Mazda Rotary Club

RX-7 Racing - Hodgkinson Engineering
 
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Some of you may have noticed me around the forum for the last couple of months asking odd questions here & there, and trying hard to work out where to find a cheap FD3S for a project. On Monday (30-03) the search ended - finally got the RX we\'d been looking for!
 
Plans for the series we\'re going to be running in are sketchy at the minute, but we\'re going to try to build the car to comply with following pretty similar classes:
 
BRSCC LMA Euro Saloon and Sports Car Championship (class A)
Nippon Challenge
EERC Britcar
EERC Production S1
 
Whichever class seems the most worthwhile competing in towards the time of completion, that\'s what we\'ll enter in to.
 
Ok, so as it looks now, here are a few pictures:
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/5/c/b/91d74ebe06feaa99a938f93529033t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/5/c/b/91d74ebe06feaa99a938f93529033.html) (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/6/4/c23ce751f1e07702ea22eb5c2b0d9t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/6/4/c23ce751f1e07702ea22eb5c2b0d9.html) (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/e/4/ab533f90ab6296776982db6f336aet.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/e/4/ab533f90ab6296776982db6f336ae.html) (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/1/f/e47879f2bc233398a80efe2e7dc99t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/1/f/e47879f2bc233398a80efe2e7dc99.html)

(http://pix.nofrag.com/d/e/4/ab533f90ab6296776982db6f336ae.html)

Removal of the interior has begun, ready for it to be sent off to have an FIA approved multi point rollcage fitted by Safety Devices.
 
A list of some of the planned work besides that to bring the car up to the correct regs, in no particular order, is as follows:
 
- Side exit exhaust
- Standalone ECU (Probably megasquirt)
- Peripheral port
- Convert to single turbo (aiming for a reliable 420-440bhp)
- Manufacture complete new wiring loom
- Ground effect venturi tunnels
- ATL 80 or 100L fuel cell
- Removal of all pulley driven systems from the engine
- Alternator placed on transmission
- Electric water pump
- No A/C, no air pump, etc
- Kaaz 1.5 way LSD
- Mazdaspeed PPF
 
etc, etc, etc..
 
By the way about "us" - Dad & I. My Dad\'s an engineer through & through, and well known as a racing motorcycle engine tuner. Myself, I\'m only 20, a motorsport engineering student & I work at Donington Park. I\'ll be the driver - naturally ;) I started racing karts over a decade ago, won 4 championships in different classes, ending up in 140mph Superkarts. Last year I raced in Formula Ford. Did pretty well but something was missing. Then at work I drove somebody\'s RX-7.
 
The rest is history...

Hiya
 
Great to hear that another Rx will be out on the tracks....it can only do the Kudos of the car a great boost!!!
 
Send us an email
 
Would be good to chat to you, we maybe able to help
 
Cheers
 
Jon

Good luck - would be great to see a build diary etc of how you get on :)

good luck with it , but dont go Peripheral port you simply just dont need it for 440bhp, plus a PPort will take time to do with loads of custom parts needed to be made, a simple street port will do with a decent turbo GT3540 or T04R for 440bhp

You will struggle to get onto a lot of uk circuits with a peripheral port as they are loud.  Very cool, but loud.  
This video is of a 20b but you can see how it sounds, like an f1 car
click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8K9RGUF3Bo)

some of the things on your wish list we have spent a fair bit of time designing and getting made for our own cars, of which most isnt up in our vendors area, so if we might be able to help, please let us know.

Quote from: AtomicRex RacingThis video is of a 20b but you can see how it sounds, like an f1 car
click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8K9RGUF3Bo)

QUOTE]

Wow, that does sound good ......... pure ear porn :Thumbs-up

Looking forward to my yearly dose of F1 ear bashing at the Grand Prix.

J.

Thanks for the comments guys.
 
Despite the drawbacks of the peripheral port option (as you\'ve pointed out: noise, parts fabrication needed, wear, etc) we\'re still very keen to work with the idea. From our point of view getting the noise levels down to something sensible will be the main obstacle. We can fabricate anything that\'ll be needed to run peripheral port housings. We want to move away from using the factory intake plenum to something which would be considered more conventional in racing terms.
 
AtomicRex Racing, what kind of parts are you refering to? I could well be interested.

Jon, I\'ll drop you an email when can I find the time. Right now my days go work, car, a few mins on the internet, sleep, work, car, internet.... :2Rolleyes
 
Ok, so today\'s work was nothing that hasn\'t been done before. Still removing all the crap that we don\'t want from under the bonnet and inside the driving compartment ready for the roll cage. Wouldn\'t mind getting the doors all done while the shell\'s away being fitted up. I\'m going to use bolted in lexan windows with sliding openings. Does anybody know of a decent firm which can supply these to FIA spec?

Side exit exhaust
- Standalone ECU (Probably megasquirt)
- Peripheral port
- Convert to single turbo (aiming for a reliable 420-440bhp)
- Manufacture complete new wiring loom
- Ground effect venturi tunnels
- ATL 80 or 100L fuel cell
- Removal of all pulley driven systems from the engine
- Alternator placed on transmission
- Electric water pump
- No A/C, no air pump, etc
- Kaaz 1.5 way LSD
- Mazdaspeed PPF

I find the spec really bizarre, from the incredibly extreme of a PP and alt on trans, to the obvious things like removing air-con or MS PPF!
I will be fascinated to see this one develop.
Theres a guy on here called Mcarthy, hes quite experienced with this sort of project.

As I said, that list was only some of the planned work. It\'s such a big job list I don\'t like to remind myself of it too often :rolleyes:
 
The power steering pump has been removed, along with the AC and the ABS:
(http://pix.nofrag.com/7/2/d/4648b8c80444e327334f48941d4eat.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/2/d/4648b8c80444e327334f48941d4ea.html)
 
Next up to be slung is the air pump & power assisted brake stuff. To add to the \'mod\' list, the following are also planned for some point:
 
Electronic PAS (Corsa C type with in-car adjustment)
 
Mazdaspeed PPF (need help finding one - anybody?)
 
