Tuning Playing with FIRE

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Tuning Playing with FIRE

Bit of an update.

Both inlet and exhaust base plates are done...

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...who needs laser cutters anyway? ;)

Engine mount bolts straight on.

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The Idea rear gearbox mount needed the Uno rubber bush to fit the car.

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But the front gearbox mount is where I get to have some fun. Bracket for the box...

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...so I can either weld or weld bolts and drill holes to the Uno mount once I trial fit the engine.

This would have been done today or tomorrow but my night shift didn't end until eleven this morning and I'm doing day shift tomorrow due to a scheduling balls up.

Just as well I have a back up plan for next Tuesday eh?
 
I decided not to take the back up Schumacher to the track day Tuesday. Feeling a bit down I picked myself up and did some welding.

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Some fabricating...

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...and a happy dance when it actually fitted. :D

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Engine mounted.

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Plenty or room for a t-jet in there. ;)

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I couldn't find a spirit level so had to improvise. :devil:

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After an epic day of fabrication and faffing about yesterday getting the engine mounted...






...today...






...I made a left foot rest.


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:slayer:

I also fed the gear selector cables to the box...

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...but they are a tad short for the Uno floor so I will make the hole bigger and fold up a lip to weld the mounting plate to in the morning. :)

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Why bother with complicated colors?
Just get the simplest 1 stage white paint off the shelf and use that. easy future touch-ups.. and imo it's the best color for a track car.
 
Why bother with complicated colors?
Just get the simplest 1 stage white paint off the shelf and use that. easy future touch-ups.. and imo it's the best color for a track car.

Tradition, I wouldn't want people to mistake my car for their fridge and if I had a white track day car it would only be a matter of time before Martini stripes ended up on there. ;)
 
This morning things got a bit shifty...

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...so now I have all the gears from the Idea. :D

This afternoon I know the Daily Mail says there are fifty two different types of i-fold but I made a man-ifold...

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...and it fits. :devil:

 
Hmmmmm...

Using the original Uno clutch cable to pull a lever that pushes the Idea clutch master cylinder could actually work.

Also the line to the cylinder with an unpaid job would barely need to be a few inches long.

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Better than my usual yardstick...

 
So the plan for today was to finish the clutch hybrid idea but I managed to dump brake/clutch fluid all over the roof. Don't ask.

I washed the car, realised I needed a part that they don't sell on Sunday (at least locally) and set to another task.

Removed the sunroof. Only needed to dill two screws and grind one.

Cut the Idea roof section to fit, spot welded it in place...

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...and to my shame I used black silicone sealant to seal the outside.

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Ready for paint. :devil:
 
Exhausting day today.

The Punto GT exhaust that looked like it would be a close fit...

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...was so far out it probably remember Woodstock maaaaaaaan! :peace:

So I reiterated the concept of the straight pipe...

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...just as my welder was about to run out of wire.

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:devil:
 
As unboxing is a thing...

I'm like totes super excitez to be like unboxing today. Like ya.

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Cut the yellowy brown tape. Other tapes are available.

#EveryColourMatters

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More tape removed. Like totes innit br-br-br-br-brap! Brap! Chair.

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Like totally like a set of Mikuni 32mm carb's (from an XJ400, perfect size outlets for the inlet ports of the engine and an XJ400 will never go back on the road. Win-Win). Ya!

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Here's a problem. Now Kleenex have stopped selling Man Size tissues I can't make a man-ifold because someone will undoubted be pre-offended by the suggestion.

So I'll have to make a personifold to keep the Daily Mail Mumsnet lot in order. #FathersNetTo

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More unboxing an the eagle eyed of you would have noticed I hadn't put a flexipipe in my exhaust personifold. This was deliberate as it needs to be in line with the gap between the engine and subframe. I'll cut the pipe to match and weld this one in.

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Also I will be replacing the brake bias box near the rear axle. I don't know if it's faulty but the brakes are seized solid, I have replaced the rear wheel cylinders, have the Idea calipers and a new master cylinder so it makes sense to fit a new bias box and replace any lines that look crap while I'm at it.

