112.8mph Lucky Poos Needed

RiftAmps

Next up is fitting the water pump and tensioner/idler pulleys to the block

Start by chasing the threads in the block, as they're blind holes I use a bottoming tap to get all of the threads right to the bottom

The pump is a Japenese made unit complete with a metal impeller, some of the cheaper ones are plastic.

The pump is always the main suspect for coolant leaks, so I'm using both RTV and a paper gasket to ensure a good seal

Fitted to the block and bolts torqued down to 25Nm.

RiftAmps

The tensioner pulley (left) and idler pulley (right) are attached. We don't torque down the tensioner pulley just yet but the idler pulley is tightened to 52Nm. Because these bolts are going into aluminium a little anti-seize is used on the threads.

Two small plugs need to be inserted into the block, one of them is for an oil galley and the other is a coolant passage. Again, carryovers from the engine's turbo background. A little RTV on the threads and they're snuggled up.

RiftAmps

Cylinder head studs

Rather than using standard cylinder head bolts, we've upgraded to ARP Head Studs which a) are MUCH stronger and b) can be reused indefinitely.

The first job is to chase and clean the threads in the with a tap. Unfortunately, it's an odd size (M11x1.5) so had to order one in. Ten holes in total so ran the tap up and down a few times before spraying brake cleaner inside and blowing out with compressed air.

Here are the studs. ARP torque lube is applied to the threads and they're inserted into the block 'HAND TIGHT ONLY'. The top end has a 3/16" Allen head so I used a T-handle Allen key to snug them down.

RiftAmps

My last job of the day is to fit the water pump inlet pipe.

The little outlet pipe on the lefthand side ALWAYS corrodes/breaks off so had to pony up and buy a new pipe at just over £100

This pipe is also a serious offender when it comes to coolant leaks, so RTV+Gasket method is a must.

The two bolts are going into Alu, so once again they're covered in anti-seize first before torquing to 25Nm.

Above it is the PAS pump bracket - I forgot to take photos when I cleaned/prepped/painted and attached it to the block but there it is, looking smart in satin black.

RiftAmps

Plum Pudding Race Reports

Racing on Boxing Day - absolutely brilliant and well worth the effort. It was my first race meeting organised by a different club and am pleased to say that the BRSCC did a fantastic job of keeping it all in order.

I left home at 6:30 and got the circuit for just before 8 am. To get to the infield you have to drive part-way around the circuit in the wrong direction which is quite novel. Parked up, unloaded the car and checked the weather forecast - rain, rain, and more rain.

Swapped over the tyres to our full wets and softened the dampers by 6 clicks all round. The mk1 MX5 next to me didn't have a set of wets (not allowed in his championship) so had to run his dry tyres.

Practice - I followed the other MX5 out onto circuit and stayed behind him for a few laps to see if I could keep up with him, the short answer is yes, and after three laps I went past and cruised off into the distance. Managed to set some reasonable lap times and wasn't bottom of the timing charts, so felt pleased. Ended the session fastest of the three MX5s - there was also a Mk2 1.8 VVT - which again, felt awesome.

Race 1 - The grid was set by fastest race entry and not by practice times. I was due to start 7th but was promoted to 6th after one guy withdrew.

Only my second race start in my career so was stoked when I got a good launch off the line and briefly made it up to 4th before the Radicals and Caterhams came steaming past into turn 1. Speaking of T1 (Gerard's), it's a 200º right-hander that just goes on forever, and ever, and ever.

Spent most of the race trying to stay ahead of Nick Day in his MG Midget and Nick Glover in the Mk2 MX5, the race was red-flagged after 9 laps after a Caterham went off into the barrier - see vid below - he had a stuck throttle cable wide open - oooof.

Came home in 9th place, ahead of both MX5s and Both MGs.

Race 2 - The grid was a top-10 reverse grid based on the results of race 1. I, therefore, had a front-row start alongside Nick Day in his red MG.

Needless to say, the pressure got to me and I cocked the start right up. A swarm of cars swallowed me up into a huge mist spray. Bollocks.

