Project Scope Creep

[moca2cv]

A special parcel from the USA arrived the other day containing... a Super Klasse C's shifter! I enlisted the help of my daughter to get it fitted, I'll let the photos do the talking.

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Feels pretty nice! The self centring spring doesn't seem to be strong enough to do it's job perfectly but apparently as things loosen up a little (the cable bushes are tight!) it should improved.

I'd take it for a drive to test but I've taken half the interior out to get a bucket in and get it ready for a half cage...

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[moca2cv]

The shifter was a great success, and the centre console is back in, all looking very standard. I even had a little cheeky spin round the block, what a great shifter! I'm going to have a go at the home brew shifter next to see how that goes.

Finally got the seat in a position I'm happy with, but that means it won't work with the standard Megillian half cage that I bought. Steve to the rescue though, and he's going to build me something that works with my seating position. Car left on a transporter yesterday, so looking forward to what he comes up with!

To get the car ready I removed the soft top and everything no longer needed on the deck behind the seats - once the bar is in I'll carpet it and attempt a sort of Porsche 911 GT3 style interior. I'll fall short, but I'll try!

Wrapped the passenger door card too with my daughter, as it's her side I let her decorate it too. It looks... interesting.

Finally, spent a fun lunch break fitting the new front plate. I wasn't happy with it being screwed straight in to the dimpled bit, so ordered (a long time ago) a plate holder. Amazingly the dimples had dimples where the plate holder screws needed to go, so fitting was super simple.

My daughter has also been perusing my Instagram feed and has decided she needs a purple flashing light from Garage Ultoo. Great. 😂

[moca2cv]

I'm bored. Not a lot to do while the car is away... bought a clutch, and ARP flywheel bolts for when the lightweight flywheel goes on, and I bought some garage organising stuff. I'll try to get that on the wall on Monday, then I can really set to tidying up the garage once and for all. I have such a lot of stuff, I don't know where to put it 😂

Big shout out to Forge, who next day delivered a silicone elbow for my behind battery intake. Big fan of Forge. Just need to retrieve my filter from a friend who was back to back testing a K&N, ProRam and RamAir, all cones. If anyone's interested:
- K&N: reasonably loud across the range
- ProRam: Stock volume until 4.5k rpm then all hell lets loose
- RamAir: fruity throughout range, not as raspy as K&N

[moca2cv]

Started getting the intake ready...

Lotus MAF tube, pre-loved and in need of a clean...

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I used acetone, your preferred solvent will likely do the job...

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And that left me with a nice clean tube to work with:

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Which I then wrapped in Funk Motorsport's finest:

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Won't really do much that tape, as it's a tiny bit of the overall intake, but I had the tape so figured I might as well

[atlex]

mmm break out the funk! :-)

[moca2cv]

Not much going on as my car doesn't get back until Saturday. But as I have my first track day in this car on Tuesday, and with a lot of things to do still, I have to do what I can! I needed a harness, so popped over to Nicky Grist, and after a quick call got a nice 6pt FIA approved harness for... £130. Yup. It arrived the next day too. It's a rebadged TRS, so great quality. The intention was to use it as a 4pt for now, but it arrived with the crotch straps in the permanent pin on the buckle. Not ideal, but armed with the literally zero information on the internet I set about switching the buckle to a lap belt.

For this job you will need:
- T20 torx
- 3mm Allen
- Needle nose pliers
- PVA glue (?!)
- Tiny fingers

First up, pop the 5 x T20 screws out the back to expose the mechanism inside and release the crotch strap. Be careful not to lose the tiny springs!
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Use the pliers to pull the retaining plate out.
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Turn the buckle over and peel the sticker off the front to expose the screw. Remove screw and the buckle lever pops off.
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Turn it back over and pop out the pin holding the spring mechanism in place.
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Now for the fiddly bit... rearrange the pins to the desired position so that the buckle lever still points down. I went for the left lap belt.
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Reinsert the spring plate and retaining pin. Replace the retaining plate. Don't forget the thin washer! Pop the springs back in the cover, position the strap to be permanently secured in to place and screw it back together.
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Pop the lever back on the front and secure with the screw. I then used a little pva glue to replace the sticker as it had lost its stickiness.

It was quite simple as it turned out but a bit nerve wracking at the time!

[moca2cv]

The car is back from Megillian! The roll bar is in, a couple of extra braces are on, and it was time to crack on with the final bits to get it track ready. The work is really nice, very happy with it. Time meant it couldn't be powdercoated in time, but I will survive for now. Later on I can pop it off and get it coated properly.

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The rear strut brace is amazing, no trapeziums in site!

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Started with the rear brakes, bit of a ballache, but got them done.

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The sliders were horrible and had an assortment of goop on them... replaced with the good stuff.

