tbro's 2nd NA, Scooter's resto

[tbro]

Hi all,

Well today Scooter and I went out to QR and did the TopGear sprints. I did this to learn the car as it's different to drive compared to the clubman. Figure better to learn the car at this type of event than at a race meeting.

Car ran faultlessly all day. Did a bit of shock adjustments between runs and ended the day with a best time on the 2nd last lap of 1.10.6,
with a worst of 1.36.?? after finding out that Doug tells lies, you can't go round turn one without braking , bloody magnicifent spin though, was laughing all the way round and round!!!!

Will need to reset swaybars as the car was oversteering all day and getting worse by the last run, thus one good spin.

I like the method of standing starts at the start of the main straight, the best run was the last of the day against a R31 turbo skyline, and buggar me he was behind me at turn one but then I spun out and chased him for the next 4 laps and actually got him coming out of the last corner, I think Slammer would approve!!!!

Well thats all for today, I'm stuffed but sh*t I'm lucky I got a bloody top little car. I'll post photo's later.

Terry

[orx626]

Looking good Terry!

[Boags]

Wll done, mate!

It was good to see you going round. Would have liked to watch a nit more of it, but the racer needed some love before Sunday!

So, now you know the car I assume you've got your entry in for the races this weekend?

[tbro]

Ammmm!!!

Go race this weekend or have hot water and house full of happy females,which way will I spend my money???

Decisions, decisions.


What ya think I'm f**ken suicidal!!!!



Terry

[tbro]

Hi all,

Been slack in keeping everybody up to date with whats happening with Scooter, so up until 3 weeks ago I have done absolutely nothing to him.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!

Then I decided to do something about the std diff and maybe set up the suspension a bit differently.

So in went a torsen 2 diff after setting it up properly, I realised something this morning at 6 am, I'm getting too bloody old to fit new diffs and cradles on my own. Trying to lift the whole unit up into place when the car is on stands is bloody hard on my poor OLD arms, must of lifted that bloody thing up and down 5 times and it got heavier each time . Eventually after much thoughts of swearing ( yea right ) I eventually got it into place and bolted up.

Then came the suspension, Me being a tight arsed bastard there was no way I'm going to pay mega bucks for a suspension setup on a car that has done 1000ks since April. So after much reading, much coffee, more reading I decided to modify the existing Koni/Kings setup.
Firstly I purchased the Koni adjustable sleeves, but these only come to suit 60mm springs, so after much thought and a scavange around the shed I found the Bilstein seats from the Clubman, left over when I converted those over to adjustable sleeves. Had the centres machined out so I could run 80mm springs that I already had!! Then after some more thinking I decided to use NB top mounts, so off to MX5plus and got 2 top plates then down to see Zoom Zoom (Tim) at Repco to find some suitable top bushes. Tim finally found some bushes that I could machine to suit. Back home started to machine the poly bushes to fit and if anyone can thing of a bigger mongral job or a more fowl smelling job I pitty them. So finally reassembled and fitted back on the car ready to start on the front shocks next weekend. Then I'll corner weight the car and then laser align and then be ready for Nov 2 track day!!!!

Couple of photos
Koni sleeves


Machined seats

Top plates and modified bushes

Finished and fitted

My little mate


When finished I'll let you all know how it all works, just had a closer look at that last piccy, I had better wash this car in the morning.

Terry

[bruce]

Is that last pic, Grandad Ninja Turtle?

[tbro]

Is that last pic, Grandad Ninja Turtle?

Dunno!! Had these done up for my old work ute, Turbo Turtle!!

Ah!! the joys at waking up ever morning at 4.30/5.00, even on my day off!!!
So after many cups of coffee off to the shed and time to contemplate my next suspension mods.

Trying to corner weight the car I came to realise that I need some adjustable sway bar links, but where the f**k do you buy the bits necessary at 6am on a Sunday morning???? I had some gearshift ball joints that were kindly donated from the warranty bin at work sitting on the brothel I call my bench (must clean it up one day) so with a bit of thought I decided as I have a few std links I might as well see if I can mod to do what I need to achieve, which is fully unloaded aftermarket sway bars when I corner weigh the car. Firstly I measured all of the link pins and being a typical Jap manufacture the bloody thing are all within .05mm center to center. Bloody japs can't they make things like the yanks, within 5mm is good enough for them!!!!
So cut off one link end and threaded the rod and fitted the new ball ends, and bloody hell got the first one right straight away.



The shafts are 11mm and the ball joints are 10mm so I threaded the the shafts with enough thread that I could put on a lock nut.





I made adjustable units for the clubman when i fitted the NB Whiteline bar, but when you actually think about the lower Heim joint being spaced to fit the lower control arm and tightened up the heim joint can't turn so I figure why spend over a $100 buying joints when using a tried and proven factory end will do exactually the same thing. Maybe I'm just a tight arsed bastard!!!!

Have fun, oh! and by the way this is still all legal by 2f specs, no fun if you CHEAT!!!!

Terry

[Guran]

This is such an entertaining and enlightening thread. Thankyou and please keep up the good work Terry.

