112.8mph Lucky Poos Needed

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    edited February 2020 tFB Trader

    The bottom pulley is then removed so we can fit the lower timing cover.


    Then the bottom pulley and bolt is refitted and torqued w/loctite to 167Nm.

    The water pump pulley is fitted before fitting the alternator/water pump belt.


    Job done.
    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    Engine Install Time!

    Before we can install the new engine into the car, we have to remove the old one!

    It's actually easier to remove the engine+gearbox assembly as a whole unit, rather than splitting the two in the car.


    Car up on jackstands as high as they will go.

    Nick worked on the rear of the car, whislt I tackled the engine bay.

    Nick removed the exhaust system from the downpipe backwards, and unbolted the PPF, prop shaft, and other bits and pieces.



    Meanwhile I drained the engine oil, gearbox oil, and coolant, removed the engine undertray and brake ducting, before removing the radiator.




    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader

    With everything unbolted, unhooked, and unplugged, we lifted the whole assembly out using an engine hoist and leveller system.





    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader

    I forgot to take any more pictures but here's what we did:

    • Remove gearbox, exhaust manifold, intake manifold, and anything else that we needed from the old engine
    • Install new flywheel, spigot bearing, and clutch to the new engine. We've gone for a lightened 1.8 setup.
    • Fit new (replacement) gearbox
    • Install current exhaust manifold and intake manifold
    • Reverse the procedure to install the new power unit into the car.
    • Wire it up, plumb it in, fill with fluids (15w40 mineral oil for break in)




    A flat battery caused a few headaches with the ECU but we got it started and I have to admit it was such a cool feeling to hear it roar into life.





    Our pre-season shakedown is at Silverstone on 24th of Feb and we've got some work to do on the car before hand inc new rear calipers and discs/pads all around.

    Massively enjoyed building this engine, I've already started a second one :)

    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • the_jaffathe_jaffa Frets: 1777
    Brilliant stuff and great to follow. Cheers for putting in the effort
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  • rsvmarkrsvmark Frets: 1373
    Great thread And keep em coming. Lucky it wasn’t pissing down when you dropped the new engine in!
    An official Foo liked guitarist since 2024
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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    Engine Build Costs

    How much did our new engine cost to build?

    • Donor engine from eBay - £120

    Bottom End

    • Rebore, deck, and hone - £185
    • Crank polish - £40
    • Core plugs - £24.97
    • Turbo rubber bung - £6.41
    • Water Pump - £24.88
    • Timing Belt Kit - £34.30
    • Tensioner Spring - £2.64
    • Oil Filter x 2 - £3.56
    • Bottom End Gasket Set - £51.78
    • Oil Pickup Gasket - £1.20
    • ACL Main Bearings - £69.99
    • ACL Rod Bearings - £49.99
    • ACL Thrust Washers - £6.73
    • ARP Head Studs - £155.17
    • Oil Pump - £74.99
    • Oil Pump Hardware - £18.90
    • Bottom Timing Cover - £42.20
    • Water Pump Inlet Pipe - £100.18
    • .25 Pistons - £262.82
    • Forged Conrods - £210
    • Alternator - £105.89
    • Alternator Hardware - £20.29
    • Alternator Belt - £7.14
    • Lightened Flywheel - £278.39
    • Clutch - £143.59
    • Break-in Oil x 2 - £28.88
    • Gearbox Oil - £27.38
    • Coolant - £8.10
    Total £1985.37


    Cylinder Head

    • 3-angle valve cuts/skim - £200
    • Valve Stem Seals - £16
    • CAS O-Ring - £0.95
    • Cam Seals - £6.80
    • Thermostat Housing O-Ring - £0.42
    • Coolant Bung - £8.63
    • Cam Cover Gasket - £9.50
    • Head Gasket - £9.95
    • Thermostat Gasket - £0.27
    • Thermostat - £6.04
    • Camshaft Regrind - £320.68
    • Spark Plugs - £8.28
    • VAC Hose - £25
    Total £612.52


    That's a grand total of £2717.89

    Think that's expensive? Basset Down Balancing offers a similar spec build for £4584.12 inc VAT - https://bassetdownbalancing.com/stage-2/

    I'll take a saving of over £1850 inc flywheel and clutch and fluids, along with a new skill set any day.
    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    SILVERSTONE NATIONAL



    Our first pre-season test and shakedown is tomorrow at Silverstone, on the National layout.
    It's not a layout that we've raced on before, but we did race on the full GP layout last October.

    The Roadsports Class D lap record is a 1:13.26 although the series hasn't raced on this layout since 2016. I'll be happy if I can break into the 1:14s but the weather isn't looking good and as it's a track day rather than a full test, the pace is generally slower. Still, the goal is to get the car running well and to iron out any issues.

    Looking forward to giving the new engine some abuse, hopefully she's strong and drives well.

    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    Test Report

    I took the car out onto the circuit for the first initial laps, using lots of throttle and overrun to help seat the piston rings. The engine was so smooth it was unreal, it developed a LOT of power and pulled really well through the gears. I've not felt the engine ever feel that good so was pleasantly surprised when I could run with the Ginettas and Clio cup cars with moderate ease. That, combined with a wonderfully balanced car made for a great morning session. We ran for 3.5 hours without a hiccup.