Racing shocks (most likely Ohlins - more research needed)
 
A bloody big full width rear wing. That\'ll probably have to be made to order.
 
Single wiper blade
 
Porsche Carerra cup tyres (F:18/235 R:18/285, forget the AR, but ~30F, 45R)
 
Brembo GTR brakes (Fronts at least, possibly Brembos on the rears, or maybe the Mazda fronts remounted.)
 
Vented & drilled disks w/aluminium bells all round. 350mm diameter discs on the front.
 
Bruso digital steering wheel. (Karting wheel. Displays RPM, a temp, speed, lap times. Rewiring to enable it to use car\'s power supply instead of onboard battery, adding backlit LCD\'s, quick release boss) - should look the business in car.
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/e/e/b/dc59eb45439c8ed56f145596333b9t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/e/b/dc59eb45439c8ed56f145596333b9.html)
 
Pedal box floor mounted with brake bias bar.
 
8" multi-plate racing Titon racing clutch.
 
All rubber suspension bushes have been remanufactured in a special nylatron (not going to give the secret compound away though!) Each suspension bush is three parts - \'top hat\' shaped main section, a ring on the other end to stop float, and a machined and lightened steel pin. I\'ll post some pictures of these up soon see what you all reckon.
 
Engine, diff & all powertrain parts will be solid mounted. Either on nylatron or aluminium. Yes, it\'ll shake the hell out of everything and probably crack the subframes, but we\'ll just have to deal with that if that\'s the case.
 
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As I said, I\'m really on the look out for a Mazdaspeed or similarly lightweight/strong PPF. Also looking out for FIA approved lexan side windows with sliding openings in.

Before you go much further you need to stop and talk to us!
 
It will take 1 minute for you to either give me your phone number or for you to phone me!
 
I admire your brave attitude....but you are, from what Ive read so far, about to make some major mistakes.....and we know....weve been there!
 
For your points so far....
 
Wiring, you cant run a car without a battery....we are developing a wiring system for the car at the moment, that will save a lot of weight
 
ECU and Dash this is something else we can supply, plus data logging should you wish to find out how quickly the chassis is about to split
 
I question why you want a side exit exhaust? Is this a show car?? We\'ve invest a 5 figure sum into getting the exhaust to work right......these cars are loud, get the wrong exhaust and its end of day at the first race. 108dB is easy to get over, we failed just because the centre box was removed. We also have our own manifolds designed for the job.
 
The aero side, unless you have a fortune or go and buy one of the off-the-shelf diffusers then you are adding weight and no effect, we have all the moulds for this very job
 
We know own the rights to an Rx7 cell made by ATL, it is 107L and comes complete with all of the dry breaks you need to run with in Britcar.
 
The water pump is a kit we have put together already as that is the same method we are using, all of the radiators and tanks are made
 
Why would you want to put the alternator on the tunnel....there is no where to fit it, the main leads go from Cut-out unit to the alternator and then to the starter motor....start moving these things and you will be adding a lot of weight.
 
we supply the Kaaz diffs
 
what is the PPF?
 
I see you\'ve already questioned the steering rack....why run with power steering? If you are used to Karts then you should want to move away from the lack of feel that is inherent with PAS, also when are you going to get the time to adjust the PAS in a race? This isn\'t F1 where they are tweaking the maps and adjusting bias mid lap, you are only adding items that can potentially go wrong, that is the other reason for going to a manual rack.....what can go wrong with it? You are still putting a load on the engine, instead of drawing straight from the engine using the PAS Pump, it is a load on the alternator. Going off the transmission will be inefficient as you will already have losses in the system so to make the same charge will require more work on the engine
 
Racing shocks...weve got Nitrons working with us to set the car up and get an ideal balance using 3 way adjustable shocks
 
Why do you want a "bloody big wing" if you are investing into ground effects? The whole idea of using the underneath method is to run a smaller wing, that creates less drag and is there for fine adjustments
 
What are you doing with the bodywork to get a 285 under the rear? Are you planning to run a crazy offset??? And why running so high at the rear? the difference is incredible, if you are trying to get the car to sit with the front slightly lower than the rear....then thats kewl, but do it via the suspension geometry not by whacking drag tyres on the rear
 
Fitting the front brakes to the rear means you wont have a mechanical handbrake. Also, ask Brunswick, it wasn\'t the best idea!
 
Going with the floor mounted box was something we looked at doing, but it felt all wrong....thankfully I was able to return the box and get a refund....not cheap! We now manufacture our own pedal box, that has its own master cylinders and bias bar for front and rear brakes.
 
Don\'t solid mount everything.....its good to have some compliance in the car. you are making the chassis very stiff by sticking a cage in....we are authorised dealers for custom cages now, and it will rattle your teeth out! There isn\'t that much power lost through the normal bushes, but I do wonder whether the extra shake rattle and roll will have an affect on the shocks
 
We thought about Titon, but ended up going with Exedy
 
We have the lexan you require, along with Carbon Fibre doors and tailgate
 
Sorry if this seems to be a lambasting, its not! Just think you need to step away from the tweeks catalogue and calm down a bit. Chat to us, it doesn\'t cost anything these days and it will, I\'m in no doubt, save you a fortune.

Glad to see more people putting the RX7 on the circuit for competition. Do speak to Jon, and myself I\'m sure we can help in alsorts of ways. Check the regs though for where you want to race though - and then build to those regs. From what I can recall of the regs you have listed they do seem to have some clashes in what you can and can\'t do.
Why not come to the Nippon challenge, new series with some TV coverage - a good oportunity to get in at the start of what will hopefully be a popular series in a few years.

Jon, I have your number. I\'ll try to find the time to call you tomorrow, but if not I won\'t disturb you on Sunday so instead we\'ll speak on Monday.
 
