Southern Belle

[Petrus]

You lot heard the sound yet?

[shnazzle]

You lot heard the sound yet?

I have It sounds rather lovely one must say.
So, you took a bike exhaust and just welded it in in place of the stock box?

[Petrus]

You lot heard the sound yet?

I have It sounds rather lovely one must say.
So, you took a bike exhaust and just welded it in in place of the stock box?

Thanks.

Yes. Simply welded it in.

As you can hear it is free revving now; that is wants to rev faster as the revs increase even though the load increases. I was surprised about the difference.

It sounds réally deep, but .... it ís rather loud; totally matching the looks now 
Ah well, if I don´t press the loud pedal it is not obtrusive.

[shnazzle]

Any chance for some more details on that box? It looks to be about the same length as well! I've binned 3 stock boxes but now kind of wishing I kept one

[Petrus]

Any chance for some more details on that box? It looks to be about the same length as well! I've binned 3 stock boxes but now kind of wishing I kept one

Not really.
As I wrote it is just an oridinairy straight though superbike damper.
The tube is 50 cm. long and the inner diameter matches the OEM tube.
You will find a suitable one at any bike breakers yard as the in/out are irrelevant. You cut those off anyway to weld the OEM stubs on.

Now mine is not real carbon and thus is probably not going to last. I think it will get to hot for the uprated plastic tube. We´ll see.
When looking for one, I suggest you go for an aluminium one. That is 1 kilo or so more but still close to 10 lighter and sounding waaaaaayyyy nicer!

[shnazzle]

Any chance for some more details on that box? It looks to be about the same length as well! I've binned 3 stock boxes but now kind of wishing I kept one

Not really.
As I wrote it is just an oridinairy straight though superbike damper.
The tube is 50 cm. long and the inner diameter matches the OEM tube.
You will find a suitable one at any bike breakers yard as the in/out are irrelevant. You cut those off anyway to weld the OEM stubs on.

Now mine is not real carbon and thus is probably not going to last. I think it will get to hot for the uprated plastic tube. We´ll see.
When looking for one, I suggest you go for an aluminium one. That is 1 kilo or so more but still close to 10 lighter and sounding waaaaaayyyy nicer!

That's all the info needed Thanks!

[Petrus]

the forecast for today and five more is 100% sunny = top down!!!!
Had an extremely ejoyable drive back trough the mountain this afternoon.
Tomorrow going down to the coast with it over the véry interior route. Hope to take pictures.
The idea is to take the Málageña blonde on the classic car run through the Axarquia on Saturday.Hope to take pictures.

Hope to fit the camber bolts on Monday. Am curious how much minus they will actually be able to give in the top hole. No pictures neccessary.

Missing the Sunday plan? Well the initial plan was to take mountain love to a cheese festival further still up into the mountains but she has a severe ccccccóld. Better take her comfy ´tank´. Still fun though with the pink/purple flower decals and purple glow under the car  No pictures.

Alas, no aero gadgets have arrived in the mountains yet  so no pictures of that either.

I assume you lot will be getting the picture? 

p.s. will be ordering a non-baseball cap under guidance of the Málageña as I bow to her taste.


The Friday plan executed:

Went down from Antequera early in the morning to Malageña over the most inland of the routes.
Down the Las Pedrizas about 50 kms of twisty mountain roads.









She heard me downshift coming down the bridge entering the housing estate while under the douche.
As I parked in front she was already on the balcony waving, dressed as nature intended.
Another advantantage of the loud pipe 

For tomorrow an outing with the classic car club is planned.

[Petrus]

The Saturday plan executed:
Woke up De Kikker early. Folded the hood down and we went west of Málaga to collect the paperwork put in her name for mountain love´s car.
Then back east to the gathering point of the car club.
A meager turn out but then the Marbella dweller don´t venture very far that early in the morning.Or so they say. The real point is that the late lunch is enjoyed/downed with rather a  lot of alcohol and they need to drive back 
Nevertheless a nice variety of cars so I could explain a wide range of difference/aspects to Málaga love. Like a vintage Jag, a Ford one and two from India; an original 356 and a grp replica, The MGA right next to the 370Z so I could point out the hazard of the old steering colomn. Things like that.

The ride out is a bit of a bore. The charming company had laid down some basic rules:
1. NO OVERTAKING
2. NO STOPPING and then make up the distance-
3. NO ROUNDANDROUNDABOUT
I did get ´lost´ though at one point and hád to get back on the route via a shortcut 

Anyway, we also left the group near the end of the route and went further east on the N340 as the bit from Nerja to La Herradura is breathtaking.
Lunch at the beach there and the scenic route back.