Fortunately, and somehow miraculously I made it around T1 intact and was only 2 places behind the red MG. As you can see from the footage below, the weather was horrendous. The GoPro did a great job of accurately showing what the visibility through the windscreen was actually like. I only knew where the other cars were because of their rain lights.

The next 13 laps were the most fun I've ever had in the car. I got to 'race' other cars lights-to-flag, rather than running around at the back as we've pretty much done all year. I spent the whole race chasing down the red MG, whilst being hounded by the Mk2 MX5 directly behind me, one mistake and I'd be overtaken, or one locked brake and I'd rear-end the MG.

The MG eventually spun (because of the huge pressure I was putting him under, obviously) and I finished in P8. Sorry about the screams and wooops, it felt good.

Absolutely going to enter again next year, what a great way to finish of the year, and the decade.

Emp_Fab

Have you ever tried Rain-X ?  I was watching that footage and thought how much easier it would be if you didn't have the wipers going.  Especially at the speeds you're doing, the rain will just blow off the screen.  Plus it reduces the drag of the car overall (a little!).

It would be perfect for your visor too.

RiftAmps

Emp_Fab said:

Have you ever tried Rain-X ?  I was watching that footage and thought how much easier it would be if you didn't have the wipers going.  Especially at the speeds you're doing, the rain will just blow off the screen.  Plus it reduces the drag of the car overall (a little!).

It would be perfect for your visor too.

Good idea, just ordered both Rain-X and Anti-Fog.

Mark_R

@RiftAmps top thread, thanks for sharing.

Going back to your earlier questions about getting more top end, have you thought about getting a roof or trying to get the air further over the car body?  Convertibles are dreadful for aerodynamics and your roll cage must be creating a lot of turbulence too.

Another, slightly easier approach is going to be your gearbox, for the power tracks chuck in a slightly higher top gear, maybe one tooth less?

Also have you thought about using a smaller capacity battery?  Can probably save 2kg, wonder if a lower amp alternator weighs less?

menamestom

Only just seen this thread, excellent stuff.  I'd love to do something like this.

I'd planned to start doing some track days in my Focus ST but quickly realised standard road cars can't handle it without upgrading brakes etc. 

My brother is getting bored with his BMW M135i so plans to get an MX5 as a fun car, so I'll see if he's up for going in this direction for at least a few track days.

Obviously racing is the next level, I really admire your enthusiasm and commitment for doing something you love.  I'm in Manchester, was hoping you'd make it to Oulton Park but I'll see if I can get to Anglesey in September.

RiftAmps

Mark_R said:

@RiftAmps top thread, thanks for sharing.

Going back to your earlier questions about getting more top end, have you thought about getting a roof or trying to get the air further over the car body?  Convertibles are dreadful for aerodynamics and your roll cage must be creating a lot of turbulence too.

Thanks @Mark_R

When we first started the build I wanted to run a hardtop and a big rear wing, the regs allowed for this but Nick made a very good point - he's 6' 2" tall.

As a shared car, we had to make sure that each driver could sit inside the car comfortably, for long periods of time. Therefore. the seat isn't bolted directly to the car but sits on sliders (like your road car) so we can move it back and forth. This adds 15mm of height to the seat. My legs are quite a lot shorter than his so when he has a comfortable seating position, I can't reach the pedals. Put the seat in my position and Nick can't get into the car! There's no compromise between the two so sliders were a must. Add a hardtop to this scenario and Nick would have to race with his head tilted to one side.

Mark_R said:

Another, slightly easier approach is going to be your gearbox, for the power tracks chuck in a slightly higher top gear, maybe one tooth less?

The 5-speed box has odd ratios - a big jump between 2nd and 3rd, and 4th/5th are quite long too. Obviously designed so you're not cruising on the motorway at 6000rpm. For our power, it's not quite right but when we move up a class it'll be perfect. Just have to live with it for now.

Changing the final drive (Diff ratio) can help gear the car more towards top speed, or the other way towards acceleration.

