NC 20BPP Time Attack / Track Car - Build Thread

[orx626]

Great update, glad to see you get much deserved attention and respect.

Thanks Dave. The response has blown me away!

Where did the throttle pedal come from? I looks like it was meant to be there.

Monty, it's a bitsa! Part JC Cosmo and part NA MX-5 with an obvious tweak to get the cable in the right position.

Also did you say that was a copy of a mazdaspeed front bumper?

The front bar is made by Odula in Japan. It isn't a copy of the Mazdaspeed bar.

I really like the front splitter design. The car is coming along great.

Thanks! I'm really happy with how it is going too.

Were there any major reasons to get rid of the Fly-by-wire, or just a simplification? You would have been able to set up some cool stuff with the m800.

Hi Shane, it was purely a cost vs benefit exercise (cost being time and money). I really didn't need another project within a project to design a fly-by-wire system for the throttle bodies. It was fine with the previous engine as it already had a fly-by-wire throttle body but no real benefit now.

Cheers,
Danny

[plohl]

Thanks danny! I thought that would be the case.

[Lokiel]

Am I the only one who fears the rear bumper will catch fire?



I've seen an SE with a 3" Corksport exhaust and its rear bumper had scorched and melted above the exhaust tip - the clearance was only about 10mm.

- or do you plan to cut up the rear bumper anyway to accomodate a diffuser?

[orx626]

- or do you plan to cut up the rear bumper anyway to accomodate a diffuser?

The aero design has only just begun....what you see externally here will look nothing like the finished product. Hopefully it will still look like an MX-5 though!

You're right though Simon...that rear bar probably wouldn't last one power run on the dyno before catching fire and damning 8 years of hard work to hell! As you mentioned it does amaze me how many people overlook heat management.

Cheers,
Danny

[orx626]

Good progress was made over the last week with the heat exchanger assembly (unitised oil cooler and radiator). Extra ports were added to both of the heat exchangers for the purpose of sensor fitment and air-bleed.


The oil cooler scored just one extra port.....






....whereas the radiator gained six! To provide better hose routing the radiator inlet and outlet were moved to the end of the tanks.








The two heat exchangers are joined/welded together by end plates.






The two heat exhangers joined together and another side of the assembly added.








The thermofan is also part of the heat exchanger assembly. A strip of aluminium was rolled and welded to fit a groove in the underside of the thermofan.




It was then trimmed to size to account for the step between the two heat exchangers. Allowance was also made for the use of pinchweld. This will ensure that no cooling air is recirculated.






The assembly was then flipped over so that adhesive backed foam could be run the length of the oil cooler tanks.




The radiator and last side of the assembly were then welded in place.








A recess was provided for the oil cooler outlet fitting.




With the fan fitted.




Trial installation of the sensors and fittings.






For the oil cooler outlet that resides within the heat exchanger assembly a short line to a bulkhead fitting was used.








A few more welds will be added as well as copius amounts of sealant to make sure none of the ducted heat exchanger cooling air escapes into the engine bay. So does it fit???

You bethcha!!








I've had to adjust my water pump mounting arrangement so it will be another week or so before I get the parts back from the laser cutters and machinist. Doesn't really matter as there's plenty of other stuff to do!

Cheers,
Danny

[Old Dude]

It certainly is looking the goods Danny, how far off do you think you are from giving it a run?

Cheers
Dale

[orx626]

It certainly is looking the goods Danny, how far off do you think you are from giving it a run?

Cheers
Dale

Hi Dale, the engine should be started for the first time next month. However, the aero package design and manufacture schedule won't be completed until the middle of the year (probably July). So August will most likely be the month it will finally hit the track.

Cheers,
Danny

[Lokiel]

It looks like you have enough room to mount that fan even higher - have you considered adding a shroud that encompasses the entire radiator and mounting the fan to that? It looks like you do have the room.

[orx626]

It looks like you have enough room to mount that fan even higher - have you considered adding a shroud that encompasses the entire radiator and mounting the fan to that? It looks like you do have the room.

Hi Simon, the fan is purely to provide air flow when manoeuvring in the pits or driving in the paddock. The heat load will be relatively low so it doesn't need to pull air from the whole heat exchanger cross-section. The ducted air passage for the heat exchanger assembly is a key part of the aero package, so throttling the post heat exchanger airflow will compromise the aero design.

Cheers,
Danny

[orx626]

Not too much to report this week. Work has begun on plumbing the braking and clutch system. As those of you with NC's will know that the clutch hydraulic system shares the brake master cylinder reservoir. Now because I'm using a different brake master cylinder assembly I've added a separate reservoir for the clutch hydraulics.








The pressure sender for the front braking circuit has been mounted as well as the line out to the front left caliper. Extra restraint of the flexible line(s) will be added at a later date.








The rear brake caliper flexible lines have also been completed.






Cheers,
Danny

[MattR]

Danny, any reason you are using the standard pedal box and vacuum booster rather than an adjustable pedal set up such as a Tilton to give you a lot more adjustment of pedal ratio as well as brake bias and matching the cylinder sizes to suit fluid volume needs and pedal pressure?

The aftermarket pedal set up will give a bit more room and flexibility for mounting fluid reservoirs as well as better pedal feel. You can also take advantage of the better floor pivoted pedal setup for the pedals rather than the standard pendulum mounts.

[orx626]

Danny, any reason you are using the standard pedal box and vacuum booster rather than an adjustable pedal set up such as a Tilton to give you a lot more adjustment of pedal ratio as well as brake bias and matching the cylinder sizes to suit fluid volume needs and pedal pressure?

Hi Matt, there is no reason other than I had already developed and tested this package on another car without any cause for concern. One of the design criteria I set myself when I started this project in 2006 was to use as many OEM parts (in this case Ford) as possible. Hence I went this way back then.

However, since I effectively turned the project on its head last May by raising it a level or two, I may yet go down the path you mention if the braking system doesn't perform as expected. A sequential box is pretty high on the nice to do list too!

Cheers,
Danny

[Regie]

However, since I effectively turned the project on its head last May by raising it a level or two,

id double that Danny, I'd have to say 3 or 4 levels

[timk]

You've turned it up to 11!

[orx626]

You've turned it up to 11!

I think my calendar is moving at the same rate Tim!

Welcome to March already!!!

So I had to tweak my electric water pump mount for some more room for one of the outlet hoses.

This is the revised solid model.






The revised components....








I can't remember when/where I've mentioned the electric water pump, so here it is again. It's a Meziere WP337S http://www.meziere.com/ps-1150-0-WP337S.aspx which has a maximum flow of 55 gallons per min.




It has dual outlets which is perfect for my cooling system design.




All of the water pump mounting components arrived over the couple of weeks.

The mounting channel which is to be welded to the chassis rail.




The water pump hanger before pressing.




The water pump mounting spigot bush.






After pressing the water pump hanger I trial assembled all the components. The water pump hanger still needs to be drilled and tapped so that the spigot is retained. Once the water pump has been mounted in the car the remaining plumbing can be sorted.







Cheers,
Danny