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On the topic of brakes. As I'm sure diligent followers of this thread will recall my Uno has early Mk1 hubs with Panda style calipers and the Idea ones wouldn't fit.
To remedy this and solve another problem at the same time I picked this...

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...solid Cinquecento Sporting up. This car comes with a set of Avo coilovers that should also fit my Uno and...

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...a Honda Blackbird (others birds are available #EveryColourMatters ) engine where the passenger is supposed to go and a short prop'shaft feeding a Suzuki Super Carry axle on a four link suspension set up.

I am so tempted to finish this car but I would have to make a bulkhead (firewall) between the engine and driver, the loom is stripped to nothing and there are a load of bits missing from the engine and rest of the car.

I should in theory be able to use the bits I need and sell the rest for what the car owes me.
 
Flexible hose and V-bands on the personifold and straight pipe. :)

You didn't think I was going back from the personifold to the rear section did you? That would be a faff to fit. :devil:

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Perfectly placed between the engine and subframe.

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Now the reason why I kept the old rear section. I need to duplicate it out of scrap two inch pipe from work.

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Like so. :D

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Another pair of V-bands to link the rear section to the straight pipe and...

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...I'm done.

Well a couple of brackets once I have have new rubbers and a back box.

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Oh crap! I have been offensive again. There are many different types of pipe available, straight pipe, gay pipe, lesbian pipe, bi pipe, trans pipe and however many different types of pipe there are according to the Daily Mail this week. All are equally as good as each other and I am not showing any kind of prejudice whatsoever.

#EveryPipeMatters

Okay a few questions.

Why only two inch pipe? That's what was in the skip at work.
Why didn't I use a pipe bender? I don't have one.
How much did it cost in total?

Fiat Coupe personifold - free
Two inch Stainless Steel pipe and two ninety degree bends - free
V-Bands - £18
Flexi-pipe - £12
Base plate - part of the bigger bit that was £20 so about £6
Welding wire, gas and electricity - £5-ish

Total - £41

Not bad at all. :slayer:
 
Yesterday I concentrated on my cars outy bits. Today I'm addressing the inny bits. ;)

Blinky spec' C.A.D (cardboard aided design) template. Why only three? I probably need more fiber in my diet.

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The reason I have XJ carbs is they were the closest to the manifold measurements. Yes I measured something first. :p

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Using the cardboard template I cut sections from an old exhaust pipe.

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To make these closer to the shape of the ports I had to cit a wedge off...

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...and weld it back on inverted.

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If you're wondering why I was confined to my shed. The weather kind of all happened at once. Thunder, lightning, rain, snow, sleet, hail and wind.

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Finished. Sort of. I need to make a hole and weld in a pipe for the brake servo feed and weld a pipe for the water channel. One warped a tad but that's what grinders are for. ;)

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Forgive the lack of updates, it is a reflection of the lack of progress.

I have been made redundant and as such the last month has been hectic, covering extra shifts, sending off applications and CV's. My job ended November 30th and I got a new one today. :slayer:

Training starts in February so I'll have plenty of time to catch up with things (in theory).

I'm binning the bike carb's in favor of a Weber from an X-1/9 five reasons.

1/ Control - jetting etc is far more adjustable and easier to get to.
2/ Sound - obviously.
3/ Standard looking.
4/ Easier to control on the road. Bike carb's are good for the tack and rally stages but can be a nightmare on the road.
5/ Fabrication and plumbing. Much less faff as I all will have to do is wire up a 5psi "tick" pump to the standard fuel line and use the original cables.

I still have a garden full of Cinquecento bits. Not had time to swap the front suspension over and the rear shocks aren't close to fitting (at the moment).

Until I get the suspension done I won't know how the car will sit. Until I know how she sits I won't know if I need the wider arches from the Cinquecento wings and rear arches.

The first charity track day for next season is March 26th. Not a "deadline" as such as I have other projects...

