Southern Belle

[Petrus]

Found a neat animated illustration

[Petrus]

Door spacers mounted, explosives removed from dash.

Tacking the bushings into place is a doddle. They are a sliding fit; just the slightest extra push needed. If they settle I may stick in an extra layer of tape but for the moment it is perfect: I don´t want it too tight because I need to explain thréé birds not to start SLÁMMING the door.

Only a short drive around the village; cobblestones, climb up to Molinillos and a vuelta over the test track.
Like with the strut brace, agaín a bit ´harsher´ on the cobblestones. No movement in the doors and more rattle of the luggage compartment doors behind the seats. So without any doubt a tighter tub.
For the rest it keeps yet better still the inside; better still on the line you intend. When sliding the wubbahs, it is easier to keep pointing the way you want.
I don´t want to overanalyse on the base of a vvery short run but the response to the steering input is confidence inspriring.
Definitely to the power of definite worth the peanuts.

Not so confidence inspiring is the large hole in the dash where the trim cover is absent. I have not worked out how to seperate it from the explosive canister 

Anyway, again >4 kg. of lightness added.

[Petrus]

[Petrus]

The cover is back in the dash. The connection was less fine engineering than I expected 

Warning light still on and the horn still ... not.

So that is from one thing pending; removing the explosive devices, to two 

Ah well, the car drives and I am going down to the coast for an afternoon/evening/night with friends 

[Petrus]

A bit chilly but bright blue so parked Belle in the sun to fold the hood down when I go.
Leaving a bit earlier because of the above: Needs be enjoyed to the full and going mounting route. Immediately over the Pedrizas pass the exit towards Villanueva de Gauche and from there it is all winding down the southern slopes to Malaga. Looking forward to experience the two 360 degree corners (past the Fuente de la Reina just above Málaga) as she is now.
Will take more than double the time but is obviously not the same order of enjoyment than the highway.

[Petrus]

What fun!
Drifting through hairpins steep down is usually rather tricky as bothe braking and lifting makes matter wórse if you overcook it.
Ok, still tricky but with a feeling of control because of increased direct feel/feedback.

[Petrus]

and for breakfast to the beach:






Back into the mountains was even more fun than the trip down. Down is way more tricky ánd I was gettong accustomed to the feel.
Back in the mountains, through the valley thréw it through the corner, passing several cars till I closed up to a Seat Cupra. Took the bloke two corners before he got the spirit; húge fun! Impressive accelleration btw.
Back in the village took a few of the star of today:

[Petrus]

Back at the farm checked the door spacers/bushings. The tape compressed most of it thinness so took the blocks off and added another layer to space the space tighter still. The doors now need a bit of a sprited closing but as I now know the tape will settle quite a bit, no worries there.

Back to the effect on the handling.
Spacing them out shows I am rather pleased with the improvent.
Having slid the thing about hárd through uncountable mountain roads my conclusion sofar is:
The improved integrity of the tub means that suspension is now by the suspension and the tyre, not the flex in the tub.
Since I have not méasure anything I cannot say anything about the actual roadholding, about the corner speeds.
What I díd notice is that now the load is spread better over the foúr wheels/tyres. How much no idea, did not measure.
The control is another matter. Thát is in a different league.
The feedbacl is more direct because you now no feel the chassis moving; it is all the contact patch.
As such you feel the movement éarlier and also there is less euhhhhmmmm, únflex in the chassis when the tyre starts moving.
To understand that it is important to understand that a sliding tyre has léss friction than one that is about to, max deforming.
Past the slide point, the load on the chassis thus gets lower rather rapidly and that gives a reaction.
In etrema it is like the pogo response of a high 4x4 when that breaks out, then grips and spits you out to the other side because you in a reflex overcorrected for the refound grip.
On the MR it is less so but still there.
With the tub flexing less, there is less of that ánd the feel of the tyres is no longer masked by the flex in the tub.
Since you feel more, you can rspond earlier, more measured and drive way closer to  both sides of the limit with an amplitude you can control.
That latter bit is imo the real benefit: With less flex in the chassis, the amplitude of feel of nearing the limit and going over it is way smaller and thus the chance of being too far over is reduced.

Near the farm there is a corner I take umpteen times daily and through which it is too easy to make ány car slide. With the MR it was the corner that made the resident female observe I nééded better wubbahs.
The angle between noticing it going, catching it etc. had a certain amplitude.
The amplitude of catch is not all that far from the beyond catching angle.
Nów that amplitude in not in the same order of tail out. That enlarges the saftey margin, which can also be seen as the play ground, consíderably.
To stay in MR2 jargon; it takes a chunk out of the snap of the snap oversteer.
Do use the slogan Dev; Takes the snap out of snap oversteer! 

I am still not completely happy with the feel in the front. Also the front wubbah gets hotter than the rear. I already put a bit more air in so not going more thataway. Since the outside gets more of the brunt, I will order camber bolts.

[shnazzle]

Couldn't have written it better if I tried

[Petrus]

Couldn't have written it better if I tried

Thanks.

Could do a write up about the horticultural and romantic angles to the outing too 

[shnazzle]

Couldn't have written it better if I tried

Thanks.

