Dials n things.. comin along

Merlin almost there with central c/f console and dash - now working on gps-hud speedo and tft rear mirror then finish up with the warning lights, e-cut and extinguiser pull, switches etc.

Left to right: Oil P, Fuel, Diff temp, Engine hours -

____________________________________________________________________

Merlin: "i think all the clocks are now fitted, i left an extra space just incase of sumin in the future. tested your camera this morning looks better than i first thought, routed the wires for it too, just need the sparkie to join them together, if he doesnt turn up tomorrow as promised im going to give him the heave ho. header tank looks the bizz now its in place, i have just finished the fuel lines, im now thinking about throwing the air filter on and tidying a few loose wires in the engine bay that havent been tucked up properly. gears........ well im going to give up for now until its running because i could be worring about nothing, it may neeed the assist of clutch and turning, moving parts before its proper smooth. mounting the gps speedo neatly is going to be a challenge,only because of the wire that sticks out of the side. cheers merlin"

New gear linkage pics.. TFT mirror arrives

Merlin: "ok will keep an eye out for the fuel doofa, rear mirror turned up, looks easy to mount.having a bit of trouble with 5th gear, but im hoping that when its running it will be much smoother.had to do a few mods to the linkage nothing mojor thou, needed a bit more leverage on the rotation and that was that. iv had a new alloy header tank made which i will have to send you a pic of as its yummy."

Jon: New gear linkage pics below - not sure about the Anniversary Hurst shifter - plain white one may be better but not spending out at this point - perhaps my pa-in-law might wood turn me a new one... overall shifter looks like it'll do the job nicely.

Dyno graph and sheet from Knights Racing

Not as much as hoped but not bad for the small 2-barrell carb (420bhp/390ish lbft) on pump 97 RON - 470ish on a 4-barrell and easy switch if I wanted it and forego some economy. If I then want over 500 -550 I'll need to rebuild the engine and find the missing revs etc.

Given the problems encountered I'm quite happy with this.

So, for now..

Gearchange.. Rod's out! New custom cable linkage in

M n M didn't like the recalcitrant GD rod linkage I sourced (£500s!! worth) and so I ordered 2x B&M shift cables from DT and Merlin promptly set about a new custom shifter after sourcing a picture of how the shift should operate off the G30 box (see pics)...

A work of art and just one exanmple of how this car has been rebuilt from chassis-up.. can't wait to give it a try.

Cool Loti pics..

Check the 1st pic showing a grafitti image of the Esprit... 8)

I like to call the 2nd pic as Ode to Loti Warhol..

Bhp.. 5.7/420/390/6000

What a day.. Martyn got the engine to Knight Services (http://www.knightracingservices.co.uk/) who prepare all of the top chevy Mosler/Vette/Sallen engines including RML's Le Mans winning car..

oh oh - I get a message to phone Martyn urgently this morning n the mobile... "bad news - low compression on cylinder #1" (70%) , other cylinders are fine but Martyn is the bearer of more bad newsa few hour slater once prognosis complete:

• The piston and liner in #1 are jammed



• #3 cylinder shows a damaged valve stem and bent valve



• Heads don't appear to be high compression



• No signs of anying boring/honing around the valves/bores



• Valve springs appear to be soft



• Carb jets to large and running rich
  

It's possible some of this may have occured from sitting around for the last 2yrs - On the plus side - no obvious wear on bores, good top end, good rockers, rods and steel crank but otherwise a "a very used, tired engined".. not exactly what I had paid for or intended to ship from Texas.. ??

Martyn suggests they replace the worn valves and put it back together and run it. I've then to phone back after another few hours.. Martyn comes back on the phone to say that the engine has put out a solid 420ish bhp and 400lbft down on the engine dyno (on pump fuel).. the shop are amazed given the engine face value but clearly it was doing something right.. all this from a 5.7l at only 6000rpm.. some 1400-1800rpm below expected peak!! Alas the soft springs and small carb thwarted any attempts to push the engine beyond 6000rpm..

Given at first we thought engine was scrap.. all respect to the old man for stripping and fixing..

