JohnCh

Yep, those work. Now hopefully someone can actually help you with your question -John

Hi James, you attached an .HEIC file which is an unsupported file type (most backend systems used by various brands of forum software don't yet support it.) My guess is you took the photo with your iPhone, then uploaded it to the forum from a Mac device. If so, it stays in that format. Try emailing the photos to yourself, which generally does the conversion to jpeg, or take a screenshot of the photo and save it as a jpeg, then attach it. -John

The next delay was down to forgetfulness. I had planned to order a new degree wheel for this project; something I failed to do. The Kent Cams wheel I've used in the past is small (<6-3/4") which means the difference of 1/2 degree on the wheel is really tiny and requires a lot of care to ensure timing is just right. A larger wheel has greater spacing between the degree marks and is therefore a little less frustrating to get correct. As long as I was waiting for the new wheel to arrive, I thought I'd mock up and 3D print a better degree wheel pointer option than using an old piece of solid strand wire wrapped around a bolt. The plan is to use the factory TDC bolt to put #1 at TDC, center the degree wheel so the pointer is on 0, then remove the bolt and confirm TDC with the dial indicator. If it's off by a small amount, simply loosen the thumbscrew and slide the pointer to the correct position on the wheel. It seems this will be less frustrating and more precise than re-bending the wire or repositioning the wheel. I hope to finish the engine work this weekend. -John

I've had a few self-inflicted delays to finishing up the engine. First was indecision over a mechanical timing chain tensioner vs. the factory hydraulic version, then was a realization that I forgot to order a replacement degree wheel. I'll go into some detail on the timing chain tensioner in this post since it might be of interest to anyone contemplating building a Duratec. Most of the UK Duratec tuners recommend a mechanical version of the tensioner as the plastic teeth on the hydraulic version's ratcheting mechanism can supposedly break when the throttle is abruptly lifted at high rpm. The mechanical versions swap out the ratcheting mechanism for a bolt and lock nut setup as illustrated in the images shamelessly stolen from the internet. On the left is the stock hydraulic tensioner with the ratcheting mechanism extended. On the right is a mechanical tensioner that replaces the ratcheting component with a bolt. My 2.0L uses a mechanical tensioner I purchased from Raceco many years ago. I had one on order from Raceline for this engine, but after 7 months of waiting for production, I decided it was time for a rethink. Speaking with Esslinger, they felt the factory unit is fine provided it's the older style cast iron version rather than the new aluminum item Ford currently supplies. Given they have extensive experience building and refreshing race Duratecs, I decided to follow their recommendation and a cast iron item was ordered (Melling still manufactures this as part #BT5514.) I then made the mistake of cruising Caterham's parts site one evening. It seems they also used a mechanical tensioner for the R500 (the one pictured above) and had some in stock. Hmm… Deciding to err on the side of caution, I placed the order and triggered my first delay After the new tensioner arrived from Caterham sans instructions, I dug up the old email from Raceco that explained how to set the tension. It contained a line that didn't apply to my 2.0L installation so never stuck in my memory: "I prefer to use a good used chain. If you use a new one it will initially wear quite quickly and the chain will need to be re-tensioned which involves a timing cover removal. " I have no desire to go through the hassle of pulling and resealing the front cover shortly after getting the car on the road, so I've decided to stick with the hydraulic version for now, then swap to the mechanical tensioner the next time I pull the engine. In the meantime, I'll see if I can take some chain deflection measurements to monitor over time as an indicator of broken teeth. -John

I suspect fitting the engine under the bonnet with the stock intake will be tough. I have a 2.5L Duratec on an engine stand right now and could provide a measurement for comparison. Those engines "just" fit. Are you considering new or used? If used, you could be looking at either a Zetec or Duratec, if new, then Duratec is now the standard configuration. How much of the desire to keep the VW engine is driven by emotional attachment vs. the fact you like the characteristics of that engine? When it's emotional attachment, logic tends to go out the window, which is understandable and often all that's needed to justify a decision. However, if it's the nature of the engine, I wouldn't sell a modified Zetec or Duratec short. Given the money and headaches you would save doing the conversion, you could upgrade the Zetec/Duratec and have something with a lot more power that you may like nearly as much. -John

And now for something completely different... -John

Here's a picture of my current setup. For scale, the wheel is 270mm, but it appears my spokes are thinner than yours. -John

I've been enjoying following this journey and agree with Kitcat that all the new build threads have been great. We need more! -John

Have you considered mounting the turn signal switches in the spokes? It looks like you might have space for that. Mine are mounted this way and it works well. I can post a picture if it helps. -John

It looks like there is a sporadic issue with .MOV files. After recreating this issue in 4 out of 5 attempts in our test environment, I've piled onto an existing thread in the Invision support forum in hopes of getting this sorted. -John

