Track Preperation Part 1

General Meets + Track Day Reports
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  1. The motorsport roof. To be honest I am a little disapointed with this. Yes it is lighter, but it doesn’t feel much lighter (haven’t weighed them both yet, but I will) I thought that the motorsport roof had the full length really big roof scoop, that extends right to the front edge of the roof. But as you can see in the pics, it doesn’t.

Thats exacly what i thought when i saw the piccies

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WEighed mine at Mallory on Saturday…

deducting for the fuel, the empty weight is 775 Kgs (not bad for an audi with roll cage and extinguisher!!)

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Monday and today have been pretty slow and I forgot to take my camera, so there is also a distinct lack of pictures. Basically it has all been about getting the bag tank in properly.

There are three holes / hatches / plates (call them what you will) on the tank. To be installed correctly they have to be unbolted the tank is then offered up and the plate goes on the other side of the bulkhead and is then bolted to the tank. Basically the bulkhead is sandwiched between the top cover plate and the bag tank.

This job is nothing short of a complete bastard!!!

The three holes you have to cut in the bulkhead (one on the top on the filler side is for the filler and breather. One on the top on the passanger side is for the return and wiring for the internal pumps and one low down on the passanger side is the feed to the external fuel pump and the engine).

The holes obvioualy have to be in EXACTLY the right place (you basically have 2mm to play with). So the tank came in and out a zillion times trying to mark the holes etc. (the one low down for the fuel pump was by far the hardest)

In the end I figured it was impossible, so I cut large holes in the bulkhead, then made up ally plates with exactly the right sized holes in. I then sealed and bonded the plates to the bulkhead and bob was my uncle. This basically took a day and a half to do, by the time I had phaffed about then got the new ally sheet and cut the three pieces exactly to size etc etc. However it is all in now and I am waiting for the sealer to dry (takes 24 hours) before I bond the bulkhead in tomorrow.

Mind you I did get my weighing scales out and weighed a few bits out of interest. I will post up the various weights later.

Sean…

84

Sean

What did you use to bond/seal the plates you made up back into the bulkhead?

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Sean

What did you use to bond/seal the plates you made up back into the bulkhead?

Its like stickaflex, but it doesn’t melt with heat, and fuel or oil, doesn’t bother it. I can’t remember the name off the top of my head. It comes in a green tube though, if that helps. lol. Properly sticky man!!!

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Flubber?

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Wednesday morning was a bit of a sickener. I got to the workshop and tested out the newly bonded plates around the tank install. The plates that had taken me ages to get cut right and in the right position etc etc etc. Only for the first one I touched to come off in my hand. The sealant I had used had not adhered to the ally properly and had gone almost brittle (Maybe a temperature thing as it had been really cold on Tuesday night) So I took off the other two plates and scrapped all of the old dodgy sealer off.

Then it was off to B&Q to see what they had that would do the job properly. In the end I bought some chemical metal type stuff, some other cool looking black gloopy stuff and some clear general purpose sealant.

On went the chemical metal stuff and the plates were once again positioned and held in place. Thank fully this stuff didn�t take so long to dry and after a couple of hours had the plates held perfectly in place.

So then onto the bulkhead. I used some of the black gloopy stuff (which ended up being white!!) and some self tappers and the bulkhead went pretty much straight in.

I then used general purpose silicon (bathroom type stuff) to seal around all of the edges and along all of the joints. Finally the whole tank / bulkhead nightmare was over!!!

A celebratory KFC was had and suitably demolished!!!

Pic of Bulkhead from in the car.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/Bulkheadinstalledinside.jpg[/image]

Pic of bulkhead and tank install

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/BulkheadTankinstalled.jpg[/image]

I have ordered some self adhesive heat reflective sheeting, that I intend to cover the whole of the bulkhead and tank compartment with. This will neaten the whole thing up as well as obviously stopping me and the fuel tank getting hot.

