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Jun 11, 2015 15:24:11 GMT
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I finally managed to get to the rolling road on Friday. I had got the engine running on the ECU but was not running so well. I had driven the car to last years National on the dizzy and found it to be really 'cammy' and not nice to drive at all!!! It was still the same with the ECU controlling the ignition!! After the first run the car was producing about 55rwhp.......... We checked the obvious as the way the engine was acting was like the cam timing was out. The timing light agreed with what i had on the ECU but it dawned eventually that as the timing light was now acting from a coil pack, the timing light was seeing 2 pulses not the normal 1! This meant i had the ignition very retarded  Once this was taken into account, the 'offset' i needed in the ECU to take into account the trigger wheel position was only -2 degrees. Which proved i had mounted that all correctly at last! Soon after a few pulls the engine was up where it been last year and with the new higher CR it seemed to have a bit too much fuel running rich. Coming down in jet size meant that the engine was back to 12:1 ish. Then we mapped the ignition, which took a while, but in the end the headline figures appeared much the same as last time!! However, the print out below shows this run along with the runs last year corrected to the same figures. The ECU control appears to have cleaned up the top end and although through the rev range does not add anything much it certainly does on the road.  I got on the rolling road at 14:30 and came away at 19:30!! We had a few interuptions to let others on and have quick tunes but it was a bit of a long one.......... So it now goes without much trouble. The only real problem is the carbs where they come off the idle circuit onto the mains and the progression is all wrong giving it a bit of a flutter but it is SO much better compared to the dizzy. Now to create the injection system - first job is to find some injector bungs i can weld/stick onto the new steel inlet manifold. |
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Jun 11, 2015 15:29:10 GMT
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I have taken a screen shot showing the Ignition Map.  That is what we ended up with. Now that i have 2.2 quick rack i found the steering a bit heavy at low speeds due to the wheel being a bit far away! I had set the seat to accomodate my legs but it left the steering wheel it bit far away. I had a spare steering wheel in the garage so fitted that - its a 14" rather than 12" and also sits closer to me by 2". It feels much more comfortable but the proof will be in two sundays time. |
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Jun 13, 2015 11:36:45 GMT
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And so 2010 began: And here is how the coil pack is mounted.  |
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Jun 13, 2015 11:37:15 GMT
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Sunday saw the Tiger out for the first event of the year. Devizes and District MC run Auto Solo at Longleat in the Coach car park. I finished 5th in class which was smack in the middle and to be honest i was surprised i beat anyone! The trick was not getting any wrong tests i suppose...... The tests proved to be a bit tight for my Tiger but i had fun when the tests opened up a bit and allowed a bit movement from the rear. I will upload some video to You Tube as soon as i replace our home PC which has died. The car ran very well and even though was off the cam for half the test was still tractable which vindicates the mapped ignition. We had one boil over when the fan feed came loose off the fan controller but easily fixed. My good friends John and Steve came with me and spent the day amusing them selves and trying to keep warm with changing tyres and disconnecting the rear ARB. Did not make a lot of difference to be honest but is getting them in practice for the real events :-) The car attracted plenty of interest and interest in the club from some of the D&DMC and Bath MC members. There was a Sunbeam there too and the owner is not in ASOC but he was very interested in our championship - he does Tarmac rallies, Sprints and Hillclimbs, so i shall try and chivvy him up to join up and register. Next event is Bristol CC Sprint at Castle Coombe on 27 March if i can get an entry as its a British round and a ASWMC round and an ASOC round (well for me at least!! :-) ) I have been round Castle Coombe a few times but never in a Sprint so the 2.75 laps should be fun.  |
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Last Edit: Jun 13, 2015 11:39:02 GMT by nevtiger
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Jun 13, 2015 11:38:40 GMT
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I mentioned i had fitted a different steering wheel. The wheel is approx 14" in diameter and its alot easier to move the steering with the 2.2 rack with this wheel! It actually came in the boot of the Tiger when i bought it but i do not know what make it is etc. It did not quite fit when ifirst tried it and i had to modify the plastic bit that turn the indicators on and off slightly for the wheel to fit.   The wheel rim is now 2-3" closer to me as well |
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Jun 13, 2015 11:40:01 GMT
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I noticed the rear diff pan dripping some oil recently so removed it to re seal it all. I noticed upon removal that the 5 lower bolts were all subject to some 'thread stress' so i decided to use some helicoil repairs as the original threads werre on their last legs.
