Cheers Ian. I did a bit more reading and apparently the first two are the ones that do fuelling, the last one does bugger all in that respect - just checking for cat efficiency as you said.

During said research I also found out that if you decat then you need to run a spacer to get the 3rd sensor out of the airstream, else it'll throw a MIL.

Exhaust progress...

Mocking up

You cannot view this attachment.


Extender / spacer tube for the 3rd lambda sensor - 6mm hole to the exhaust tube, should be enough to let it sniff something without going haywire. Finally got my welding half decent at the very end of the project, just shows how much practice this sort of thing takes to be good at...

You cannot view this attachment.


Hanging around. I'll add another at the other end of the silencer, which will attach to a lighter version of the slam panel.

You cannot view this attachment.


Collector, slip on join, springs

You cannot view this attachment.


Went for the full Wacky Racers angle. Looks like it's sat really high, but I have used the OE exhaust mount which gives an idea where it sits in 'reality'

You cannot view this attachment.


Good ground clearance

You cannot view this attachment.


Already turned golden brown just from a quick run up!

You cannot view this attachment.


Sounds really quite good. Barely above standard at idle, and a nice smooth sound. Pretty raspy with a few more revs. I think it might be quite loud at full chat, but hopefully enough to get by at a track day. Worst case I can make an extra bolt on silencer setup pretty easily.

Engine management light isn't on despite all the fecking about I've done with the car, ECU unplugged, bits of loom removed, lambda sensors swapped around (for fitment reasons) etc, so fingers crossed it will stay that way!

Really happy with how it came out - and completely see how a proper custom exhaust can run to 4 figures. I think I've spent about 20 hours and £300 on bits, and while obviously the result isn't quite as good as the best exhaust fabricators such as CSK or Simpsons, I wouldn't be embarrassed to stick it next to a Zero, 'proper' PPE, or anything like that (from what I've seen on photos, anyway).


Next up... tidy up! What a bloody mess the workshop is now, tools and bits of grindings / filings everywhere

By Jove Adam.
That looks véry smooth indeed!

Cannot wait to read what you do with the suspension set up!!

Quote from: AdamR28 on October 30, 2020, 15:43Cheers Ian. I did a bit more reading and apparently the first two are the ones that do fuelling, the last one does bugger all in that respect - just checking for cat efficiency as you said.

During said research I also found out that if you decat then you need to run a spacer to get the 3rd sensor out of the airstream, else it'll throw a MIL.

Exhaust progress...

Mocking up

You cannot view this attachment.


Extender / spacer tube for the 3rd lambda sensor - 6mm hole to the exhaust tube, should be enough to let it sniff something without going haywire. Finally got my welding half decent at the very end of the project, just shows how much practice this sort of thing takes to be good at...

You cannot view this attachment.


Hanging around. I'll add another at the other end of the silencer, which will attach to a lighter version of the slam panel.

You cannot view this attachment.


Collector, slip on join, springs

You cannot view this attachment.


Went for the full Wacky Racers angle. Looks like it's sat really high, but I have used the OE exhaust mount which gives an idea where it sits in 'reality'

You cannot view this attachment.


Good ground clearance

You cannot view this attachment.


Already turned golden brown just from a quick run up!

You cannot view this attachment.


Sounds really quite good. Barely above standard at idle, and a nice smooth sound. Pretty raspy with a few more revs. I think it might be quite loud at full chat, but hopefully enough to get by at a track day. Worst case I can make an extra bolt on silencer setup pretty easily.

Engine management light isn't on despite all the fecking about I've done with the car, ECU unplugged, bits of loom removed, lambda sensors swapped around (for fitment reasons) etc, so fingers crossed it will stay that way!

Really happy with how it came out - and completely see how a proper custom exhaust can run to 4 figures. I think I've spent about 20 hours and £300 on bits, and while obviously the result isn't quite as good as the best exhaust fabricators such as CSK or Simpsons, I wouldn't be embarrassed to stick it next to a Zero, 'proper' PPE, or anything like that (from what I've seen on photos, anyway).


Next up... tidy up! What a bloody mess the workshop is now, tools and bits of grindings / filings everywhere

Adam, I really enjoy reading your updates and the pics, keep going!

That's a fantastic build well done. That's inspiration right there

Thanks guys! Hopefully it doesn't all fall apart on the first outing 


In Mad Max news...

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

Quite like the line made by the front bumper and the diagonals to the cage. Going to try and follow that theme on at the back...

I am no expert but I think the spare wheel location may hinder your vision.

(Still, an improvement on the 2 spare wheel set up...).

Like the way you have a mirror to check the front wheel is still there too.

Thanks for sharing. The interior rearview miror is a    detail...

Looks like you have the same seat I have!!

Quote from: Topdownman on November  2, 2020, 12:43I am no expert but I think the spare wheel location may hinder your vision.

(Still, an improvement on the 2 spare wheel set up...).

Like the way you have a mirror to check the front wheel is still there too.

This all made me laugh, a lot. Thanks 


Got tyres fitted to mx-engineinwrongplace  wheels today. They look black and round, happy days.

The car also ended up on its wheels momentarily as I was having a clear up.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

Then a rear caliper got pilfered to get The Bucket through an MOT, so it looks a bit sad at the moment.

However, pretty much everything that will be on the car is now on the car, so I'm tempted to chuck it on the scales...

Well. I didn't expect that. This is with about 10kg of fuel in too...

You cannot view this attachment.

Looks like I've got myself a budget Lotus. Just have to squint a bit 

138bhp / 690kg = exactly 200bhp/ton 

Quote from: AdamR28 on November  3, 2020, 17:50Well. I didn't expect that. This is with about 10kg of fuel in too...