Anyway Jon, you must give us more benefit of your doubt! We shouldn\'t have to justify our various trains of thought to you :Giggle Everybody works differently, and nobody wins anything by simply copying the next bloke.
 
Nevertheless I\'ll be very interested to speak to you. Of course we have no experience of running an RX-7, not even on the road. So, I\'m sure that to hear of your previous misfortunes would be helpful to us! Some of the things you sell sound like they could potentially be good for us too.
 
Regarding the PPF - Power Plant Frame. I read somewhere that there is a Mazdaspeed one which is lighter and possibly a bit stronger? Sounded useful.
 
Side exhaust? To aerodynamically clean up the underbody.
 
Alternator on the tunnel, to lessen rotational enertia of the engine/to be different/why not?!
 
As some of the races we\'ll be entering will require long but still very quick stints, driver fatigue is a big enemy. I\'ve driven quick cars without PAS, and my arms often complain about it after not so long. I\'ve not seen a GT-2 or GT-3 car recently which didn\'t have a PAS system fitted.
 
Getting a 285 under the rear bodywork is no problem.. We\'ve already fitted them to the 10" wheels which were on the car. No problem laterally, however the arch will have to be rolled back as they\'ll surely rub & we\'re going to try to get as close as possible to the 40mm minimum ride height specified by the MSA.
 
We will not be running a crazy offset by any means, totally the opposite.
The tyres are going to be that size because.. that\'s what I can get. I might be wrong in stating the aspect ratio. They\'re written in three figure form, 530/620 or something like that.
 
How will your custom cage fully fitted cost me?

link for jons cages, http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44648

Can you explain to me how a side exit exhaust is going to clean up the aerodinamics of the underside?unless you are going out though behind the front wheel? if thats the case where are you going to fit the silencer\'s required to keep this monster quite?Not sure if you said you were running an in car fuel tank?maybe it would be better to run a full exhaust under the car with a center exit out through the back,plenty of room then for silencers, minimal bends, and you can then run a flat bottom with a proper rear difuser that will aid your aerodinamics and you can possibly then run with no/very small rear wing to aid the flow of air over the car?(that being quoted from jon-atomicrex to me a few months agolol) he is definatly worth listening to as he\'s raced these cars befor at castl combe so...
If you still wanna go with an electronic pas then you also have the option from the citron saxo or pegoet 106 to,very easy to fit and come with 3 wires to connect with its own wiring loom with relay in. rob

Cheers Rob :Thumbs-up
 
A chat would be great....and dont worry about calling on a Sunday....plenty of other people do!!
 
As Rob says how can running out at the side keep the underside cleaner?
 
I can understand at the rear....but we have just the answer for this!!
 
There really isnt that much weight at the front, not like a big GT car, and thats what a gym is for ;)  But I guess the electric PAS is an alternative, just doesnt give you the extra feel and turn in.
 
Still not sure on this Alternator idea, Im open to ideas....but I think you are trying to over engineer parts too soon in the project.
 
We are planning to run at 60mm ride height.  If you are planning on running any underfloor aero then the last thing you want is the chassis to touch....you loose every ounce of aero in a dramatic moment then....we ran 70mm last year, and through the fast corners the front splitter was grounding regularly....and not through incorrect damper/spring settings
 
Its good to see someone else pushing radical ideas...much like we are, and yes its not good to follow like a sheep....but then again if it isnt broken why fix it?
 
I take your point about the rear wheels....I thought about this, and I guess with rolled edges you can fit a 10-11J wheel in there.
 
Anyway give me a ring...we might be able to save you some money!

I still cant believe you are going for a turbo PP port still just for 440bhp.
Your main aim in racing I thought is too have a nice and wide power band and quiet for the track rules, PP port acheives the reverse peaky with a lot more power and lots of noise like a F1 car.
Trust me you will save a lot of money,grief and time going with a normal big Street Port.
I think you need to listen to the guys above they have real world experiance and know what they are talking about.

Also the Mazdaspeed ppf if ever slightly so lighter we are talking half a kilo, but it is a lot stronger and stiffer so ideal for racing as the standard ppf will eventually crack, I had two of the things but one on my car now and one I sold last year, you can still find them on the jap auctions

A Peripheral port does not necessarily mean a narrow power band with a turbo,it depends on the size and postion of the inlet port,and the turbo type and size.
A very well known rotary tuner wrongly suggested in the past that a turbo bridgeport means that the power does not come in until much later than an extend port (Ported side port) when the truth of the matter is that a small bridgeport lowers the rpm that the same turbo starts making boost.
As for the exhaust,yes it will be very difficult to get it quiet enough without running it to the back of the car,but if it is run there then it will be possible to run decent power and low sound level.
Regards
Carl

Got the weekend off work so spent the day underneath the car.
 
Slung the fuel tank on the tip, took the back end all to bits to see how it all goes together. That big aluminium bumper bar seems to hold a fair bit of weight. Considered chucking it too, but I suppose too much would be lost by doing so. Strength & a place to hang a diffuser from mainly. What\'s the normal thing to do?
 
Regarding the engine side of things - not given it much thought recently. Still maintain that peripheral port housings would by the best option as having the inlets either side of the housings seems so restrictive. As Carl said, I\'d tend to think that if enough time and effort goes into making the turbo work the correct way then we should be able to widen the power band out. Anyway, these are our ideals. We could well find out that for some reason we can\'t run a peripheral port in which case a bit of bridge porting will have to happen.
 
So.. much.. to learn!

Ditch the bumper support bar no need for it really.

I don\'t use the rear bumper support. if you want to mount a rear diffuser just make up some mounts of alloy, a lot lighter than that bar.

to be fair it really is really light the rear bumper support.
 
Id still get rid of it though
 
It would make a good jousting pussel though...especially with the return of Gladiators!!!