Mark_R said:

Also have you thought about using a smaller capacity battery?  Can probably save 2kg, wonder if a lower amp alternator weighs less?

Our class is run to 145bhp/tonne. We're now at that limit (926kgs and 134bhp) so if we make the car lighter, we'll also need to reduce the power. If we want to add more power then we can but will have to add weight to bring us back to the limit.

In 2021 we're moving up to the next class - 180bhp/tonne - so will be a combination of both more power and less weight - whatever is easiest/cheapest.

menamestom said:

Only just seen this thread, excellent stuff.  I'd love to do something like this.

I'd planned to start doing some track days in my Focus ST but quickly realised standard road cars can't handle it without upgrading brakes etc. 

My brother is getting bored with his BMW M135i so plans to get an MX5 as a fun car, so I'll see if he's up for going in this direction for at least a few track days.

Obviously racing is the next level, I really admire your enthusiasm and commitment for doing something you love.  I'm in Manchester, was hoping you'd make it to Oulton Park but I'll see if I can get to Anglesey in September.

Thanks @menamestom

RiftAmps

2019 Costs

So, how much did it cost to go racing in 2019?

Quite a difficult question to answer because some costs/expenses will be carried over to future years. I will break it down as much as I can though, so you can all see how much we spent in our first year.

License

Can't go racing with a license, so here's what it cost.

- MSA 'Go Racing Pack' - £104

- Medical - £48

- ARDS Test - £300

- Doctors Letter - £15

Total £467.

The Go Racing Pack consists of the application form, a copy of the current Regulations, a DVD, and other bits and pieces. You have to have a Medical examination, my GP offered this for £78 but I found a private firm that charged £48. Essentially it's nothing more than a piss test, eye test, and a few Qs.

The ARDS test is both a Practical and Written examination. I did a half-day course at Mallory Park.

As I was on a certain medication at the time of applying, I had to get a letter from my GP saying he was happy for me to go racing.


PPE

Personal Protective Equipment

 Suit - £264

Boots - £118
 Gloves - £56

Helmet - £279

HANS - £177

Subtotal £892

Minimum gear required for UK club racing. All have to be made to either an FIA or SNELL standard. I went for FIA level stuff to help future proof for when/if I go racing in Europe.

I also bought...

 Kitbag - £25

Fireproof balaclava - £27

Fireproof top - £83

Fireproof bottoms - £71

Fireproof socks - £17

Subtotal - £225

The fireproof stuff is optional for UK club racing but wanted to get used to racing in it.

Total £1117

RiftAmps

Car Build

These costs are how much we spent getting the car to the first race. Note, these costs are the total spent between the two of us, and not what we spent each