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Front brakes were SO much easier. Had those done in no time after my roast dinner 😁

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Then started on the interior. Got the rear carpet back in...

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(Not sure why that's rotated!)

Then I trimmed the bins to slide in, and fitted the bucket seat and harness! No pics though, as it was dark, but it all looks very smart! It's coming together slowly but surely!

[Karthoum]

Really liking that cage, still leaves you with a lot of storage space behind the seats.

[moca2cv]

Really liking that cage, still leaves you with a lot of storage space behind the seats.

It's not bad at all! I intend to keep the passenger seat so I can still access it, but definitely have room for plenty of stuff in there.

[moca2cv]

Today was awesome ☺️

After another late night last night to readjust the seat, bleed the brakes and get all the gear for today ready, we enjoyed a late start.

First up, down to the tyre shop to get the RSRs on. Amazingly got all four tyres in the car - one behind the passenger seat, and three in front!

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Then back to give the car a little wipe down. Nice to have a hand washing my car from a friend; usually it's me cleaning his car on race day!

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After a leisurely lunch and we headed to the track. A nice assortment of machinery, and naturally the mid engined cars hung out together while we waited for sign on to open.

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With sign on sorted, we made use of the time to run a bit more fluid through the system. Found a couple of bubbles and a bit more dirt. For once I'm standing about watching the team do the work, rather than doing it myself!

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As soon as it was open, we scooted through and nabbed a garage.

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Popped the hard top off (no side mounts) and popped out for the sighting laps. While the second half did theirs, I grabbed a bite to eat to let the keenos go round for a bit, then headed out. Many, many laps were done, good standard of driving, great conditions. One red flag just as I was going out, a 1 series took a liking to the tyre wall on the Brabham Straight. Was impressed how quickly the marshals got us going again, can't have been more than 15 minutes.

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As the evening drew on, it got quite quiet out on track, so with less pulling over to let faster cars by I could really get some good practice in. Was nice to be let by by some extremely powerful motors!

Lots to do before the next event - I need to sort an alignment and get the ARBs on ASAP, and the brakes... well I think I need new calipers. They were not great, the EBC yellows need a lot more bedding in than I gave them though, so maybe that's it. Even with the extra bleeding they still felt off. I'm not convinced the MC is sealing either, so might take a look at that. Probably best to have a garage do it, just for peace of mind.

That aside, it was glorious. The most fun I've had in a car in a long long time!

I'll close with a pic of the team

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I really don't understand the photo rotation on here 😂

[thetyrant]

Sounds like you had fun its great to get out on track i was at Croft last week

 EBC yellow pads should be bedded in after 1 session on track and as long as you have full pad contact over the disc sweep area and a heat cycle they should be sorted, they are just road/fast road pads really so maybe you are expecting too much from them if they didnt deliver, for track use there are a lot better pads out they just they cost a lot more!, EBC are cheap and work for many but if pushed hard can struggle.

Make sure the calipers and everything else are working as they should is first step though, so many people have brake issues and blame pads,fluids etc when it the basic function of calipers that is causing it.

[moca2cv]

Sounds like you had fun its great to get out on track i was at Croft last week

 EBC yellow pads should be bedded in after 1 session on track and as long as you have full pad contact over the disc sweep area and a heat cycle they should be sorted, they are just road/fast road pads really so maybe you are expecting too much from them if they didnt deliver, for track use there are a lot better pads out they just they cost a lot more!, EBC are cheap and work for many but if pushed hard can struggle.

Make sure the calipers and everything else are working as they should is first step though, so many people have brake issues and blame pads,fluids etc when it the basic function of calipers that is causing it.

Thanks! I've got lots of things to check, the calipers are definitely due replacing I just didn't have time to swap them over, so that's on the list. I was just disappointed with the feel after bleeding and bleeding,  so having slept on it I may grab a new MC and do that too. Or maybe it's the rubber hoses expanding. When running and stationary the pedal was quite squishy, and sank a little, but on track there wasn't great feel and it felt like the abs was kicking in? I'm not sure... but yeah, might leave it to a professional!

[thetyrant]

Thanks! I've got lots of things to check, the calipers are definitely due replacing I just didn't have time to swap them over, so that's on the list. I was just disappointed with the feel after bleeding and bleeding,  so having slept on it I may grab a new MC and do that too. Or maybe it's the rubber hoses expanding. When running and stationary the pedal was quite squishy, and sank a little, but on track there wasn't great feel and it felt like the abs was kicking in? I'm not sure... but yeah, might leave it to a professional!

Could well be air still in the system, i recently had issues with pedal feel and turned out one of my sliders were not as moving as they should causing the pads to wear at a taper, sorted the pads and sliders and all was good.