At the same time i took the chance to have the axle brace mounting blocks machined slightly as when installed, the brace was not even along its length due to the blocks being slightly different lengths. A max of 2mm has come off and it fits up nicely now.
An oil leak from the engine has been traced to a loose fuel pump mounting!! The engine is captive mounted and causes alot of extra vibration which i have noticed causes stuff to work loose much more easily........... but the engine is lower and does not move so there are benefits!
I now have the fuel injector bosses machined up and at the same time had some old 32mm chokes taken out to 40mm for fitting back in the weber body on the ones that will be used as throttle bodies. I shall do the same to the auxillary chokes and then the carbs will be 40mm straight through.
I need to now mount the injector bosses on the inlet manifold and get some fuel rail made up as the next stage.
No photos as my home pc ist kaput.
MOT runs out soon but i don't think it will have any problem passing (guess now it will fail on lots......) and the insurance is up for renewal. Adrain S Flux are quoting £148 but Jon has just insured his rally SUneam for £130 (both fully comp) with Frizzells so i need to check that out.
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Jun 13, 2015 11:40:34 GMT
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Well the Tiger failed the MOT today. All of the failure points were a suprise! The chassis has a small crack just behind the off-side BRB mount and the hand brake lever mounting had cracked around the captive nuts. The hand brake had run out of adjustment - again - its a never ending bloody ponce about trying to get the rear brakes to be adjusted correctly. Wheel and drum off, adjust, put back etc. I did it before the last event but of course it needs doing after each event it seems, so only myself to blame. Rear discs for my birthday i think........... He also failed it because when the rear axle drops down the rear springs become dislodged. They are 9" so yes they do but that has never been tested before so i was bit miffed that he was so bothered about it. I asked him that on retest if i had fitted a longer spring or a temporary strap just for the MOT then he would pass it to which he replied as long as the spring does not dislodge then he would. He was a younger tester so i guess he goes by the book, so i made it quite clear that this is how it lives and how it will stay after the MOT and he said he understood. Where has common sense gone? Ok rant over. So a bit of welding to do, new hand brake cable and yet again drums off to pick up the slack and i should be good to go once i have fitted the longest springs i can find  However, the insurance quote came good. With all mods declared, 5k miles, 5k value and rally event cover it came to £118. Fully Comp ;D I shall check them for the Lotus now.  |
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Jun 13, 2015 11:41:04 GMT
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I have just renewed the insurance with Frizzels on their Vintage policy and with a CSMA discount it has come out at £118 fully comp, 5000 miles and £5000 value (although i may change this) and includes National B rally cover.
Adrian S Flux wanted £148 and had already taken it out of my account that i had used last year to pay for it. I was not very impressed with that! When i rang to have a bit of a grumble that asked what my reasons for leaving were and i stated better cover for less money and they then stated that if the cover was the same they would beat it! This annoys me - i know its the way of business - but it still winds me up.......... give me your best price first time not when i say i am off!
Hessh, i sound like my Dad.
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Jun 13, 2015 11:44:20 GMT
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Here is what i did to satisfy the MOT with some axle straps, i also took the oppurtunity to double skin the chasis where it goes over the axle to add some strength for the axle strap loading and general strength.   The handbrake mounts i double skinned as well, also had to add a captive nut for the rear mount  My welding is almost at the point where i am not embarassed about how it looks! A long way to go though before it looks 100% The injector bosses and the bored out weber chokes:  And where they will most likely sit on the inlet manifold:  I started on the front chassis and found both sides are a bit thin just behind the BRB mounts so once a have filled the holes with new metal may just fit the double skin strengthening kit i have in stock as well. The only major problem will be dropping the front crossmember but i shall see over the coming week. |
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Jun 13, 2015 22:02:37 GMT
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Got up this morning and as i have the day off i thought i might cut the rot out of the off side front chassis member, let in a new peice of metal, remove the front suspension, remove the anti roll bar, remove the cross member whilst suspending the engine, clean both chassis legs back to bare metal and fit the chassis strengthening kit i have under the bench. I had fitted various parts of the this kit but not the front chassis skins. I have now. I wont do it again unless the car is a bare shell and has just come back from being blasted............     The existing chassis rails are quite thin in places so when it goes next time it will need new chassis rails, hopefully that will be a long way in the future  Give me a wiring loom or an ECU to programme next time......... |
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Jun 13, 2015 22:03:34 GMT
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Whilst i was 'mucking' about with the car last week i also took the oppurtunity to have a rethink with the front chassis brace. The original one i had fitted had come from one of the Lotus' i have had and was made out of some 4x2" box to which i had added aditional bracing back to the crossmember parallel to the chassis. It was heavy.