Aye 420bhp is just dandy given cam was supposed to make peak power nearer 7400-7800 and given how peaky Martyn said it was then it might have ramped up quite a bit but both carb and springs were maxxed out so setting pill moduled to say 6800rpm or so to allow for downshifts should be fine. If you check normally crates then you need over 6 litres to get similiar and at 6500rpm (e.g. british american) so there's more to this engine that means the eye.

Martyn said there was 50bhp just in upgrading carb (I'm checking Ebay) - so that'd have been 477bhp and probably similiar + torque so around 440-450lbft which is a monster.

In fact Bary said he reckoned on about 380-410lbft at 5800rpm so 390lbft at 5000rpm makes me think the engine has more to give at the top end. Martyn said there's a pronounced drop-off mid-rpm (typical high left single cam engines) but then pops back in with a bang.

Then I'll find a nice phat 4-barrell carb or a small rotrex type charger (belt driven) and hook that up.. at current compression it'd probably be plug n play.. almost. I'm checking.. ;)400lbft handy also and at 5000rpm not to low down.. as is with the mini fly wtec then if it spools up quick then peak figures academic anyway.With everyting else sorted I reckon there's over 500 in there to come out which for a 5.7l is a lot.

As-is it's as good as a fresh TVR AJP4.2 or a high tune 5-6l Rover. Just means we need to make sure she comes in under the ton :) when she goes on the corner weights.

Lots I can then tweak myself long-term - play with flowed alloy heads, titanium springs, carbs etc.I reckon you'll also get a little more peak with that airbox set-up.In meantime output isn't so insane so I can get used to car before upping power.

I so want a LS7 stroker with quad down-draught throttle bodies...

Shopping lists...supercar on a shoestring

Supercar on a shoestring..

Merlin: "Firstly Happy Birthday starter motor turned up on thursday after a bit of mixup mayhem, and its fair to say that you have a brand new original lucas starter and not a reconditioned one, but it did cost a little more than first thought. as soon as we fire the engine up for a test to make sure we have oil pressure and double check the tappet clearences, ill let you know it will prob be tuesday, here is the shopping list :-

Heat sheild x2, get the 580mm size http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=MSPORT&pcode=NIMG1C flexible water hose 38mm 4meter length or four 1 meter lengths how ever it works out. gear cables, im sure i saw these in demon tweeks, 8ft length. part number 80834 rear helper springs maybe a cheaper option, 75mm diameter. aero catches 1pair maybe the locking type, this way i can put 1 locking on the front and 1 on the rear. throttle cable, ebay number 280203156188 used these before, always struggle when looking for long lengths. skate board tape, ebay number 250321801449 this is to go on the passenger foot rest come battery holder and also in the drivers foot well, you may have to do a bit of hunting to find a sheet 300 square if you do find it then get 2 sheets. pillar gauge holder, to hold at least 3 clocks ebay number 160301921932. oil pressure gauge clock 56mm.set of door locks like sugested, our motor factors dont have anything.

I have had a good look around the car, and im pretty sure that these are the last bits to buy :) the links that i have used are only *examples*, if you can find nicer or cheaper ones then go for it, if you think i have missed somthing then let me know. also if you could pay for the following it would be excellent drive shafts, foam filled fuel tanks, starter motor, dash inc center console, fire wall, door bars, repair to adaptor plate, rear light mould inc mouldings, fitting of front head lights.

The sparkie gave us a quote which sounds like a bargain to me, but maybe its because i hate electrics so much?!!? also the two dyno guys that i have been talking to have also quoted.. oh and before i forget do i have permission to drill a hole in your steering wheel for a small start button ???"

Rock n roll..

Colour choices.. a bit of Loti history

Well. we've finally plumbed for Lotus Green with yellow racing stripe and red detail inside the cabin.. in other words Classic Team Lotus just like Jimmy Clark's famous F1 racers.

I reckon we can do it slightly different to this though.. and colour looks a little too metallic and stripe too 'Viper-esque' but you get the idea..

Enginethingymabobby..

Merlin "saw dyno man yesterday, he had a load of questions about your enginei need to know what the compression ratio is,also he was wondering why there was only a twin port carb,and what its spose to rev too, i couldnt answer these questions but it was still a very interesting visit,he had only just finished dynoing a v8."

