The smaller pulley means it can be mounted further forward. potentially in gap between the standard down pipe and radiator. Without the AC rad' that can move forward about three quarters of an inch. Enough room in the bumper for an intercooler (or outercooler if I have to chop it open) but the Mercedes pulley would give more boost than the otherwise standard engine can handle. Bigger pulley to reduce the boost to 5-8psi instead of 15psi (@14,000rpm, or 6,000 rpm engine speed) would reduce the amount of slack in the belt so it have to be mounted closer (I did think of the AC pump pulley for this as it's the right track for the existing belt).

Mounting it at the back is more problematic than expected. The power steering pump is at the back not the alternator. That's in the middle. If I could have put the alternator up front and charger on the back it would have been a couple of longer wires and a bit more plumbing for the charger but nothing major.

Hmmmmm....

There's an immaculate 155 HGT on ebay atm.

Davey's. I've been outbid and until I see my next payslip I can't go any higher. Besides I have a set of light weight wheels, brakes and suspension to take care of my June 9th.

Charging my Super is for the third event in September.

March - base line with greenstuff pads, toyo's and heavy wheels.

June - phase one - basic tuning, wheels, suspension, brakes and interior strip.

September - phase two - charger and/or other things.

P.S The silver HGT is closer, on the road (so won't need towing and repairing) and has crept down from a petty reasonable £1,295 to a bargain £995

There's a one owner 20V Marea darn sarf en all. (I'm thinking the longer wheelbase and weight distribution could aid the twitchiness of the the Bravo with the 20V lump up front or just sit and wheel spin) :devil:

Charging the 20V supers would be easier as you can use Coup turbo pistons to lower the compression ratio. In theory.

Beeeping! Beeep! Beeeeeep! Beeeping! Beeeeping! POTHOLES!!!

:bang:

:bang:

:bang:







Oh; and I was running on the spare because the village tyre spiker is back.



That is too perfectly in the center of the tyre to be random in my opinion.

Pothole damage vs Me, big hammer and a stick =



I'll get that balanced while the other tyre is being repaired.

All done and the bent wheel balanced perfectly.

The £60 quote I got for it to be straightened will be added to my beer budget now I have done the same job with a hammer. :slayer:

So now I need a shorter belt to drive the alternator and power steering pump while I take the AC pump off and modify the bracket to fit the charger.

I'm thinking an industrial belt company could supply one made to any length. As it's Sunday I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find that out.

According to Mr Belt AC models have 1045mm belts and non-AC models (up to 1.6) have 678 or 673mm belts.

The one in my shed that came with Adrian's Bravo is roughly 1080mm.

Hmmmmmm....

What a "funny" day.

It's my nephews thirteenth birthday so a morning of compulsory family based socialising.

This afternoon I found myself incapable of the simple task of checking and changing my spark plugs because the two allen bolts near the oil filler hole rounded off and I haven't got my drill back. Hmmmm...

I did some bike stuff (GSXR250R) to resolve my mood and this just fell into place.

I took the long belt and auxiliary pulley off my Bravo...



..and a shorter belt I had in my shed went straight on.



Be thankful this is a blog not a vlog as I did a happy dance up and down my drive for at least a minute after that.

I also removed the AC pump and radiator. Compared to the charger...



...my concerns about space was well founded but...



...I have a very solid bracket to modify...



...holes either side of the coolant radiator more than big enough for induction pipes...



...and a gopping great space for a front mounted intercooler.

These Bravo's a made to be messed with. :slayer:

I've just done forty or so miles with the new set up and have noticed a few things.

1/ My Bravo now idles at 1,050 rpm.
2/ The steering is lighter.
3/ There is almost no flat spot in the rev' range like before and the old girl feels nippier.

I need to work out some way of measuring the resistance of the supercharger compared to the AC pump to adjust the idle when I work out how to fit it.

But; I'm pretty pleased so far and once I address the rolling mass issue (heavy wheels) I imagine the flat spot between 2,500 and 3,500 rpm will be solved completely.

Since getting my current car, I don't think I could be without aircon, lol!

All interesting stuff Is there any play in the aircon pulley/clutch?

A Mad Max-esque boost switch to operate the charger?

:devil:

That would require a remappable ecu and/or fifth injector to work.

I was looking at either a larger pulley wheel to gear the M45 down to 5psi or a smaller charger as the inlet will be right next to the down pipe.

Joy and pain (in the faff I'll bet) today.

The mounting holes for the supercharger are the same distance apart as the AC pump. However; the pulley on a the pump is 10mm further out so if I use the original mounting bracket the belt won't line up.

Four options.

1/ Take the pulley off the charger and put a 10mm spacer on the shaft.
2/ Take the bracket off and drill new holes 10mm further in.
3/ Get hold of a Mercedes bracket and modify it to fit the Fiat engine or bracket.
4/ Make a mounting bracket from scratch.

Joy...





...pain.

The pulley appears to be press fit so taking it off and putting a spacer behind it is not an option.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-...s-Benz&hash=item3f77f90002:g:pmMAAOSwzgBYzaLh

What a bloody great chunk of a thing!

Right looks like I'll be modifying the Fiat bracket.

This was supposed to be a poll thread but it didn't work for some reason (probably my doing).

The next charity track day is less than a month away and I learned some valuable lessons from my session in March.

https://www.facebook.com/Franks-Charity-Track-Day-Club-FCTDC-428361030599756/?fref=ts

1/ The rotating mass of my Bravo was terrible with the Bangle Grinder Coupe wheels. Slow acceleration, trough out of the slower bends and brake cooking.

2/ My passenger side front wheel would lift coming out of the long left hander on to the back straight.

3/ The engine has a nasty (factory) flat spot half way up the rev' range. Most modern cars do as it's to ensure the injectors are on the lowest fuel delivery possible at test speeds.

4/ The whole car leans over a fair bit with the road springs.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/frankhall/33503268001/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/frankhall/33246389590/



1/ Addressed and will be revealed soon.

2/ New rear anti-roll bar appears to have done the trick.

3/ Removing the AC pump and cat' back exhaust have given the car a new lease of life but I have further plans to iron out the flat spot.

4/ Reducing the ride height would in theory reduce the centre of gravity, amount of suspension travel and therefore lean.

But...

How low shall I go?

With my limited budget my three options are...

1/ 30mm basically best for the road and will make a difference on track.

2/ 60mm best for the track but will be a pain in a faff on the road.

3/ 40-45mm middle ground.

My best lap time was 1.30:04 and I would like to crack 1.25 this time. I'll be taking the back seat and stuff out for the day and take a tent for my spare wheel, jack and stuff.

I would use my lowering guide for this...



...but am not as concerned with aesthetics this time.

Unless someone has a set of Coilovers going spare I can't afford much else.

On the topic of the June track day four places have opened up due to mechanical failures. £120 open paddock, including lunch and all in the name of charity (so if you're crafty you can write it off when the tax person asks).

So the bracket doesn't have 10mm space to drill new holes. Simple; make a mounting plate that fits the Fiat holes with extra ones 10mm further out right?

Nope to fit the M45 clear of the exhaust it has to hang six inches from the block. So base plate with six inch lateral plates or pipes welded to it and some reinforcement right?

Nope because it will be too close to the radiator to gt a filter on the end and may hit the radiator if the engine rocked on the mounts by more than a bit.


Hmmmmm...

Does anyone have an AMR500 and fancy an Eaton M45?

Paid @East Upper Gooner a visit today to do a spot of shopping.



OZ Superleggera but just how super light are they?



Just under two Stones? Wowzers. That will reduce my rotating mass a bit.

I'll swap them over tomorrow and see how they feel.