    Unfortunately, just before lunch and on a somewhat aggressive downshift into Brooklands I must have over-revved the engine as it started to make a horrendous noise as I was coming around Luffield. Pulled immediately into the pits to hear the loudest knocking coming from the engine....bollocks.

    Pulled the valve cover to see lots of yellow metal flakes in the oil...most likely spun a bearing and destroyed it. Although interestingly, the noise seemed to be coming from the intake side of the cylinder head so after we got the car back home we pulled the head off so I could strip it down, just in case.

    The plan now is to fit the new cylinder head to the old block and install that back into the car whilst I strip down and investigate the new bottom end. Hopefully, it's just a new set of bearings and no damage has been done to the crank. I've got enough spares anyway, just annoying.

    Motorsport is both incredible and shit at the same time.


    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    I don't like BMWs, in fact, I'd go as far as to say that that I hate them. Never liked the look of them, the sound of them, anything about them. Just not my car brand.

    With that in mind, Nick and I picked up this E46 328i race car last night in Candle Apple Green for £3k.

    At that price, my opinion of BMWs can now be thought of as 'flexible'.


    It has 190bhp and weighs 1130kgs so comes in at 168bhp/tonne, it can run in Class C (max 180bhp/tonne) - the class above where we are now. We can run this in both Roadsports and the longer endurance series Club Enduro where they do 2-3 hour races.

    It needs some work to bring it up to current regs as it has been sat for a while, as a minimum it needs:

    • New harness
    • Fire ext service
    • Transponder
    • New electrical cutoff/fire ext pull cable
    • Adjustable springs/dampers
    • Race spec front brakes
    • Full fluid changes, belts, nut and bolt check.
    • Corner weighting and setup
    • Spare wheels with wet tyres
    • New set of dry tyres

    The plan is to not race it this year, but get it ready for 2021 where we can run both cars as we want, when we want.

    We will do a track day in it this year though, of course!











    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24208
    That car is crying out for some bling chrome rims....


    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    edited March 2020
    Hadn't realised just how hard on an engine track days are. Looks like you've had repairs pretty much every time you've raced. 

    Completely different to proper racing as there's no roll cage fitted, but an i30N Performance has about 177bhp/tonne and comes with a 5 year warranty which covers track day use, which is pretty impressive.

    An MX-5 or  GT86 at 160bhp/tonne could well be the sweet spot for road use though. I've a mk 3 Focus RS which has >220bhp/tonne, and although hugely entertaining, the fact that it does 100mph in 3rd and gets there in under 13 seconds means that you really can't get the best out of it without risking your licence. 


    That E46 is certainly eye-catching! Shouldn't be very stressed in that state of tune, so barring the double VANOS should be reliable
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    Chris, I'm sure you  are getting worse as you are getting older

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    MX5 Engine

    Ok, the new cylinder head, flywheel, and clutch have been fitted to the old cylinder block and installed into the car. Quite an easy install this time around and took <5 hours in total. Started up first time and ran well...

    ...or did it.

    Remember our new, expensive aluminium radiator that we bought after Cadwell Park last year? Well, we must have cross threaded the drain plug as coolant was pissing out of the bottom....FFS.

    Tried to RTV it up but no luck so have ordered a replacement rad and we'll get this one fixed and keep as a spare.


    New/borked block











    Took off the sump, oil pickup tube, and windage tray to find this - a very blued conrod cap.
    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    Big signs of overheating then! Imagine how hot that metal must get to change colour like that and to think, it was only 60 seconds at most before we switched the engine off.

     
    Removing the cap reveals big scoring marks




    You can see the bearing shells here, one has slid underneath the other and welded themselves together





    Pulling the piston out of the block revealed both blueing on the rod and further scoring marks





    The bearing shells mangled to death.



    And finally, damage to the crank journal.


    After speaking to my machinist, he says the crank might be salvageable if it'll grind down to the next standard size. The conrod will be checked too and verified.
    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    Ouch! That's unfortunate to say the least.

    The BMW S65 engine in the E92 M3 used to have big end bearing issues due to the bearing design not allowing adequate lubrication particularly when the engine was cold. Worst case scenario you'd have a spun bearing and need a new crankshaft and 8 new bearings and probably a new conrod or two. 
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    Also, not sure if you intended to imply the coolant leak caused that big end bearing failure? I'd say it's much more likely the bearing failed either because of a lubrication failure or the seating of the bearing.

    It was just good fortune that the coolant leak prompted you to turn the engine off before further damage was done
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    strtdv said:
    Also, not sure if you intended to imply the coolant leak caused that big end bearing failure?
    Not at all, just the order in which I updated the thread.

    We spun the bearing at Silverstone in Feb, removed the engine from the car and swapped the new cylinder head onto the old block and then reinstalled that into the car. It was then that we realised that we must have damaged the drain plug.

    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • RiftAmpsRiftAmps Frets: 3113
    tFB Trader
    Just a quick look at the bearing material sitting at the bottom of the sump


    *I no longer offer replacement speaker baffles*
    Rift Amplification
    Handwired Guitar Amplifiers
    Brackley, Northamptonshire
    www.riftamps.co.uk

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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    Just think of the work you are getting done without Jaffa Cake distraction
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