tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 23:07:43 GMT
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Up to TrackDayPerformance woefully early one morning, and got it kinda mapped, there was a problem with the ECU, I'd inadvertently blown something in it by wrongly wiring up the throttle pot. But it ran clean enough to use... just as well, as I was entered in a rally in a few days! Another bloomin' night rally, at that! That was my bestie JAckie "testing" it, obviously on a closed road, Officer....... It's all a bit snug in there, but it all fits. PAS, Full size battery, screenwash tank, servo and brake linkages etc. Individual filter socks aren't in any way ideal, but at that stage I was skint. and the lack of space wasn't helping. so as mentioned in the paragraph above, I had another rally looming, rapidly. Bear n mind I work 6 days a week, 9am-7.30ish pm usually A big bucket of MidNight oil , and fingers crossed, once again borrowed Keith's Cibie Oscars, and up on the trailer. The rally was in Carrick an Suir the same as my first ever one, and some stern opposition in the class. Another (professionally built in UK) 16v Ka, with 19o ish bhp , and a 1400cc Suzuki powered Escort Mk2, running around 200, with a serious pilot behind the wheel, chief amongst them . But tbh , I was just hoping for a clean run with nothing falling off my home-brewed special. Anyways, through scrutiny and out into the woods. This rally started in daylight, and ran into the night, the opposite to the first one I did. Rallying at night is equal parts insane, amazing, terrifying, exhilarating and fantastic. Everyone should do it at least once! Luckily , I had help from my friends in ETM rallying, ie Eoghan, Tom and Michael, plus my best friend Jackie. random shot of car in service... cos I like it. We were going ok, not setting records, but there or therabouts. I was rusty, and the lack of PAS wasn't helping (didn't refit it til after this rally), it was a lot heavier than I expected. Then, after what seemed like a "normal" pothole , or stone or similar, there came a sudden, loud, death clatter..... DUGGA DUGGA DUGGA DUGGA, like a conrod making a break for freedom. ......My heart fell out through my boots! A quick look around, water temp fine, no warning lights.... I lifted off and coasted... noise stayed the same. Hmmmmm..... dipped the clutch, revved it.... noise again, stayed the same! At that stage I was happy it wasn't the engine, so I reckoned it had to be in the gearbox. I swerved around a bit, tried the brakes, all seemed ok, or as ok as anything can feel on a surface made of big stones! so I said "fc0k it , she"ll go , or she"ll blow!" , so carried on til the end of the stage , albeit at way less than 100%. The noise seemed to ease too , which cheered us up somewhat. While waiting to start the next stage , I noticed I'd a soft wheel on the front, and one going down on the back too! Fired on the spare . Only one spare naturally with me, so had to put it on the front. Back in service.... holy Guacamole! the lads fired off the wheels.... rear wheel... Pretty shocking as these are quite tough and the rally tire is a high profile, hard carcass tire. But even more shocking was the front! same side. see that groove wore into the front one? That's where it was rubbing the Track rod end...... That was my dug a dug a dug noise! And the strangest , worrying thing , neither of us could recall hitting anything in particular! Anyways, swapped tyres onto undamaged rims, luckily the tires were ok, forestry ones being immensely strong in the sidewall. We'd lost a share of time over the aforementioned issue... and were happy just to keep going to get to the finish. However.. one of the opposition faded away in the night stages... then Emmett in the mental mk2 Escort got a puncture too..... all of sudden things got interesting... at the final reckoning , high on adrenaline and delighted to have it home just in one piece there was a pleasant reward for the debut with the cobbled together 16v Ka.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 21:57:16 GMT
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Up to now, aside from buying the engine, I'd spent sweet eff all, the wallet took a pounding for a bit then. The exhaust above was the first hit... Then a pair of Piper rally spec cams. Then uprated con rod bolts.. Oe on the left. I ported the head a bit, little to nothing in the actual ports, mostly just reshaped/tidied the throats and seat area, deshrouded the valve seat area and back cut the valves. Standard valves, but uprated springs with the rally cams. As an aside, if doing it now I'd find money for Hi-comp forged pistons, and use a head with bigger valves. stock head, just as I was starting Modded, better! And shiny! haha Not a bad head design, Yamaha designed it for FOrd. Exhaust is a bit compromised on No1 and 4, but otherwise ok. And plentiful, and cheap! Naturally , I couldn't reuse the Ka inlet