Next I installed the battery and fire extinguisher bottle in the front of the car. The extinguisher bottle came with a bracket that was easy enough to bolt to the floor. I had a battery bracket knocking around, so after drilling a couple of holes in the rear on the front bulkhead, the battery was held in securely, but is really easy and quick to get in and out.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/BatExtinguisherIn.jpg[/image]

You can also see in the pic above I have redone the brake lines with braided hose. I haven�t cable tied it all up yet, but it will be all neat when I have finished.

The pic below shows the bias valve on the drivers side of the car.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/Brakebias.jpg[/image]

Again I haven�t cable tied it all up yet as I will wait until the wiring is back in for that and do it once and for all.

I decided to put the bias valve over on the drivers side as the car will have a passenger seat in it for track days and road use and I didn�t want some un suspecting passenger hitting the lever and changing the brake bias.

You can also see the fire extinguisher lines running inside the car. All of those are now in as well. The cage has little brackets pre welded onto it for the extinguisher nozzles to fit into.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/rightnozzle.jpg[/image]

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/Leftnozzle.jpg[/image]

The G cramp (there is one each side at the top) is simply holding the top of the bulkhead in place while the sealer goes off.

Back to the brake piping. On the standard cars the hard brake line runs down the middle of the car and passes up through the hole in the rear and T piece inside the fuel tank compartment. I couldn’t put it there as my fuel tank compartment is now TOTALLY filled with fuel tank, plus you can’t have any sharp edges in the fuel tank compartment for obvious reasons when you have a bag tank. I have routed the brake lines out through the hole at the bottom where the throttle cable goes and repositioned the T piece further back onto the crossmember that passes at the rear of the fuel tank compartment. This just makes the new pipe runs a bit nicer and puts the T piece out of the way.

I am pleased now with how its all coming on. This week has been a bit slow to be honest, with work getting in the way and it being so bloody cold!!!

Fingers crossed tomorrow will see the engine and box back in so I can position all of the various new bits and bobs around the engine bay.

The wiring loom is coming on, the pic below shows the scrap pile of wire that I have removed from the loom.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/removedwire.jpg[/image]

Still more to go, but its slow work when you have SKY TV to watch!!!

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Sean

Heat insulation sheet - just in case you haven’t actually ordered some yet, have a look here: http://www.agriemach.com/default.php?cPath=0_7&osCsid=ee9158549c17314048dc198e850bf723

I’ve recently got some for my car, to tidy up the bulkhead appearance

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Cheers Pesk, but yeah I have already ordered some. But I have booked marked that site, very useful for the future, thanks!!

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Finally the whole tank / bulkhead nightmare was over!!!

A celebratory KFC was had and suitably demolished!!!


Still more to go, but its slow work when you have SKY TV to watch!!!

LOL and so say all of us … superb… i’m on the edge of my seat…

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Sean

How come that pile of wires looks about the same size as the original pic ?.. and how the ferk is there so much to ditch ?

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LOL I know what you mean Rox. Its amazeing how much stuff you can remove.

OK off the top of my head things I have got rid of include:

Alarm and imobiliser (Bloody loads of wires and boxes and stuff)
Reverse light
Idle speed control valve
A/C wiring
Heater wiring
Map sensor wiring
Charcoal canister wires
Both side speed sensor wires (My speed sensor is going to be on a front wheel)
loads of wires that the original ecu used, but the Emerald doesn’t
horn
radio and speakers
original ECU diagnostic port and wires
Radiator fan wireing and relays.

I am obvioulsy having a rad fan, but on the AC cars it is sitched at two speeds and then it is switched differentlt when the AC is on and stuff like that, so I have ripped all of that out and I am going to start again with a simple on and off controlled by a simple temp switch.

I’m sure there is more that has come out, but thats all i can remember off the top of my head.

Sean…

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Oh I just found my little list of stuff that I had weighed.

These were all weighed on proper electronic corner weigh weighing scales, so they are pretty acurate.

