Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Busy couple of days - mixed bag of gardening and working on the Gemini. The car is now at the fully rolling chassis stage. Manage to do a bit of wiring today and check a couple of circuits - Horn works - Rad fan circuit works. Started to work through the indicator circuit and found I had run out of green and yellow wire - before I place an order I need to have a good look at what else is needed And had a bit of T Bone on today
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Last Edit: Jun 2, 2024 8:18:46 GMT by Darkspeed
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Managed a bit more work on the Gem today - in between yet more gardening Tightened up some bolts here and there and made a few more wire connections. Shortened the the rear loom - Will have to add some spare spade connections to the wiring supplies order.
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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I have a fuel filter regulator to fit on the car but I thought I had lost a part from it - as it happened bizzo had one that has a broken mounting casing so I could make a good one out of the two. On past cars I have always used the larger alloy reg with big connections - so the double stepped thing on the smaller glass ones had me wondering if it was the same bore throughout being a bit of a flow restriction. Turns out not - just cut the small end off and then open up the nozzle for the first few mm and its 6mm all the way. Its also worth having a peak inside as there is casting flash and area's around the nozzles inside that can be cleaned up as well - Lighter and higher flow potential Purchases made today with Vehicle Wiring Products and McGill - bought parts for a number of the projects while I was filling the baskets. The engine is now the final piece of the puzzle and it has been decided that a bit more work will done than originally thought. The flywheel had to be moved the other day as it was in the way and although it has been lightened in the past - its not enough so it will go with crank front pulley and clutch cover to be very lightened and the assembly fully balanced. We will have a look at the rods and may go at them with the grinders and give consideration to chopping bits off the crank - undecided as of yet. As part of the engine work we are going from +30 to +60. +90 was thought about but I decided 1660 was good enough. With the 234 Cam the engine has, it is advised to have the valve pockets in the pistons increased in depth to avoid contact. When I stripped the engine I was surprised to find standard depth pockets and no sign of contact. To be on the side of caution I had planned to get the valve pockets in the new pistons cut a little deeper but on inspecting the pistons today.... The pistons already have deeper pockets as standard
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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The parts arrived in quick order from the suppliers, so a start was made with the Panhard. Should get it finished over the weekend, and if I manage to get up the barn and check the measurements on Ruby I will get two finished. Two roll over bars and various bit of tube were put on order that should be here next week. Same as with the Panhard may as well order double and get bars for both cars done at the same time. That reasoning is also why the wiring parts quickly escalated in cost. The engine block was dropped off to be bored. They are pretty busy at the reconditioners so it will be a couple of weeks before it's ready for collection. I also got a new toy to play with for diagnostics. Would have made life a lot easier sorting the cooling issues on bizzo 's G15
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Last Edit: Jun 8, 2024 13:33:49 GMT by Darkspeed
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Tamber
Part of things
Shattered. Held together by spite and tape.
Posts: 318
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Looks a damn-sight better-suited for the job, too! I was trying to figure out what was going on with that "rose-joint" on the old one, only for it to eventually twig that it's just a bushing welded to a bolt? It's amazing the variety of parts we have available to us now, that make life so much easier
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-< Welder. Allegedly a mechanic. Bodger of Things >- * 1958? Bedford RL - Progress: Glacial. * 1994 Skoda Favorit - It's baaaaaaaack! * 2018 Herald Classic - Off the road, indefinitely.
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Looks a damn-sight better-suited for the job, too! I was trying to figure out what was going on with that "rose-joint" on the old one, only for it to eventually twig that it's just a bushing welded to a bolt? It's amazing the variety of parts we have available to us now, that make life so much easier Stratos kit uses the same bush on a bolt type fitting, as well as rose joints - They look a bit of a bodge but so many kits used them. Fitted - The Panhard really is low on these things. I will also have a look at doing something about the handbrake rod - I mean ......
