16 January 2010
Session 320 - Complete Kit Car Photos
Here are some of my final build build photos as taken by Ian Stent of Complete Kit Car magazine.
If you like these and running Windows7 then download my desktop themepack!
1024 resolution (19.6Meg) here
1280 resolution (28.6Meg) here
1680 resolution (45.3Meg) here
24 January 2010
Session 321 - Headlamp beam & Heat matting
2hours in the garage this afternoon.
After the intrusion of catalytic convertors being installed under my floor a number of jobs were created. One which I have done is to raise the ride height. Raising the ride height and altering the pitch of the car in the process called for headlamp beams to be reset. So off came the rubber protection, tie wraps etc and I set about making a new gauge to get my headlamps slightly lower than horizontal. With the headlamps adjusted on go all the SVA/IVA coverings along with all the coverings that I had removed off the damper platforms, etc.
With the catalysers being under the floor, direcly under the passenger and driver's feet actually some heat management is called for. I bought some heatmat ceramic/ aluminium cloth for this from Carbuilder solutions. First time I bought this off them and I wished I had bought all of my heatmatting off them now. Why, because it is quality just right for the job and cheaper than anywhere else. Only snag is it is not self-adhesive. However carbuilder solutions have a partner product for it which is high temperature contact adhesive and it comes in a 1litre tin! So I made templates for the patches I want to attach and then I used this template to cut the heatmat itself. I offered up the heatmat and marked the corners on the floor to indicate exactly the position. As you probably know or can guess, contact adhesive sticks on contact so you get one shot at the position no sliding it around like wallpapering!
Photo below showing the heatmat installed on the floor. As you can see I have radiused the corners, no not to comply with the IVA/SVA but less likely to peel off and start looking ugly.
Oh nearly forgot I installed an extra spring on the throttle pedal and another return sping on the throttle body. The reason I did this was sometimes the throttle did not immediately return to the stop position quick enough!
26 January 2010
Session 322 - Interference capacitors
The coils in the coilpacks go through a state change from charge to discharged each time a spark plug is fired. I have two coil packs which have two coils so a total of four coils. Each revolution of the engine being an eight cylinder sees eight cycles. At maximum RPM of 6,000 this equates to 48,000 cycles per minute or 800Hz. Each time the coil is charged causes a current surge in the supply and with this frequency can give rise to interference. This interference is reduced by installing a capacitor between the supply and ground this smooths out the current. It is important to install these capacitors are close as possible to the source of interference; the coils. No point having a long length of wire from the coil to the capacitors! So tonight I installed a capacitor right next to each coil pack. The capacitors should be grounded to the engine block. The capacitors are standard Ford items with a 20microfarad value.
Photo showing cap installed as close as possible to the coil pack. The square grey thing in the middle of the photo is the cap.
27 January 2010
Session 323 - Bottom edge of dash
I found out that some peope have had IVA failures due to the bottom edge of the dash not be at the required radius of 19mm. Apparently they were okay for the SVA. The solution that seems to keep the IVA inspectors happy is to install a door trim edge along the bottom. I have done this mod, see photo below.
Go to February 2010