Modern rubber flexi hoses dont expand like the old days, if they are visually ok with no damage of bulges they will be fine, many people claim huge improvements from fitting new braided hoses but it only feels better because they have bled the brakes during install!

Another thing to check is pads are not binding at the ends were they fit into caliper bracket/hanger, quite often you need to remove the hangers and stainless slider plates to clean out the rust that builds up underneath the sliders making pads tight, the pads should be easy to slide into the hanger brackets not a tight fit at all.

[moca2cv]

Thanks! I've got lots of things to check, the calipers are definitely due replacing I just didn't have time to swap them over, so that's on the list. I was just disappointed with the feel after bleeding and bleeding,  so having slept on it I may grab a new MC and do that too. Or maybe it's the rubber hoses expanding. When running and stationary the pedal was quite squishy, and sank a little, but on track there wasn't great feel and it felt like the abs was kicking in? I'm not sure... but yeah, might leave it to a professional!

Could well be air still in the system, i recently had issues with pedal feel and turned out one of my sliders were not as moving as they should causing the pads to wear at a taper, sorted the pads and sliders and all was good.

Modern rubber flexi hoses dont expand like the old days, if they are visually ok with no damage of bulges they will be fine, many people claim huge improvements from fitting new braided hoses but it only feels better because they have bled the brakes during install!

Another thing to check is pads are not binding at the ends were they fit into caliper bracket/hanger, quite often you need to remove the hangers and stainless slider plates to clean out the rust that builds up underneath the sliders making pads tight, the pads should be easy to slide into the hanger brackets not a tight fit at all.

Thanks! All good tips. When I did discs and pads, I regreased all the sliders with proper silicone grease, but the rubbers were in poor shape so I don't know how long that will last. I also wire brushed the hangers and clips and filed down the pad tabs a bit so they were secure but easily moved my hand (if that makes sense - not loose).

I just went for another drive to nursery and back (little one loves it) and the pads are clearly grabbing but the pedal feel is not entirely there. I guess I will bleed some more! The sinking pedal stops sinking a little bit, and doesn't go to the floor, even standing on it, so maybe it is as simple as air!

[moca2cv]

Some pics from yesterday anyway:

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I can't get over just how good this car was on track - and I know exactly what to do next to make it more fun! I was probably only driving at 6/10s, so there is a lot more to come from me as well. The car is certainly more capable than me. So good. Love it.

Also noticed yesterday that my engine lid pin escaped. It is gone. Fell out somewhere round Brands no doubt 😂 I hope no one hit it... 😬

[thetyrant]

Thanks! All good tips. When I did discs and pads, I regreased all the sliders with proper silicone grease, but the rubbers were in poor shape so I don't know how long that will last. I also wire brushed the hangers and clips and filed down the pad tabs a bit so they were secure but easily moved my hand (if that makes sense - not loose).

I just went for another drive to nursery and back (little one loves it) and the pads are clearly grabbing but the pedal feel is not entirely there. I guess I will bleed some more! The sinking pedal stops sinking a little bit, and doesn't go to the floor, even standing on it, so maybe it is as simple as air!

Probaly just air in system give it another bleed, if pins and rubbers are past best get new ones as they are crictial to correct pad operation, on mine 1 rubber was swollen due to previous owner or garage usig incorrect grease, that is what was causing it bind slightly and taper pads as well as giving poor pedal feel, you can get new pins and rubbers here - Brakeparts link

[moca2cv]

Thanks! All good tips. When I did discs and pads, I regreased all the sliders with proper silicone grease, but the rubbers were in poor shape so I don't know how long that will last. I also wire brushed the hangers and clips and filed down the pad tabs a bit so they were secure but easily moved my hand (if that makes sense - not loose).

I just went for another drive to nursery and back (little one loves it) and the pads are clearly grabbing but the pedal feel is not entirely there. I guess I will bleed some more! The sinking pedal stops sinking a little bit, and doesn't go to the floor, even standing on it, so maybe it is as simple as air!

Probaly just air in system give it another bleed, if pins and rubbers are past best get new ones as they are crictial to correct pad operation, on mine 1 rubber was swollen due to previous owner or garage usig incorrect grease, that is what was causing it bind slightly and taper pads as well as giving poor pedal feel, you can get new pins and rubbers here - Brakeparts link

I've got a full set of calipers so I'll just swap them I think. Brakes felt fine before the change (in terms of feel rather than outright performance) so I think you might be right on the air front.
Appreciate the advice!

[moca2cv]

Been a while since I last updated this. Not much to report until now!

Unhappy with the pedal feel, I pressed the big red button and decided to do it all. Brake master cylinder, calipers and hoses. I was mostly concerned about the master cylinder and the potential for air in the ABS box of tricks, but was offered a tip by a mechanic friend to pump the caliper pistons out a touch, and then push them back in after the swap to back bleed it. Worked a treat!
Next up, calipers and hoses. Now I'm worried about being able to get the old hoses off without rounding the fittings..

