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K-Series Gbs Zero


brumster

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Just to highlight the point... mark the pulleys like this (you can use a ruler between the centre point of the cam bolts to get a good indication if you don't trust your eyes) :

 

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...and then an extra mark on the crank pulley (the Rover has standard markings anyway but these are easier to see from the top of the engine) :

 

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This way you can always get back to those "known good" positions (these marks are at TDC), and also easily spot of anything slips in the future. Don't mark the belt itself - you don't care about the position of the belt, all that matters is that the crank and cam pulleys stay correct in relationship to one another. Also, stating the obvious, but remember the cams run at a reduced gear of 2:1 so it takes 2 full revolutions of the bottom end to get back to the same position on the cam. I know, obvious I'm sure, but I mention it just in case people are delving into this for the first time :)

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great write up Dan, very interesting. I'm sure it's a standard item, but you could swap the washers under the clamp bolts on the verniers to larger ones. This would spread the load a bit more and reduce the risk of the aluminium deforming under the washer, and loss of clamp load.

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  • 2 months later...

I continue to tickle away at it, at pretty much the same rate as Ken Dodd tickles away these days... but made good progress yesterday on various little jobs, none of which make exciting pictures or reading. I fixed the side repeaters that weren't working (turns out the black wire was live, the white was earth - who knew when they don't include instructions!), I put some more rivets into the undertray, I fitted a clutch cable spacer to bring the pedal to where I really wanted it, I sorted the handbrake warning switch to ensure the brake warning light is all working (in conjunction with the fluid level sender too). I fitted the throttle body trumpets and the filter baseplate too, as that side of things is now all finalised I don't need access to underneath them any more. The trumpets need a little trim now to allow the filter to hook underneath them, but I'll do that some other time - it's only a trim of their lower lip.

 

Of the more interesting jobs...

 

I tested and then set the Accusump. Essentially the cylinder is split into two halves (one full of oil, one pressurised with air) with a seal between them. You set the air size with a normal Schraeder valve and an air pump to a recommended 7-10psi (I went for 12) which establishes the target oil pressure you want the system to at least maintain. You then run the engine up and you'll see on a little dial on the Accusump that it starts accumulating oil when your engine is running, since the pressure difference is much greater - your engine's oil pressure is sufficient to push against that air pocket and the accumulator stores the oil.

 

The idea is, when there's ever loss of oil pressure, the built-up pressure in the accumulator will force the oil into the oil gallery of the engine during those low moments. It also works on start-up since the solenoid valve on the accumulator is activated off the ignition - so you get a bit of pre-oiling almost :) not that that's what the intention was, but... meh. Cheaper than a dry sump and well respected by many in the racing business.

 

Other than that, the biggest job time-wise was finishing off the pedal box. Nothing really complex or difficult about this business; I just used the common (?) approach of rivnuts to attach the lid, pre-drilling it first, offering it up and marking the box before drilling and fitting the rivnuts. I did have to disassemble to box first to get the drill in the far side. I also can't get a line of bolts in the top back flange because the ECU sits the other side, but I don't think this will be an issue anyway.

 

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The 3D printed cover thing I need to re-design and re-print a little, since the back end of it won't be able to be attached to the lid since it sits flush with the top of the reservoir - there's no room for any bolt/screws without them running into the reservoir (hmm... self tappers.... bad idea... :) ).... but it gives you an idea....

 

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The whiteboard is starting to empty out... but not there yet, at my pace :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Progress continues. I fixed the nosecone back on permanently now, and re-fitted the bonnet, allowing me to finalise a few things. Firstly, I've foam stripped the side of the engine bay and the scuttle where the bonnet rests - which lets the bonnet clamp up a bit firmer but also (more importantly!) stops the bonnet scratching the scuttle :D. I also put some plastic trim on various sharp edges under the bonnet just to protect the bodywork during bonnet removal/refit.

 

With the bonnet in place that allowed me to measure up and mark where I need to cut for the air vent that will channel air into my heater ducting...

 

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I've then 3D printed my design of a little bonnet scoop to bring the air in. The idea is I'll try with this first and then I'll get a proper commercial 3d-printed piece done in much higher quality (like the badge on the back)... but there's a few pieces I've got designed so I'll get them all done together at once...

 

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I figured I'd keep with the contrasting black as it picks up better on the white, I think, rather than trying to print a perfectly colour-matched white piece (just not going to happen, and will end up looking odd I reckon)...

