| Author |
Message |
James Johnson
TryHard
Auckland
UZZ31 Soarer
Posts: 435
Reg: 03-2009
|
Can not wait to see this on the track, it sounds like a proper race car. |
Christian Somerville
Goo Roo
South Australia
UZZ31 V8 LTD
Posts: 1242
Reg: 03-2009
|
Awesome! Good work Andrew. |
Aaron Casey
Goo Roo
nsw
'94 jzz30 gttl, 2 mini's one supercharged 
Posts: 2870
Reg: 08-2005
|
the sound of this ••••• over that yellow drift car from thailand haha |
Steve Watson
Newbie
Vic
TT
Posts: 4
Reg: 04-2011
|
One of the best threads I have read anywhere ! Thanks so much for posting all of that detail, I've learned allot. Your car is beautiful in every aspect.
Can't wait to see the first video of it on the track. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 472
Reg: 06-2008
|
Thanks for all the positive comments guys, I appreciate it. I can't wait for the thing to be on the track either, believe me. Having the engine start has injected me with a bit of enthusiasm too, so I'm aiming to get a bit more done almost every day if I can.
Here's some photos of what's been done recently. I've made cardboard templates of the interior panels, which will go on to be aluminium panels in a couple of weeks. The only ones I haven't done are the doors, because I want to talk to Bruce about doing them with fibreglass due to their complex shape.
Because I spent a lot of time fault finding through the laptop/ECU communication issue, the wiring looks a mess again. I've decided to leave it until after dyno tuning to tidy the wiring up again, just in case something else goes wrong with it.
Here's the oil catch can. I'm not happy with the hose supplied, so will be switching that to a braided line, together with another one to run from the other bank. I also still need to run an oil return line back into the sump.
I have removed the old air jack and made a plan for installing the new one. Just need some bits fabricated first to mount it on the car. Here's the difference between the new and the old:
I made up a couple of little plates to cover the holes in the manifold that are normally for oxygen sensors or something. Now the cabin doesn't fill with exhaust gas!
And the rain light is now installed.
That's about all for this week. Getting there...
Cheers,
Andrew |
Justin Hughes
Goo Roo
Victoria
V8 Soarer
Posts: 1399
Reg: 07-2005
|
Yepp - without doubt THE most AMAZING thread I've seen since the birth of Soarer Forums in the late '90's
... I do believe an award or a head wetting; maybe even a light spanking is in order  |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 474
Reg: 06-2008
|
Thanks for the accolades there Justin. I admit the reference to spanking is somewhat disturbing and yet slightly intriguing at the same time...
I've come to the conclusion that my life is very busy. Probably always has been. So what possessed me to undertake such a time consuming and rather expensive hobby is beyond me. But here I am.
I took a few weeks off working on the car after I was totally demoralised on the Easter weekend when something went wrong with the clutch. Very wrong. Or that was the assessment at the time.
It's a long story; too long to type. But suffice to say I had to put the car up on stands and pull the gearbox out. A right pain in the backside, which had to be done just to ascertain the problem, let alone fix whatever it was. A task I didn't particularly look forward to. So I had what my step-son and his xbox buddies call a "rage quit" and put the car in the garage and just left it alone for weeks.
The problem turned out to be reasonably easy to fix, involving the replacement of a braided line after the original was worn through because it was in contact with the clutch housing, which eventually wore its way through the line, spewing fluid everywhere. I'm in the process of fixing that and replacing the master cylinder with one that has a bigger bore, meaning less pedal travel.
I'm back at it again now, getting things done as I can. The achievement last week was getting all the aluminium panels done for the interior of the car, including a new position for the Motec.
Still working on the throttle cable/pedal linkage. Now the internal panels are done I can also install the plumbing for the fire extinguisher system. Still got to sort out the rear bonnet pins and mounting the front spoiler assembly properly.
Bit by bit... |
Carl Mccormack
TryHard
QLD
'91 Soarer TT
Posts: 135
Reg: 09-2010
|
LOL i got to say that looks like a lot of wiring, im surpirsed so much ended back in the car, still impressive work.
Do you still have all the molds for the pannels on the car i remember you saying that you were making molds to resell, repair the ones on the car?? |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 475
Reg: 06-2008
|
Yeah wiring is still a bit untidy, but I'm not going to properly harness it all up until after dyno tuning, just in case something needs to be changed.
