850 Sport Coupe series 2 track car.

I have just realized I have not posted my last video from The Fiat Nationals at Tailem Bend. This was on April the 12th and the video was from the second session of the sprints. On the warm up lap I stick the outside wheels in the dirt and end up in the infield. I suspect I damage the electrical water pump or there is an airlock and when I return to the track the warning light for the Davies Craig controller lights up. I don't notice it or the gauge and it's not until I get a smell of coolant I realize I have a problem. I ended up with a blown headgasket. No other damage. Spesso headgasket is on it's way.
 
Is it that little LED jus to the right of the three instruments on the left side of the car? It wasn’t on when you started driving, was off when you restarted the car and only came on just after you reentered the track from your excursion.

Bummer, it looked great up until then. A rear engined car can be a handful without doubt when they get out of shape.
 
Is it that little LED jus to the right of the three instruments on the left side of the car? It wasn’t on when you started driving, was off when you restarted the car and only came on just after you reentered the track from your excursion.

Bummer, it looked great up until then. A rear engined car can be a handful without doubt when they get out of shape.
The handling was excellent and I kept several X1/9's behind me. It was just stupidity! I was not paying attention, worrying about how I was going to get past the white Punto who was slowing me down. The LED is the trouble light for the Davis Craig controller, That square thing with the LCD screen that shows the water temperature. As I pull back on to the track the temperature on it races straight to the top and the light comes on. I will be shifting that LED to a position right in front of me. Not sure what the problem really was. The water pump works fine. I have since removed the inline thermostat and installed a filter up on the top radiator hose. I suspect it might have been some air in the system. The video of my first session shows the cooling system on the LCD screen was working perfectly. It's possible the pump which is mounted very low hit the dirt during my excursion. I can't think of anything else.
 
It's great that it's just the gasket. The video has both my Xs in it, orange one while you were spinning (my son driving) and blue one you're passing while I was trying to work out how to avoid the oil spill. I also just saw your previous video, what track is that? It looks interesting, but I don't like all those walls so close.
 
It's great that it's just the gasket. The video has both my Xs in it, orange one while you were spinning (my son driving) and blue one you're passing while I was trying to work out how to avoid the oil spill. I also just saw your previous video, what track is that? It looks interesting, but I don't like all those walls so close.
Marulan, or as it's now called Pleasant Wood. Only about 1 1/2 hours away. Just resurfaced and is a great little circuit. Only one concrete wall that is a worry. If your there weekdays tuning etc and it's quiet the kangaroos are more of a worry than the concrete walls!
http://www.mdtc.com.au/race-circuit/
That other video is pre front anti rollbar. Since I fitted the thick antiroll bar I dropped 4 seconds a lap at Marulan!
 
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Sorry if you answer this in the thread, but what are you using for a transaxle? The problem with the 600 based cars is that the axle ratio only allows 15 mph per 1000 rpm, so top speed is limited by how brave you are with your engine holding together. Is there a transaxle with a numerically lower ratio you use?

Thanks

Jim
 
Sorry if you answer this in the thread, but what are you using for a transaxle? The problem with the 600 based cars is that the axle ratio only allows 15 mph per 1000 rpm, so top speed is limited by how brave you are with your engine holding together. Is there a transaxle with a numerically lower ratio you use?

Thanks

Jim
Still using the stock Coupe arrangement. Looked for an early sedan gearbox, ones with 12 inch wheels to get a better final drive but keep finding the later ones with 13 inch wheels. Planning for something better with my next engine I'm putting together at the moment.
 
Playing around with Filmora 9 video editing programme and stitched this short video together. It's a couple of weeks ahead of the previous video and I'm testing the new thick front antisway bar. Start of the first session with cold tyres and a few crook gear changes and weird lines!
 
Nice quiet day on track. Is that video editing easy to use? I struggle with the one I have been using. Here's a short one from The Bend on 16th June, somehow knocked 3 1/2 seconds off my best time from the Fiat nationals.
 
That is a really nice circuit! That MX5 makes it look easy. I had a track MX5 that I wish now that I kept. Should have kept it and swapped in a Fiat engine! They are so easy to drive. Filmora 9 is real easy to use, probably the easiest video editing programme out there but unless you have a paid version you get a watermark. Of the free versions I have found VSDC to be OK but not as simple as Filmora.
 
Thanks, I will check out the editing stuff. That mx5 has a turbo, faster than my 1500 in a straight line, but catch up under brakes, good fun.
 
Hillclimb on Sunday 7/7/19. Changed the muffler to a smaller lighter unit. Did my personal best in the Fiat on the final run. I think the reduction in weight hanging out the back helped but most of the improvement was down to changes with the ignition mapping. I have way too much ignition retard and this will have to be resolved. Professional tuner has set the total timing to 17 degrees which is way too safe. Stock engine is 37 degrees and with 10psi of boost the timing should be all in at 27 by my calculations.
Huntley Jul 19b  (2).jpg
 
This is a video from the 7th of July. Only recorded the first run because I had a full memory card! Video shows a bit about what goes on at the local hillclimb. Apologies for the poor quality thanks to Youtube degradation. Last run of the day was my personal best with this car.

 
When I lived in Vermont the sports car club I was part of would run a hillclimb up a couple of mountain roads, @2miles, Asctuney and Burke mountains. Ascutney was faster, Burke was extremely memorable.

 
Picked up this early 850 engine for my next engine project. I only want the block. This block is 5mm shorter than a 903 and will be a better fit for the new internals. 903 crank is away at the moment getting a slight stroke increase and machine to match the Suzuki conrods. Not sure what the arrangement is with the cover in the center that has oil passages to the centre bearing by the look of things. No mention of it in the workshop manuals. I would like to convert to a spin off oil filter so I'm hoping this might be a good start!
 

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Last Sunday at the local Hillclimb during scrutineering it was discovered that the aluminium manifold between the throttle body and the supercharger was cracked and allowing unregulated air into the system. I lashed it up with electrical ties and cord and did one run. At the top of the hill, the crack had completely failed and the car would not idle below 4000. The throttle body is connected to the airbox by a 75mm silicon pipe which obviously does not have enough give and will be replaced with a flexible rubber one. I have altered the ignition map and the car is now running 5 degrees more advance and is much improved.

 
If you need a more flexible hose connector, look at what they call hump hose connectors.
I saw those but went with one of the flexible air intake hoses off eBay. I also shortened down the SS pipe to the aircleaner so the gap where the flexible hose spans is greater so that will allow more movement as well. When I pulled the alloy manifold off the problem was obvious. When I welded the flange on I machined the section down in the lathe to get clearance for the heads of the bolts and inadvertently made the weld area too small. It's surprising it lasted that long!
 
The engine is running again. Starts easier too so must have had air entering the side of the manifold for awhile. I originally welded the alloy manifold by splatter welding but had to machine a fair bit of the weld off to install the manifold to the supercharger. I got my mate to tig weld it this time and it's a much better job. I stuck with the silicon hose but removed some of the SS tube so that the gap is larger and the
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tube flexes better. Note the shock cord on the right that now supports the aircleaner that resides in the side compartment.
 
With the new engine are you going to attempt the Suzuki SOHC head modification or are you using the early 850 based block to get to a different displacement? IE 843 which is what it would have been if OE.

The cover I believe can be used or removed to use an oil filter. Wish they had continued with that block pattern throughout the production run versus the centrifugal only approach they moved to.
 
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