1.6 16V on TB's trackday weapon

[CP]

Intro:
The car was first bought by my son as a nice red 1.4SR on an H plate.
Following an off road excursion into a wall the front wings were replaced and the engine re built with a Blydenstein head, 275 Piper cam and performance exhaust.
I then started to take it to track days, the first of which was at Kemble airfield around 2002. During this period it was modded and re-modded each time it broke thus:

1. Old 1.4 8v Blydenstein head, 275 Piper cam, Wilwood 4 pot front brakes plus Twin 40's.
2. 1.6 8V Blydenstein head, 285 Piper cam, Twin 40's, Performance exhaust, coilovers alround, stripped out, bucket seats and rollcage.
3. 1.4 16V Velos built engine on TB's and running DTA management circa 180hp, slicks
4. Current engine 16XE 16V SBD built engine on TB's with MBE management and a load of mods that I will post next

[novarally]

3. 1.4 16V Velos built engine on TB's and running DTA management circa 180hp, slicks

Velos, now there's some memories.

[CP]

Engine: SBD 16XE 16V
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/1600engine001.jpg

SBD spec 2.5" 4:2:1 S/S manifold and exhaust system
Steel cam belt idler pulleys
SBD prototype 1.32mm steel pressed Head gasket
16XE block bored out to 79mm
Peco 480 Hiflow Yellow fuel injectors
SBD dry sump system
Ultra small racing alternator
SBD modified cam cover to suit dry sump
Taper throttle bodies
MBE 967 ECU
Modified Magneti Marelli crank sensor and housing
132mm steel con rod set
79mm Omega/SBD HT slipper piston set
Ex SBD test head fully ported plus Vernier pulleys
295 degree, 11.6mm lift cams
Helix competition paddle clutch
Competition oil filter assembly.

[CP]

An object of beauty really:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/1600engine003.jpg

Working out where to put the oil tank:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/22307003.jpg

As it is now in the car:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novaengine.jpg

[CP]

Gear box. With a considerable step up in power I was concerned that the old 5SCCR box wasn't going to hold. I was already having problems with the phosphor bronze rings in the 1st - 2nd synchro destroying themselves so I stumped up the readies for a new-yes-new dog box kit.

In case anyone is wondering what's the difference in all of this? On the left is a Quaife 5SCCR (straight cut close ratio) synchro cluster and on the right, a standard road going cluster:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone007.jpg

By contrast here are some pics of a Quaife dog box cluster which is a non synchro uprated straight cut set up that used a gearbox from a Fordson Major tractor as its design inspiration lol. Rally drivers like them cos the use of the clutch is optional and they don't break very easily. The gears grate all the time but it doesn't appear to matter - you just slam it from gear to gear as rough as you like which is another appealing factor to rally drivers lol!
Note the much beefier cogs and considerably beefed up selector forks:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone014.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone011.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone010.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone009.jpg

[CP]

Gearbox cont/d:
I had to make this bracket up to hold the clutch cable:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaseatrandengine015.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaseatrandengine017.jpg

What I wasn't told by the supplier ( yeh mate it goes right together no probs) is that you end up having to get a burr to work to grind away some of the inside of the bell housing to get the pinion and crown wheel to fit into it properly cos they are too big:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone016.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone.jpg

The uprated selector kit and where it goes. Never the quality- feel the width!:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone024.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaalmostdone027.jpg

[CP]

Gear change:

Being a miserly sort I thought I try and make up my own direct to box gear change linkage.
The first thing you discover about this genius idea is that really the steering rack is in the way. And you may have also noticed that when you lower your car the steering rod ends are angled up rather than being parallel with the rack. This promotes bump steer which is a big no-no on track. Not a problem, I thought, I'll mover the rack up. I had already converted my rack to a quick rack so I set about mover it up:

old standard mounting points:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/22307002.jpg

new position - note hole for gear change through shaft

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/22307005.jpg

next I discombobulated an old shocker and nicked the shaft and end seal housing.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/24307002.jpg

which was installed thus:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/24307004.jpg