Got molds for the bonnet and boot lid. Molds for the rest of the car are a VERY SLOW PROCESS, primarily because Bruce needs to PULL HIS FINGER OUT. Mounting the front spoiler on the car is waiting on some fibreglassing work too. |
Ben Lipman
Goo Roo
SA
Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Posts: 2817
Reg: 04-2006
|
Did you cut away much of the metal under the aluminium panels for the rear area? (under rear screen and where the seats were)
It looks a lot tidier than my 'patch the holes' method. |
Scott Casey
DieHard
nsw
soarer v8
Posts: 656
Reg: 02-2008
|
had a quick look through a sports sedan forum and they cannot wait to see this build finished |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 477
Reg: 06-2008
|
Ben Lipman wrote on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - 06:48 pm:Did you cut away much of the metal under the aluminium panels for the rear area? (under rear screen and where the seats were)
Nah, not much at all really. A bit from behind the seat back, but that was it.
Scott Casey wrote on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - 07:13 pm:had a quick look through a sports sedan forum and they cannot wait to see this build finished
They can't wait? Neither can I !!!! Which forum? |
Scott Casey
DieHard
nsw
soarer v8
Posts: 658
Reg: 02-2008
|
it was in here somewhere
http://www.sportssedans.com.au/forum1/index.php?a=board
interesting to see the supra around the track
http://www.sportssedans.com.au/forum1/index.php?a=topic&t=378
somewhere in the top 10 posts which have the most posts |
Walter Gillmore
Goo Roo
QLD
TT JZZ30
Posts: 1100
Reg: 07-2009
|
absolutely beautiful mate! lovin your wok. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 478
Reg: 06-2008
|
The clutch is now fixed and the gearbox is back in the car. The bigger bore in the master cylinder made a heap of difference and now the clutch feels really good. I'm back to being able to drive the car in and out of the garage with the engine idling.
Over the weekend I ran all the plumbing for the fire extinguisher and also installed the rear bonnet pins:
Still working on the linkage for the accelerator pedal to throttle cable, but it is coming together. I'll put photos up once it is done, which I am hoping is next weekend.
The car will then be ready to head off for dyno tuning, finally. All I need to do is win lotto to fund it...
Cheers,
Andrew |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 479
Reg: 06-2008
|
Still waiting to sort out that accelerator pedal, but meanwhile I'm working towards getting the car finished for dyno tuning and track testing. I'm taking care of a few of those small, fiddly things to finish the car off. This week I got the rubber boot around the gear stick sorted and also made up a vent grill for that gap in the rear bumper caused by the change of diffuser:
I'm just waiting on a couple of brackets to be made up and I can finish off the fire system. Also waiting on a plate to be made up to finish off the safety harness mounts. The stuff for the accelerator pedal should be done next week, together with some blocks I'm getting made up to raise the pedal box up a bit (and the floor on the driver's side to go with it). By raising it up I'll be able to move the pedals further away, making a more comfortable driving position.
I'm also still waiting to sort out the mounts for the front spoiler, although I won't need it for dyno tuning or the initial shake down at the track. I do still need to connect up the oil cooler and sort out the remote filter and associated lines before it goes onto the track (though not necessary for dyno tuning).
Yesterday I ran the engine up to operating temperature and checked for any leaks or strange noises. All is good on that front, with no oil, water or exhaust leaks anywhere.
Anyway, that's about it for now. It is getting closer...
Cheers,
Andrew |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 2885
Reg: 07-2005
|
Awesome. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 484
Reg: 06-2008
|
Well, after weeks and weeks of work I can finally report some progress. The floor is now raised up, so the pedal box has been moved forward and my long legs are now more comfortable with the distance to the pedals.
And after an initial design drawing supplied by Michael (and the stirring advice last week to "suck it and see"), the accelerator pedal-throttle cable linkage is now completed. There was a bit of fiddling to get the ratios right, but there is now 100% pedal movement equalling 100% throttle opening. It was a bit hard to photograph because of the roll cage, but you get the idea:
Got a little bit of work to do on the exhaust next week, and I've discovered the alternator is RS so I'm replacing it, but it'll soon be headed off for dyno tuning. About bloody time... |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 2978
Reg: 07-2005
|
That block looks heavy. Maybe worth putting some lightening holes in it.