Therefore, i cut out the 4x2" box and remade it using some 38mm CDS roll cage tube which was under the bench and lightened the additional chassis braces with a tedious period on the pillar drill.
It is now much lighter - 50%.
Which got me to thinking about the rest of the car. In my class i have to retain glass and operative windows with the winding gear, all interior trim except carpets (which have gone along with all sound deadening material) and steel panels accept bonnet and boot. I have yet to fit fibreglass bonnet and boot lid but there is not much other lightening i can do on a large scale!
I did think that maybe changing the AP cast calipers to the AP forest caliper would save weight and changing to tubular suspension parts also - but i am not sure i would get away with that yet!
Though not much scope for weight reduction...........
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Jun 13, 2015 22:04:03 GMT
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Only one problem on Saturday at the Sprint, the Minilite Sports very slightly rubbed the calipers. That was easily sorted on the day by some fine file wielding by Jon, Here is his car on a very rare outing from its garage  Today i turned my attention to carrying on with the fuel injection system and getting all of the sensors finished. I had been wondering where to put the ECU water temp sensor so i got an old spare head out and had a poke about until i decided where i could drill the head on the car. Here is where i decided to put it:  I drilled the head and tapped it all in situ.  It is tucked up under the top hose nicely and is not too noticeable but easily accessible. I also thought i might check clearence with my 15" wheels as i intend to use these at Colerne as its a fast track apperently like Combe. The front has just enough and the rear is tight but does not touch but only a road test will prove that!!!!  |
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Last Edit: Jun 13, 2015 22:06:36 GMT by nevtiger
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Jun 13, 2015 22:08:06 GMT
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Jun 13, 2015 22:13:00 GMT
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I decided to get the car weighed to see exactly how heavy it was and then keep a track on any savings i can make.
So with 25 litres of fuel in - i run 5 liters or less on track but 25 meant i could get to the bridge and back - and exactly the same trim it went round Castle Combe in i took it to near Salisbury.
The result was:
Fronte Axle 500Kg
Rear Axle 420Kg
Total 920Kg
Front/rear 55%/45%
Not bad distribution but a bit heavy!!!!!! The only big weight loss i can do is fibre glass bonnet and boot lid. So maybe i will get it sub 900Kg not a patch on a stripped rally or race car.
I also found that the rear off side wheel arch has less clearance on my 195/55x15 tyres then is healthy so the rear wheel arches need rolling before i can use these tyres on events, something for the summer :-)
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Jun 17, 2015 15:51:25 GMT
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I got the inlet manifold back late last week now with the injector bosses welded on:   I now need to get the fuel rail and then i can start building up the injection system. I also managed to fit the new replacement LC-1 and check it was working with my new lap top today. The LC-1 is in and the ECU is seeing the input and displaying an AFR, the water temp is also working now. This means i can now self tune when i get the fuel system finished. The AFR with carbs is all over the place at idle though, not helped by a large overlap cam, but at least its working ready for the switch over! |
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Jun 17, 2015 15:51:52 GMT
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So i cleaned up the injection manifold today to get rid of the 'over weld' on the inside and then gave it a coat of primer. I am getting a fuel rail machined to my injector centres and once that is here i can then work out and install the fuel system.
Took of the bottom pulley off and checked everything and it all seemed fine. With it all cleaned up i used a spare bolt and washer from another engine and re-fitted the bottom pulley. This time a made sure i used thread locking compound and i did it up another 10ftlb.....