Original roof - 10kg
New roof - 6kg
New drivers seat - 5kg
Original engine cover - 6kg
Motorsport engine cover - 3kg
Original petrol tank - 11kg
Bag tank - 7kg
Original door, with glass, hinge and mirror - 19kg
Engine with jenveys and airbox back plate (no exhaust, no alternator, no oil) - 92kg
Alternator - 5kg
Quaife 6 speed sequential gearbox - 50kg

Sean…

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Engine with jenveys and airbox back plate (no exhaust, no alternator, no oil) - 92kg

Must be your dodgy scales again Sean as I thought your engine should only weigh 75kg according to the details on the K-Series ‘discussion’ thread

Really fascinating to read about your progress and I can’t wait to see you out on track next year

Hopefully you’ll do some trackdays too where you will be able to see me in my ‘Red Tractor Engined’ car ploughing a furrow through the kitty litter,…ooo arrr

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Engine with jenveys and airbox back plate (no exhaust, no alternator, no oil) - 92kg

Must be your dodgy scales again Sean as I thought your engine should only weigh 75kg according to the details on the K-Series ‘discussion’ thread

LOL, this is just my standard VHPD. I will certainly weigh the new one when it arrives.

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Todays mission was to get the engine and box back together and then get them into the car.

The box went onto the engine pretty easily. It was a bit of a struggle though as I was on my own so wiggleing the box into place, then holding it while I got a couple of bolts in was a little trickey, but I got there in the end.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/engineboxtogether.jpg[/image]

Then dropping it into the car was pretty straight forward. A tip for anyone, make sure you get the engine balanced on the crane at roughly the correct angle as it sits in the bay. As it ws a bit tricky rocking the engine, letting the crane down and getting the bolts in on my own. lol. But with the help of a jack underneath holding the back side of the box up, I got there in the end.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/engineboxincarrear.jpg[/image]

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/engineboxincarrear2.jpg[/image]

I then got on with placing the fuel pump and fuel filter. It all goes in OK actually, but I didn’t fit them in permanently a I need the electric water pump before I do that, so I can make sure it all goes in OK. The water pump pretty much needs to go, in first as there is less leeway in its positioning as the water pipe pos out of the chassis where it pops out, so I have no say in that. The fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel pressure gauge sender, transmission cooler laminover and transmission cooler pump can be fitted where ever really.

The water pump ws supposed to be here today, but it didn’t show, but I have been promised it for tomorrow morning.

I then got onto making the bottom water pipe that comes out of the back of the head and travels down to the bottom of the bulkhead and accross to the drivers side of the car and into the chassis rail to the rad.

In the pic below, you can see my old remote stat (not going to be used anymore) So my new ally water pipe will go into the rubber hose that the remote stat is currently fitted into and run tightly along the bottom of the bulkhead to give as much clearence as possible to the oil pipes and exhaust. It will then turn upwards to meet up with the outlet on the top nearside (in the pic below) of the head.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/SeanBicknell/engineboxincargapbetweenbulkandengi.jpg[/image]

I have basically taken the original ally pipe and the ally pipe that carries the heater water from the head and cut them up and marked them up for welding on Monday (haven’t got my own ally welding kit )

Also gave the interior a bit of a clean and a vac out to get rid of all the ally shavings and bits of windscreen and stuff. As you can see in the pic above, I also need to trim the bulkhead sealant to tidy it up a bit, although the heat proofing will cover up a multitude of sins!! lol.

Sean.

Sean…

98

echo comments made by everyone else - this is a fantastic thread.

the new bulkhead seems to have given you alot more room behind the engine.

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Cheers mate. I’m enjoying doing it, even if its starting to get bloody cold!!!

Yeah there is loads of room now, its amazing!!

I remember thinking the same when I first saw some of the propper race Exiges.

Sean.

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Sean,
Fantastic job mate. Well done and please carry on!
I am building a race Elise at the moment, so I know how hard it is, especially when you do everything alone in the �freezer�!
Currently I am struggling with my wiring�… So much that I have almost regretted starting doing it.
Anyway, I would like to ask you, how are you going to use the car on the road if you remove all these parts (Reverse light and Charcoal canister) which are supposed to be compulsory for the MOT?
George