Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 11:23 pm, by: Michael McKellar(Mickmini)
Eastern Creek - 19 November Cars / Bikes / L2S (I have an appointment with Sam at 10am, so could come in the afternoon)
Wakefield Park - 25 November, 16 December Speed off the streets. No private practice as such, but last time I did one of these there was a "race car" session - a V8 supercar and me in the Mini were it
Them's your choices looking at the websites of the tracks. If you have access to another day booked by someone else, then let me know the date.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 11:41 pm, by: Michael McKellar(Mickmini)
Allan Langford wrote on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - 08:42 pm:
lot of mass to swing off the pinion!
Picture the leverage ratio of the supported distance (about 200mm) vs the length and mass of the tailshaft (~1800mm)
Hate to see you wishing you had a brown race suit if it let go!
but it is a 2 piece tailshaft supported by a centre bearing that is now solidly mounted as I see in the pics, the gearbox is solidly mounted at the front part of the front shaft. The front of the shaft has a hardy spicer that will do bugger all now it is all solidly mounted up there. The back part only has to deal with the amount of load imparted by the movement of the diff and subframe. This is not exactly the same as movement of a live axle, but seeing as it still has flexible urethane bushes in there will be some movement on slicks for sure. I think we can get away with it for now, with routine inspections to see if there is cracks forming or bearing wear.
Better overall solution will be to solidly mount the diff case and the rear subframe and then have a single piece tailshaft with a single hardy spicer at the front. This gets rid of the moments that can only be caused by the subframe/diff moving relative to the solidly mounted front end and another moving component that is weight and friction it can do without.
As for needing a brown racesuit, this is what the mandatory tailshaft retaining loops are for. The surprise usually comes when the front of the tailshaft buries itself in the road lifting the rear of the car excitingly.
cheers michael
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly); '84 MA61 Supra.
Monday, October 25, 2010 - 11:25 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Michael McKellar wrote on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 11:23 pm:
Eastern Creek - 19 November Cars / Bikes / L2S (I have an appointment with Sam at 10am, so could come in the afternoon)
Wakefield Park - 25 November, 16 December Speed off the streets.
Looks like it won't be this year then... I'll aim for 16th December, but we might have to wait until January. Still an awful lot to do. I'm working on a list.
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly); '84 MA61 Supra.
Monday, November 08, 2010 - 02:20 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Quick update:
Tidied up the radiator mounts. Will pull the radiator out soon to give them a coat of paint, but here's how they look:
Also finished off the aluminium section that goes in front of the rear diffuser. Air is now channelled under and therefore through the diffuser, rather than over the top of it. It turned out quite nicely, a snug fit between the rear subframe and the anti-roll bar, with brackets to existing bolt holes to mount it. It also means the boot floor is now closed off:
Whilst working in that area I also attached the rear air jack. It is mounted directly onto the rear subframe:
Also 90% finished on the switch panel. Where it sits on the transmission tunnel in these photos will not be its final resting position, but you get the idea:
We've also started work on the hydraulic release bearing for the clutch. The bell housing and other bits have been removed from the gearbox. Hoping to have the operation completed and the gearbox back in over the next week or two:
Finally, also took delivery of the top radiator hose. Just waiting on the parts for the bottom one, which should arrive this week:
Should I mention the ITB's? Nah, that can wait until next episode.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 - 05:34 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Still working on getting a few fiddly bits sorted out. The bottom radiator hose is now sorted and will bend down around the bottom of the oil cooler. Ended up using two hoses and a joiner:
Trying to cut down on a bit of work, I ended up installing the real interior door handles, rather than making up something new. Naturally I had already sold the originals, so I had to source some more. Luckily my Soarer is not the only one in the workshop, and the other one won't have opening doors...
The handles are mounted on some simple aluminium brackets, and will sit flush with the aluminium sheeting once it goes on the inside of the door:
The switch panel is now mounted properly. There's some shadowing in this photo that makes it look like its not attached, but it is:
The oil cooler has proven to be a little challenging to mount, but we're well on the way with it now. Here's a couple of brackets I made up for it. Some vertical pieces are yet to be added, which will hold the cooler in place:
More soon...