I shall see if that keeps it on. Will give the car a road test on Sunday so get out the way if you are on the A303 in the afternoon ;D
Made up the aluminium panels for the mk2 version of my centre consel which will house the extra relays for the injection system as well.
Next event will be Gurston on the 19th June - as long as i get an entry.
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Jun 17, 2015 15:56:43 GMT
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Drove to Gurston and hada good time with the car behaving its self and me driving a bit better than i normally do! Here is some in car of the first practice run which was my first time up the hill. For those that have done Gurston check out the use of third gear at the Hollows! I was flat in fourth on my final run. My terminal speed across the finish line was 68mph (Sunbeam Lotus tends to be above 70mph......) the fatsest of the single seaters was 135mph. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sgALyT5aO-Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I tried some newer and softer tyres i borrowed off Steve today just to convince me that mine have gone off. It was like a different car! One thing i noticed was that the inside rear wheel was spinning up in a few places which i have not had since i changed from a Quaiffe to a Salisbury plate LSD. It maybe in need of an overhaul as it did a lot od work in the back of PLE before moving to OPK. Also driving up hill really makes me want more power.......... or add so lightness. Any one doing carbon fibre bonnets and boot lids?  On the way home stopping off to drop Steve and Jon back home  A good day and a few new bits learnt about the car. The diff seems to need rebuilding and i use a group 2 PTS box and the gap between 1 and 2 (even though 1 is high) is really large still so maybe i need to look at different ratios as it would really help with a smaller gap twixt 1 and 2! |
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Jun 17, 2015 15:59:15 GMT
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I moved forward again with injecting the car when i went and picked this up from Adrian:  That is the wiring, relays and fuses necessary to run the injection, coils and ECU. I wanted everything to be rear entry to tidy it up so the wires are behind the panel. Luckily Adrian had these relay bases:  They are an Audi (VAG) part and come as a strip of 8 to be mounted in one of the range. However, as a strip of 8 (and only 8) the base is over £250 trade i was lucky that a full Historic BDA Mk2 had just been done by Adrian and he had 2 individual bases that had been cut off 2 strips (gulp!) and left. Apparently money is no object on Historic Escorts........... I have tidied them up ready for mounting on the panel. Trouble with rear entry for the wires is that the panel has to have lots of holes cut for the things to fit so yesterday afternoon i did alot of this:  My existing panel with the fuse box on came from some aluminium scrap that i had from the Bowler days but is 6mm thick and heavy. The new panel is much thinner and was supplied by James so along with the aluminium bolts i have hanging araound it should all be a bit lighter and nicer looking! The fuel rail will arrive next week and i am picking up another Range Rover pump later to have a look at. So apart from the pressure regulator and the fuel pipe i am ready to put it all together. Wont happen very quickly though!!!! |
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Jun 17, 2015 15:59:50 GMT
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A good event at the weekend with another Sprint at Colerne. It is interesting now as i am going back to events and can see what the car is doing rather than trying to learn the course!
This Monday showed that the car is having a whiff of understeer in high speed corners but that can quickly transfer to oversteer if i am not careful and in slow corners i have plenty of entry and mid corner oversteer.
Reading Alan Staniforths suspension book suggests that this will be affected by softening the rear end either by softening the rear springs or the rear anti-roll bar.
Another thing we are seeing is a fair amount of body roll which would suggest i need to go a bit stiffer on roll stiffnes! And it feels nervous when shifting one way to the other but that is probably because i am running 250/80 Bilstiens which i believe are forest rates.
If i can ever find the Tarmac race Bilstiens - 280/150 i think - that will cure that problem otherwise i will need to investigate other solutions. For example the AVO dampers strut insert will fit my Bilstien legs with a small modification so that is a possibility.
The class i run in is called A2 which is for road going cars with 'some' modification but i think i wont be able to do all that i need to keep up with the 200+hp Lotus Elises that keep coming out in this class! I did manage to beat one Elise and one MX5 this weekend though.......
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Jun 17, 2015 16:00:20 GMT
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I got the results from this weekends Sprint and find i finished 9th out of 11 starters in the class, beatingan MX5 and an Elise. The quickest Elise which won the class ddi the run 15% quicker than i did!  Of interest is that if i had entered in Class C2 which allows much more modification and slicks etc i would have won! No Elises in that class............... (rant over) Nev |
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