Great to see the progress. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 485
Reg: 06-2008
|
It's alloy, so not that heavy. But you're right. Now that it all fits it is being pulled back out to "tidy" things up. Apparently it is important for it to weigh less AND look shiny. |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 2981
Reg: 07-2005
|
Andrew McKellar wrote on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 09:38 pm:Apparently it is important for it to weigh less AND look shiny.
Correct. |
Michael McKellar
Tinkerer
Overijssel
Mini
Posts: 93
Reg: 08-2008
|
Andrew McKellar wrote on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 09:38 pm:it is important for it to weigh less AND look shiny.
that is what we call development - get it to the dyno first 
BTW Marty has a great way to get that milled alloy look with a buffer and some polish if you want it to look pretty. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 490
Reg: 06-2008
|
Milled alloy look? Can get that from putting alloy in a mill I reckon. Here's what it loos like when you do:
It has also been a while since I put some decent photos of the car up (mostly on account of it being stuck in the garage), so here's some shots of how it all looks so far:
I ended up extending the exhaust out the side of the car, which meant cutting bits of the side skirts out. Here's how it looks:
Just a couple of hoses and connectors to sort out on the engine and it is ready for dyno tuning.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Ben Lipman
Goo Roo
SA
Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Posts: 2927
Reg: 04-2006
|
looks great. |
Aaron Casey
Goo Roo
nsw
'94 jzz30 gttl, 2 mini's one supercharged
Posts: 2996
Reg: 08-2005
|
dam this is looking soooo good!! |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 3014
Reg: 07-2005
|
Giddy up.
Still needs more lightness in that throttle interconnect.
And a pair of later model tail lights. |
Justin Hughes
Goo Roo
Victoria
V8 Soarer
Posts: 1427
Reg: 07-2005
|
•••• me swinging that's HORN  |
Ryan McDonough
DieHard
NSW
STOCK JZZ30 TT
Posts: 719
Reg: 07-2005
|
Oh yeah!! How good is that looking. |
David Grima
Goo Roo
WA
1JZ-GTE TT
Posts: 1220
Reg: 07-2007
|
looking good Andrew.... will be great to see some vids when you take it on the track. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 492
Reg: 06-2008
|
I wasn't entirely happy with how the various water outlets on the engine were just blocked up, so I've done a bit of work on adding hoses here and there to join them up and prevent water from stagnating anywhere in the engine. Also changed the oil breather hoses as I wasn't happy with the previous ones.
The car is now ready for dyno tuning. That should be happening in the next few weeks, hopefully.
Meanwhile work has been going on at the front end, sorting out how to mount the front spoiler assembly. I had 2 posts welded onto the ends of the chassis rails, which have tapered ends on them. My engineering mate also made up some discs for attaching to the bumper assembly, which have an internal taper to match the posts. That way they'll locate against each other nicely:
Once the discs are attached to the bumper assembly they will locate on the posts and be held in place by the two tow hooks that screw into the threaded section inside the posts. In these photos the tow hooks are replaced by those hex-head bolts:
Once the posts were welded in place the discs were bolted on and then the bumper assembly was positioned. We had already recessed the approximate area were the discs would locate, as shown here:
We then used an adhesive mix (technical term "goop") to hold the discs in place on the bumper. Once it went off we unbolted the discs from the posts and removed the bumper with the discs attached. Here's Bruce (the picture of concentration) applying the goop:
And here's what the discs looked like from behind, once attached to the bumper. Now that they are in position they will be properly laminated (the bumper is now at the fibreglass workshop having this and some other work done):
The bumper assembly will also be attached to the car at the sides. These are the latches we are using, which will fit rather neatly into the recesses originally designed for the indicators. A metal bracket of some description will be fabricated for the latch to attach to.
Also had the car scrutineered by someone from CAMS and it passed no worries. Just waiting on the issue of a log book now.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 493
Reg: 06-2008
|
Oh, and I thought this photo just looked kinda fat, so I thought I should share it...
|
Aaron Casey
Goo Roo
nsw
'94 jzz30 gttl, 2 mini's one supercharged
Posts: 3052
Reg: 08-2005
|
Hell yeah so much good work going into this! If someone bumps into it i think i might cry a little lol |
Ben Lipman
Goo Roo
SA
Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Posts: 2943
Reg: 04-2006
|
Must be close now.