Donor Car - £1500

Custom Roll Cage - £1960

inc Seat install

Seat - £189

Seat Runners - £39

Harness - £152

Fire Ext. kit - £197

Electrical Cutoff - £32

New Windscreen - £162

Console Panel - £87

Air Intake - £78

Switch Panel - £18

Rain Light - £24

Race Numbers - £17

Rear View Mirror - £51

Transponder excl. subscription - £175

Total £4684

RiftAmps

Entry Fees

750MC Membership - £25 each

Roadsports Series Registration - £85

Brands Hatch Indy - £350

Cadwell Park - £290

Donington Park - £350

Snetterton - £310

Silverstone GP - £295

Mallory Park - £135

Total £1865


Testing

Pre-season Test - £255

Cadwell Park - £365

Donington - £395

Snetterton - £469

Silverstone - £534

Dyno - £50

Total £2068

RiftAmps

Race and Test Fuel

Test day - £71

Brands Hatch - £48

Cadwell Park - £78

Donington Park - £38

Snetterton - £103

Silverstone - £78

Mallory Park - £31

Total - £448

Travel Costs

Test day - £21

Brands Hatch - £59

Cadwell Park - £75

Donington Park - £45

Snetterton - £58

Silverstone - £8

Mallory Park - £27

Skuzzle Motorsport - £33

Total - £326

RiftAmps

Wheels and Tyres

Full Set Drys - £120

Fitting - £20

Team Dynamics Wheels - £350

Full Set Wets - £156

Fitting x 3 sets - £80

Total £725

Brakes

Spare Front Pads - £25

Spare Rear Pads - £17

Race Front Pads - £70

Race Front Pads - £70

Front Discs - £79

Rear Discs - £34.50

Total - £265

Trailer

4 x Tyres - £229

Jockey Wheel x 2 - £14

Spares reflectors etc - £32

Total - £275

RiftAmps

Running Costs

This is a list of everything else that we spent on the car this year to go racing, including upgrades, replacement parts, fluids, broken bits, etc etc etc. Basically it's everything else that's not listed above.

Rear View Mirror	£50.77
VBOX	£290.00
Parcel Shelf	£27.00
Tools	£67.93
Tuff Jug and Timer	£84.26
Tuff Adapters	£22.98
MAF Clip	£2.00
Caliper Screw and Wheel Bolt	£15.37
Spark Plugs/DOT5.1	£14.51
Caliper, Belt, Coolant	£127.69
Brake Ducts	£162.00
Ducting	£67.38
Pull Cable	£13.10
Ancilliaries	£38.00
Rad and Hoses	£208.94
Exhaust Manifold	£219.90
Track Rod End	£11.37
Fuel Filter	£5.44
Water Pump	£28.00
Coolant	£7.99
Engines/Gearboxes	£50.00
Bonnet	£15.00
Steering Wheel	£43.00
Spark Plugs and Coolant	£16.27
ECU	£504.00
Gearbox	£60.00
Gearbox Oil	£20.00
Bolts	£30.30
Diff Oil	£18.00
Skuzzle Tune	£398.75
Northampton Motorsport	£135.00
Engine Mounts	£85.51
Thermostat and Gasket	£9.58
Wipers	£9.24
Belts	£19.00
Head gasket, bracket, oil filter	£52.06
Oil	£17.99
Coolant	£7.99
Manifold	£40.00
Head Skim	£54.00

Total £3050

RiftAmps

TOTALS

License - £467

PPE - £1117

Car Build - £4684

Race Entries - £1865

Testing - £2068

Fuel - £448

Travel - £326

Wheels/Tyres - £725

Brakes - £265

Trailer - £275

Running Costs - £3050

TOTAL - £15290.


Now obviously that's a big number, but if we work out what are the 2019 only items, we get:

Race Entries - £1865

Testing - £2068

Fuel - £448

Travel - £326

Total - £4707, plus a share of the running costs/brakes/tyres etc - call that £1500 - our 2019 total is £6207, or £3103.50 each.

Just over £3000 for a year's Hobby, and an awesome one at that? Sign me up.

2020 plans include more races, the new engine (see earlier in the thread), plus more of the rest. I've allocated myself a budget of £6000 for the year but could possibly go up to £8k if I wanted to. Who knows what the future holds?!

crunchman

RiftAmps said:

2020 plans include more races, the new engine (see earlier in the thread), plus more of the rest. I've allocated myself a budget of £6000 for the year but could possibly go up to £8k if I wanted to. Who knows what the future holds?!

So that's a new True Historic (or whatever Gibson are calling them this week) every year.

I need to show my wife this thread.  Maybe I'm not so expensive after all!

steveledzep

Really enjoying all of this, thanks for posting.  Good luck in your races this year.

Emp_Fab

Just thinking again.  You've spent a lot of money on making it go faster but nothing at all on reducing what's slowing you down - aerodynamic drag.  I'm also concerned that your open top is disrupting the airflow.  If there really is no possible solution to allow you to put a roof on (seat lowering ?) then you might want to consider a roof spoiler of some sort above the windscreen.  there must be wind tunnels around the UK that you can test that the airflow over the car is not creating turbulence just behind the driver and slowing you down.  

Even if you can't get a wind tunnel, it would surely be worth experimenting with homemade sheet metal spoilers riveted to the roof to see if it improves your top speed.  Don't ever dismiss aerodynamic drag.

p.s. - what fuel are you using?