My Panda that I'm thinking of converting to run on electricity.
Another Panda that need new inner sills (probably outer sills and floor sections as well).
My 145 is back, fresh MOT but has a silly exhaust and cosmetic issues from the previous owner.
My Rover 620ti is for sale as 22-25mpg is terrible when you have a wage coming in let alone when you have redundancy to last a few months.
My GSXR250RR SP hasn't moved since I put her in my shed.

Oh and a little side project I'm chopping up a children's quad bike to add suspension and off road tyres to a mates mobility scooter so he can take his dogs for a walk.

...to occupy (distract) me.

Also I have all the parts to convert a Mk2 Punto into a van so I'm looking for a HGT to make into an HGT-V :D
 
I have also been negotiating the sale of a 500 Abarth back box to sit flat as high up as possible under the new boot floor so a rear diffuser could still be attached. :devil:
 
Punto Sporting side project.

I've been out in the mighty Rover again to pick up this nice Mk1 Punto Sporting 16V for £300.

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The Punto needs a spot of welding and some consumables for MOT.

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I think whoever cut that small chunk out was an optimist.

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Not the worst inner sill damage I have seen.

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Cleaned and cut out I'm feeling optimistic.

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Bits of Idea roof cut and shaped to replace the inner structure I had removed.

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Drilled the new sill section ready for spot welding. Worth noting that the factory spot welds are an inch and a half apart mine are two thirds of an inch.

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This isn't my usual "filler free" standard but a damn sight better than previous repairs.

This is the Punto advertised in the classifieds for £300
Cost me £40 petrol to recover the car.
Sills and other parts for the MOT fail an advisory list £340-ish.
MOT £25

I should get between £800-1,000 for the old girl if I have to sell.
 
Spent some actual money on the Uno today. A 500 Abarth back box.

So I'll be cutting, grinding, swearing, cutting some more, welding, swearing and stuff tomorrow. :)
 
Right. The Punto is off to a new home as soon as possible. The passenger side floor had been repaired in the past by someone who failed to cut the rust out first. Basically the whole floor needs to come out to do the repair and as it was supposed to be a profit exercise to a degree that margin is all but gone. Letting the car go to someone who wants to do the repairs and keep the car makes a lot more sense to me.

I have an Alfa Mito 155 in my fleet now and as lovely as the car is there's something that rally annoys me.

None. NONE! Of the tyres match.

Okay I have always maintained a car on a budget but even I have never, ever; EVER replaced one tyre at a time.

1/ It's cheap.
2/ It's dangerous.
3/ It's bloody annoying when you're driving along and the four tyres are making different noises.

It effects the way the car performs on the road, how the brakes function and the handling characteristics.

The driver side front is an original Pirelli, passenger side front a Continental Ecoconti (Pre-arse looking tyre), drivers side rear BCT S800 (looks the newest but already cracking) and passenger side rear a Constancy ditch finder.

I was looking at sets of 215/45/17's to go on the car and aiming around the £500-600 fitted and balanced mark when I spotted a set of Fiat 500 Abarth 4x98mm Team Dynamics wheels with nearly new Avon tyres for £460

Sold.

The rears went straight on...

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...the 205-40-17's make the car look tall but the springs are looking a little rusts so some shorter ones might find their way on the car. ;)

The front wheels need 10mm spacers to clear the calipers.

The original wheel and bolt have 20mm clearance...

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...the Bravo bolts and 10mm spacers I have are too short...

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...and the super long fitting Coupe' Turbo wheels to my old Punto GT (and before that Uno turbo wheels to my Panda) bolts are too long...

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Now I could cut the longer bolts shorter but they have a 19mm head. My 19mm socket is too big to fit in the recess of the wheels so they can't be done up without ruining the powder coat.

Grrrrrr!

So that was a day wasted and new bolts on their way. :D

In Uno related news. While I was gallivanting around oooop north yesterday I bought a 500 Abarth back box.

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That looks pretty straight forward to fit. :devil:

(he says now but is more than prepared for a world of faff)
 
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