Could do a write up about the horticultural and romantic angles to the outing too  [emoji14]

Nah you're alright mate I prefer driving things

[Petrus]

Right; 3.3 Ohm resistors, camber bolts and magnetic camber indicator underway.

[Petrus]

Ah well, one has the right to dream 

[Petrus]

Had 20 minutes so took the power steering pump off.
Not run the car yet.
Getting rather empty up front 





Not weighing the pump yet as I may very well put it back pronto. No good tempting the gods of lightness.

[shnazzle]

Is the rack now just venting to air? Guessing so or otherwise you'll be fighting against the rack

[Petrus]

I have connected the two lines so there is a loop.
So yes, I am pumping the fluid from one side to the other.
This is the only way I can simply undo it.

Did a small run and while on the move it is ok but it sure needs getting used to. Still on the fence.

Weighed the dry pump:




A second quick fix step would be to loop together the two lines from the rack to the steering house and plug the two threaded holes.
Since the displaced volume on the one side in the rack equals the other, there is no need for a reservoir/vent.

The ónly way to avoid the pumping action; to make it a real manual rack, is to get the piston out of the rack. Only if I get a good spare rack cheaply.

[Petrus]

Had several errants to run and collect my son from climbing. Each time added my test round and some laps on the ´circuit´:
The first time I was ... unsettled.
Second time thought the car sluggish.
Third time not so much.
Fourth I clipped a few inside corners.
Next I got more and more confidence.

It is a húge improvement and I mean HUGE.
Ok, the steering is rather heavy. Not just below 5 km/h but also through tight corners; all resistance from the road is now directly felt in the steering wheel. Gone is that overly light ´remote control´ which also causes the sensation of instabilty in a straight line.
The electric ps is not just assisting you movng the steering wheel; the other way around it in the same level insulates/dampens the road forces.
On the test circuit the limits through the various corners was a balance between understeer and snap lurking oversteer. The very light steering gave little feedback and over-/understeer was at least as much noticed in the behaviour of the car as in the steering wheel.
NOT ANYMORE! I can feel what is happening and as such have só much more confidence, sliding the thing over four wheels.

Because of the low speed thus max assitence vs non, the cobblestones illustrated the difference simpler: Hands off the wheel, the cobblestones move it 10 - 15 degrees left, right. Before very little to nothing of the sort.

Ok, the car now feels like it weighs say a 1000 kilos whereas before it felt like a go-kart, so that sééms a bad thing. Point is that the car actually weights 1000 kilos and gives the feedback 1 on 1; linear to speed; equivalent to forces on the tyres.
I like it A LOT now.

Had a closer look at the plumbing and it looks like one of the rack to housing can loop the two sides of the rack together. Two threaded plugs in the housing and presto.
If/when I get round to the muffler the car will be out of order anyway so can sort the plumbing.
First now the P/S fault light. Should be simple but not when you are in a hurry.

p.s. 48 kilos of lightness added now.

[shnazzle]

That's a fair bit of weight saving.
As a daily I think I'll keep my PS but I can totally see the merit.

[Petrus]

As a daily I think I'll keep my PS but I can totally see the merit.

Takes 15 minutes to take it off, 15 to put it back.
I´d say try it for a weekend trip. Worst case the pump will have fresh fluid to flush around and a cool experience.

[shnazzle]

So all you did was connect the input and return line basically? But removing fluid

[Petrus]

So all you did was connect the input and return line basically? But removing fluid

Yes, just taking the pump out of the circuit. Nothing more.
As I write, that is JUST q&d to test it.
Perfectly ok to leave it like that but it has noticeable pumping losses as you need to pump thróugh the steering house.

Connecting both sides of the rack will do away with most resistance (as the one side will suck as much as the other pushes) the flow loss though the 15 cm. pipe is all.

[Petrus]

Aye and there is Thursday gone too.
The pink & lavender vinyl set for mountain love´s ´new´car.
She has already messaged that she is collecting them first thing tomorow so; can I make time to apply them before noon? 
Seeing she has reserved for a Valantine´s diner/night I will do my utmost 

[Petrus]

Vinyl applied and gf happy bunny.

Found some time to take the instrument cluster out of my frog and put a small patch of black tape on the power steering fault indicator.  Did not want damage the needles so tacked it on the face. Visible when you know but OK enough. I hope.

Nope, I don´t like it. Will take it apart again and split it more. The tape needs to be at the rear side.
No time today though.

Ah, what the h...; now I know how it fits together; 10 minutes and tape is on the inside; no PS light!!

That leaves the airbag light and the horn to sort.

Also no-longer-power-steering plumbing.
Next week when we tackle the exhaust.
Looking forward to both!

[Petrus]

I just hád to fit it:

[Petrus]

Remember my quest for a smaller number plate up front?
The central office at Madrid pointed me to the provincial office.
The provincial office has pointed me to the local periodic inspection centre.
Now those never ever take decisions of this nature as they are rule enforcers, not makers.
So that means printing out all of the paper trail from the instruction leter and my request to them being the ones delegated to decide.

The snag is that there is no choice option for such an appointment meaning I will have to knock on the door and ask to talk with the manager. Tricky as that puts them on the defense automatically. I am practising my most disarming smile and putting the best ones in a box to take along.

Íf that pans out positive, I will spring the question concerning the brake calipers.