Jon: Compression - hmm, not sure 100% tho he should have a gauge to stick down the cylinders - worth doing a compression test anyway to double check all okay.. I'd hazzard pretty high - about 11:1 being a 348 crank, with thou overbore to 358. Low-torque Cam is good for 9000rpm for oval downshifts, will be quite cammy at idle but if he smooth that out a bit then great.. peak power between 7400-7800rpm depending on advance so hard limit around 8000-8200 poss (you have chips), solid lifters, nascar springs (loose) for high revs, designed to run best on about 107 RON (street) and 114 (race) with some lead added so aim to wind back the advance to run around 103-105 RON if poss.If you dig out Bary's notes (also on the engine plaque) then it has all the notes on the cam duration and lift and he'll have the timings and can probably estimate the compression from there. Notes also give the initial start up (slow and easy) and Bary even notes which pill modules to try first etc, i.e. run up to 4k, baseline then work gradually up to limiter at 7400 - check advance/mix before trying higher.

.. So why a Twin-port Carb?

Twin port for better throttle response over a BIG 4 -barrel - but still flows about 600cfm. It looks like a basic Holley but it has Da Vinci jets etc inside.. hand finished.. should work really nice.. If guys still thinks fuelling a problem at high duty cycle then let me know.. biggest one to watch is the fuel pump.. we may need to up that but see how he gets on. The high power band is why that ram-air intake would work so well.Unlike most crates over here - this vee should rev its nuts off and all the oomph is higher up the rev range so don't need massive fuel down low like more torquers. I think peak torque is auposed to be around 5800rpm on that cam so mention that to the guy.

The Man from DVLA.. he say 'No'..

In my bid to try and have DVLA re-issue a correct age-related number for Q386 NVS.. I was confronted with the lengthy bureacratic reponse below. I then turned to Paul Jebson - long-time crusader in helping owners assign non-Q numbers. Alas Paul had to say:

"Hi Jon Thanks for your emailI'm afraid I can't help you in your quest to re-register your car with anage related mark.Once a "Q" always a "Q" is DVLA's answer to these enquiries. They willargue that nothing has changed since they allocated a "Q" in the firstplace.It rather looks as though the second hand chassis was the cause of theproblem at the time. If a new chassis had been fitted and two of the majorparts retained from the SAME donor vehicle DVLA would have considered an age related registration. If a second handbody or chassis is fitted, even from the same type of car , it isautomaticaly given a "Q"I'm sorry I can't help on this occasion Regards Paul Jepson"

DVLA's somewhat less succinct response as follows (no joke)

