November 6th
UPDATE! - Bad (L)Imp’s Back
Hi guys, for those who don’t know I’ve broken my leg, pretty badly, badly enough to need five screws and a titanium plate!
This has subsequently slowed work to a snails pace, as I have to do everything on crutches, hopping or sat down. But I have finally got together enough work to warrant an update
I have been thinking about my inlet manifold, initially I was going to get one made by the Bogg Brothers, I sent everything off to them and waited patiently. After five weeks of zero progress I decided to cut my losses and just get them to send it back to me, the £20 postage loss incurred I consider as learning costs!
Instead of spending money for them to do it, I am going to spend the money on tools and materials and make it myself. I have a pair of flanges in steel from a nice chap on the imp club, one to suit the imp head and one to suit the CBR TB’s. I decided to join these together using stainless 90 degree bends tapered and shaped to suit, sounds easy doesn’t it? Well its not!
I started by working out the amount of material to remove from each circumference to achieve the correct diameter, this was translated to a card template –
This was then transferred onto a bend –
And the section was cut out using a 1mm dick in the angle grinder –
Then the shaping could start, and it went wrong! The material was very difficult to manipulate and ended up in a right state
Another solution is needed, I think that I am now going to go with a composite bend made in carbon with the steel flanges at either end, this is one of the many things on the to-do list
With the TB’s back from the Bogg brothers I could put my finished trumpets on and see how they looked –
mmmmm, I like! You like?!
After the little disaster with the inlet manifold, I decided to have another crack at the inlet plenum. With the shape pretty much there I put the fillet around the bottom edge with body filler –
This was smoothed, then painted with primer and sprayed with about 5 coats of white, flatting and smoothing between each coat.
Once the paint had gone hard I could polish it, put a coat of wax on followed by a coat of blue PVA release agent.
I then made up a template for the glass, I allowed for some material to tuck in at each corner to improve strength. This was placed on to the fabric and then a light dusting with grey primer was sprayed on to show the edges –
This was then cut out –
I used three layers of glass and a clear gel coat, this was left overnight to go off completely.
The next day I had to remove the mould from the buck, I was nervous at this point, had it worked? Was it going to release? Would it stay in one piece?
I wacked it with a rubber hammer to break the seal between the buck and PVA –
Then levered with a monster screwdriver, it was on there damn tight –
A bit more pulling later and it was off! The buck got mashed in the process, and the mould was slightly damaged from the screw driver, the little gouges were later fixed with a dab of gel coat and some rubbing down.
I prepared the mould with a flat back, polish, wax, and PVA as I had with the buck. Then gel coat was applied and left to set, in the mean time I went about cutting the carbon for the plenum. The carbon I have got is much heavier than I initially thought, this makes is hard to form around curves and also cut to shape.
I used the template again –
Then proceeded to lay up the mould, this was difficult with the carbon being very stubborn around the edges and corners. I think that it would be possible to make it easier if cut into separate sections, and also a roller used to expel the air.
The finished plenum came out better than I had first thought, but not up what I want it to be like. So another shall be laid up, possibly in a lighter fabric?
What it can be like, to top came out fine –
Area where the carbon wouldn’t lay flat –
Doesn’t look too bad –
Once the manifold is made up then I can actually try running the car! Whoop whoop, the end is almost in sight guys!
J