mani... So a lot of head scratching and scrounging of bits of hardware hose, roll cage offcuts and steel plate... And a set of GSXR 600 throttle bodies, ended up with this.. Not the nicest thing I ever made, but space under the bonnet and an empty pocket over-ruled thoughts of an off the shelf solution. at least my standalone Motec ECU could work pretty much anything. I didn't want the bike injectors, so I whipped them out. But I reused the holes they were in for inlet vacuum, to work my fuel press regulator and brake servo. Really fancy, expensive fittings.... Or possibly bits of campervan water hose, I'll let you decide! lol. Fuelling was simple, the Zetec SE injectors are mounted directly into the head, not on the mani. I used 1.7 Puma ones, in the optimistic hope I'd need the extra fuel to go with my headwork. Again, more faffing about with wiring, fuel pipes etc. And I made a new exhaust, out of 2 inch pipe. the old one was a wee bit small bore I felt, and was tired anyway at this stage. Had to make subtle tweaks to the floor... But eventually... One fateful night... No trumpets, and not mapped, and running mad rich. It would idle, but as most people here probably know, with new cams you always keep changing the revs to bed them in.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 21:38:56 GMT
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on the 8v, heres the bigger, homologated Throtte body compared to a stock one. Bear in mind, when I fitted the 16v, it was like fitting a VW Tfsi engine to a mk1/2 Golf 5 years ago. Everyone reckoned it could be done, and there were a couple of threads online of one's done, but no real details and some of the work was rough enough, like the whole front panel chopped out, solid brackets for engine mounts, cut and shut driveshafts etc. None of which appealed to me, especially in the rough and tumble of competition. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, so when a rally mate bought a Puma 1.4 to repair his Super1600 Puma rallycar shell, I took it for a good spin to see how it drove, then did a deal for the engine and box. I really wanted to use my own gearset and diff however. So I hauled out the 1300 8v. The 1400 16v has a different bell housing, but the Puma and Ka use the same gearbox (IB5 is the Ford code), just with different Bell Housings, so I fitted the Puma BH to the Ka gearbox. That sorted 2 of the 3 engine mounts. Speaking of which , I beefed up the rear one and the LH one. The RHS one, not in any way shape nor form similar. I didn't want to chop too much in case I wanted to return the car to 1300 guise... So I propped the engine in what measured to be the right place, and made a bolt in Mount that would work. quite a snug fit, but it fit nonetheless! Just some sheet steel that was lying around and a "bobbin" type rubber mount that is typically used as a buffer for tractor cabs! I'll have to dig up some pics of it once I remember where I saved them. it's hiding behind the funnel here! I decided clearance around the PAS pump and alternator was too tight, so swapped them top to bottom when I took the engine out to finish the mounts etc. Nothing fancy, just a bit of steel lying around. Lot of careful measuring though to make sure the pulleys were exactly in line! I did a rally without PAS first, but with the faster PAS rack fitted ,but it was hard work, so I simply had to get the Pas pump installed. It's the original Ka one. Puma Engine, Puma BH on KA gearbox. I scored a slightly damaged Puma 1.7 sump on eBay, which is baffled as standard. Anyhoo, engine in, and fitting well, there was other faffing around with moving the rad and squeezing it in, and a fan, mix and match of coolant pipes, joining the Ka and Puma engine looms etc. The exhaust was a Fiesta 4 branch I had to modify, to clear the rhs driveshaft, runs close, but worked OK. Didn't damage the CV boot when rallying!
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 21:09:18 GMT
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I did a couple of seasons with the 1300, and tidied it up best I could, ended up with a new clutch, new mounts, bushings etc, stripped out loads of redundant wiring, improved the brakes and rebuilt the dampers. I was getting the hang of it, got a class win on Tarmac, and in a forestry rally in the Midlands, we were on fire, I was absolutely pegging it around and was leading the class (against cars with up to 190bhp and dog boxes!), when on a very fast downhill section, into a left and uphill....I picked another gear... and... nothing. A box of neutrals . I was gutted. It was only a little linkage in the inside of the box , but not a thing I could do stranded on the roadside. That spurred on the engine change idea... sumpguard gets a hammering in the woods.. exhaust sometimes too. typical forestry rally tire Oh, remember my Project Transvestite thread? Original 1300 powerhouse some of the redundant wiring one of several fupped engine mounts..
