31-03-2009, 22:44

29th March 2009

Unlike the wet and windy Saturday, Sunday dawned bright and dry, although rather cold. Perfect fast driving weather!

We set off early from the hotel (didn’t want TOO much of an early start!) in convoy with a fellow competitor (Zirax/ Matt). Good job we convoy’d too as I manage to forget to put our bag in the boot so Matt had to pick it up!

We got to the circuit, through the fantastic Exhaust Appreciation Tunnel, (no revving of engines before 9:30, honest!) and were scrutineered and noise tested before we were allowed to get to the garage – rather a good idea actually.

We passed the noise test – just! And made our way to the garage. The garages are nice and big, so we managed to fit both race cars and support cars in there!

We signed on, and then sat around for a bit as we were already stickered up. The only thing we had to do was put on our new race numbers.

Phils:

Mine:

Mine are on magnetic vinyl so I can slap them on when I go out for runs. I also took the time to organise our garage.

Another great idea was the map of the track layout so we had a vague idea of where we were going! We weren’t pleased however with this layout as it used a lot of the oval, with a few coned chicanes. Useless for the MR2’s as it would favour powerful cars with turbos.

It was soon time for the briefing, and then a dash to get the cars ready for the sighting laps, basically each driver has to do two laps in convoy so we knew where the course went. As Phil takes the passenger seat out of Humphrey for sprints, I blagged a lift with a MR2 20v conversion.

The course was as we thought. Lots of high speed straights and long speedy corners, with a few chicanes thrown in for good measure. I was a bit apprehensive as the last time we drove Humph at high boost, he threw a hose off, and this track would obviously require lots of revs.

The next stage of the day after the sighting laps, is two untimed runs. Again this is to get a feel for the course and the speed, whilst not ruining your chances. Phil went out first, took it steady and returned back in one piece. I was feeling nervous but got in, joined the queue, and once the light went green, I remembered why I do this!

It was the 16th of July, the last time I drove a car on track, three days before I broke my ankle. I’m really pleased because I remembered to stay smooth and calm, not brake too early, and get back on the throttle quickly. I was also pleased Humphrey didn’t blow up!

The track was actually quite good fun. After the start was a tight hairpin which got you on to the main straight. Lots of drivers managed to get sideways here! Quick dash down the main straight, to a tight left down the banking. A smooth right hander took you back up the banking, at one point you were looking right at the wall before having to turn a sharp left. Back down the banking and then following the track round , another couple of squiggles and then you were going back up the banking. Final straight bit took you slightly down hill, then a sharper left and right chicane and a short dash to the finish.

Took Humph back to the garage for a short rest, then it was Phils turn for the second run. As we share the car, we generally are non stop, although there were teams there who had three drivers per car and that really doesn’t stop! Phil came back from his run and said he had pushed harder, great, as Humph was still going strong.

I queued again and was right at the front of the queue waiting for the light to go green, when a marshall opened the door and told me I was losing water from the back. I had to come out of the queue and drive carefully back to the garage. We were losing coolant. Oh dear, Humphrey needed a wee.

Lifted the engine cover and Phil went to open the expansion tank, perfectly safe to do this on a hot car as this shouldn’t get pressurised. I said shouldn’t. It was.

Unfortunately, this meant Phil got very very hot coolant all over his hand as he opened the cap. We were lucky to be in a garage as we had a sink in the corner so he was straight there to douse it in cold water, but it was soon evident that it was badly scalded, and he was taken in an ambulance to the circuit medical centre. Unfortunately they did not have the correct dressings, so I had to zoom out to a minor injuries centre in Corby to get him sorted out. At this point, we hadn’t even started to investigate the coolant issue!

Fortunately, we weren’t very long at the medical centre, and when we returned found the cavalry had arrived, in the form of a number of our friends. I’m sure they would rather have seen us on track but instead had to help diagnose our problem!

We filled Humph back up with coolant, and made the decision not to go back on track. The plan was to limp home and if we had a problem, call the RAC once we were clear of the circuit. So we spent an enjoyable afternoon with our friends, spectating, but with a bitter taste in our mouths, wanting to be out there getting a time, and worrying what was wrong with the car.

We managed to get home without overheating and the first plan is to get some more ‘O’ rings to see if that was the problem. Feel a bit bad now as we probably could have had a few runs (I even considered taking my road car out) but we didn’t want to take the risk. The good thing is that this season, we are allowed to ‘drop’ a round, so obviously now we will have to drop this one. This would probably have been the round we would have dropped anyway, as we were taking care of the engine, and also the circuit didn’t really suit the car.

So now I really can’t wait til next time! Phil’s favourite circuit too so I hope we can get some good times!

Zirax · 01-04-2009, 10:00

It was a bit of a surprise when I went back into the garage and saw coolant everywhere with Phil running his hand under a tap

I now have a list of bits to do on mine.
New pads all round (they were killed)
Look at harness install
New front end, new bumper
Fit new headlights
Run around with a screwdriver and remove bits.
Install fire extinguisher

Some of this was planned before the season started but it was just too cold.