The front fiberglass one is heavier.

raceralexuk, best of luck with your racecar.
I\'m bulding a buget FD racecar here in Denmark. I decided to keep the rear bumper for now, because I am still using the stock rear bumper. It\'s pretty soft and figured it might last alittle longer if the brace (with the foam) was still installed preventing it from collapsing or totally getting destroyed in some on track contact. I drilled a lot of hole to lighten it up.. just wanted to share another idea for you.
Regards
Oliver

Hi mate, good luck..............:wave

Left the rear bumper support bar on for now - can just visualise some rear end contact first time out :2Rolleyes So I\'m going to play it safe!
 
Just about down to the shell now, engine is still in but minus a lot of peripherals. Wiring harness has mostly been removed (hacked away :rolleyes: )too.
 
Going to do a few things before it\'s sent off to custom cages. Want to get a seat in as well as the electric steering column and pedal box.
Speaking of seats, I\'m guessing there might be a bit of trouble as the FD c0ckpit is so narrow? Which seem to fit, & who does the subframes?
 
Also been looking at getting the doors all sorted with mirrors mounted, lexan windows with sliders and the insides chopped out with aluminium door cards. I\'m presuming a few of you have experience of working with lexan. How workable is the stuff? I really wanted to get windows with the sliders already fitted but nobody seems to do them, so I\'m going to have to drill and cut them myself. Don\'t fancy splitting them at £70 a pop!
 
Also ordered some flush headlights from a guy stateside. Went for the HID option he had as it\'s always nice to be noticed!
 
Oliver, do you have a build page or gallery anywhere? It\'s always cool to have a look at what other people are up to. That goes for TonyC\'s thread too.
 
Jon, I keep meaning to call you! It\'s probably better I give your number to my dad actually.

We have a spare cage...and we\'re cheaper!
 
I await your dads call :)

good luck with the project,   the amount of experience that has posted on this thread should make you re think some of your ideas.  I appreciate it is nice to be different. I\'m not trying to sell you anything but my advice is learn from other people on here.  You have over a hundred years of Rotary experience plus what ever racing experience.

For one i would re consider the PAS option,  IIRC, the other electric PAS options are columns not racks, if do you will also need a non PAS rack,  if you go for a saxo electric pump,  you can keep the rack you have.

Dont go PP.  A street port or small bridge is much better for what you want.  There is a reason people dont use it in this country!

The manual rack\'s Jon is selling are a perfect fit I can now confirm, and look lovely.

I don\'t doubt it, but there are a few other places we have to channel money towards before going for one of those. For now, we\'ll be running our rack minus power steering fluid with all it\'s holes plugged up:
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/5/d/3/3ac9350e0dcadfb3dbaea8cec3e71tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/5/d/3/3ac9350e0dcadfb3dbaea8cec3e71.html)
 
That\'s something we did months ago, before getting the car. On the subject of pre-work on the car, here are some of the parts we did before getting the car:
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/b/9/7/8ef3683344aff4083cdde75c438b4t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/9/7/8ef3683344aff4083cdde75c438b4.html) (http://pix.nofrag.com/1/d/2/d97a3738e727a60804f1cc148130ct.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/1/d/2/d97a3738e727a60804f1cc148130c.html)
 
New nylon bush vs old rubber bush. The new nylon bushes were all made by my Snr. Took bloody ages, but they\'ll definitely be worth it - zero flex!
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/7/f/d/2e35b5132b05050bc277197e76e52t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/f/d/2e35b5132b05050bc277197e76e52.html)

Wishbones all bushed up - missing one was actually bent.
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/0/d/3/3da640adb26b10b654bd31e0fa5e4t.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/0/d/3/3da640adb26b10b654bd31e0fa5e4.html)

Cleaning up the rear subframe.
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/e/9/3/a666b4910e443d6515b6c96f5709ctt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/9/3/a666b4910e443d6515b6c96f5709c.html)

A group shot of everything together plus a few other brackets and bits which were cleaned up. Racing tends to nacker stuff up, so it makes sense to start from as best condition as you possibly can. It\'s impossible to spot cracks through thick layers of dirt, so it makes sense to put time into making sure everything is spotless.

The many stages of engine removal:
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/0/b/7/20d1c8876c235e5679623324467d9tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/0/b/7/20d1c8876c235e5679623324467d9.html)
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/a/a/6/724e21b950a6a3b24ecf5025421dbtt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/a/6/724e21b950a6a3b24ecf5025421db.html)
 
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/9/0/c/8bb4718eae06c1eb84a76655d52f2tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/0/c/8bb4718eae06c1eb84a76655d52f2.html)
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/3/4/e/0b327c93ad7585af879c70c86b424tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/3/4/e/0b327c93ad7585af879c70c86b424.html)
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/4/c/2/afa0e62bfc1c7043de72d0a840880tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/c/2/afa0e62bfc1c7043de72d0a840880.html)
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/9/6/5/b06f67b4707a485b8ec093c051114tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/6/5/b06f67b4707a485b8ec093c051114.html)

 
 :Thumbs-up
 
For now this engine will be going back under the bonnet relatively untouched. New fuel rails are going to be made up, to take bigger injectors and we\'re going to use a GT4088 turbo from the States, but only at fairly low boost for the time being. The trick motor will be built up from new parts once we\'re up and running with this. Suits me - I\'d prefer to spend hours working on finding mph out of the chassis than bhp out of the noisy thing at the front! That\'s why, as a driver, it can sometimes be a struggle being run by an engine tuner... :chat

Hacked both of the doors up :evillaugh. Did it manually with a pair of cutters so naturally I cut the hell out of my hands!
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/2/2/6/ff2c7fad815abc32bb50f2557ad28tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/2/6/ff2c7fad815abc32bb50f2557ad28.html)
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/1/1/1/bc188266bfbfae584357901ca1a12tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/1/1/1/bc188266bfbfae584357901ca1a12.html)
 
Just don\'t show me a baked bean tin for a while..

Appart from lots of stuff I missed out like removing all the interior, exhaust and neons (crazy Japs!) that brings this thread up to today\'s work. And that\'s been...
 