I have a proper sunburn in the face   
We will rise up early and visit the Sunday morning flea market. With a bit of luck the hat stand is there.

[Petrus]

Woke up De Kikker early and went to the Málaga flea market; it´s huge. Half a dozen stands with cap, hats and such. The gf found a light cotton, grey cap halfway between train machinist and baseball. Looks better than de baseball cap, airy and the whole of 4€

Drove back to the farm, enjoying some interior roads.
Mountain gf wanted to lunch in the village so she hopped in.
Had not yet heard the new exhaust so asked to go for a spin after lunch.
She thought it WAY too loud but could not stop laughing and asked to go past áll the terraces around the village!!!!
We even went up to the climbing park where our son is teaching.
What views 



So, Sunday plan down too.

[Petrus]

Fitted the camber bolts and had the cat alligned/set up.

Unsurprisingly the allignment was all over the place with the worst being 3.5 degrees of toe out on both wheels.
Rather a ´lot´ of difference between the two sides.

Is is now spot on, with -2.0 front camber and -2.2 rear.

Did the standard test run and... not much different, just lighter, easier, giving a confidence.

The weather is jaw dropping good. Good between brackets as it needs to rain and is also wáy to hot with too much difference between day and night. It was around 0 this morning with the windscreen of the car frozen and >25 just now.
Lóvely for living but a horror for nature and crops.

left the hood dawn as I will for sure go enjoy the new settings on the local touge route between Trabuco and Archidona.


Monday plan accomplished.

[Petrus]

Back from ´touge´ hunting:
The most direct road from Trabuco to Archidona crosses a hill, then a valley, up a ridge, down into a gully and up a mountain. Apart from the valley bit where it goes underneath the highway, it is narrow and twisty, véry twisty and stéép. With a 34 chain blade and 32 sprocket you can get up the steepest bits with a good cadence íf you are a halfway decently trained cyclist.
Going both ways is vastly different and as such it is a highly emjoyable short drive that totally shows up a car.

Especially the Trabuco -> descend into the gully was nót enjoyable with the MR. Taking out the PAS made it a lot betetr as I you can feel the understeer about to start befor the nose actually slide to the scary side of the black stuff.
With the negative camber it feels planted.
The front is still crazy senstive to braking into a corner but that is a style issue I can change. Also it will be less so with better wubbahs giving more grip.

Bottom line is that the difference is notable.
Tis fun this! 

Two parcels at the p.o.
Probaly the shifter knob and the wubbah aero gadget. Can also be the hood vents.

So plan for the week is taking shape.
Have a lazy morning tomorrow with coffee on town square, fit the stuff (if that is what it is), go for a spin.

Print the red tape for the reduced sixe front plate wednesday and go by the periodic inspection centre. Also ask them about rules concerning large rear wings.

Thursday have another go at the airbag light.

Friday. Ah that is different. Have to drop my son of in Antequera at 04.00 so not much sense in going to bed. One has to sleep though so that will take me to late lunch.
Thén things go complicated. Luxury probem though; sunny till Sunday.

[Petrus]

Ofcourse, the vents and something unrelated 

[Nvy]

Ofcourse, the vents and something unrelated 

Why dont you go with some mesh but not actual vents? That way you will not be bound to the measurements of these vents? Also are you planning to have any ducts from the rad to the hood?

[Petrus]

Why dont you go with some mesh but not actual vents? That way you will not be bound to the measurements of these vents? Also are you planning to have any ducts from the rad to the hood?

A very good suggestion.

Two draw backs.
For one the plastic inserts cover any ragged edge.
Secondly I cannot find the fine edge piping I want to finish a cut edge without a cover.

Ideally I would want the black wrap to fold around the edge but that is pipe dream.

The by fár easiest is cut and cover.

A side note is that mesh is a surprising air resistance.

No ducting planned. It is meant as a pressure relief, a vent, however small. A lighter hood with intergrated vents would be wáy better, but also wáy more costly. Even just shipping would blow the vents out of the bonnet 

Nevertheless lóath to cut so any affordable alternative is wellcome. The fitted but pristine grp bonnet that blipped up on Facebook at a great price would have done just 

[Nvy]

Why dont you go with some mesh but not actual vents? That way you will not be bound to the measurements of these vents? Also are you planning to have any ducts from the rad to the hood?

A very good suggestion.

Two draw backs.
For one the plastic inserts cover any ragged edge.
Secondly I cannot find the fine edge piping I want to finish a cut edge without a cover.

Ideally I would want the black wrap to fold around the edge but that is pipe dream.

The by fár easiest is cut and cover.

A side note is that mesh is a surprising air resistance.

