More shafts n things.. Repro-Prop

Spoke to Paul at Repro Prop - another nice guy.. coincidence (we think not)?

He's proposing 300m grade shafts and then adapted back to the stock CV joints if we can make up the adapter plates for the Porsche inners... Hilly>?

He says the Lotus CVs are probably a bit heavy but main thing is how strong they are - I can handle a bit weight as long as they're strong.

By sending down the ones that came out plus new length measurements etc (-1 that required for the adaptor spacers) then they will have what they need to mod the existing and mate up new shafts. He's quoting £290-310+VAT.

It's starting to close in a bit on the GD' GKN ones but then I'm not sure what grade they are or what would need modifying to them. Even if I can save £100 then it all helps and I'll know the exact spec used.

Phew!
Jon

Shafted!

not really..

Re making new driveshafts and cvs to fit the new set-up.. Spoke to Alun @ Abbey Precision, nice guy but it all sounds pretty complicated. To make custom would be expensive. However they could possibly make new shafts and modify to the current cv's..

I guess this would need adaptor plates like what Hilly has used. Or if measurements weren't too far off they could mod a design they already have.. e.g. Prodrive etc. He first would need drawings of the current shafts and cv layout - we'd then need to measure any changes in length for the new trans and of course the different shaft diameters etc for the porsche inners. They can then look to make new shafts and modify existing cvs like what Hilly has done to mate up to the porsche inners. But he said it may not work out any cheaper than buying off the shelf from the likes of Gardner Douglas.. basically if we can supply the drawings the can do the machining but we need to work out the strongest most cost affordable grade to use - my mech says gunmetal,Alun mentioned M24t but says there are plenty of grades above that.

GD want £430 for their shafts/cvs that m8 the G50 up to Scorpio hubs - not sure how far off they'd be..

I need them strong but I need them cheap!

As soon as I withdrew then this..

Team details up on Time Attack

Name : Jon Beckett
Company name : Team Phoenix Esprit Racing
Website : www.phoenixesprit.com
Vehicle : Lotus Esprit (TPE-358-07) 1991 N/A
Approx Power : Approx 500bhp
Preferred tyre choice : Yokohama A048R

Current Sponsors : Phoenix Performance Products Grangemouth, MVS Wales, Autotecnique Larbert, Underground Graphics Perth, B&A Foreign Cars San Antonio Texas.

Car spec :

Jon’s Lotus Esprit is a complete one-off culminating GT racer, IMSA car and NASCAR engine in one package. It is the only NA car to enter the Pro series competition in 2007.
GM Dart 358 cubic inch V8, fully balanced and blueprinted by Barry Codling (retired-NASCAR) of San Antonio, Texas. The car features 286 cams, 700CFM Holley-DaVinci carb, steel bottom end, lightweight internals, solid lifters and a 8000-9000rpm redline. This crazy mid-engined racer produces 575bhp in what Jon call’s the ‘stock port’ and more than 800bhp is possible from this engine (naturally aspirated!) This engine is then shipped back to Texas one a year for rebuild and power boost.

The car also includes a full custom MVS Racing aero package to tame the car’s otherwise tricky rearward handling and cooling modifications to keep the high revving V8 cool.
It will run a Meercat free-flow exhaust system, which is reportedly just within the noise requirements, Leda fully rose-jointed suspension & Alcon 4-pot callipers look after the on track handling and stopping action.

Jon did not take part in the 2006 series but followed the proceedings closely and he lists his favourite car from last year as Nadine Geary’s Viper GTS ' it’s a proper GT car in the old skool mould.. great to see American muscle battling out with Japanese technology' Jon says.
His best experience of 2006 was buying the Esprit and coming up with the idea to do the NASCAR V8 conversion. ‘We’re not there yet but hope to be ready in time for Donny and most certainly Silverstone’. Jon says.

Jon's predictions for the 2007 are that Zen Performance will lift the F/I Pro Time Attack Series, Kimi Raikkonen will win Formula 1 and Jeff Gordon will again win the Nextel NASCAR Cup

Jon lists his personal favourite race venue from this years calendar as Brands Hatch for Paddock Hill bend and winding-up the acceleration out of Clarke’s.