From: http://webmail.lbmracing.com/imp/message.php?index=8154#Reply-To: http://webmail.lbmracing.com/imp/message.php?index=8154# Subject: RE: Lotus race car - Q386 NVS - applying for a non-Q registration To: http://webmail.lbmracing.com/imp/message.php?index=8154# Thank you for your email. I should firstly mention that DVLA Swansea can only answer generalenquiries regarding the registering of vehicles. Specific enquiriesregarding the procedures or documentation required must be directed tothe DVLA Local Office where the application will be made. Registering Rebuilt, Radically Altered Vehicles and Kit Cars Before a vehicle is used or kept on the public road it must to beproperly taxed and registered. When a vehicle is first registered, theDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) allocates a registrationnumber which has to be properly displayed and this remains with thevehicle until it is broken up, destroyed, permanently exported ortransferred to another vehicle in what is known as a "cherishedtransfer." Sometimes, however, a vehicle needs to be rebuilt and this can callthe identity of the vehicle into question. Is it the original whichhas simply been repaired or have so many new or different parts beenused in the rebuilding process that the original vehicle has beeneffectively broken up? In allocating a registration number to a rebuilt vehicle, theAgency's main interest is to establish whether or not the vehicle isnewly constructed with no previously registered identity (in thepresent form). Vehicles, which have been substantially rebuilt, needto be examined by one of the DVLA Local Offices. NB A Vehicle IdentityCheck (VIC) will apply to those vehicles notified to the DVLA as beingwritten off on or after 7 April 2003. For information please refer toINF133 available from the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA).Information is also available from the VOSA Website www.vosa.gov.uk. Any vehicle, which has failed VIC, will not be entitled to retainits original registration number, DVLA Local Office will allocate a'Q' registration number and an Enhanced Single Vehicle Approval(ESVA)/ Single Vehicle Approval (SVA)/ Motorcycle Single VehicleApproval (MSVA) certificate will be required. If however, a VIC application is rejected by VOSA, DVLA LocalOffice will need to inspect the vehicle in order to allocate analternative registration number. ESVA/SVA/MSVA will be required. A. Vehicles that have been rebuilt using a mix of new/used parts. In order to retain the original registration number: Cars and Car-Derived Vans must use: The original unmodified chassis or unaltered bodyshell (i.e. bodyand chassis as one unit - monocoque); or A new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification asthe original supported by evidence from the dealer/manufacturer (e.g.receipt) And two other major components from the original vehicle - see listbelowSuspension (front & back)Axles (both)TransmissionSteering AssemblyEngine If a second-hand chassis/monocoque bodyshell is used, the vehiclemust pass a ESVA/SVA test after which a "Q" prefix registration numberwill be allocated. N.B Vehicle Identification Check From 7th April 2003, all cars and some tricycles (e.g. RobinReliant) that are written off by an insurance company or declaredscrapped by their owners due to accident damage will have to benotified to DVLA. VIC has been introduced to deter criminals from disguising stolencars with the identity of written off or scrapped ones. The check isdesigned to help confirm that the vehicle being returned to the roadhas been repaired following accident damage and has not been stolen. For further information contact the Vehicle Operator ServicesAgency Website on www.vosa.gov.uk[1] Motorcycles must use: Unmodified Frame (original or new) And two other major components from the original vehicle ForksWheelsEngine/gearbox If a second-hand frame is used the vehicle must pass a MotorcycleSingle Vehicle Approval (MSVA) test after which a 'Q' prefixregistration number will be allocated. B. Radically Altered Vehicles This covers vehicles which are substantially altered from theiroriginal specification, but which are not kit conversions. In these cases the vehicle components used from the originalvehicle will be given a numerical value and, in order to retain theoriginal registration numbers the vehicle must score eight or morepoints. If less than eight points are scored or a second-hand or modifiedchassis or altered monocoque bodyshell is used an ESVA/SVA/MSVAcertificate will be required to register the vehicle and a 'Q' prefixregistration number will be allocated. The following values will be allocated to the major componentsused: Points Chassis/body shell (body and chassis as one unit - monocoque)*(original or new) = 5Suspension = 2Axles = 2Transmission = 2Steering Assembly = 2Engine = 1 *Direct replacement from the manufactures NB. Where there is evidence that two vehicles have been weldedtogether to form one (i.e. 'Cut and Shut') a 'Q' mark will beallocated. ESVA/SVA/MSVA will be required. Vehicle Identification Number This is a legal requirement for all vehicles used on the publichighway to carry a Vehicle Identity Number (VIN). This may be lostwhen a vehicle is substantially rebuilt, particularly in the case ofkit vehicles where the chassis/bodyshell may not have been stamped bythe manufacturer. In such circumstances the DVLA Local Office willallocate a replacement VIN. The DVLA Local Office will issue an authorisation letter andregistration will not take effect until the Agency receivesconfirmation that the vehicle has been stamped with the correctidentity. Registration of Vehicles without Identity The following procedures must be followed when making applicationfor the registration and first taxing of a vehicle without identity You should use your nearest DVLA Local Office. Applications from outside a DVLA Local Office's catchment area willbe refused; You will be asked to produce your driving licence as proof ofidentity and address; You will be asked to produce official receipts from identifiablesuppliers for the components used in a rebuild. The authenticity ofreceipts may be checked. They will be stamped by the DVLA Local Officebefore return; All vehicles without identity (VIN and registration number) will beinspected by DVLA and referred to the police. These arrangements have been introduced in an effort to combatvehicle crime. Applicants who rebuild vehicles and can prove theorigins of the components need not be concerned. However, if thepolice believe a vehicle to be stolen DVLA will refuse to register andit may be impounded. Prospective purchasers of vehicles without identity are advised toexercise caution. If a vehicle is suspected of being stolen both itand the money paid for it may be lost. Advice for prospectivepurchasers of vehicles (The car buyers Guide) is available from CrimePrevention Officers and DVLA Local Offices. C. Kit Cars Where all the parts of a vehicle are supplied new by themanufacturer. Subject to the provision of satisfactory receipts and aCertificate of Newness these vehicles will be registered under acurrent registration mark. Kit cars which been built using not more than one reconditionedcomponent will also be registered under a current mark. This issubject to the provision of satisfactory evidence that the componenthas been reconditioned to an "as new" standard. An ESVA/SVA/MSVA testwill be required. For details of the SVA scheme, please see ImportSection. D. Kit Conversions This is where a kit of new parts is added to an existing vehicle orold parts are added to a kit comprising a manufacturedbody/chassis/monocoque bodyshell. The general appearance of thevehicle will change and result in a revised description on theregistration document/Certificate. A vehicle will retain its donor registration number if either theoriginal unmodified chassis or unaltered monocoque bodyshell and twoother major components are used. If a new monocoque bodyshell or chassis from a specialist kitmanufacturer is used (or an altered chassis/bodyshell from an existingvehicle) together with two major components from a donor vehicle, anage related number will be assigned. The number will be based on theage of the donor vehicle. An ESVA/SVA/MSVA test will be required toregister the vehicle. Where there are insufficient parts from a donor vehicle or in caseswhere the original registration number is unknown, an ESVA/SVA/MSVAcertificate will be required to register the vehicle and a 'Q' prefixregistration number will be allocated. I hope this helps as there was limited information given in youre-mail. Regards Donna Llewellynwww.direct.gov.uk/motoring[2][THREAD ID:1-YD1FO]