The end of the chassis rails is the only logical place I could come up with to mount my bumper too. I never found a good solution for the sides, but was thinking of welding something to screw allen head bolts and load spreading washers into. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 494
Reg: 06-2008
|
Ben Lipman wrote on Saturday, October 08, 2011 - 09:53 pm: I never found a good solution for the sides, but was thinking of welding something to screw allen head bolts and load spreading washers into.
We looked at that option too, but in the end wanted something that could be released quickly, without the need to carry a tool to undo it. |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 3066
Reg: 07-2005
|
You need a tool to undo the fronts, why not the same tool to undo the sides??
I would consider a similar thing for the sides as the front, but with less of a spigot for mating, only really needs a small flange. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 495
Reg: 06-2008
|
Dan McColl wrote on Sunday, October 09, 2011 - 07:15 pm:You need a tool to undo the fronts, why not the same tool to undo the sides??
Won't need a tool for the fronts - the tow hooks are designed to be tightened and undone by manpower.
Pretty impressed with my service from CAMS, nearly. After mailing off the application for the log book last Wednesday, the log book appeared in the mail today. Very speedy service, which I like a lot. Unfortunately in the speedy writing up of all the details in the log book someone left out one minor piece of information - the log book number... Got to ring CAMS tomorrow to sort it out.
It's the little things... |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Posts: 3069
Reg: 07-2005
|
Ahh, ok. Thought I saw allen key bolts in there ala V8 Supercar setup. |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 496
Reg: 06-2008
|
Very excited. Car was loaded up and sent for dyno tuning yesterday. Left it there for a week to make sure they have plenty of time to muck around with it and not rush the job. Here it is on the trailer and queued up patiently waiting turn:
The car is also now wearing 2 brand new front tyres, as we couldn't find any second-hand slicks of the right size. The new Avons are 250/620/17 and fit very nicely on the rims and under the front guards.
Meanwhile work continues on the front bumper assembly, including the front mounts with tow hooks, the side latches and more sanding/filling/sanding to get everything right before we think about a mold. The plan is to finish it off, repaint it and mount it on the car, then do one track day to sort some things out before we take it back off and make molds.
Will naturally let everyone know how the dyno tuning goes.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Ben Lipman
Goo Roo
SA
Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Posts: 2948
Reg: 04-2006
|
Andrew McKellar wrote on Saturday, October 08, 2011 - 11:29 am:then do one track day to sort some things out before we take it back off and make molds
I know how that story ends...LOL. |
Peter Howden
DieHard
WA
TT 2.5L 6 cylinder
Posts: 733
Reg: 01-2008
|
Vids of the dyno .. vids of the dyno  |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 498
Reg: 06-2008
|
Peter Howden wrote on Wednesday, November 09, 2011 - 10:15 pm:
Sorry Peter (and everyone else), no video of the dyno to show  . Here's why:
Dropped the car off last Friday and the dyno guys were going to get started on it on Monday. Once they got it running on Monday morning they figured because the car was so loud that it would be better to do it after hours, so it was left until Monday evening to continue with it. That way during the day they could still hear the phone, hear themselves think and hear the neighbouring factory unit occupiers ears bleeding properly.
On Monday night I got a phone call asking what would be the easiest remedy, as when they put it on the dyno for the first time and gave it a squirt it crouched down and rubbed rear tyres on guards. Easiest solution: remove the guards and worry about that later. The plan then was to do a bit more that night, then do more on Wednesday and Thursday nights (due to the boys going to a Cold Chisel gig on Tuesday night).
I had a good chat with them on Tuesday morning and they were happy that everything was going according to plan. There was a lot of work to do with the fuel mapping, but they were getting through it and then they would fiddle a bit with ignition as well. Then they told me Cold Chisel was Wednesday night, so they would be doing more on the car that night.
Tuesday night another phone call came and things were getting there steadily. They asked me where I expected peak power to be (which after digging around I managed to find as 5400rpm) and said that so far they had fully mapped up to 4000rpm and would continue through to 7000 to allow extra revs if the car is held in gear for longer out of a corner or something. Above 7000 they would allow for standard mapping. I doubt I'll get it anywhere near that until the next engine, so it's all good. They said they wouldn't get it finished that night, so it would have to be finalised on Thursday night.