Nutcase · 04-04-2009, 08:28

Ouch bad luck phil

Hope no serious damage.

Um, one thought though, expansion tanks are always pressurised on a hot engine. It serves to raise the boiling point of the coolant a little. Hence the sprung cap

Hope you get the fault sorted!

kaiowas · 06-04-2009, 17:31

Not on the mk1, the expansion tank is outside the pressurised part of the system, the pressure cap is on the top hose and is connected to the expansion tank in such a way that when the cap blows off excess pressure it vents into the expansion tank which is also vented to atmosphere (meaning no pressure can build in there)

Unfortunately the tank is also connected to a hose which is used to let air out of the thermostat housing when bleeding the system. Under normal conditions this hose is totally sealed off and deosn't see hot coolant however the 'o' rings where it seals at the bleed point were shot so it was feeding hot coolant at pressure into the tank at such a rate that the vent to atmosphere wasn't big enough to prevent pressure build up.

Nutcase · 06-04-2009, 18:46

Ah right. Strange setup! Bad luck.

CaptRugWash · 06-04-2009, 22:04

Interesting read, never driven a MK1 but I sprint in a MK2 N/A MR2. Excellent and underestimated cars, especially once you sort out the OEM handling issues.

vix · 07-04-2009, 09:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptRugWash

Interesting read, never driven a MK1 but I sprint in a MK2 N/A MR2. Excellent and underestimated cars, especially once you sort out the OEM handling issues.

Cool, do you fancy having a go at TSS?

21-03-2009, 22:56	#41
kaiowas The Stig Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fightertown USA Posts: 1,458	Dunno what you're nervous for. I'm the one who will have buggered up our season if this engine plays up and I'm the one who'll have to fix it too __________________ Anal Fish Porn

21-03-2009, 23:12	#42
vix Penelope Pitstop Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,426	Oh yeah I did a really stupid thing today too Put the alternator loost in the boot, on the way home, chucked my car round a roundabout and heard a massive clonk from the back. Alternator had gone flying and has dented the rear wing from inside the boot and cracked the paint. Doh __________________

25-03-2009, 23:03	#43
vix Penelope Pitstop Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,426	22/3/09 Whilst we were out on our test run, Phil had noticed the steering was heavy, so we took off the front wheel to make sure everything was ok. He had previously fitted a new anti roll bar and the droplinks it came with are slightly different. Here you can see how they have been too big and fouling on the arch: So he replaced the new droplinks with the old ones. Here you can see how the bolt head sticks out too much on the new droplinks. Once that was done, he fitted the rear anti roll bar. I took a picture so you can see how the new ARB is a lot thicker and therefore a lot stiffer. Whilst Phil was doing this, I gave Humphrey his first wash in who knows how many months and attacked him with T-Cut and eventually the polishing machine, in order for him to look pretty for his first outing! He had faded a lot again, as is the issue with old red cars :/ However he does scrub up quite well with a bit of elbow grease, T Cut and polishers! __________________

