On Going Modifications
During the cold months of winter and even during the great days of summer, modifications and improvements continue. As time ticks by the modifications will be popping up on this page and the Handling Page .
Bright Sunlight is a Pain!
The white dash top glares and the clocks go invisible during the great days of summer. Guessing if the indicators are on is not wise and constant checking of the lever usually results in sending other drivers false messages. So a dash modification is called for....
Dash angled toward driving position
Dash Top changed to black
Dash Cowl Sun Visor
Not only do the dash improvements help visibility they also improve the image of the interior of the car. Very nice! Keeping all the radius greater than 2 mm also keeps things under the IVA rules. The angled raised dash is made of folder (with 10 mm radius) aluminium. The cowl is also formed form aluminium and trimmed with 4 mm radius chrome edging.
Changing the top of the dash to black and adding some chrome radius trim calms the glare from the brilliant white that tired the eyes on bright days. It also finishes the dash and completes the cockpit ambience.
Now some carpet trim is in order to complete the image.
Next thing on the agenda is the headlights. The standard fitment H1 55 Watt bulbs have been replaced by H1 Xeon bulbs boosting the lighting by 120%. This low down beast needs to be seen and to see. With the upgrade the beam spread is better and night driving has become a pleasure rather than a last minute fright feast!
Darkness can also be a pain
Solar Batter Charger
Solar / Mains Charger Plug In Point
With the car standing for long periods between blasts the battery needed some protection. To aid this a battery charger hook up point (water proof power socket) has been built into the right hand front tunnel. This has been hooked up to a small 0.5A solar panel so that the car can be constantly on charge and ready to rumble at a moments notice or glimpse of sun.
Full On Charge
New wheel spacers are now in place and have been checked after a few hundred miles. All is well here now so the project can evolve rather than correct from here on.
Runs at 110MPH and 130MPH have now been achieved with no adverse wheel movement, noise or wobbles. Running the speed up to the indicated 150MPH does however start to cause some front end lightness and wander. Rear wing adjustments and rear to front aero angles of attack plus ride height issues need to be addressed before each further high speed attempt. Not a job for the faint hearted or those or a nervous disposition !!!!! Wind Tunnel PLEASE.
Speed Runs
With the 150MPH attempt the top speed calculation is now a proven known. 6000RPM in fifth will be achievable without issue and the speed reached at this RPM will be 168MPH. Cool!
In order to gain more rear down force the rear wing angle has been increased and the rear shocks stiffened. This has been accompanied by the lowering of the front end by 8mm. Overall high speed stability has been increased considerably and the speedometer now indicates 155MPH, which is where it runs out, so only guess from here on???
To eliminate rear wing vibration the bodywork mounts have been changed and the wings fuel tank chassis mounts have been widened. Both of these mods not only improved things but also had a good improvement on low speed noise as well.
Rear Wing Stays Improved Mounts
Fuel Spills Grrr!
Fuel spills can happen by accident in the UK but they seem to be by design in France. A vast number of french fuel pumps seem to leak into the fuel pipe and then the floor. If they leak onto the floor at least you have a warning of the impending problem. If they haven’t then you get the shock of fuel being dumped onto your car without any warning. After the trip to Le Mans this had to be an area to look at to protect the paintwork.
Fist all the damaged paint was removed and repainted. Then the fuel fill cap area of the boot was given protection. A removable Carbon Fibre Vinyl disc did the job nicely and looks the part as well.
Fuel Starvation
Running with the full power map and aggressive track cornering soon highlighted a problem with the fuel system. Long super fast right hand corners resulted in fuel starvation on corner exits. So modifications in the fuel system were needed. The centre low mounted high pressure fuel pump and filters needed to be moved and a 1 litre swirl pot added. In place of the centre mounted high pressure pump a low pressure pump was installed. This fed the swirl pot and from here the high pressure pump was fed.
Centre mounted Low PSI Pump
Swirl Pot & High Pressure Pump
To the right of the fuel tank the swirl pot was plumed in and the high pressure pump has been refitted. To keep this pump quiet and happy it has been moved from the position shown in the picture above which is above the swirl pot to a position under the swirl pot. Gravity now keeps the fuel system air free and air lock free. With a nice head of fuel feeding the main pump the pump also runs almost silently. The same can be said foe the low pressure pump although this is a much quieter pump to start with.
Swirl Pot Plumbing