couldn't have rambled better myself.. simply beatuiful ver batim dogma at its very best

An end in sight??

Well.. it's been a long time coming but Martyn and Merlin, at MVS Racing, are again motoring along for a completion in the early New Year.

They were about to start the engine over, all primed only to then find the Bosch starter was damaged.. pah!!

Motor Factors will pick up on Monday and hopefully arrange a quick replacement - it should prove to be a Porsche item but who cares as long as it's heavuy duty enough and works!

So.. take 2 - start engine for idle and check fuelling then engine will be removed and sent down to the engine tuners in Essex.

Stay tuned.
JB

Pics from the Shop (Rear Hatch)

Apparently the ex-5th Gear Esprit will take the same mould as well, helps costs and MVS' time.

Apologies - some progress pics - dash and tanks

Sorry for no updates - progress has been ongoing but I didn't have any pics to post. Meanwhile I had been in talks to swap the project for a classic '74 racer and that's still ongoing. Merlin kindly took some with his phone showing off the dash.. hopefully more to come. Initial impressions is that the new layout will be very easy to read and pretty cool looking indeed - very GTP, especially once all the control buttons are added to the centre dash. Hopefully the situation with the other race car will resolve one way or the other - have already said to M&M that it's unlikely to come of anything, which is royal pain as have gone to the trouble of going through eligibility etc.

So anyway.. here we can see the dash starting to take shape and completed twin tanks (lovely). It's great Merlin has managed to incorporate the Chip Gnassi dash whcih came straight out of a cup car and really keeps the connection strong through the car.

'The Curse of the Phoenix?' (by Merlin)

i have been thinking for a while now that your car is cursed,i had to rush over to spncers in the week to rescue your fuel tanks as he is going through a really bad patch,he gave me 2 days warning that he was off on holiday for 2 weeks then when he gets back he is moving abroad, this is a massive shock we dont know what is going or why he has had enough, it looks like he has lost interest is his buisnees over night.so i am now looking for someone locally who will be willing to finish these tanks off for us, short of this i may have to purchase a tig welder and learn how to weld alloy again !!!this is really annoying for mvs racing as all our alloy, alloy parts and wing brackets come from spencer dont know what will happen with the cost of the tanks as yet. will hhave to wait and see wot happens.the other reason your car is cuursed the pipe that we have spent ages looking for turned up , fits a treat but its a 45deg not a 90degree pipe!any way on a lighter note it hasnt rained here for the past 2 days. oh on a bad note my wisdom teeth are really peeing me off.cheers merlin

Updated pics of dry brake and fuel cap (Jan08)

Merlin switched around the fuel cap to the other tank so he could fit the dry brake to the side that normally comes into the pits.. the fit is a bit fiddly cos it's really for a nascar application..

couple of pics.. nice..