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I also raised the gearknob slightly - the knob I had wound down so far I figured I could raise it by nearly an inch with just a nut, but a nut isn't really my style, so I got a stainless weld on bung instead. Looks like it should be there more than a nut does

[moca2cv]

Had the morning yesterday to work on the car, so decided to crack on with hoses and calipers. Also an oil change. Didn't quite go to plan!
As I sort of expected without a flare spanner it was going to be a disaster, so knocked that on the head fairly quickly. I prepped the new calipers though, all sliders nice and greasy, pin bolts loose in the carriers, and hoses loosely attached.
I then figured I'd do an oil change as I have a track day next week. Dropped the old oil, no drama, wrestled the old filter off (with a screwdriver and hammer), but then, when I went to get my replacement filter, noticed they'd sent me a J4 instead of the J1 I ordered. The mounting surfaces are completely different, the J4 being taller and wider, so I bagged the filter mount and tried to get another filter. Would you believe it, none of the local shops had one Got some flare spanners though! Ordered a K&N filter (for the nut on the end) and called it a day.

[1979scotte]

Had the morning yesterday to work on the car, so decided to crack on with hoses and calipers. Also an oil change. Didn't quite go to plan!
As I sort of expected without a flare spanner it was going to be a disaster, so knocked that on the head fairly quickly. I prepped the new calipers though, all sliders nice and greasy, pin bolts loose in the carriers, and hoses loosely attached.
I then figured I'd do an oil change as I have a track day next week. Dropped the old oil, no drama, wrestled the old filter off (with a screwdriver and hammer), but then, when I went to get my replacement filter, noticed they'd sent me a J4 instead of the J1 I ordered. The mounting surfaces are completely different, the J4 being taller and wider, so I bagged the filter mount and tried to get another filter. Would you believe it, none of the local shops had one Got some flare spanners though! Ordered a K&N filter (for the nut on the end) and called it a day.

Where did you buy the KN from?
If ebay probably fake like half the branded car parts on there.

[moca2cv]

Had the morning yesterday to work on the car, so decided to crack on with hoses and calipers. Also an oil change. Didn't quite go to plan!
As I sort of expected without a flare spanner it was going to be a disaster, so knocked that on the head fairly quickly. I prepped the new calipers though, all sliders nice and greasy, pin bolts loose in the carriers, and hoses loosely attached.
I then figured I'd do an oil change as I have a track day next week. Dropped the old oil, no drama, wrestled the old filter off (with a screwdriver and hammer), but then, when I went to get my replacement filter, noticed they'd sent me a J4 instead of the J1 I ordered. The mounting surfaces are completely different, the J4 being taller and wider, so I bagged the filter mount and tried to get another filter. Would you believe it, none of the local shops had one Got some flare spanners though! Ordered a K&N filter (for the nut on the end) and called it a day.

Where did you buy the KN from?
If ebay probably fake like half the branded car parts on there.

From YB Filters, they're a K&N distributor so it better not be fake!

[moca2cv]

Well sod this for a game of soldiers. Flare spanner still rounded the FR hard line nut doo dah. So I've left the old hoses and calipers on, and will let a proper garage deal with that BS. They weren't failing or anything so not the end of the world.

Now I just need the damn filter to arrive so I can get on with my life.

[moca2cv]

Filter arrived, screwed on, oil topped up, undertray back on. Nice and easy. There's a little whiff of oil when driving about - no idea where it's coming from, no drips that I can see. I'm hoping I'm just being overly sensitive...

Now the brakes... after taking the car for a spin I was pretty disappointed as they were worse than before 😂 So I popped some new nipples in, and bled them til I was blue in the face. I now have a slightly better pedal than I had at Brands in May. It still lacks feel, I think a disc is warped... I think there might be a hefty bill incoming for something a bit better. Recommendations for discs and pads that aren't extortionate welcome.

Anyway, it's done, I'm sort of ok with it, and the car is loaded up ready for a trip to Llandow with my old Mighty5s buddies to show them that the MR2 is superior 😁 or at least has potential to be. I expect it will be very wet, so could be entertaining with RSRs on 😬

[Alex Knight]

Recommendations for discs and pads that aren't extortionate welcome.

My brake setup.

You can see the part numbers.

I'm no longer recommending the Yellowstuff pads since I cooked a set and they started literally falling apart.

I'm going Carbotech now.

[moca2cv]

Recommendations for discs and pads that aren't extortionate welcome.

My brake setup.

You can see the part numbers.

I'm no longer recommending the Yellowstuff pads since I cooked a set and they started literally falling apart.

I'm going Carbotech now.

Thanks Alex! Carbotech are looking like the logical choice, but oh so expensive :/