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brumster

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Posts posted by brumster

  1. Cool, ok. I wouldn't really choose a 2B as a trackday car then, if I had £5500 burning a hole in my pocket.... I'd probably go more for a Locost chassis with a more fruity engine. You'll have way more options in terms of chassis tuning, it'll weigh less. 2Bs are great for the road but for what you're after, I think that sort of money would be better spent on something a bit more track-focused...

  2. They're in the IVA guide (table 1) but referenced as "position lamps"... 400mm max in from the side, max 1500mm high (or 2100 if impractical) and at least 250mm off the ground. And bear in mind the angles of visibility ;)

  3. I may be showing my ignorance, but I thought the test checked the pattern and intensity of the light so why does anyone care whether the actual emitting source of light is a conventional filament bulb, a HID gas bulb or an LED? So, like said above, if the output of light conforms to the requirements in terms of spread, not blinding anyone, etc then I'm curious as to why it matters (assuming e-marked, etc, that's all fine)... presumably the MOT test doesn't check some critical aspect (genuinely curious)?

    edit: did a google
    https://blog.motoringassist.com/news/fit-led-lighting-car-legally/

    Makes an interesting point that I've always felt that even new cars with LED lights seem to be harder on my eyes (as an oncoming driver) than the old ones :) but that's probably just me getting old!

  4. I would say you're going about things the wrong way. Make a shortlist of the types of kitcar you want first, then explore what suitable donors you can find. Buying a 'donor' car (Volvo or otherwise) and then trying to find a kit that will fit is just the wrong order.

    Do you know what style of kit car you're after? Open top, soft top, hard top? Sports/lotus 7 style ie. very much a fun/weekend car, or something more 'useable' with an enclosed body, roof, something more suited to long distance, etc etc?

     

     

  5. I've got an optimate 3 which I've had for *utterly ages* (like, 20 years) and it does my dry cell batteries fine - I've used it on motorbikes and also the dry batteries in the kit car and a competition car. More recently I purchased a NOCO and I must say I am really impressed with it for the money; I bought it because I needed 2 connected at the same time and also I'd bought a Lithium battery for the motorbike - the optimate wouldn't do that, being so old. If you're only looking to maintain a battery, then the base model 1 amp NOCO will be perfectly fine and at £33 honestly, it's a cracking bit of kit and a bargain at that.

    If you was after something to charge up a flat battery in a short period of time then sure, no, it's going to struggle - but if you're just after a maintainer it will do you proud.

  6. 55 minutes ago, Amateur said:

    And in Germany, where I live, the Exmo is considered a rare exotic and no one can help me here.

    I don't mean to sound cruel but whoever told you the Exmo is an 'exotic' was having a laugh :D

    We bought our Exmo in 96/7, there had been a batch before us, so the above dates ring true to my memory - it didn't run for long. They were picked up in batches; everyone turned up to the factory "en masse" to collect what must have been 50 to 100 kits in one day! Quite a fun day actually :)

    Most Exmos had a Ford 4-pot SOHC ("Pinto") put in them, 1600/1800/2000cc. Most people were buying Exmo's as a budget build so I don't recall anyone putting anything special in them, bar a couple of Ford V6 lumps. They were very much aimed at the budget end of the kit car market, that was their selling point (single donor, and the kits were incredibly cheap) so *most* customers were buying with that in mind - hence used as much of the donor car as they could (Sierra).

    There will obviously be exceptions - but *generally* that was the pattern with the Exmo.

  7. I never managed to get much of a recentre effect on the Exmo; there was a little bit at small steering inputs but there was an "over-centre" effect where, past a certain point, there was none whatsoever. At extreme steering angles, the wheels would actually fall outward into the turn - bloody dangerous! When I put the tie bars on I tried to push the strut bottoms forward as much as seemed reasonable to do but you have to remember that the way the tops mount, anything other than perpendicular to the buttress (and the top bearing) you're loading up that bearing incorrectly and potentially bending the damper rod (although I'd bet the buttress would bend first, particularly if you haven't done the re-enforcing mod). I don't think it's probably possible to get the desired/ideal amount of caster without re-thinking the way it all mounts up top, maybe with some sort of spherical bearing that would allow the strut to angle forwards. Even then, you'd have a point at which the springs would start to interact with the buttress and put a stop to any further adjustment :).

    I think maybe your best bet is to, as you suggest, push it forward as much as you're comfortable doing given the points above. If you moved to tie bars instead of the ARB, you'd have some inherent adjustability by turning the rod ends in/out of the tie bar (up to a limit obviously). And to be honest, the extra compliance you get with tie bars over the ARB is a far greater overall improvement - thoroughly recommend it.