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 21:00:26 GMT
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 30, 2017 20:59:04 GMT
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on the back of this thread, retrorides.proboards.com/thread/156083/ford-ka-fiat-punto?page=5 , here's another of my projects. almost 20 year old, so darn near Retro! Ok , it started in '07 or '08 , while gonads deep into building myself a house , I got so fecked up of the stress of tradesmen breaking my heart , that I went off and bought a "cheap" rally car to blow off steam. I used to Kart , then AutoCross(similar to AutoGrass) and Night Navigaton trials (Road Rallying in the UK), and ours is a rallying house, so I had it in my blood. After looking at various options , and due to the fact it had to be a sub 1650cc car (you need to finish 4 rallies in a sub 1650cc before you can rally anything bigger in Ireland), I bought an ex Ka Challenge, Ka . The main reasons of picking it over say a Civic, or mk2 Escort were price, ease of repair, and the package that they came with for the money . So , brief spec, as received, it had a respectable bolt in cage, very good Sparco "wraparound" seats, ProFlex remote reservoir coilovers, several sets of wheels, Ford Motorsport ratios in the gearbox and a Torsen LSD, and a gutsy feeling engine running on Motec ECU . Said stove is the Endura 1300 , all cast iron , single cam , 8v , pushrod (ask your Father!) , with limited mods allowed by Ford for the class they ran in. $ branch, control cam, mild headwork, bigger throttlebody and injectors and the Motec. I eventually got it dyno'd at an earth quaking 95bhp/100lb ft torque . heady stuff indeed...... . On closer examination in our workshop, The car was in a bit of a state tbh, the wiring was a mess , tired bushes , brakes and gear linkages , hell even the speakers were still in the doors! But I patched what I could.... and entered my first rally a week or so later , with one of my best friends, Keith . It was in the woods near CarrickAnSuir in South Tipperary, with the rally starting in the very early hours....in Darkness! We robbed/borrowed the 2 Cibie Oscars off Keith's mk2 Escort, and dived into it, headlong and headfirst . first time rallying- and in the dark, first proper spin in the car , first time using pace-notes , and on fecked up and perished old knobbly tires ..... to say it was a culture shock is a total understatement . But oh Lordy.... the exhilaration, the sheer joy, and the feeling when I drifted through the final time control.... Well it honestly brought a lump to my throat. The car ran almost faultlessly all day aside from a scare with a weepy brake line , and whilst slow , we didn't make many mistakes , and collared 4th in class.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 27, 2017 18:30:47 GMT
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Same wheelbase give or take an inch as a mk2 Escort. Surprisingly heavy for a small car, the steel used in them is quite heavy gauge. Which makes the monumental rot problem all the more disappointing. It was partly because of the weight, especially up front that I changed from an all cast-iron lump to an all alloy.
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tristanh
Part of things
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Posts: 990
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I was gonna, but didn't think it was RetroRides worthy? Being a late 90s non sporting hatchback.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
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Posts: 990
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Oh and simple tweaks are, larger Puma master cylinder, reinforcements for the master cylinder as it flexes on its mount, Mondeo front calipers and Escort 260mm discs. I fitted Focus (larger) rear drums, and that stopped the wheel bearings failing. Also PAS wishbones give more caster than manual steering ones. Pas rack has over a turn less lock to lock too.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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I use (well did until my money ran out!) a Ka for rallying. Took out the 95 bhp 1.3 Endura cast iron lump and fitted a shed-modded 1400 Puma engine on GSXR throttle bodies. Dyno'd at 145 bhp, and a full alloy engine with induction at the front. Made it a tad nippier.... Currently being rebuilt, faster stronger safer lighter, better.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 26, 2017 23:58:08 GMT
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Ah right, I didn't realise you welded it up. Thanks.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 26, 2017 16:38:50 GMT
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Sorry, in the pic a few posts up, where you commented how you couldn't get a bulkhead fitting with a male and female.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 26, 2017 12:58:31 GMT
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Thanks guys, appreciate it.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 26, 2017 12:55:13 GMT
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I'm new here, and signed up purely for threads like this. Mind-blowing.
Do you mind showing or explaining how you made the bulkhead fitting work? Please.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 24, 2017 10:15:20 GMT
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Well, for me yes. It lives on in a different Ford Motorsports livery, and had a retro style roof rack fitted. And still gets used for service. The Brown Rs went to the UK, the rally car to Holland IIRC to become a historic racer. As said above, I went on to a 79 VW Lt, and we got a Cossack replica mk2. www.pathoranmotors.com/?p=1318
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 23, 2017 19:32:00 GMT
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A good family friend wants me to do the headgasket on his pride and joy, his fwd Elan. Now I work on loads of oddball stuff, everything from tractors to GrpB rally cars, so I don't mind a challenge. But have any of you RR members done one??
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
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Posts: 990
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Jan 23, 2017 19:24:18 GMT
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I did say that the guys we bought it off seemed dodgy.... They organised the plates!
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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Jan 23, 2017 16:18:11 GMT
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And a mite slower haha. I left the mechanical bits standard, with the intention of dropping in a newer gen Tdi, until a pair of Ford obsessed, rallying friends of Dad saw it, fell in Love, and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
I went on to replace it with another Feuer Wehr vehicle, this time a 1979 Vw Lt.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
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Posts: 990
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Jan 22, 2017 12:34:29 GMT
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Thanks folks. And even though it was gutless, I DID use it as a service barge, towing the mk1 and my forestry Ka, it always got smiles anywhere it went. It was noisy, stiff suspension, awkward gearbox, sharp on the brakes, and thirsty...... And I loved it.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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tristanh
Part of things
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Posts: 990
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An earthshattering v4 1.7!
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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