 

I finished panelling out the boot area. This is a bit awkward, I've ummed and ahhed about what to do here because I don't really want anything going through the rear panel but I don't want to loose space by just boxing the boot off in front of the petrol tank. The problem is you can't really bolt or screw anything at the very back end because it's all external panels or fuel tank. So I've glued a panel onto the top of the tank, with a 90 degree edge along the very back side. I reckon I can then do one of two things... the easy option is just to carpet across the lot, gluing onto the back panel and accepting that there's a little gap at the very bottom corner (behind the fabric, so you'd never really see it)... or I try to make an aluminium panel that would be supported off the side panels and that angled edge, and hopefully it would be rigid enough to not need fastening anywhere along the back/top edge.... it could just tuck up underneath the top back edge of the boot....

 

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Other than that, I've started chucking the carpet in. Did a few triangles on the side, and the main back panel of the passenger compartment. Easy enough really, just measure twice and cut once, usual stuff. The Car Builder Solutions contact adhesive seems to be working well at this stage, works as advertised, but really my issues will be 5 years down the line where it starts losing it's grip, if it does at all :).

 

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Edited by brumster
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No, that's perfect, it's a similar approach. Rather than trying to solidly seal off the underside of the car and the boot, I was figuring that my little aluminium panel glued onto the top of the tank would keep the worst of it out - but there will always be that gap at the back. Best I can think is I'll pack it with some chassis foam (I've got some thick bits left) and then carpet over it like yourself. The gap should be small enough that I can't see all that much grot soaking through and into the carpet (from the back)...? Maybe I'll live to regret it, but I'm going to go with that for now :). To make some aluminium panel, like a second skin, to close off the back face from the boot floor to the top is just going to be too much work...

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The back panel looks flat. My 2B rear panel is flat & I ended up gluing (No More Nails)

a slab of exterior (waterproof) ply to the rear panel to stop it acting like a wobble

board & screwed anything else to it. It also provides reinforcement for the spare wheel fixing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Normally it's my annual mecca trip to Rally Isle of Man this week. I book it off with work each year. But this year, for a number of reasons I won't go into, I'm not competing and not going over to help either - other plans were hoped to come to fruition, but that has fallen by the wayside fairly late in the day, not allowing me any time to really arrange going out there. SO, I thought, I'm going to use my new-found time to break the back of this bloody thing. And it's going really well - I could just be finished by Sunday (bar geometry setup and mapping) with a fair wind behind me... and if not, certainly bloody close.

 

So with much enthusiasm, it's been a good day today.

 

Firstly, some longer trumpets turned up for the throttle bodies. This was really to allow the air filter to slip over the support bar in the engine bay but, to be honest, it's probably a worthwhile mod anyway as the longer inlet tracts should really help the engine develop more in the midrange...

 

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So that's the air filter in place.

 

I fixed a problem with the rev counter not working, which was no thanks to SPA's wiring diagram which wasn't very helpful in this regard, but I managed to figure it out. I set about finishing wiring the centre console - the heater fan switch was pretty straightforward but I then discovered an issue with the fog light switch - I'm switching on the earth side of the relay, but the warning light built in to the switch is aimed at positive-side switching. Arse. And I need the warning light for IVA. So I pulled the switch apart, reversed the LED arrangement inside it so that I could feed the LED from the external ground pin - so now the fog light output from the relay not only goes to the fog lamp itself, but also to the switch (I'd provisioned for this thankfully), and the LED illuminates when the fog light is on. Since the feed to the low-side of the relay is the live from the dip beams, it's not possible to turn the fog light on without them.

 

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I finalised the centre console, wired up the ECU map switch (this will probably be blanked off or made to do nothing for the IVA) and marked/drilled the holes to hold the console in place, but have left it loose for now as I need to carpet the tunnel still. So that's all done now, time to turn to other things.

 

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I took dremel to bonnet, cut a small aperture for the air vent scoop, and fitted the temporary vent duct... nothing difficult here; lots of masking tape, measure thrice, cut once, take it really gentle as you don't want the dremel grabbing and running across your bonnet :D so hold it good and tight, and move it slowly. 4 stainless countersunk M4's hold it in place.

 

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I did a few more panels of carpet.

 

I also made a quick mock-up of a "tidy" for the area around the bottom of the roll-over hoop, as I wasn't really happy with how that whole area looks really. This will hide the joins of panel and fabric/carpet, just make it a little more presentable....

 

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Jobs for tomorrow are get the tunnel tops carpetted and fitted, along with the tunnel sides, and that's all the carpet done. Seats and harnesses can then go back in, and I'll do the sill tidies. See if I can get time to carpet the boot too. The list is then rapidly dwindling, it might be time to bleed the brakes and tighten all the suspension bolts :)

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Whole days off work = smashing it :D :D :D

 

Interior trimming has been a lot easier than I thought it would be (I hate trimming). The contact adhesive from Car Builders seems to work very well when you give it that 15 minutes to go off (don't be tempted to rush it)... for those who don't know, you cover both panel and carpet with a thin film of the stuff, leave, then touch together and <bam>... it's done.