Cheers,
Andrew
Ben Lipman Goo Roo NT Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Saturday, November 27, 2010 - 09:55 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Laughing at the door handles. Toll broke my passenger one and I CBF buying another. I ended up breaking the remains of the handle out of the frame and wrapping some red cord around the end of the cable. A nice little sticker invites you to 'pull' in the direction of the arrow. Works a treat and saved me seven grams. It all adds up you know. (jokes- I didn't actually weight the plastic handle)
Sunday, November 28, 2010 - 04:26 pm, by: Carl Mccormack(Eville)
Nice work Andrew, when you finally get the car to the track let me know or post it here im sure a few of us would love to come see, purhaps we could orgainse to get ben up/down to have a training session .
Ben Lipman Goo Roo NT Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Monday, November 29, 2010 - 12:08 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I'm packing my house tomorrow and then heading to Adelaide. I have a whopping great big shed in the new place... If Andrew goes national sports sedans he can park it up at my place when the Mallala round is on.
Apparently the shed has a 'teen retreat'. He can stay there 'cept he is a wee bit older than a teenager. Maybe I'll rename it the 'old guys retreat'.
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly); '84 MA61 Supra.
Monday, December 06, 2010 - 04:54 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
OK, old man it is. Must be why I work so slow on the car...
Got the oil cooler/power steering cooler fitted last week, finally. Here's the brackets and the cooler mounted. Got to sort out the lines and remote filter now.
Also did up a bracket to hold the lower radiator hose in the right position. Not quite finished, but here it is:
Also finished off the dash board. It is all wired up and mounted:
Getting there bit by bit. More to come soon hopefully...
Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 12:19 am, by: Carl Mccormack(Eville)
Can i ask the reason for no speedo?? i would have thought that important so you know what speed you can enter/exit corners or is that still to come?? either way both you and ben have got me wanting to build my own race car but i think if anything ill be in bens catogory. As im so fully a beginner that ill need a car just to learn with first.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 07:30 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Oh god, you are only a few years older than me Andrew - thats not old! Though come to think of it I remember thinking that 40 was old about a decade ago - now its just around the corner it doesn't seem that bad. Guess its a moving target!
Personally I work slow on the car because I'm not much cop at it and try to make sure I don't f it up! :-)
Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 04:34 pm, by: Phil Gibson(Sciflyer)
Speedo is not that important in a racecar, you dont judge corner speed by km/h its by gear and engine revs/sound
I had multiple door-related failures at my last track day - firs teh drivers door handle failed (those ••••••• plastic rod clips!) then i accidentally shut the door with the keys in teh ignition and the headlights on - at the front of pitlane!
Had to frantically bust the entire handle off to get in
Then later on the interior handle decided to break too! grrrrrr. Luckily i had spares...
Ben Lipman Goo Roo NT Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 05:52 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I use my speedo, but mostly on the main straight. Actually, I use the Apexi RSM as the speedo is next to useless. I also find it handy in the pitlane and paddock area regarding the 40kph limit.
I look at the data from Racechrono after the laps to see what my corner speed was like etc.
If you can look at your speedo mid corner and make an intelligent deduction without jeopardizing your exit then your situational awareness is truly impressive, in the Jedi class.
Sunday, January 23, 2011 - 12:27 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
I'm still alive guys, just been busy with lots of other stuff. The workshop was closed over Christmas/New Year, meaning I couldn't access the car. It opened on the day I went away on holidays for 2 weeks, so nothing done on the car. I'll be back at it for a couple of days next week and the week after, so there should be a little bit of progress...
Mike Beck wrote on Tuesday, December 07, 2010 - 10:11 pm:
Finally a properly modified purpose built Soarer track car!
Looks like the big bucks have gone into it!
Thanks Mike, it should be OK when finished! It may look expensive, but I really haven't spent that much on the car. Certainly not much in Sports Sedan terms. By the time it is completed and tested on the track, it will have cost less than $35k (over a 4-year period). Compare that to some of the $100k+ Sports Sedans out there, and I am very low budget.
Ben Lipman wrote on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 08:37 pm:
Andrew has a habit of going quiet for a while and then BAM hits you with some new development.
Like a lot of us the Soarer is only one part of his life.
I could tell you some stories...
Dan McColl Goo Roo Victoria (The Nazi State) Active V8 and the Beast.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 - 11:04 pm, by: Dan McColl(Hoon)
They're just going to experience a fair bit of flex and vibration through the join, and welded ally tends to be a little brittle unless the finished unit has been normalised and heat treated.
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 12:50 am, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Copy that Dan, will keep an eye on it.