When we asked him which driver he is most looking forward to going up against & why Jon replied, ' Nadine Geary in her Viper GTS, ‘it’ll be a fearsome battle: Nadine has the experience and a car that’s proven with great top end, I’m just looking to develop myself and the car but would love to get close to Nadine occasionally’. Jon will also peg himself to the other rwd runners, as well as take the silverware home and is looking forward to the experience.

Should you be interested in getting involved with Team Phoenix as a sponsor please contact the Time Attack team by email and we will put you in touch.

Pulling out of Time Attack.. spiralling costs!!

well budget has truly spiralled and we jst about have al the bits to finish the build but after there is cost of dyno and testing up at KH. I can't stick my head in the sand too long and the 114 ron petrol fumes aren't having enough pyschotropic effectes to avoid the truth..

- so I'm putting the foot down and making a few hard calls to stop the money getting further out of control. TA raised their fees this year & want all fees up front next Wed regardless of whether the car can compete first cpl of rounds or not... so I'm pulling the car as it's too much a gamble. I emailed Rob Barnes today to officially withdraw the car/team from the 07 entry.

I'd rather get the car working and do the odd race meet and pick a up a cpl of sigs. Main thing is to get the car running and slow the money outflow as much as poss. If all goes well I can try and do the odd LOTRDC round but will get car working and see what I can afford. I'm not going to compete SMRC this season as I've just spent a grand on R888s for the TA, which is fine for LOTRDC but you can run slicks for SMRC iirc.

Main things that hurt the budget being the rising entry fee, wheels, tyres, shift linkage for the G50 trans, customs duty and shipping costs and lots of things you don't think of until you start building a car. It's been a learning curve for sure.

Update: I emailed GKN about shafts and cv's. They built the original V8 Europa prototypes so may be interested. Off down to workshop to go through o/s jobs to-do.

Long road ahead..

Long way to go.. Donny unlikley - S'stone looks better

Phoenix are working on:

• modifying the filter and spray bar arrangment on the G50-50 trans
• new engine mounts to be measured and made up
• Rod shift linkage on order from Gardner Douglas today
• Dampers to be stripped off and go back to Leda to be revalved and new spring rates sent up.
• Line up engine/trans - measure up new shafts and adaptor plates.
• Overhaul brakes, order new pads
• Re-fit springs and dampers
• Try new wheels for size - boot both sets of alloys
• New wiring loom + new dash and locate MSD ignition
• Weld in quick release hub and fit steering wheel
• Position new Optima battery
• New cooling system: rads, header tanks and lines
• Strip and check suspension arms and r-joints etc.
• Order up new fuel cell (front compartment) and make braided lines
• Service extinguisher - relocate to pax compartment?
• Fit new front bullet lights - add screw on perpex covers.
• Strip rear bumper and fit lucas rear lights + rain led light
• Position engine/trans
• Fit new rod linkage throught o cabin and adjust for shift pattern
• Locate new master cylinders
• Fit new pedal box
• Fit exhaust pipes to headers + fit Moroso headers
• Order exhaust wrap and wrap headers
• Fix new ally firewall + heat resistant material?
• Add second side brace to cage
• Fit new aero kit etc inc. front end, undertray, engine cover..
• Fabricate Y-bracket to support tailgate to trans mounts. Add brackets to support exhausts.
• Fit new seats and harnesses
• Dyno car
• Shakedown test at Knockhill - check suspension, brakes and engine set-up
• Send to Auotecnique for paint
• Send to Underground Graphics for livery

That's about half the job list. Barry Codling might be coming over April to help set up car on the dyno then shakedown. Should be ready for S'stone in June with some test laps under the belt.

Possible GD trans solution?

Gardner Douglas have stepped forward to suggest their Lola T70 rod linkage. From first pics and descriptions it sound sperfect and will give me a classic Le Mans shift arrangement to the right. Can bracket it straight onto the cage bar etc.

approx £500.. £500 I could do without but is prb money saved in the long run..

This would give me a proper Le Mans style come GT-40 gear shift (likely on the right hand side)..! Will see what John/Alan think...

ttfn

New livery design direction?

Spoke to Scott.. (www.undergroundgraphics.com) many things tie up that means we could run a 'Flying Tigers' military (WWII) style livery scheme and still blend in with the nascar idea, flames, Phoenix etc (see pic).

Could even go the US airforce star onthe roof and rear quarters instead of the big numbers.. or a combo. I'm guessing it's not possible to vinyl over the entire bodywork and even if we could it would be way too expensive.. ?