[tbro]

Hey all,

Well Scooter is all ready for the November track day.

The adjustable coil over perches turned out to be a real pain in the arse, after removing all the shocks (gee, I'm getting good at this) stripping down and fitting the sleeves, making new nylon washers to fit the Nb top hats and fitting new bump stops, I put everything back in the car and after dropping the car back down one of the perches went cockeyed on the circlip. After much rude words like buggar and poo a few times ( yeh right) it was strip down every thing again and put back all the orignal gear back on. Now I'll have to sit down and work out how much to machine the inside of the sleeves so that like the Fatcat motorsport units the sleeve will hold the circlip in place. Just glad that this happened at home and not going through the Kink at Lakeside flat out!!!!!

I've made and fitted the adjustable sway bar mounts (I know I think too much) and spent a fair bit of time setting up the bars and adjustable links.Now all I have to do is fit the new Sparco V race seat ( thanks Brett, Revolution Rcae gear Mona Vale ) get the slicks ready and fit the spare exhaust so to be under the radar at Lakeside and go for it!!!!

So has the car changed much??? I asked Boags to take Scooter for a drive as he had dríven it before I started to play around with the set up and I think by the grin on his face he was happy with the improvements. I know that the car is a lot easier to drive so hopefully my lap times will improve.

Next year I'll be doing all the Top gear events and learning the car and how to drive the bloody thing in anger. Be a bit different to building race cars for other people to race and hoping like sh*t that everything I've done will work the way the way I expect it to. One thing I can tell you though and my best mate who runs BMS in Sidders has the same attitude, is to try what you think will work and don't just do things because everybody else does it, if it don't work then go back to where you started and try something different. Roys cars hold lap records for all their cars at every track they have raced at by using the same attitude.

Now when I bought Scooter I knew that the basics were there to have a good reliable race car and with some tweeks here and there I think I've improved the car in leaps and bounds.

Improvements to be done , new exhaust system and custom extractors then a engine refresh and then ecu tune. Ah! the fun of it all!!!

See ya

Terry

[Steampunk]

Now all I have to do is fit the new Sparco V race seat

Waitaminit.... NEW seat?
So.... where is the old seat going to go?

[tbro]

Hi all,

Well spent plenty of mulla this week, 1 new car, new exhaust system for Scooter and then found that the extractors have rotted away thanks to the heat wrap that Steve had fitted to them. So what to do???

Go and visit Gary Stewart and buy the last set of the famous Loche Stewart designed extractors in existance.









So hopefully in the next few days I get them fitted. Gary explained that for them to work efficiently in the mid range I need to have a 2" section from the collector to the cat of a specific length to achieve the best possible HP outcomes. Amazing to find out what was involved in the designing of these and the 1.8 extractors. Many hours of dyno work on each design, to then discard a design and try something different.

Also picked up a few tips that I'll try over the next few months.

Terry

[NMX516]

Sounds good Terry!! I look forward to having a closer look at it on Monday

So, new car hey? One of those VTEC yo, high revving puppies?

[tbro]

Sounds good Terry!! I look forward to having a closer look at it on Monday

So, new car hey? One of those VTEC yo, high revving puppies?

Nope!!!

Poor old Bluebird dies so it was a quick decision to buy a newby!!!My choice was the Type R but after second thoughts I don't think it would be the ideal DD, so off to Mazda for a SP, unfortunately the salesman didn't won't to sell me a new car even after walking in and saying "I'm here to buy a car today". So off to Mitsubishi and now we have a Lancer. Wendy is happy and thats all I need.




Well plenty done to Scooter today,

New seat in and relocated the harness to suit,



Numbers fitted by my neighbour, who's a signwriter, made it look so simple, stayed with Slammer's numbers



Fitted shift idiot light, will see how long that last before I get the shits with it flashing at me



Picked up some new rims and tyres, if its wet on Monday I'll run the Dunlops, if it's cool, i'll run the new ones, and if it's hot I'll stay with the slicks.


New radiator didn't turn up so I'll have to wait for next weekend to fit.

Cars going in this week to have the extractors fitted and system modified. Am I being lazy? nope!!! $100 to fit and modify system to suit plus
gasket, for that money why would you fit it yourself??????

Well, see you Monday People!!!!

Terry

[Boags]

Looking (and driving) great!!

Thanks very much for throwing me the keys... See you tomorrow.

[tbro]

Hi all,
Well Monday was the test for my thoughts regarding suspension mods,and boy did they work.

Scooter is soooooo easy to drive fast, well planted and braking is so stable its not funny. My times dropped from the first few laps at 1.10 down to 1.06s after lunch.
All the tyres were running within 2 degrees of each other and thats before I corner weight it, don't think I'll bother just yet. With a lot more driving at Lakeside and QR I'm confident that my times can get better or at very least be consistant.

Boags took him for a run during the free for all against a front running car and didn't get left that far behind, he gave it 2 thumbs up, its nice to be able to run flat out in 5th gear down under the bridge!!!

Well new radiator has gone in , fitted up nicely and only had to mod the lower hose. Good value at $265 delivered.

I'll post up some photos when I work out how to get them.

Terry.