  8. I'd say you've definitely got to do something about the position of that rad and the ability for air to flow through it - it's tight and messy in there, hard to see from photos so apologies if I get it wrong but it looks like there's all manner of things stopping a good passage of airflow, let alone the fact that it's hanging around in open space rather than having anything effectively controlling the air flow through it. Moving it even just the other side of that shock arrangement would allow you to use the nosecone as something to butt panels/ducting up like Richy's lovely arrangement (slightly angling you'll get away with). If I needed to swap to a smaller radiator to get it in there, I'd even do that, sell that massive aftermark ali rad for good money and get a smaller OEM one out of a hatchback/etc. I tell you it'd still have plenty of cooling capacity, people love to think they need massive expensive aftermarket radiators but it's just not necessary when you've got proper, decent airflow through it.

  9. 55 minutes ago, Ianali said:

    Thanks all. Couple more questions. Q plate cars, does the plate effect values? Toy box cars Ltd, decent dealer? Westfield cars? Better than hoods, or does it really depend on build quality? Last one, if i mention/link a car on eBay etc for sale on here will I get advice on it? 

    Q plate : I'd say yes. It *shouldn't* and people like to make out it doesn't, but I think realistically, it does, there's a bit of Q-plate snobbery that we don't like to talk about :). Up to you really, these cars aren't typically investments so do you really care? Ignore what other people think.

    I've seen good and poor examples of Westfields just as much as Robin Hoods but, on the basis there are more Westfields out there, and I suspect a lot of them were factory built, you *tend* to see more good examples of Westfields. I'm generalising, but I feel that's probably fair to say, particularly with the older models.

    Yeah we'll all chip in and critique your choice on eBay, I'm sure ;) I'll get the popcorn, wait one... :D

  10. I've always put fans on the back of my cars rads than the front, just habit I think, I've heard people argue over the benefits of either but I suspect it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other :). No clearance issues here so it's neater and less likely to get damaged, but obviously my car is a different setup to yours, being a Zero and with a different engine, my clearance behind the rad is pretty massive.

    I would say yes, mine is a 12" or possibly a 10". It's a SPAL. Radiator is Seat Ibiza/Cordoba diesel but again, not being an S7, that's probably irrelevant for your setup.

  11. Any pics without the nosecone on?

    In addition to the very valid points above : to me, in your last-but-one pic, it looks like there is a gap at the left side of the rad? If there's no ducting in the nosecone, then air will get scooped in via the nosecone front and (assuming we're at speed here) will take the path of least resistance to get back out again to low pressure. Depending on the course through the engine bay - I see side vents on the right, I'm going to guess there's one on the left too (?) - I'm guessing it will go straight through this nice, convenient gap at the side of the rad, and out the side vent, and very little of the air will take the arduous route through the radiator matrix :)

    The "proper" way to do it :

    G-esoQhjZ8iuQBpHNflkWSANW43aKqgj79LIE45m

    2FLAuHvrM5sHfN06438KRz6Bpg-s-EBY3KJUtsww

    JsLQV35V9YAFO2FXkAYrAnppauKnfpi_eqgCZ7oH

  12. Be good to see pics. In my experience with seeing cars that have overheating issues it is almost 90% of the time down to bad air flow design. Failure to control the consumption of air into the nosecone and THROUGH the radiator (by ensuring there are no lower-pressure routes around the radiator instead of through it), and likewise blocking the flow of air once it's gone through the radiator - blocking the back of the rad, or not giving the air any suitable low-pressure exit route out of the engine bay.

    It could still be bad rad, blocked channels, knackered 'stat or whatever, granted, but if I was generalising, I'd go with the above.... ;)

  13. Assuming you mean the outer ones (where the ARB fits, originally) then if you can still get them, P100 bushes from Ford are a higher grade (ie. bit of an upgrade) without going all-out on solid poly bushes. More cost-effective upgrade, we did this on our old Exmo.

  14. Is it for motorsport use?

    If not, you don't ultimately *have* to put it anywhere, but obviously stuck in the engine bay makes it difficult to get to if you need to isolate the electrics because of, say, a fire or electrical short...

    If you just want it to save the battery over periods of inactivity then not so much of an issue.... (although I'd argue the issue lies somewhere else really if that's the case!)

  15. Have always used Facet low pressure pumps since the 90's, never had one fail on me yet. No-name high pressures ones, that's a different story, but LP stuff... have always used Facet and have had no issues. Mind you none of the cars were particularly high-mileage (all kits/competition cars) !!

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