For the rear wing then a slogan like 'FIREPOWER' may jst do the trick.. rear spoiler becomes like the wings of the fighter - with maybe with the fighter bars and the wing side sections like the tail fin. UG could use military font sets etc. Jap flags would be funny. Remember the car's designation is 'TPE-358-07'. Flying Phoenix, sharke's teeth.. Could be awesome and will fit in well with the slightly military build's look and sound...

or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to save time and keep the interior looking argricultural..lol

Wheels n tyres ordered.. ouch.. money money!

Finally ordered the Rimstock Team Dynamics as discussed below for approx £450. Also ordered ToyoR888s and T1-Rs, which came in jst under £1000.. ouch..

Needless to say I've approached Toyo for direct sponsorship for the TA '07 season.

www.toyo.co.uk

Wallet looks very bruised..! There's steam coming off the Master Card.. Only time will tell if I should use the new softer 'SG' compund but will try the med-soft initially for longevity sake and also avoid the recent price hike.

never-ending list of to-do's (12.02.07)

Ordering hub shaft set from Rexmar, Joe will then include his quick release adaptor:

I guess the steering wheel shaft diameter is crucial?

One i have the part # I can then send to Joe who will package up with the quik release adaptor. I'm going for the longest adaptor to bring the wheel a lot closer and get some decent kink into my arm position (I'm far too Moss-like in my wheel preference) whilst maintaining a good distance to the pedals.

http://shopping.rexmar.com/Merchant2/merch...teeradapt2taper

These Billet Steering Hub Adapters will fit any standard 3 bolt type steering hub, (Impy, Lecarra, Formuling, Momo, Grant, etc) to most popular steering systems. You can also bolt the old traditional 3-bolt type Covico steering wheels right to them without an additional hub. They are manufactured out of 6061-T6 aluminum and are available in ten colors plus plain polished. tandard tapered shaft adapters fit Morse, Teleflex, Hardin, Steermaster, Detroit, and others. All our late model adapters are now drilled with (12) thread holes to allow better indexing of the steering wheel to a straight position when installed. Only (3) of the (12) holes are utilized.[/i]

The Hub is a 2-piece assembly consisting of a cap and a hub back and mounting bolts. Typically these hubs fit specific types of wheels and have an internal 6-bolt pattern which mounts to the popular 3-bolt steering wheel pattern. 3 bolts are used, the other 3 are not, this allows for proper indexing of the wheel more easily. The next component is the adapter. This piece accepts the Hub above and typically fits on the shaft of a given type or brand of steering system. Adapters are available in several lengths to enable you to adjust the wheel distance from the dash. Our billet adapters as shown in the photo below have 12 threaded holes for the hub. You will utilize only 3 of the 12 holes. Again this done for ease of indexing the steering wheel properly. The back side of the adapter has a keyed tapered hole that slides over the steering shaft and is secured with the large nut visible in front of the adapter in the photo. The final piece is optional and is applicable to some systems only...the aluminum dash bezel. It is strictly a dress-up piece that replace some stock plastic bezels (or helm covers).

The second type of steering wheel mounting is done with what we call the 1-piece hub below. This part is a fixed length [i]and mounts directly on the steering shaft of the helm. It is essentially the above Hub and Adapter assembly melded into one part. The 1-piece hubs are not available for all wheel styles and come in only one length. The white line in the photo below is used to illustrate the internal cavity in the hub where it attaches to the helm. These hubs have 3/4 taper shaft holes common to most steering systems.

I'm checking that the quick release hub then converts form the 3 bolt to the 6 bolt pattern for the Sparco wheel.

Other:

Ok - wheels being ordered today (finally).. Rimstock Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2s in gloss black with 60mm bore front and rear, 18"x9J (+15et) and 17"x7.5J (+15et) @ 108 PCD 5-stud.

Also spoke to Beverley at Leda - need to strip dampers and springs and send down to be revalved an springs supplied: Need to check

weight for the old 2.2l alloy engine:
approx weight of the new 358ci steel small block engine:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b308/MBlur/IMG_1300.jpg

http://www.lbmracing.com/uploaded_images/TPE.10.02.07028b-746660.JPG
We're assuming G50 Porsche trans similar weight to the enault UN1 box - both are hung out to the rear: http://www.lbmracing.com/uploaded_images/TPE.10.02.07029b-781813.JPG

Weight distribution would be on a par with a Small block Mosler, Saleen, Pantera, GT40 etc.. no opportunity to take corner weights as we're behind schedule due to a delay in the trans arriving.
From prev runs: generally rates felt soft against the car whcih is pretty rigid tho some of this was coming from the tyres.

