December 2010
Friday 31st December 2010
Ran the engine last night, having first made a restrictor for the water swirl pot return hose. I used a piece of aluminium, drilled a 2mm hole in the centre, and pushed it in to the 8mm return hose. The engine only ran for a minute, to circulate the antifreeze around the block, and I should get a chance today to run her up to temperature to check for leaks.
Update: 17:00hrs I ran the engine for 15 mins today, and its still overheating. I tried clamping the swirl pot return hose, and that made no difference. So the thermostat will be coming out next. It must be a fault with my radiator design. The water pump simply cannot draw the cool water from the bottom of the radiator.
Thursday 30th December 2010
I've found some extra information on the dry-break fuel sample kit (FSK1) that plays-kool supplied (below). The kit uses FiA approved FD90 Aeroquip connectors, FBM3081 and FBM3083. And these are rated to 7000psi.
Saturday 25th December 2010
A very Happy Christmas to all my sponsors, the regular visitors to Zetecinside.com, and to all my followers on Twitter. Here's to an exciting and motorsport packed 2011.
Friday 24th December 2010
I've fitted the radiator back on the Fiesta, as well as the modified water sensor housing. The engine just needs running now to see if the 3mm restrictor in the swirl pot return has cured the overheating at tick over problem. If this doesn't work, the thermostat is coming out.
Thursday 23rd December 2010
Received the fuel sample kit from Plays-kool today. This is a requirement for the MSA British Sprint championship, and the regulation isn't likely to trickle down to other championships. If someone protests another competitors car, and pays the protest fee, then the scrutineers have to draw a sample of fuel from that car. And this kit provides a dry-break connection in the main fuel line, and a 2 metre hose to drain the fuel in to another container. I need to rewire the fuel pump, as it is currently controlled by the ECU, so the pump only runs for 1 second if the engine isn't running. So providing a sample could be tricky for most competitors. I'll add an override switch to the pump, so I can run it without having the engine running.
I've also found the paperwork from Quaife for the last time I had the BC box rebuilt in Feb 2005. I want the same, or as near as, ratios in the rebuilt IB5+ box.
E16Z127 5th gear overdrive output shaft 24T, R0.96:1
E16Z118 4th gear output shaft 26T R1.13:1
E16Z104 4th gear input shaft 23T R1.13:1
QRE16Z001 Quaife Ford 'BC' Final drive (3.857:1)
Wednesday 15th December 2010
I've spent a fair few hours playing GT5 over the past week, and the novelty is definitely starting to wear off. The PS3 itself has difficulties logging in to the PlayStation network, for online gaming, so thats also pretty frustrating. Ironic really as the box has no problems downloading the 150MB patches that it said were required to make online gaming more pleasurable. The game itself is OK to play, but online gaming is where its at. I've had some fantastic races when it works, and there's certainly no 'give' from the other players. Indeed some seem to wait at the side of the track, just to try to knock you off when you drive past.
My MSA license turned up last Friday. I've looked through my collection of blue books, and realised that 2011 will be my 25th consecutive year as a license holder. And I hear that the BSC regs for 2011 have just been published. So I'll download them, fill them in, and post them off over Christmas. Finally, its the Autosport show again in January, which I'm intending on visiting. Well worth a trip.
Thursday 9th December 2010
I spoke to Nick Algar yesterday, and I've bought a fuel sample kit for the Fiesta from Plays-kool.co.uk, it comprises of a T piece, male-female, and a dry break coupling, with a 2metre hose.
Sunday 5th December 2010
Renewed my Non-Speed National A MSA competition license today. I just need to send off my BSC registration to register with the championship next year. And the car needs an air filter, a set of slicks, a fuel sample take-off point, and the extinguisher refilling. Simples.
Friday 3rd December 2010
The Rockingham stages are Go, this weekend, but the event is closed to spectators. Matt Downer has already withdrawn his entry, so I wasn't going this year anyway. Shame as Matt had a fantastic finish on his first event last year, and this year he's installed a brand new SBD Duratec with over 300BHP, and I was so looking forward to spectating again.
Closed doors for Rockingham Stages
It was -7C outside this morning, and I'm looking forward to the British winter returning to its normal wet self so I can continue with the work on the Fiesta. I reckon its that Damn Volcanos fault that we've got all this weather. Hell, it got blamed for everything else so why not?
Thursday 2nd December 2010
I came across this video on Twitter today. Its the footage from Wales Rally GB 2010 - Hirvonen on SS14, and if you watch the first 60 seconds carefully, you'll recognise the track as the Epynt Hillclimb. Looks a lot muddier than it was when I raced there in 2008, but its still nice to know that the Fiesta has trodden the same tarmac as WRC's. The coverage also shows up to 2mins, the route we have to follow to get back to the paddock, which is a sprint in itself. Where Hirvonen turns left on to the wide tarmac, we turn right to head back to the paddock. On the sensor housing front, I accidentally left it in the caustic soda solution for a longer than I wanted, and its now gone a nice shade of grey. Any ideas on how I can restore it back to its original state? Short of sandblasting it, or dropping it in an ultrasonic bath, are there any solvents that will remove all the grey gunk?
Wednesday 1st December 2010
The provisional calendar for the 2011 British Sprint Calendar has been published on uphillracers.com
Unfortunately Darlington and District Motorclub isn't running their traditional Croft Easter sprint, so we'll have to make do with the Silverstone round in its place instead.