Next I made up my own gear lever selector assembly:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/24307006.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novaapril08007.jpg

added some lengthening pipe

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novaapril08003.jpg

created this for the business end

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novaenginein20thjun027.jpg

to eventually end up with this

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/nova002.jpg

It did work but not reliably so I happened upon the real deal 2ndhand so I installed it instead which I have to say works much more reliably. Importantly it has the correct 'gearing' so the throw is the correct distance. Its very important to get the engine and gearbox hung on competition mountings so that it doesn't move about otherwise the gear change becomes flakey

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novacabin.jpg

[CP]

Suspension and general under carriage: I did a lot of the std mods such as seam welding etc early on and had tried various of the usual suspension mods including lowered TCA rose jointed mounts and poly bushing. However after I had looked at various racing touring cars, it was clear that much greater amounts of caster and camber would be desirable. It wasn't possible to do this with anything I could buy which was mainly rally orientated, so I started out on my own plan which in my usual agricultural way involved chunky CAT bolts. The result is something which is well overt the top but at least I can hurtle into a corner, jam the anchors on and chuck it round the corner as brutally as I like and not worry about the whole lot collapsing in a pile of embarrassing bent metal.


First I mapped out a standard TCA set up:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics004.jpg
Then I bent up some 40x40 box

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics011.jpg

Next I fiddled around with a straight steel rod to try and align the new front TCA bracket as close as I could with the rear TCA mounting point

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics018.jpg

When finished the front mounting points looked like this and were quite a lot lower anything else available

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208072.jpg

I was wary about having a rose joint to connect into the front mounts so I came up with a simple lug with a good strong bolt in it so the new TCA's looked like this

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208074.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208061.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208063.jpg

When finished and in place they looked like this

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novawheelsbackon010.jpg

Its agricultural but it works and crucially the TCA's now pivot along a line parallel with the bottom of the car and I've been able to drag the front wheels much further forward and get a load of caster dialled. It turns in and corners like its on rails. Much better than any other thing I tried

[Southie]

A tip for posting pictures, use the [IMG] option as it saves clicking on them to see them ;)
It's a belter though.

[CP]

I tried that but it still pasted as script. Any tips? What am I doing wrong I'm using photobucket?

[Johnny A]

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics004.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics011.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/Novasuspensionpics018.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208072.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208074.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208061.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/060208063.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb125/cpnova/novawheelsbackon010.jpg


Change all the /URL's to /IMG

[Benn]

I hope you don't mind i've edited your posts so the pics show up... I'm to lazy to click on the links..lol
Glad you've started a thread again, been a fan along time. Like the lower arms you've made...

[M Sutton]

Looks Good as I've said before CP ;)
Nice to see a build thread for it.

[dgbnova#1]

Love it proper engineering going in there and far better price than forking out for of the shelf stuff

so you moved the front tie bracket out so it pivots in line with the bottom arm fixing point love that I may look back at this at some point and copy that

[CP]

I hope you don't mind i've edited your posts so the pics show up... I'm to lazy to click on the links..lol
.

Cheers; I used to be able to do all this stuff but old age has intervened lol!

[CP]

Love it proper engineering going in there and far better price than forking out for of the shelf stuff

so you moved the front tie bracket out so it pivots in line with the bottom arm fixing point love that I may look back at this at some point and copy that

I would hesitate to describe what I bodge together in my workshop as engineering! I really need to get another version made that is a bit more elegant and a lot lighter
One of the main points about the whole TCA set up is that when lowered and pulled forward it allows the TCA to pivot freely up and down without binding due to the locating holes are out of line

[dgbnova#1]

You got pics of it finished the spacers and how you bolted the front up in the end as I take it there the early botching stages (if you don't like the engineering comment lol )

yes made up in some tube would be nice