You cannot view this attachment.

Looks like I've got myself a budget Lotus. Just have to squint a bit 

138bhp / 690kg = exactly 200bhp/ton 

Amazed but there isn't much left tbh.

Well done

Thanks - yeah not much left was the idea, haha.

Few more bits done this morning.

Shifter cage risers turned up, no point making them look all shiny.

You cannot view this attachment.

Shifter cut, bent, and rewelded to put it in a better position.

You cannot view this attachment.

Old vs new wheels / tyres. Ride height is still really high though! Will tackle this later.

You cannot view this attachment.

Quote from: AdamR28 on November  4, 2020, 09:37Thanks - yeah not much left was the idea, haha.

You are my heroe :-)

Lightness rules.

I had been calculating a bit and because of the roll cage arrives at a bit higher. The doors are probably heavier than expected.

The down side is that it does not remotely look like an MR2 anymore, but like a deadly jumping Spyder ;-)

Ha. Yes. I might make a 'Q&A' section and write it up on a panel somewhere.

First one will be 'What car is that?'...

Cant wait to see this out on track. I'm at Oulton 18th December with Circuit days, still places left too...

I've just booked the 5th... 18th will be near impossible for me with work sadly! That would have been ideal though. Next time...

Brakes sorted this morning. Bought some braided lines that appear to be the same as HEL, so they have a weird 'double flare' system which means they look wrong for the MR2!

You cannot view this attachment.

Basically the diameter of the highest point on the braided fitting is a little larger than a standard male flare, and smaller than a female, so it will cut its own seat into either as it goes in. Sounds like a bodge to me, but it works and means I don't have to change all the hard lines, so...

Well worth buying a decent tool for this job, makes it so easy and you get a good result every time.

You cannot view this attachment.

Front right hardline wouldn't free up from the flexi, so had to make a new one.

You cannot view this attachment.

Bled the brakes up, horribly mushy first time but it felt like air, so I let them gravity bleed a little, then bled again.

I use an old 2L drinks bottle, with a hole drilled in the lid, and a piece of clear PVC hose going into the bottle. The trick here is to block up the end of the hose (a bolt screwed in) and cut a 15mm ish long single slit lengthways in the hose, near the bolt. This opens up when pressure is applied, and closes on vacuum - et voila, just pump the pedal slowly and you have one person brake bleeding on the cheap.

Tested the brakes by jamming the pedal down with some blocks of wood, and turning the hub nut (rear) or a fully bottomed out wheel nut (front) and checking the torque at breakaway.

Rears were at 60Nm and 65Nm, fronts 70Nm and 75Nm, so that is about right - very close on balance left to right, and the fronts will definitely lock first. May revisit the brakes at some point though, as some sort of brake bias adjustment is always useful.

Pedal feel is currently... average. Feels a lot like the standard brake setup, or a kit car with a tandem master cylinder. Which figures, because all the piston sizes are virtually identical (tandem 0.7" master and just over 50mm front and just under 50mm rear piston diameters), as is the pedal leverage ratio. I may end up moving the master down and going back to the original clevis hole - but we'll see what it's like 'in the field'. Even though I am aware of it, the temptation is to prod the pedal much harder when just sat in the car stationary than when you would driving, which gives a false impression.

I think it will now drive and stop and stuff, so may wheel her outside later!

@AdamR28  re your diy one person brake bleeder-

I mentioned on here some time ago about having one of these in the 60's, I lost it over several house moves and it was unnecessary while having a company car. Since I have again started working on my own cars I found another, at £2.90. Not as low cost as diy if you already have the tube.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wot-Nots-Pearl-PWN189-Automatic-Brake/dp/B00ALTZEQ0/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=brake+bleed+tube&qid=1604583698&sr=8-6

Didn't think of using softer tube, that's a good idea for the next time I lose it / it breaks, thanks!

Squeezed the clocks in today, and the rear view 'mirror' - a cheapo reversing camera setup from ebay. Been wanting to try this for ages but previous similar projects were on strict self-set budgets. I'll take a mirror to the first track day just in case its shit!

You cannot view this attachment.

I figure I can see all the important stuff on the clocks, so that'll do!

So I've driven it less than a minute, and it needs:

- Brake adjustment, way too little pedal force despite the servo delete.

- Front brakes lock way before the rears, bias adjuster required.

- Front needs lowering 10mm or so.

- It understeers a lot. I do have the rear ARB disconnected but its going to need more intervention...

Positives:

- Driving position is brilliant.

- Its quick for an MR2!

- Chassis feels very taught.

- The Koni dampers are as good as I expected.

Ready for the next round of tweaks!


Also decided it is incredibly ugly 

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

@AdamR28

Good work, it starts, it steers, it stops, the rest is just adjustment.

PS. 10/10 for ugly, you've got that nailed no adjustment necessary!

Quote from: AdamR28 on November  7, 2020, 13:16- Front brakes lock way before the rears, bias adjuster required.


- It understeers a lot. I do have the rear ARB disconnected but its going to need more intervention...

Because the drive train is in the back, the bulk of the lightening has a strong froward bias. Your corner weighing is crystal clear.

The braking is indeed easily solved.
Apart from hooking up the rear ARB the understeer would need more testing at higher speed as you know way better than me.

As a matter of curiosity; I did read that you are on OEM springs but with thát much weight reduction, especially the front may be stiff? Cutting those down more will make them stiffer still.

How do you think this will fair at higher speeds given the extra drag of the open chassis?

Finally its finished. Cant believe how long it has taken you....

I cant be the only one thinking papier mache bodywork right?

Quote from: AdamR28 on November  7, 2020, 13:16You cannot view this attachment.

Yes; same seat!