Better give an update - sorry, been rather slack. Careful Ben, BAM coming.
I sit here tonight contemplating moving house at the end of this week. That'll be my sixth move in 18 months, but thankfully my last for a few years. Dunno how you do it Ben.
So I thought I'd better get a little bit done on the car before the move, so that when I set up the new garage (well, operating theatre really - the floor is being painted tomorrow), the car can be driven into it, rather than pushed. A rather ambitious goal, given the time, amount of work and lack of budget available. And so as to not keep you in suspense, as it turns out it was an unachievable goal. The Soarer still sits in silence, in a dusty workshop amongst 10,000 rubber mats. Long story.
But there has been some progress, so let's just run with that. My last update was the dash and oil cooler installations. There's been a bit done since then, but keep in mind I'm up to the "fiddly bits" stage, so everything I do takes a lot of time, for what appears to be very little gain. But it is all necessary stuff, nonetheless. And I suck at fabricating stuff (I guess you're at the deeper end of the gene pool there Ben), so most things take 3 or 4 attempts before I get them where and how I want them.
Anyway, here's what has happened in the last few weeks:
The remote cables for the battery cut off switch and the fire extinguisher system have been installed. That completes the battery switch setup, but the extinguisher system is yet to be installed properly - can't do that until we can get the doors open on the car, which is impossible while it sits on the hoist.
A fair amount of time was spent on setting up the new clutch. Here's how it looked once mounted on the gearbox:
Since these photos were taken the gearbox has been completed and re-installed in the car, meaning the rest of the drivetrain and the exhaust could be installed. This was part of the big (but failed) plan to have the engine started before I had to cease work on the car and concentrate on the house...
I also got the custom lines done for the power steering cooler, and mounted the reservoir remotely from the pump. I relied on someone else to pick up the last two braided lines for me (connecting to/from the reservoir) but let's just say his true calling is fibreglass and not the courier business. This was not the thing that prevented the engine being started however, as the backup plan was to drop the belt off the pulley if everything else was ready. The hoses are now in my custody, but won't be installed until I see the car again. Here's the reservoir:
With other things starting to look like nearing completion, and the goal of having the engine running getting closer, it was time to finish off the wiring. I had hoped to do that once the car was off the hoist, so I could lean in through the open passenger door and do what was needed. With the workshop overloaded with other stuff and the gearbox still not yet in the car, it was not going to get off the hoist, so there was nothing for it but to climb in and out through the window and crouch in the footwell to sort the wiring out. And believe me, it doesn't matter how much you plan your operation out, there will always be one little tool or item you need, and you have to climb back out of the goddamn car to locate it, only to discover it was in the car the whole time but you didn't see it because your big arse was sitting on it. Not just once, but about 40 times.
In any event, despite the inconvenience of climbing in and out of the car 200 times in a day, on a day where it was 43-degrees outside, 47 in the workshop and 52 in the car (must have been heated by the steam coming out of one's ears) all the wiring was completed.
I disconnected the main fuel pump and powered up the ECU, which did all the right things and commenced running the lift pump. The normal process is for the ECU to cut the power to the pumps after a couple of seconds, so it took a few "restarts" before the lift pump had filled the surge tank and the line to the main pump. Time to reconnect the main pump and get the fuel up to the rail.
Flick the switch and presto! Nothing. Not a squeak out of either fuel pump. But it worked 30 seconds ago. I repeat, The fuel relay is still clicking over OK. Everything is earthed properly. But now neither pump is operating. Very frustrating.
But no time to worry about it, because Toymax Senior (aka dad) is here with the laptop to load up the 1UZ startup program into the ECU. Time to concentrate on that area now. Time to open the manual and follow the instructions. But when connected to the ECU, dad's laptop goes a little crazy. Well, more than just a little. The point being that we really should read the instructions, rather than try to "trick" the laptop into talking to the ECU.
And it was right near the front of the manual too. This particular model ECU needs a SPECIAL communication cable. Of course it does. Every other model uses a normal serial cable, but the one model I have needs a SPECIAL one.
Ring the local Motec distributor. "I need the special cable". "We should have one here. No wait, we don't. Like me to order one for you?" "Yes please." "When do you need it?" "About half an hour ago." "Right, well its after 3.00, so you probably won't get it until next week now."
It is 3:01pm on Thursday.
I say, "It is 3:01pm on Thursday. Can you at least try?" "I'll try and call you back." At least she's going to try.