Blimming fuel hose... a week of ramblings..

No big updates - I officially hate fuel hoses.. lol

Apologies if none of this makes any sense... the dry brake need s a 90 degree bend at the hend to then connect to the fuel tank.. it's a bit fiddly with lenght - then try to find a 90 degree pipe with a 63mm dim.. = hens teeth!!

Quoting Merlin - merlinwhiteland@hotmail.co.uk
will try a 57mm pipe to see if it will squeeze on, love the audi , i think that we will see a lot of these diesel cars soon,wonder how long before f1?cheers merlin>

Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:12:17 +0000>
From: info@lbmracing.com> To: merlinwhiteland@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: dry brake - fuel hose??> > > Does the box feel quite heavy Merl, got a note from OBP and sneaky > buggers bring out an upgraded light-weight version... 2-3kgs. Typical!> > 90 deg bend - would 57mm do it??>

http://www.thinkauto.com/acatalog/On_line_shop_Fuel_filler_hose_320.html

Quoting merlin whiteland merlinwhiteland@hotmail.com
well originally i thought aluminium but the pipe has to go on the > > out side, the dry brake isn't flexible enough to crimp on to the > > ally pipe, try samco cant think of any where else other than ATL!> >> > just as i thought the pipes for the pedal box are about 2" too > > short!!! nothing ever works out.> > never mind il do a straight swap for some longer 1s.> > the guy who owns the single seater with the r1 engine ,has asked me > > to take on a new project, a caterham, trying to persuade him into > > fitting an rx7 engine. you got any ideas?> > cheers merlin

Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:59:24 +0000>
From: info@lbmracing.com To: merlinwhiteland@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: > > dry brake - fuel hose??> > >
Quoting Jon - ok - it's just finding a 90 deg bend in > > the dim you want..??> > Would samco hosing resist fuel okay?? I can > > try their website>?> > any other ideas what to use?> >

Quoting merlin whiteland merlinwhiteland@hotmail.com
my > > only worry about this stuff is that the bend will be too big, an > > > > off the shelf 90 bend is quite compact ish, if this doesnt make any > > > > sense i dont blame you.> > pedal box fitted you had a good deal > > with this only problem is that > > they skimpt with some locking > > nuts, but no problem there. i had to > > cut a hole in the bulk head > > to get it as far forward as i could, the > > braided pipes will fit > > but could do with 3 90degree fittings.im > > sure we have these.> > > > cheers merlin

Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:59:43 +0000>
From: info@lbmracing.com
To: merlinwhiteland@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: > > > > dry brake - fuel hose??> > >
Quoting Jon - 2" inside dim - any good?? I'm trying > > > > to get someone in the uk to > supply that clear 2.5" stuff.> > > > > >

Fuel tanks..

Custom, all-ally.. beautiful.. not sure how many litres there.. must be 80-100 litres I'd have thought :)

Engine plates and dry brake arrived

Fuel hosing too from summit racing.. engraved plates look good. Dry brake needs modifying but Merlin think it will work fine - needs a 90 degree pipe made up.

Zausts and things..

Zausts trimmed and lights and rear bumper positioned back just to get an idea - those exit bores are 3" to give you idea of scale.. modest compared to a lot of jap cars but then that bore goes all the way back to the 4-branch collectors and there are 2 banks. That keeps the velocity up and the sound down hopefully.. the rear cans are very big but there is no internal baffles and no re-routing inside the cans - straight-throughs.. rear bumper still to be modified and cut out and we'll be venting the arches to pull out pressure build up and enhance the ground effects of the rear undertray and diffuser.. rear meshed then lower diffuser mounted and rear arches etc etc etc etc etc

Jst ordered OBP full floor mounted 3-pedal kit inc. all resvs, cylinders, aeroquip etc.. but VERY reasonable compared to Tilton/Wilwood if not as bling to look at.

More pics from the shop..

Zausts look crazy - tight clearance.. new tanks looks cracking and big - just as well given the engine's likely thirst. Probably paint the zorsts with ceramicool.