Trying to work out how to fit the seat -
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/3/d/a/9322a0d511f68284d23ecff2987fdtt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/3/d/a/9322a0d511f68284d23ecff2987fd.html)
 
Looks really wide, but it was the smallest one I could find anywhere on the net of this type. Only 460mm wide at the bottom! We\'re planning on doing some national series racing in France in the future, and the governing body over there, the FFSA, are drafting in some regs for next year about seats having to have protection to stop the driver\'s head lashing around in a side impact. So, we\'ve got to use a seat like this.
 
We definately won\'t be able to use runners with it. The biggest problem seems to be stopping the head \'wing\' from poking out of the window. More on the seat situation in the near future.

Today something did get finished - got the mirrors on. Just using some cheap things off the net as they\'re bound to get knocked off at some point. As the mirror mounting face on the FD doors is at about 45degrees to horizontal, so were the mirrors, which looked naff.
Bending the tube which the mirrors mount on with was out of the question, so had to cut a notch in the cup where the ball sits, so they could swing further down.
 
Also turned down the outside of the mounting cup so that we could locate it in a recess on the mounting plates we made up and use the same bolt which pushes the spring against the ball to hold them on.
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/b/a/7/ebc825aaa1d57cbd7795b4a4e35b9tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/a/7/ebc825aaa1d57cbd7795b4a4e35b9.html)
 
Oh yes - also turned down the outside of the bolt to take some of the weight off them.

(http://pix.nofrag.com/2/5/a/2c2623675a8c40888ee5d8e573af6tt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/5/a/2c2623675a8c40888ee5d8e573af6.html)
 
Look smart mounted, especially happy as they\'re home made :)
 
Right, now it\'s time for me to carry on with squeezing an elephant in a mini.. I mean fitting the seat :2Rolleyes

very smart bud - some great work going on there..... #;o)

That seat is exactly the same as my Suzuka S seat by the looks of things, except for the wings at the top - it really does look like my seat with a bit stuck on the top!

Looks like an amazing project !! Are you selling any of the parts that you are stripping out?? am interested in Drivers side window mechanism os you have it ?? thanks

Hey Alex,
 
Go careful with that seat, as we bought a load of the Corbeau seats of a similar design.....and they didnt fit!  Not wishing to put a dampener on the situation....but with the cage in, even without seat mounts....just didnt fit.  Not to mention we bought 3 of the XL versions so that if we had larger passengers they could come for laps....they wouldnt even fit in the car!

Oh man, I had some major brain fade after the seat arrived! I threw away the packaging just after quickly seeing if it\'d fit, thinking that I wouldn\'t have to return it. Then realised that it didn\'t have the brackets attached..!
 
Anyway after a bit of "oh borrocks what have you done" from dad we set about and got it in...after two days! It\'s a squeeze, but the cage will fit around it for sure. It\'s just getting in and out that\'ll be the problem :HammerLooks the bizzle in though. We had to really take a lot of material off the side mounts (good job that\'s permitted!) It now means that the seat is uber-low. Headroom is about double what it was with the standard seat in. Also we\'re not going to use the standard seat padding. With the driver change thing in Britcar we\'ll use different fitted padding for each nut behind the wheel. That also lowers the driving position a tad.
 
The power assisted steering column is now nearly in. It\'s taken a lot of engineering to ensure it\'s safety & fittiment. The last thing that anybody wants is a broken steering column... Ayrton Senna, anybody?
Anyway I\'ll post some pictures of it up later. You will like it muchly :)
 
rx7boy, I do have that window mechanism yes. It\'s in top nick, however the plug has been severed off in error. There\'s still plenty of lead left so you could easily splice the existant plug you have to it. It\'s yours for £15.

yeah if its drivers side then I will take it, how do you want to do payment ??

Paypal works with me: go4it.alex@btinternet.com (go4it.alex@btinternet.com). Add a 3 quid for p&p and I\'ll get it off to you by the end of the day if I receive payment.

Paypal sent, delivery address is attached to it. thanks

Interesting project. Good luckw ith it :)

Great Project! Like it.

And while we\'re at it....since people have started asking for parts.......don\'t suppose you have an ENTIRE lock set for it? With key? With key that operates all 4 locks?

Good luck dude!!  Sounds like it\'s a very very cool project, and I hope you get what you want from it, and enjoy the learning curve that goes with it!!!

Rx7 boy, posted your window winder today. Let me know when it arrives so I can tick it off my postal list.
 
Nikp, sorry I don\'t have a lock set I can let go..yet. I will have them available eventually though. The keys are a bit tatty though, infact one\'s split.
 
I\'m happy several of you are asking for parts anyway, because there\'s still a bit of stuff to clear out. I have some original side windows if anybody wants them?

Well, keep me in mind when they do become available. I don\'t mind about the key: can always get one  cut! :)

Quote from: raceralexuk;496850Oh man, I had some major brain fade after the seat arrived! I threw away the packaging just after quickly seeing if it\'d fit, thinking that I wouldn\'t have to return it. Then realised that it didn\'t have the brackets attached..!
 
Anyway after a bit of "oh borrocks what have you done" from dad we set about and got it in...after two days! It\'s a squeeze, but the cage will fit around it for sure. It\'s just getting in and out that\'ll be the problem :HammerLooks the bizzle in though. We had to really take a lot of material off the side mounts (good job that\'s permitted!) It now means that the seat is uber-low. Headroom is about double what it was with the standard seat in. Also we\'re not going to use the standard seat padding. With the driver change thing in Britcar we\'ll use different fitted padding for each nut behind the wheel. That also lowers the driving position a tad.
 
The power assisted steering column is now nearly in. It\'s taken a lot of engineering to ensure it\'s safety & fittiment. The last thing that anybody wants is a broken steering column... Ayrton Senna, anybody?
Anyway I\'ll post some pictures of it up later. You will like it muchly :)
 
rx7boy, I do have that window mechanism yes. It\'s in top nick, however the plug has been severed off in error. There\'s still plenty of lead left so you could easily splice the existant plug you have to it. It\'s yours for £15.