Phone call, 5 minutes later. Special cable will be here 10am tomorrow. Luckily its not 3pm in Melbourne yet. I know, I don't get it either.
Dad, go home. Come back tomorrow, after 10. Work is irrelevant. We must speak to the ECU.
Special cable arrives (right in the middle of an urgent run to the solicitors to sort out house settlements). Dad arrives, with laptop ready. Still craziness on laptop, still no communication. Must be the operating system on the laptop. It's too modern. Too hip, too cool. Try it with your own laptop Andrew, the one with that ancient XP thingy on it.
Drive home, get laptop. Drive back, same result. Not talking to ECU. Frustration mounting. 5pm Friday is the cutoff. Car must start, or be packed up ready for the move in March.
One last chance. Computer guru says go for an older laptop. The ECU program is DOS based, XP doesn't like DOS. Use a laptop with 98, if you have it. And by chance, I do have one.
Drive home, get laptop. Drive back, very chuffed that there may be a solution, and it is still only 4.45pm. Load ECU software onto laptop. All loaded, excellent. Plug SPECIAL cable into ECU. Now plug SPECIAL cable into serial port on lapt... What do you mean, no serial port? No serial port. I may as well be standing there with penis in hand, for all the good this laptop will do.
I give up. It's 40-degrees, 5pm Friday and that beer is not going to drink itself.
So, some time in March I'll see the Soarer again. Hopefully with an answer to the communication problem. And the fuel pump issue? The brand new Bosch fuel pump is fornicated. Luckily I carry a spare and can replace it relatively easily. Eventually.
Andrew, comiserations. Nothing like it - events will conspire against you when you least have the time for it.
On the subject of the laptop, it may be worth trying to run the program on the newer laptop in 'compatibility mode'. I'm typing on my phone at the mo, so will go insane if I try to write much more, but it's a way of getting newer windows versions to run programs intended for older ones - a quick google search will get you the specifics.
Good luck mate, I've been following your build from the start, and it seems it's more a story about adversity met and overcome than a car. You'll get there.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 10:07 am, by: Carl Mccormack(Eville)
Also a quick search on eBay or a pm to me ( I'm sure I can get one anyway) will find u a usb to serial adapter just make sure you count the pins (little pointy things ) inside the plug as there are 2 a15 pin and a 9 pin then as bernard said right click the install file and create shortcut for it then right click again Go to the compatibilty tab and change it to match which ever version u need. Or in march let me know when your ready I'll fly down u can shout me birthday drinks I'll give you some free labour to help out who knows I may even get to be one of the first to see it running bonus!!
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 08:41 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Andrew McKellar wrote on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 12:50 am:
there will always be one little tool or item you need, and you have to climb back out of the goddamn car to locate it, only to discover it was in the car the whole time but you didn't see it because your big arse was sitting on it. Not just once, but about 40 times.
It's funny cos it's true!
I could have quoted the next ten paragraphs but I'm laughing too much. This might turn up in an spam joke email one day.
Matthew Whitehead wrote on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 04:21 pm:
can anyone help me i need a rear flexible coupling for my celsior 1990 UCF11-AEPQK
WRONG SECTION CHAMP. You might be better of in the wanted to buy section, or at least post up in the SA section for something local.
Dan McColl Goo Roo Victoria (The Nazi State) Active V8 and the Beast.
Sunday, February 27, 2011 - 07:59 am, by: Leon Wright(Techman)
Peter Svehla wrote on Saturday, February 26, 2011 - 05:37 pm:
Hey, I have a WinME laptop
Careful it'll blue screen and then try to eat you.
Andrew McKellar wrote on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 12:50 am:
And believe me, it doesn't matter how much you plan your operation out, there will always be one little tool or item you need, and you have to climb back out of the goddamn car to locate it, only to discover it was in the car the whole time but you didn't see it because your big arse was sitting on it. Not just once, but about 40 times.
Lol, I always do that. Swear and curse and find your walking around with a spanner sticking out of your shoe.
Friday, April 01, 2011 - 11:21 pm, by: Michael McKellar(Mickmini)
I am authorised by Andrew ( ) to say that some work has been done. He will fill in the details, but I can at least show you this recorded earlier tonight.