 

Where possibly, I left the carpet pieces overside on exposed edges and then trimmed with a sharp stanley blade post-fit.

 

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The arch inners are quite easy to tidy up because of the way the original aluminium panel is fitted - there's a good gap there to fit some rubber edge trim (non-reinforced) and then just tap-hammer the carpet into the gap with a large flat blade and a soft hammer....

 

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The centre tunnel top I've attached with M4 rivnuts... sparingly on the top (at the back where they're seen less) and then on the side towards the front. Padded with chassis foam before bolting it down. The gearstick gaiter is attached to the panel and comes off with it, so it's quite quick and easy to remove if need be, it all should just lift off the gearstick with 8 dome-headed setscrews to undo.

 

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Finally the edge trim from GBS, which really finishes off the sides making it all neat and tidy. I wasn't sure what people normally do with these but I figured I'd trim them to length, then sikaflex onto the top of the chassis rail and give them a good push down. Then I've used some stainless rivets on the outer side to attach them into the aluminium panel. With that done, I then used a soft faced mallet to tap them over on the other side - giving them a good whack to profile the inner edge around the top chassis tube... then remove the protective film afterwards. Seems to work good; time will tell I guess :-S

 

Not a lot left now...!

 

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Edited by brumster
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For the cold journeys I have a black bath towel which fixes with velcro to the under-side of the dash & t'other side wraps round my waist/tucks down sides of seat -- the warm air from the foot well then has to travel to the back of the seat to escape. Towel's second roll is seat drying on the odd occasion it rains.

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Couple of minor updates... didn't quite finish on Sunday because I snapped the bloody M4 mandrel off my rivnut tool (and I'd be lying if I said it was the first time)... no matter how careful you try to be, one slight bend and that's it, the bugger snaps. So, bought myself a load of spare ones to finish off one night this week or the coming weekend. But, managed a few little jobs all the same.

 

3D printed some windscreen support covers that just have a suitable 3mm radiused edge to make them IVA compliant...

 

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Not thinking they'll necessarily stay on long term but, meh, they look OK actually... who knows... might leave 'em on after all!

 

Also printed the shortened version of the brake res cover, really just to tidy up the hole there now, more cosmetic than anything and since it couldn't fit full-length it doesn't really serve much purpose...

 

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Ran out of carpet to finish the boot so have ordered some more - doesn't really matter if it's a different colour to me so will live with it, but a minor annoyance. Otherwise just need to bleed the brakes and run round all the external nuts and bolts tightening them up, and we're pretty much there.

 

Booked in with Steve Walford to get the mapping done a week on Saturday, really the main aim is to get the emissions good for IVA. Loads of the local group have used him and report good things so I'll give him a go; my previous option was Chris Raps in Daventry but he's always a busy man and it's a bit far so I think I'll give Steve a go instead...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well today is a very good day :) trip to the well respected (and I must say, I concur, he's a great chap) Steve Walford Motorsport for a session on the rollers.

 

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The main goal here was to get the emissions looking good for the IVA, so get the fuelling good low down and get the car nice and drivable. I didn't go to chase any numbers; the engine spec (really it's all down to the head that Dave Andrews put together) should be good for ~175bhp on a 1600 K-Series, apparently... but given I had the Caterham downpipe I was banking on that being a little restrictive, so I would have taken anything north of 160.

 

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Steve set about on it, I think between breaks (as the dyno compartment was getting quite warm) he must have put a good 3 hours into it, and even thought I can't drive it anywhere, just moving it on and off the trailer and around at home you can tell the bottom end is far less fluffier and grunty. He knows his beans :). theduck popped down to keep me company and we had a good gossip over a full english breakfast while we were at it; thanks Stu for keeping me company while a stranger abused my girl in another room... :) the sound of her screaming away was strangely beautiful and painful at the same time :rofl:

 

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Double bonus was that it made good numbers; I guess all that effort spent building the thing (particularly those *bleep* solid followers!) was time well spent. With all due respect to Steve I think it's probably a little on the optimistic side, but 148 at the wheels from a 1600 K-Series was a bit :o :good: :yahoo:. An estimated 186 at the flywheel - but Steve commented the torque was very good for a 1600 K too... it comes with revs, sure, they always do - but 145ft.lb is pretty good.

 

Numbers don't matter one jot of course, it's what it drives like, which I won't be able to tell for a while yet but I think it's safe to say this thing is going to be frickin' awesome :)

 

 

So happy days here; time to fill in some IVA paperwork!

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