Are you trying to get away from the overstuffed look? The later S-type seats are visually flatter but still have small side supports. I'm not sure what Birkin is using these days, but that could be another option. Intatrim, whom I believe may have made seats for Birkin in the past, does a range of seats that are fairly narrow and might be worth a look. As for regular production cars, that might be tough given the width restriction. -John

I believe that TPS is from Ford Duratec installations from the early 2000's. If that's the case, it should be easy to source in the US based on the part number. I don't have any experience with that specific TPS, but the Colvern units frequently used on Jenvey's do fail and exhibit similar, random behavior when that occurs. Rule out the easy fixes first. -John

We now have Reactions available that enable people to post a reaction to any piece of content using an intuitive icon. Options are: To give a Reaction, look for the Heart-in-a-circle icon at the lower right of any content, tap the icon or hover your cursor over it, then select your Reaction icon from the choices that appear to the left. Before anyone asks, yes there are other gamification features available such as Leader Boards, Badges, and Reputation Scores. Some people love those in a forum, but I have heard from others here who expressly do not. Because these options are not something that a user can turn off, and they do bother some in our community, I am consciously choosing to not enable them at this time. That means the forum may not be quite as engaging as some would like, but it won't be bloated and turn others away. We are all passionate about a simple, basic, no-frills car (writes the person who's building a car with traction control and heated seats -- yeah, I get the irony). I'd prefer our forum reflect that spirit. Cheers, John

When researching it, I discovered the mistake is very common on Invision forums with many admins requesting changes to allow partial implementation to eliminate those oops moments. e.g only allow people to post status updates to their own profile page. For now though, it's all or nothing. -John

I'm actually playing with this in the test environment. Stay tuned. -John

Thanks for that offer! If I run into a bind, I will let you know. Most things I do should be pretty simple. I'm hoping something like emachineshop.com will suffice, but there are a number of machine shops in my area with good reputations if they don't work out. Cheers John

Thanks, and you're correct, I'm using an FDM printer, so that won't apply. My current plan is to use the printer for rapid prototyping, then have any parts machined based on the CAD files. Thanks, John

Which type of filament did you use for this? I will likely print some parts for my build, but I'm not clear on the best option for the heat, grease, and oil it could see under the bonnet. As for your compressor brackets...wow! Almost too pretty to hide under the back of the car. Thanks, John

There is a feature in our forum software that enables you or anyone else to post a status update that appears on your profile page. Anything posted there is public for anyone to see -- even spam bots that troll the web. Unfortunately, people miss the text in the status update box that indicates this is public information and confuse it for a Private Message (see portion circled in red below.) On many occasions, I've removed phone numbers, email addresses, and even home addresses when someone has made this mistake. Because the proper use of this feature is so rare, and the privacy issues created when it is used incorrectly are severe, I am making the decision to turn off Status Updates. As per Invision, who makes our software, this is the only option as the feature is only fully on or fully off. Thanks, John

@cemaykan this may solve the problem of needing to keep your speed below 35mph. With a top speed over 135mph, it should have a better chance keeping up with your 620R BTW just noticed this is in General forum and have moved it to the Video forum to make future discoverability easier. -John

Differing opinion here based on my experience. Only the middle of the underside is blocked. Since I rarely do transmission work, that has not been an issue for me. I have access to underneath the engine (both front and rear engine cars), diff, suspension, brakes, and can raise the car to make it easier when working on the top of the engine. Perfect? No, but it's a huge step up from jack stands with a normal car (see my earlier comments about the Westfield). Compared to a two-post lift, there are no arms to step over/duck under when working on the corners such as when bleeding the brakes and it lives under a car so takes up no space. That doesn't mean it's better than a two-post -- transmission work is difficult and although you can sit under the car, you can't stand -- but it does have its own set of advantages. Not for everyone, but no regrets from me after 10+ years of use. -John

I've had a Bendpak MD-6XP for over 10 years. It works very well for most jobs, however, the one car I don't use with it is the Westfield. I find it's much faster and easier to get that up on Esco jack stands using a low-profile jack than it is to move one car off the lift, then drive the Westfield over it. -John

@Bruce K the inboard front suspension was driven by ride and handling improvements, not an effort to increase top speed. See this PDF from Multimatic about the CSR suspension project scope and targets. A more aerodynamic brick is still a brick BTW although Multimatic did do aerodynamic analysis as part of the larger project, my understanding is that was focused on reducing lift, not drag. Someone else may know definitively. -John

Twenty plus years ago I was torn between the Lotus Elan and a se7en but eventually opted for the latter. Although I finally scratched the Elan itch three years ago, I went with the fixed head coupe version rather than the convertible since the Westfield handles open air duties. If I were buying a car now and se7ens didn't exist, I'd go with the Westfield XI. For me, part of the se7en charm is the extreme exposure to the elements which you don't quite get in an Elan even if it's a drop top. -John