31-03-2009, 22:44	#44
vix Penelope Pitstop Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,426	29th March 2009 Unlike the wet and windy Saturday, Sunday dawned bright and dry, although rather cold. Perfect fast driving weather! We set off early from the hotel (didn’t want TOO much of an early start!) in convoy with a fellow competitor (Zirax/ Matt). Good job we convoy’d too as I manage to forget to put our bag in the boot so Matt had to pick it up! We got to the circuit, through the fantastic Exhaust Appreciation Tunnel, (no revving of engines before 9:30, honest!) and were scrutineered and noise tested before we were allowed to get to the garage – rather a good idea actually. We passed the noise test – just! And made our way to the garage. The garages are nice and big, so we managed to fit both race cars and support cars in there! We signed on, and then sat around for a bit as we were already stickered up. The only thing we had to do was put on our new race numbers. Phils: Mine: Mine are on magnetic vinyl so I can slap them on when I go out for runs. I also took the time to organise our garage. Another great idea was the map of the track layout so we had a vague idea of where we were going! We weren’t pleased however with this layout as it used a lot of the oval, with a few coned chicanes. Useless for the MR2’s as it would favour powerful cars with turbos. It was soon time for the briefing, and then a dash to get the cars ready for the sighting laps, basically each driver has to do two laps in convoy so we knew where the course went. As Phil takes the passenger seat out of Humphrey for sprints, I blagged a lift with a MR2 20v conversion. The course was as we thought. Lots of high speed straights and long speedy corners, with a few chicanes thrown in for good measure. I was a bit apprehensive as the last time we drove Humph at high boost, he threw a hose off, and this track would obviously require lots of revs. The next stage of the day after the sighting laps, is two untimed runs. Again this is to get a feel for the course and the speed, whilst not ruining your chances. Phil went out first, took it steady and returned back in one piece. I was feeling nervous but got in, joined the queue, and once the light went green, I remembered why I do this! It was the 16th of July, the last time I drove a car on track, three days before I broke my ankle. I’m really pleased because I remembered to stay smooth and calm, not brake too early, and get back on the throttle quickly. I was also pleased Humphrey didn’t blow up! The track was actually quite good fun. After the start was a tight hairpin which got you on to the main straight. Lots of drivers managed to get sideways here! Quick dash down the main straight, to a tight left down the banking. A smooth right hander took you back up the banking, at one point you were looking right at the wall before having to turn a sharp left. Back down the banking and then following the track round , another couple of squiggles and then you were going back up the banking. Final straight bit took you slightly down hill, then a sharper left and right chicane and a short dash to the finish. Took Humph back to the garage for a short rest, then it was Phils turn for the second run. As we share the car, we generally are non stop, although there were teams there who had three drivers per car and that really doesn’t stop! Phil came back from his run and said he had pushed harder, great, as Humph was still going strong. I queued again and was right at the front of the queue waiting for the light to go green, when a marshall opened the door and told me I was losing water from the back. I had to come out of the queue and drive carefully back to the garage. We were losing coolant. Oh dear, Humphrey needed a wee. Lifted the engine cover and Phil went to open the expansion tank, perfectly safe to do this on a hot car as this shouldn’t get pressurised. I said shouldn’t. It was. Unfortunately, this meant Phil got very very hot coolant all over his hand as he opened the cap. We were lucky to be in a garage as we had a sink in the corner so he was straight there to douse it in cold water, but it was soon evident that it was badly scalded, and he was taken in an ambulance to the circuit medical centre. Unfortunately they did not have the correct dressings, so I had to zoom out to a minor injuries centre in Corby to get him sorted out. At this point, we hadn’t even started to investigate the coolant issue! Fortunately, we weren’t very long at the medical centre, and when we returned found the cavalry had arrived, in the form of a number of our friends. I’m sure they would rather have seen us on track but instead had to help diagnose our problem! We filled Humph back up with coolant, and made the decision not to go back on track. The plan was to limp home and if we had a problem, call the RAC once we were clear of the circuit. So we spent an enjoyable afternoon with our friends, spectating, but with a bitter taste in our mouths, wanting to be out there getting a time, and worrying what was wrong with the car. We managed to get home without overheating and the first plan is to get some more ‘O’ rings to see if that was the problem. Feel a bit bad now as we probably could have had a few runs (I even considered taking my road car out) but we didn’t want to take the risk. The good thing is that this season, we are allowed to ‘drop’ a round, so obviously now we will have to drop this one. This would probably have been the round we would have dropped anyway, as we were taking care of the engine, and also the circuit didn’t really suit the car. So now I really can’t wait til next time! Phil’s favourite circuit too so I hope we can get some good times! __________________ Last edited by vix; 31-03-2009 at 22:47.

06-04-2009, 17:31	#47
kaiowas The Stig Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fightertown USA Posts: 1,458	Not on the mk1, the expansion tank is outside the pressurised part of the system, the pressure cap is on the top hose and is connected to the expansion tank in such a way that when the cap blows off excess pressure it vents into the expansion tank which is also vented to atmosphere (meaning no pressure can build in there) Unfortunately the tank is also connected to a hose which is used to let air out of the thermostat housing when bleeding the system. Under normal conditions this hose is totally sealed off and deosn't see hot coolant however the 'o' rings where it seals at the bleed point were shot so it was feeding hot coolant at pressure into the tank at such a rate that the vent to atmosphere wasn't big enough to prevent pressure build up. __________________ Anal Fish Porn

01-04-2009, 10:00	#45
Zirax Goes up to 11! Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,577	It was a bit of a surprise when I went back into the garage and saw coolant everywhere with Phil running his hand under a tap I now have a list of bits to do on mine. New pads all round (they were killed) Look at harness install New front end, new bumper Fit new headlights Run around with a screwdriver and remove bits. Install fire extinguisher Some of this was planned before the season started but it was just too cold.

04-04-2009, 08:28	#46
Nutcase Moonshine Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Chelmsford, innit! Posts: 3,979	Ouch bad luck phil Hope no serious damage. Um, one thought though, expansion tanks are always pressurised on a hot engine. It serves to raise the boiling point of the coolant a little. Hence the sprung cap Hope you get the fault sorted!

06-04-2009, 18:46	#48
Nutcase Moonshine Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Chelmsford, innit! Posts: 3,979	Ah right. Strange setup! Bad luck.

06-04-2009, 22:04	#49
CaptRugWash Columbian Coffee Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: On tour, washing rugs. Cumming to a rug near you! Posts: 61	Interesting read, never driven a MK1 but I sprint in a MK2 N/A MR2. Excellent and underestimated cars, especially once you sort out the OEM handling issues. __________________

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