Sorry about the crappy sound and picture, but work gives me a crap phone. I can't complain too much when they pay for it.
cheers michael
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Friday, April 01, 2011 - 11:49 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
I think we'd better do that again with a real video camera. Phones are for talking to people, not taking videos. Or sending emails, or surfing the net.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 - 06:35 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Tonight I drove the car for the first time. I reversed it into the garage. Carefully. Using the hand throttle as the accelerator pedal isn't hooked up yet. High five! Lets have a beer!
Now back a couple of steps.
The video that Mike posted up a few days ago was of the engine firing up for the first time, but it had lots of issues. And at that point the laptop still wasn't talking to the ECU. Its a really long story, but nothing that anyone suggested worked. After I took my laptop, ECU and special cable to my Motec distributor and he powered the ECU up and the laptop instantly talked to the ECU, we knew it was something about my loom (it was still attached to the car) that was the problem.
I did every continuity test, resistance test, earth leakage test and head scratching test I could think of, but everything worked properly and no errors were evident. But still the laptop would not talk to the ECU when it was in my car.
Then dad (the oldest and wisest of my sorry lot) figured it out. There's a common 0V feed that comes from several different sensors to the ECU and also connects to one of the pins on the D9 connector for the laptop. What if one of the sensors has an issue, and is dragging the correct voltage up from the comm port and making it unhappy? Good suggestion. Let's try testing the sensors. We'll start with the TPS, because when the engine does start (and idles at 5600rpm - read on...) and you apply throttle, weird things happen.
So we unplugged the TPS and presto! The laptop and the ECU talked to each other!! Plug it back in and bang! no more communication. Again, a long story, but after about a day on it, the issue was narrowed down to the wiring, not the actual TPS. The Toyota TPS has 4 wires, the Motec only uses 3...
The issue with the TPS was resolved by cutting one wire (the idle switch) and changing the wires around so that the other 3 wires had 5V, 0V and signal wires the right way around for the Motec. Then set the high and low values of the open and closed throttle, and the Motec can read everything in between from 0-100%.
The issue of the engine not wanting to start and then idling at 5600rpm when it did was solved by digging around and looking for any possible vacuum leaks in the inlet manifold. Air causes revs, so it made sense that there might be one causing the problem. On the underside of the inlet manifold (where you can't see it of course) I located a hole that used to have something or other attached to it. It was nearly an inch in diameter. That'll do it alright.
I plated up the hole and checked around for any others (there weren't any), put it all back together and started her up. It worked, to some degree. The engine starts much easier now, but it won't idle at all (keeps stalling) and when you apply throttle it chokes and won't rev. You have to build up the revs by feathering the throttle but it kills it if you open the throttle more than about 20%. I think it is probably just tuning issues to blame, but I'm happy for anyone's feedback.
And now the ECU and the laptop talk with each other without any problems whatsoever. About time.
Briefly, I've also done a couple of other things along the way too. Sorry, I've been too slack to take photos, but I'll try to get some up on the weekend.
I sorted out some air lines for the on board jacks and tested them. The one at the back didn't have enough guts to pick the car up properly, despite being rated at 500kg. So I decided to invest in a new one, from AP Racing. This puppy is beautiful and will lift 1000kg, which should do the job. Just have to get the car back on a hoist and take the old one out and then figure out how to mount the new one - it is rather larger than the old one.
BIG MENTION here to Mr Ben Lipman, who was one of several people who made a contribution to a fund set up by my brother, Michael (yes, BIG MENTION to him too) for my birthday and to aid in moving the Soarer project forward. I was humbled by the number of people who threw in, and amazed at how much money Michael raised. I'm making sure I spend it well, so thanks Ben and everyone else who contributed.
I mention that now because the air jack came out of that fund. So did the 2 oil catch cans I purchased, one of which I fitted up today, the other yet to be installed. So did the roll cage registration, which dad is taking care of for me. Right dad?
Michael is also looking after the connection of the throttle cable to the accelerator pedal, which I reckon will turn out as an engineering marvel knowing him.
So that's a quick progress report. I'll try to get some photos up soon.
Cheers,
Andrew
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 - 08:20 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
It's one small step for man....and one...ahh bugger it, hurry the •••• up and build the thing. I won't be chipping in next birthday.
You should put a picture of the ex on the base of the rear air jack. Everytime you lift the car the the thought of her face hitting the bitumen should bring a smile to yours.
Previous
.
But it worked 30 seconds ago. I repeat, 
) to say that some work has been done. He will fill in the details, but I can at least show you this recorded earlier tonight. 