No ducting planned. It is meant as a pressure relief, a vent, however small. A lighter hood with intergrated vents would be wáy better, but also wáy more costly. Even just shipping would blow the vents out of the bonnet 

Nevertheless lóath to cut so any affordable alternative is wellcome. The fitted but pristine grp bonnet that blipped up on Facebook at a great price would have done just 

Ill try to copy the Elise hood when modifying the stock one but if i try to get a hold of the guys with fiberglass we can come up with an idea of custom ones. Reason for that is id like to have a slight angle like the elise ones are placed so that the generated down force is not disturbed much. Also ill have ducts to gain some down force from that and also some hood latches will be needed

[Petrus]

Ill try to copy the Elise hood when modifying the stock one but if i try to get a hold of the guys with fiberglass we can come up with an idea of custom ones. Reason for that is id like to have a slight angle like the elise ones are placed so that the generated down force is not disturbed much. Also ill have ducts to gain some down force from that and also some hood latches will be needed

I am smitten with the lines of the standard hood. I simply lóve it.
So does the Málaga nurse. She would be fúming if I ruin that. Sunday, when parked at the Classic car thing, she wantyed to see the underhood support structure and was adamant that I should opt for the apertures higher up so as not to ruin de elegant front lines.
I will admit that this, she; her opinion in this, weighs rather heavy 

Not cutting the holes just yet but see no real feasable alternative to this rather simple job I can do myself.

[Nvy]

Ill try to copy the Elise hood when modifying the stock one but if i try to get a hold of the guys with fiberglass we can come up with an idea of custom ones. Reason for that is id like to have a slight angle like the elise ones are placed so that the generated down force is not disturbed much. Also ill have ducts to gain some down force from that and also some hood latches will be needed

I am smitten with the lines of the standard hood. I simply lóve it.
So does the Málaga nurse. She would be fúming if I ruin that. Sunday, when parked at the Classic car thing, she wantyed to see the underhood support structure and was adamant that I should opt for the apertures higher up so as not to ruin de elegant front lines.
I will admit that this, she; her opinion in this, weighs rather heavy 

Not cutting the holes just yet but see no real feasable alternative to this rather simple job I can do myself.

Once i get some free time i will start removing the plastics too and will check if we can somehow fit a triangle brace in front. After that ill remove the steering pump because the discovery that you made about the different level of assistance got me quite shocked. I can never get used to it if its 20% or 30% or 40%, seems like a nightmare to me because these cars seem easy to be over corrected to the point of no return. Then will think about tilting the rad and making some ducts and after that some cutting of the hood will start.

There is a channel on youtube that i liked quite a lot, the guy has some idea of aero stuff: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3tzzP6n5b1EWcMUpiEhXg

Wanted to post it here and not in pm so the others could also benefit from it.

[Petrus]

There is a channel on youtube that i liked quite a lot, the guy has some idea of aero stuff: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3tzzP6n5b1EWcMUpiEhXg

You will find that some of his examples such as the Audi TT and mx-engineinwrongplace  are very much applicable to the SW30.

The SW30 is also a bit of an odd duck in the family as the Mk.1 was off factory offered with up to twó rear spoilers and the Mk.2 was not exactly left alone.







Anyway, I will start (and maybe end) with a boot lit lip and the bonnet vents.

[Petrus]

Holes cut, vents stuck in with silicon, piles of books on the corners.

Rather odd perspective that photo 

[shnazzle]

You don't hang around do you?

[Petrus]

You don't hang around do you?

Oh no I don´t; I drive an sw30

[shnazzle]

You don't hang around do you?

Oh no I don´t; I drive an sw30

Dutchies doing the mr2 community proud all around the world

[Petrus]

Dutchies doing the mr2 community proud all around the world

Aye, with free travel in 27 countries!

Seriously; have you lot thought about the consequences for the Alp tour?
Dó have a look at it as worst case there may be a passport issue and quite likely international driver´s licenses needed. If the UK keeps rejecting the visum agreement, even visa.

Anyway, Great weather here again. In a moment going down to village for a coffee on the square with mountain love, a stroll over the market, finish the bonnet, stimp-stamp (Dutch food) for lunch, top down to Málaga love with half a dozen fresh eggs and compliments from mountain love.

Fingers crossed that I have suitable screws for the vents (as the corners need tightening down) and that the other two parcels will be in the post Friday morning. I realyrealyréaly want to fit the rear lip and try the aero difference over the weekend.
The front lift reduced and drag improved should be quite noticeable in straight line stability.

[Petrus]

[Petrus]

The strawberries where 5€ for two 2 kg. boxes 
One box for the mountain, one box for the coast.