Tell me about it. To get my Suzuka S in my car (Which are actually smaller seats than yours!) i had to cut up the side mounts i had to lower them, drill out the spot welds on the standard rear seat mounts (where the bolt goes in)  and remove that plate. Panel beat the floor flat, drill holes in the right places, remove the fuel lines (so i could weld the stress plates on for the 6 point harnesses) and then the seat would finally fit!

Even still, its so low that you have to bolt the side mounts in, then bolt the seat to the sidemount - you cant do it the other way around because once the seat is in, the bottom of it sits on the carpet lol so you cant get to the bolts of the side mounts to hold them in!

Part arrived today, thanks alot dude absolute legend!!! exactly what i was after , thanks again

Work on the car is progressing well. Still busy preparing the shell at the minute. Cleaning & welding, cleaning & welding, cleaning & welding.

Jon/Atomicrex, we spoke about lots of things on the phone a week or two back. One of them was about the fuel cell you can supply which sits immediately behind the driver. I remember that the price was.. well, yeah. However the Van Herck car was at work today and unpon studying I took a shone to the cell they use, which seems similar if not the same as the ATL cell you describe. Do you have any more info/pictures on it? You have my phone number and email address but I\'m always a fan of pictures :)

Quote from: raceralexuk;503786One of them was about the fuel cell you can supply which sits immediately behind the driver

That safe? :flamed

Quote from: Kieron;503821That safe? :flamed

Of cause it is.  Obviously i wouldn\'t just knock up a ali tank to put there, but if it is designed properly and is made of the correct material, it is perfectly safe. It gets the FIA stamp of approval at least, lol.    

But honestly it is prob the safest place for it as it sits between two lots of roll cage bars and brings the weight of the fuel tank to pretty much the best place it could be, within the wheel base and as low as it can be also.

Quote from: AtomicRex Racing;503862But honestly it is prob the safest place for it as it sits between two lots of roll cage bars and brings the weight of the fuel tank to pretty much the best place it could be, within the wheel base and as low as it can be also.

Brilliant idea! Very original!

Quote from: DRAGON;503893Brilliant idea! Very original!

:spank

The copycat strikes again!:yes
LOL
Carl

Quote from: DRAGON;503893Brilliant idea! Very original!

We can never tell if you are being serious or sarcastic Ross.

Quote from: Carl;503895:spank

The copycat strikes again!:yes
LOL
Carl

I dont imagine you get anyone copying you Carl.

Both Carl and us lead by design!
 
We offer three systems at the moment, the first is a complete fabricated custom ATL tank complete with full dry breaks, and is approx 110 L.
 
We will get pictures up on this product soon.
 
The other tank is a saver cell, also made by ATL, but unlike the cell above which is shaped to fit in the saddle, this one sits slightly higher, but at a 10th of the cost!
 
Filling is done from the C Pillar
 
The difference with these units is there are no exposed fuel pots, and no exposed lines in the car that can rupture in the event of an accident.  They are made by a company who are the market leader in fuel tanks, designing fuel tanks for the majority of F1 teams even the new Furai uses an ATL tank.
 
 
 
The other is an external custom tank made by us, which we will be launching shortly

Quote from: AtomicRex;503955Both Carl and us lead by design!
 

Hahaha brilliant, unoriginal and delusional.

Quote from: AtomicRex;503955We offer three systems at the moment, the first is a complete fabricated custom ATL tank complete with full dry breaks, and is approx 110 L.
 
The other tank is a saver cell, also made by ATL, but unlike the cell above which is shaped to fit in the saddle, this one sits slightly higher, but at a 10th of the cost!

We spoke about one of these types a week or two back. Looking to make an order soon, so give me a bell when you have time on 07835118679.

I take it that the ATL cells are as the type shown in the picture below:
 
(http://pix.nofrag.com/b/a/1/2493f1e82f8a8234ed552ef7b231dtt.jpg) (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/a/1/2493f1e82f8a8234ed552ef7b231d.html)
 
The only concern is how it\'ll fit with the cage in.

As I said, give me a bell if I don\'t call you first.

Forgot all about this thread!
 
Time for a small update:
 
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8373/0922081.jpg
 
[img=http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9193/080708.jpg] (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

That didnt work too well.
 
Will try again..
 
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8373/0922081.jpg
 
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9193/080708.jpg


http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/7355/dscf5083.jpg
 
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/43/dscf5122.jpg

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/8077/dscf5109.jpg

Alex,
 
That fire guard
 
 
(http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/7355/dscf5083.jpg)
 
is really good....I like what you have done there!  I\'m curious to see how easy it will be to remove when the cage is in...but I\'m sure you\'ve thought about that!
 
The quality of your work is excellent!

does the new pedal box move the pedals rearwards compared to the stock pedals? I was thinking of getting a titlton pedal box but when I measured it up it turned the foot well into a foot puddle. I would love a floor mounted pedal box if I could get one to fit!

LOL Yes Jon it did take a bit of head scratching to work out how we could install & remove it with the cage in the car!! In the end that box is comprised of 7(!) peices, which all bolt together in sequence. Should work well :)

With the AP pedal box in the heel rest is about 10mm further back compared to the normal car.. but I can still get comfortable and I\'m a slither under 6ft tall. I looked around at all of the floor mounted pedal boxes available and from what I remember there are only really two types which could be used due to the length from the pedal pivots to the back of the master cylinders. One\'s an Alcon box which was especially made for a GT1 team but they still will make them to order, for around £3000! The AP one is slightly longer, and still cost £1000, so we went for that.
 
Ours is bolted directly to 8mm plate which is in turn bolted to the floor of the car.. very rigid indeed. No pedal flex whatsoever.