So I determined that at 5pm on Thursday I would front up with the video camera and capture those last couple of runs on the dyno, just to satisfy my ever-patient readers.
Then at lunch time on Wednesday they rang me to let me know it was all done and the car was ready to be collected. Without so much as a "by your leave"! So no video opportunity after all. Sorry.
A mate picked the car up yesterday and took it back to his place and I collected it from there early this morning and took it straight to the brake shop where some minor modifications are being completed. When I got it there I was able to start the car and drive it for the first time, just in their car park. I promise I'll take some video when I get it home.
Result: The engine now starts and idles nicely. They changed the gearing on the accelerator linkage a little, so there is now a small modification I have to make to get the pedal to lean back a bit. The engine revs really well and the car is drivable. With the welded diff it doesn't like the tight confines of a car park and needs extra revs to overcome the rear grip, but I'm not planning on running in too many motorkhanas.
The whole drive train stood up to the test - the new gearbox, diff, tail shaft and clutch all went well and there are no balance issues. And no leaks anywhere, or anything else of concern. That's pretty satisfying and a little bit of relief...
Oh, and it sounds bloody good too.
More word tomorrow on what else is going on. Maybe some photos too.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Peter Nitschke
Junk Filterer
South Australia
UZZ30 UZZ31
Posts: 12240
Reg: 11-2004
|
I can sense your excitement! |
Andrew McKellar
TryHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 499
Reg: 06-2008
|
Oh yeah, I'm getting excited alright. Couldn't help myself, had to go back to the brake shop yesterday arvo just to start it and rev it for a while...
Did a bit of work fixing the rear guards today. Each guard had a flange return around the wheel arch that was about an inch wide and for my purposes about an inch in excess of requirements. It was this flange that rubbed the tyres when the car was on the dyno. Here's what it looked like, complete with the rubber from the tyre still attached:
Easy solution was to cut the flange out, which I did. You can see how much was removed and the end result:
Once the guards go back on and the rear suspension is properly set up, the tyre rubbing should be a thing of the past. Leaning heavily into a corner may yield different results, but we'll have to wait and see on that one.
Meanwhile I also sorted a new rain light. I just didn't like the old one and the bracket it was mounted on. The regulations call for the light to be mounted as close as possible to the trailing edge of the boot lid, so the round light that I had just wasn't going to cut it. So I got a new one and it is now installed on the boot lid, complete with a hefty length of cable so that we can pull the boot lid off and then unplug the light as necessary:
Hopefully the car will be back from the brake shop by next week, so I can get a few more of the finishing touches done now that it is running OK. The wiring needs to be loomed up, it needs a wheel alignment, one more harness mount and of course work continues on the front spoiler assembly.
Unfortunately Bruce the fibreglass guru has taken ill and will be out of action for the next 6 weeks or so, but as we'll be assisting him by keeping the workshop running while he is in hospital, the spoiler should become a major priority  . Of course we all wish Bruce a speedy recovery.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Andrew McKellar
DieHard
NSW
Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly)
Posts: 505
Reg: 06-2008
|
Ben's fantastic work on his front bar reminded me that we have been progressing in the same area and I should tell someone about it...
Sorry for crudity of photos, these ones were taken with a phone. Phones are for calling people, not taking photos. Cameras are for taking photos.
Here is essentially how the tow hooks are supposed to look once it is done. The tow hooks themselves have a little more work to be done on them yet, but you get the idea:
Once we used a hole saw to cut out the recesses for the tow hooks (making the hole round so that the tow loop could turn in the recess), we then worked on shaping the recess so that it all fit nicely but had no sharp edges or undercutting. We also spent a fair amount of time filling and sanding, trying to get everything in the smoothest shape possible. Once all that was done, a good coating of spray putty was applied:
The spray putty revealed a couple of imperfections, which I have since fixed. I also spent a bit of time stiffening the undertray and the whole bar is now ready for the paint shop.
Cheers,
Andrew |
Scott Casey
DieHard
nsw
soarer v8
Posts: 691
Reg: 02-2008
|
front bar
front bar might be what Ben's after |
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