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I will also have a look at doing something about the handbrake rod - I mean ...... That looks very like a Capri version of an English axle, with the handbrake cable/linkage hacked around to suit the new suspension. If that's the case, Superflex do a polyurethane bush to replace your knackered(they're always knackered, which is one of the reasons why Capris usually have curse word handbrakes) rubber one. At £6, it's a simple fix Have a LINK
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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That looks very like a Capri version of an English axle, with the handbrake cable/linkage hacked around to suit the new suspension. If that's the case, Superflex do a polyurethane bush to replace your knackered(they're always knackered, which is one of the reasons why Capris usually have curse word handbrakes) rubber one. At £6, it's a simple fix Have a LINKCheers for that link - that saved me a job - two will be dropped in the cart this week.
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Your cam choice, personally I wouldn’t bother with the 234. I’ve never really seen the point in it when the 244 exists. You have to go to a lot of effort in terms of engine prep to make the 234 fit: piston clearance, flow work, valve spring bases, vernier timing gear. And it’s for a reasonable gain, but the 244 offers more bottom end torque and a lot more top end. If you’re doing all that work, just use the 244 and be done with.
The others from that era of the Kent range: 224, it’s fine, it’s a warm street cam and needs very few engine mods to fit. It pretty much just drops in. 254 needs a LOT of clearancing work and it’s basically a race cam. The 244 is the one you want in a light car like that. It transforms the Kent into an absolute animal with twin Webers or Delortos. It also runs really well if you can find a Derrington inlet manifold for a single 45 👍
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 10, 2024 10:44:30 GMT
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Cheers Jonny69 - The cam choice was not mine, it was what was in the engine when I bought it and I have not really heard anything bad about it. However, I have read vastly differing reports about the 244, usually not great due to being incorrectly selected for a road going application. The 234 can be run without engine mods, as I have found and stated above. It runs without clearance issues with the standard pistons. However, the current aftermarket pistons have deeper cut outs than older pistons that would suit both the 234 and 244. There is no real need for a Vernier set up - offset dowels do the job just fine and likewise no real need for a duplex set up as a single chain is more than adequate unless really silly RPM's need very high valve spring rates. You can also do the engine without spring bases etc. A standard X-flow is good for about 7K with the upgraded rod bolts but only just as the pistons are so darn heavy. The 234 - runs power from 2000 - 7200 - Kent describe it as "The original and probably most successful x/flow fast road camshaft of all time" It's for good reason. The 244 - runs power from 3000 - 8000 - so a good chunk that's of no use to me and most of the driving time it will be off cam so far as to be not great to drive with. I would like to see back to back dyno curves with the 244 offering better low down toque than the 234 - most of the graphs and conversations about the 244 cam I have seen are about the massive hole in torque before 3000. I also have very different information on the single double choke set up's - The singles are a compromise for the rally class where only two chokes can be used - If you can fit twins you always fit twins. The engine will be getting twin Dellorto 40's on the longer manifold with 32mm chokes. The 244 is just too much cam for what I am aiming to build - The head has only had the work it has because I have a flow bench and between me and a mate we can get air into an engine. bizzo has a 244 in his Striker on twin DCOE 40's - currently trying to get the lower end fuelling sorted and a few miles on it before seeing if it all holds together When I have finished this build we will be able to compare them. Similarly the 244 was not his choice but what came in a bottom end he purchased - Given the choice he would have bought a 234 ! I take the hype about certain things with a pinch of salt - I mostly consider it people trying to get others to join them in a bad choice so that they are not alone in their misery
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Last Edit: Jun 11, 2024 9:14:22 GMT by Darkspeed
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 10, 2024 15:42:37 GMT
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Took a long weekend so I gave the box a clean. And did some input output rotation counting for the ratio's Which confirms that its the Escort Mk1/2 GT, Sport - 3.337 1.995 1.418 1 which I think is also known as the Type 2 Heavy Duty HD box. Cool Another job I need to do is to move the lever back 3" That is going to take a bit of thought as the bends need to be very shallow curves to get the ball round them. It just about goes round the current one...