I\'ll put a few more photos up soon :)

Have you settled on a championship yet, with the slicks I presume it will be LMA?

Not sure yet Tony, the organisers of the AMOC SuperGT series have been in contact and they\'ve assured us there\'s a place for us there if we want it.. but have you seen what runs in that? The quickest thing running in that series is a completely carbon fibre (carbon tub) car, built from scratch which uses a Group C Aston Tickford motor from an AMR-1 Group C car!
 
Initally it\'s just going to be lots of testing, and probably a winter of rebuilding and working on improvements. First race will probably not be until next year, but it should run well before then.
 
For now I\'m renting a ride in the Ma5da series, which is tremendous fun but the cars are severely underpowered..

You weren\'t at Combe yesterday were you??  I had a rental all agreed on the Friday night...to then be reminded that I had renewed my license :(  Why oh why aren\'t the MSA open on a Saturday morning??  Surely there must be other people that get last minute opportunities??
 
Anyway...they may be slightly under powered...but hell were they fun to watch!

Quote from: AtomicRex;604945(http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/7355/dscf5083.jpg)

That looks exactly like what I want in my FD :yes

Fancy building another one?

If you want to email me, I will send you a price for the cell.  The cell is an ATL unit, it comes complete with twin dry breaks which mount into the C-Pillars, and you can choose the capacity.  We have 110Ltr units instock, but the one we supplied to Alex (75Ltr) will be approx 4-6 weeks.
 
The cell sits in the saddle.  It has 2 collector units and so will pick up from both sides.  There is a balance pipe that will equal out the fuel levels in the 2 sides.  It is fully foam filled so no slosh.  Hopefully Alex will agree...a good bit of kit!

Quote from: AtomicRex;605140If you want to email me, I will send you a price for the cell.  The cell is an ATL unit, it comes complete with twin dry breaks which mount into the C-Pillars, and you can choose the capacity.  We have 110Ltr units instock, but the one we supplied to Alex (75Ltr) will be approx 4-6 weeks.
 
The cell sits in the saddle.  It has 2 collector units and so will pick up from both sides.  There is a balance pipe that will equal out the fuel levels in the 2 sides.  It is fully foam filled so no slosh.  Hopefully Alex will agree...a good bit of kit!

Cheers. YGM!

Looks good, looks very similar to the one I made for mine a few years ago.

Quote from: raceralexuk;605096Not sure yet Tony, the organisers of the AMOC SuperGT series have been in contact and they\'ve assured us there\'s a place for us there if we want it.. but have you seen what runs in that? The quickest thing running in that series is a completely carbon fibre (carbon tub) car, built from scratch which uses a Group C Aston Tickford motor from an AMR-1 Group C car!
 
Initally it\'s just going to be lots of testing, and probably a winter of rebuilding and working on improvements. First race will probably not be until next year, but it should run well before then.
 
For now I\'m renting a ride in the Ma5da series, which is tremendous fun but the cars are severely underpowered..

I have seen the AMOC super GT series and thought it pretty interesting. I think you may be suprised how well you would get on. I\'d have been 4th on their grid at Mallory (running 300bhp and List 1B tyres) last year. The gap to the front was quite large but not impossible if you consider slicks, extra power, etc.
I keep thinking about dipping into some of these other series, the AMOC intermarque would be a good one for my car as last years lap times would have been front of the grid against F355 challenga cars, 993RS\'s etc.

Quote from: Kieron;605138That looks exactly like what I want in my FD :yes
Fancy building another one?

For a road car I wouldn\'t bother, not worth the effort unless you\'re a weekly track day attendee. We\'re running our tank in that location out of necessity because we can\'t afford the cornerweight shift that a rear-hung tank gives you as it empties. That\'s 10ths of a second type stuff and not a major concern on your usual 20 minutes per hour track day.
 

Quote from: TonyC;605180I have seen the AMOC super GT series and thought it pretty interesting...

I\'ve been hearing whispers lately the the AMOC SuperGT series will probably be no more after this year.. Sad but I\'m sure some other folks will arrange a series for all those special cars to run in. Hopefully BRSCC come up with something.

Did this get finished?

Doh... Just read through all this and it\'s a dead end lol

It\'s not dead :)

Quote from: raceralexuk;879597It\'s not dead :)

.....you cant just say that! we need some pics and an update!:driving

Looking very good, what gearbox are you running?

Thanks :)

Drenth DG400 6 speed gearbox.

Other bits and pieces:

- All aluminium flywheel with 5.5 inch Tilton racing 3-plate clutch.

- GT4088R Turbo run @ 1 bar (not yet on track but aiming for a safe 420 ish bhp) Turbo, wastegate, manifold and downpipe all Zircotec ceramic coated.

- DTA Engine Management system. Wiring harness all bespoke/made here.

- Race technology data logging system with CAN input from engine ECU.

- Electronic, adjustable power steering.

- Ohlins 3-way adjustable suspension.

- AP Racing brakes
    - 6 pot front w/362mm discs
    - 4 pot rear w/330mm discs
    - TOCA spec floor-mounted pedal box

- Roll cage is FIA certified T45 Custom Cages 8-point.

- Bodywork is all carbon fibre. Designed and made by me.

I\'d really like carbon fibre doors for it.

I have the ability to make them myself but it\'s so time consuming I\'d rather just buy some.

If anybody knows of any for sale, give me a shout. Not keen on Seibon though, that\'s more carbon for show than for purpose.

Cheers.

Wow :Thumbs-up
 
I like what you\'ve built. Keep the updates coming.

Yes, good work, me likes ;)

Thanks guys.

Here\'s our DIY EPAS:

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/910/lUEekS.jpg) (http://imageshack.com/f/palUEekSj)

cool build you have going on here, I\'m interested in knowing how the ohlins go :)

Also your images don\'t seem to work for me, just little ones.

I\'ve \'got a guy\' for my Ohlins stuff - top current FFord racer who works on the side setting up and rebuilding for Ohlins. Handy guy to know :Thumbs-up

I\'ll stick a few pictures of them up.