Sending the existing springs with the dampers so Leda can get a baseline for the new rates. I'll try and get the workshop to strip the coil overs down over next week to 10 days tho they've got loads on.

q - is there any identification marks/numbers I can look for to ensure they are Ledas? Need to have a look at them when they come off.

Update - 10/02/07 (workshop pics)

Got down to the workshop and took some pics of last week's progress. Unsuprisigly the car looks a mess but at leats work is now underway. Blimming fuel cell wont fit - will check summit racing (www.summitracing.com) for 2 smaller upright fuel cells... pah!

Team Dynamics rims>?

Once I've worked out the offset and bores - Rimstock will supply a set of 4 Team Dynamic Pro-Race 1.2s as per pic above for approx £450 or $800 (that's delivered in the UK) + shipping outside of UK if neccessary. They are heat treated race rims, lightweight available in silver, black, white and possibly gold.

Sent Artie a PM - almost there - jst want to check offsets/bores once last time based on the Rimstock templates. I want to avoid having to use the 20mm hubcentric spacers to clear the Alcon callipers. Maybe that's unavoidable>?

I had planned to go for 7.5J fronts to keep a +ve rake and larger rear to front rolling diameter. I wonder how a 17" 8J rim sit in the front arch. Car is lowered on r-jointed and likely 1000-1500lb+ coil-overs>? Stock 91 SE arches.

Just got to be sure of the offsets and bores.. should take 3 wks to deliver.

options being:7.5 x 17 e15 / 20 / 25 / 30 4 7.5 x 17 e15 / 25 / 30 / 37 / 45 / 53 4, 5, 8 & 10 8.0 x 17 e20 / 25 / 33 / 38 / 40 / 48 / 53 4, 5, 8 & 10 9.0 x 18 e15 / 20 / 30 4 or 5

Progress at last... wk1 Jan07

Finally we have the trans and the Phoenix guys aren't wasting any time.

All dormant wiring in both the engine bay and interior has been removed. Woo Hoo.. no more hazzardous Lotus wiring!

Complete interior strip also done including dash and ancillaries. Dash, seats, harnesses all ready to go back in.. maybe a coat of paint first tho.

Engine has been temporarily in the vehicle for measurement without the gearbox, removal of both exhaust pipes done and shortened. They require to be turned around so the pipes are at the top of the engine instead ofthe bottom. This is required due to the rear sub frame fouling the exhausts and due to the fact that the driveshaft's will not fit in their current position either.

G50-50 end casing has been removed from the gearbox for strip.

I sent John a pdf manual/assembly diagram for the circa 1989 Porsche G50-50 gearbox so they can strip further. The spray bar will require modification if the box needs to be fitted alternatively but the issue is, John does not want to damage any material without knowing what the inside of the box looks like. If anything falls out or becomes dislodged as they strip, it could be particularly difficult to find out where it belongs! Will then need to check for a cooler, pump etc.

Firewall has also been removed today to create space for the engine and gearbox as expected.

Lots of challenges ahead but it's good to see some sort of light at the end of tunnel and I've every confidence in John, Alan and big Stevie.

I best get down fast to take some pics as John has got this project firmly on the move!!!

Update - Jan - slow progress

Good news - trans has finally arrived (£400+ duty!!), aero well under way in Wales bust final cost unkown. Immediate to do's - need to organise the following

Tyre supplier (Proving tricker than I expected..$%^&*)
Gear linkage, cooler, pump, 5-speed shifter (this will be one of the toughest parts of the project)
Wheels - Rimstock - 3 wk build time - need offsets
Drivershafts - ???
Brake pads - Barry can suppyl Hawk pads if I can get him a template
New springs - Leda

First event on the 7th April and we're 3 months behind.. S'stone looks the more likely inuagral event for Team Phoenix.. still to build car, dyno and shakedown..

Hilly on the Lotus Esprit Forum has offered to help to work out the CAD for new gear linkages etc.. also talking to Bobby Hart Racing re their conversion.