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2024 15:46:56 GMT by Darkspeed
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Jun 10, 2024 19:06:29 GMT
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Wow, that’s a pretty snotty reply to a well-meaning post from someone who has run scores of hot crossflows and pre-crossflows over the last 30 years. Maybe from your other posts I shouldn’t be surprised that you know better. I take the hype about certain things with a pinch of salt - I mostly consider it people trying to get others to join them in a bad choice so that they are not alone in their misery Ok, whatever you say. I can tell you don’t know much about Ford gearboxes either. Do yourself a favour and get a 2000E.
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2024 19:07:39 GMT by Jonny69
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 10, 2024 19:32:36 GMT
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Not how it was intended - I guess there is no way of knowing what someone will read into what you think is a pretty innocuous comment about generalities.
And then finish it off by throwing insults - oh well.
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 12, 2024 16:48:29 GMT
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After giving the box a good clean, was not too caked in grime, I had thoughts about keeping in it's original semi gloss black finish . But as I had already paid for a 1/2 litre of signal Blue I figured I would brush on a coat and if I didn't like it it could always act as an undercoat for a coat of Black - As it happens I like the Blue. The reason I like this little box is because firstly, its what's I have. There is no intention of spending anymore on this car than required as its just a rebuild. Another is that its quite light at 29kg even though its cast Iron. It's the Heavy Duty version of the light duty type 2 (yep that does not mean much) - similar tail shaft to the Type E box and a closer set of ratio's than the standard boxes. It is also the box that Caterham used to replace the 2000E box when they became hard to source. In a light car with a good axle ratio they perform quite adequately. I found it quiet with a nice slick change. The entire drive train set up in this Gemini is now pretty much as an early 80's Caterham Seven Super Sprint. As this is just a car for whizzing about in on sunny days that fits the bill very well. The Gearcalc for this set up looks good enough to me, and as a mechanically sympathetic driver I do not see why the box should ever give any issues no matter how carp anyone else thinks it may be.
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Last Edit: Jun 12, 2024 18:25:45 GMT by Darkspeed
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From what I remember the biggest issue on those boxes when I ran escorts was the layshaft bearings and the fact they ran directly in the gear cluster so the whole lot had to be replaced. That was in a tweaked 1600 often used to tow a caravan though, Its Torque (including high impacts from driver use) that damages gearboxes Your much lighter car with rear wheel grip limiting the torque and a modern gear oil should greatly enhance it's life.
If you were to go to anything else I'd have thought a MX5 box on an easily available adaptor plate would be the way to nowadays.
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 13, 2024 14:11:45 GMT
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Replacing with an MX5 box, although a good option, does add up to a considerable sum of money and a lot of work.
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 14, 2024 18:09:31 GMT
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Having contemplated painting the entire box a high gloss Brown and stencilling Cadbury on the side I managed to shelve that idea and give the box a rub down and another coat of Blue. Now to me that looks a really tough box.... Tubebender delivered today - and no they do not do dog food as well. Bang on I may have them cut down and tacked over the weekend - see how the mood takes me. The bar for the soft top is just about right for height so that will do as a guide for how much needs to come off.
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Last Edit: Jun 14, 2024 18:39:24 GMT by Darkspeed
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 15, 2024 13:10:35 GMT
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Started doing a bit on the cage this morning. See if I can get it tacked up before I move on to wiring. Will have a look tomorrow at the positioning for the diagonal. The foot of the roll over bar is below the body work and I need to measure how far below it sits so that the diagonal is above it. Bit of Miles Davis today
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,755
Club RR Member Number: 39
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Jun 15, 2024 21:35:00 GMT
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All the best plans... But did manage to get the hoop chopped down to the right height and then tacked on as I want it. Hopefully it should not look out of place with and without the hood - If my judgement is right it should not interfere with the hood to the extent it does not work.
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