I\'m not sure how to make the images work properly, I only seem to be able to post thumbnails and the links don\'t work.

Tonight I did a bit of thinking, with bits of carbon fibre and some masking tape:

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/3648x2736q50/661/1tKP10.jpg)

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/3648x2736q50/538/qljsni.jpg)

Little side skirts to stop the air at the side of the car from the front diffusers from spilling back underneath.

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/902/zTls7Y.jpg)

I don\'t use this pattern of carbon fibre for anything as it\'s quite hard to work with on anything other than flat surfaces.
Looks very F1-esque though. I might have to use it for something :)

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/909/0RQrT5.jpg)

Engine bay is ready for the proper working engine, which has now been built.

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/911/ZX6fgp.jpg)

Just waiting for the wastegate, hot side of the turbo and down-pipe to come back from Zircotec where they\'ve been ceramic coated.

Here\'s the Drenth gearbox:
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/537/Y0sOF0.jpg)

Driving compartment - notice the buttons on the steering wheel for dash and ECU functions
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/906/j6YgrF.jpg)

I also started the work on the second section of flat floor, with trusty cardboard.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/906/FhoD7C.jpg)
You can just make out the front diffusers here.

Eventually I\'ll make a comprehensive flat floor with tunnels, something like this:

(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/673/jeZKIZ.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/913x685q90/538/3aDvKu.jpg)

It\'ll need a re-mounting the rear wing further back and re-routing the exhaust to somewhere out of the way first though.

What else? I really want to put one of these spoiler lips on the rear lights!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/960x720q90/540/4QDOLG.jpg)

Too jazzy?! :P

That gearbox is tiny. Have you used it yet or will this be the first time once the car is complete? Loving your work on it though

I love it!!! :)

Engine is now built and fitted in but not yet running.

Lots of little bodywork bits are being done. Mounting brackets, adjustments etc.

Found some huge motivation to get things done. Helped along by the recent World Time Attack.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nAM41Sg_je0/VEgWb0mMOiI/AAAAAAAACY8/JP8H0ZPtQ6A/w960-h720-no/1904161_10154829264880145_7212754028501521934_n.jpg)

out of interest , where did you get the stands that the car is on ??

You have one set that look like little tables , and the other ones are ones that the wheels sit in

Have you bought them or made them

And if you made the little tables .. what angle iron are they made out of and do they hold the car OK ??

Finally , how do you get your car on the little table ones , just jack the car up and sit them on them .. how do you stop the car rolling off ??

Im thinking of making some full lengh platforms , but cant decide what angle iron to use and thick it needs to be

Nice work on the car though :)

Made them!

30mm box section mild steel with plywood tops. Two of the platforms have vertical stops on so the car can\'t roll anywhere.  I just jack the car up and slide them under each wheel.

Standard car is only 1200kg, so very roughly 300kg a corner which isn\'t much.

Loving your work :)

And not massive box section either :) :)

Thanks.

I\'ll keep putting pictures up here so do check back :)

oh i will dont you worry :)

Plenty going on tonight:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1RzmrLidCBI/VFAD76SDz8I/AAAAAAAACZo/zSox9HVOjm4/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205829.jpg)

I\'m finishing off all the (relatively) small jobs.
Brackets, ducting, etc. Then the car\'s going to be good to go.

Here are the brackets I made for the front fenders.
In carbon fibre, of course:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R-KR6rE5E5w/VFAEk5-bvKI/AAAAAAAACbg/R2ZlH962NZE/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205637.jpg)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uFu56McNmEg/VFAEHohSCBI/AAAAAAAACaI/I3Ovk_uWM9Y/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205649.jpg)

Three layers of carbon fibre either side of a 5mm foam core.
Super lightweight and very very strong but a :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: to bolt on with the rollcage in the car. Good job they won\'t have to come off often.

With the front fender on, but without bolts:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CiBKVqOKFfw/VFAELwiHG_I/AAAAAAAACaY/tKbmtyJrDik/w649-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205731.jpg)

Next, the oil cooler ducting has to be made. Ducting the oil cooler air out the side of the nose infront of the front wheels.
Here\'s one oil cooler:

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XVYw6-Tl05Q/VFAEUqmzh8I/AAAAAAAACaw/1h9PS8ICzdI/w649-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205602.jpg)

Here\'s the very start of the ducting mold:

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-whGGlK3pAg4/VFAEdJxSXKI/AAAAAAAACbI/gCilDTmgCBY/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205534.jpg)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jocbdgXIP2M/VFAEqiSiodI/AAAAAAAACbw/mQZTO9__2uw/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141028_205529.jpg)

Who has done all the wiring for you Alex? Looks nice and neat. I am at the stage now where the witing on mine is holdng me up.

Cheers Mark

Not seen your car Mark. Is it shown here in this forum?

The wiring is DIY. Midnight oil kind of thing.

are you after a new single turbo wiring loom?....if so i do them.

Not on here Alex but some on FDUK when it was at Donny and Silverstone

Progress in picture form:

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Or9LCqU3K5A/VGO5lRiMPaI/AAAAAAAACdM/voAhV4M-8GU/w1152-h865-no/hdr_00027_0.jpg)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cgR0DIltcNQ/VGO5ve8M32I/AAAAAAAACdc/yVtLIckStU4/w649-h865-no/IMG_20141112_191620.jpg)

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIEBTSqGSVM/VGO5sEqTmAI/AAAAAAAACdU/osuXhIaNU8s/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20141112_192627.jpg)

this is an awesome build, is that prepreg in an autoclave? very advanced for a home build, looks great keep us posted please.

It\'s not pre preg, I make my panels with resin infusion.
Similar end result in terms of strength and weight to pre-preg. Harder to get right but saves on buying a £20k autoclave. Lots of professional composites companies use infusion for cost limited runs.

The front arches only weigh 600g each!