Klasik-69

No, likely its the tranny in the C6 Corvette like what's in my wife's 07 convertible. Fast shifts ? I don't think so. It would be nice if they could jack up the shift speed about 500%.........otherwise, I'll keep crunching gears.

$5/gallon in Canada ? Isn't Canada the country that has so much oil it needs a pipeline into the US to get rid of it ?

Looks pretty good. I'm sure you know about adding your weight to the driver's seat when doing adjustments. I use my lift to do alignments.... Tedious with lasers but accurate. Nice garage.

Thank you so much for the information, and taking the time to explain how all of ths works. Since I do travel to some far off tracks, I do have both an open car trailer and a 24' enclosed trailer for getting the car & gear to the track. The open trailer is a lot easier to tow & burns less gas in my truck. I may have to just make a commitment to join your crowd at NJ MP next year. Glad you told me of a cheaper option than Traqmate, $1299 w/o accessories. My old GoPro doesn't have many options & it has the wide angle fish eye lens. No mic port either, so not much to offer. Oh, forgot that it has horrible sound recording too. I'll look up the sites & sources you provided. Again, many thanks.

I agree with you. I was surprised with my Caterham while the engine was rated at 202 HP at the crank. First dyno showed 170.3 rwhp, running way lean. After I replaced in the incorrect fuel injectors and remapped the fuel and ignition on the ECU, we pulled 187 rwhp. Jon at Cat USA says they under rate their engine output, and mine was likely closer to 215+ at the crank. I suppose they have variations from engine to engine. To be honest, I need more skill than hp. Using hp to regain momentum is detrimental.

Great footage and equally great driving. It sure looks like a fun track. I assume you're using Traqmate to imbed the track data onto the video of the GoPro camera. Is it difficult to do ? I also notice that your video is a lot smoother than mine from my early model GoPro camera. I find a lot of shaking no matter where or how I mount the camera. I've used the suction cup on the cowling, the roll bar mount, and every other way I could think of and it seems I get a lot of shake. Could it be my driving ? :willy_nilly: I've been looking at the new GoPro HD2 or whatever model the latest is. I see they offer a WiFi option that just came out. However, if I go with the Traqmate it may not be of any use. What do you think is the best way to go ? Yeah, I'd love to go to NJMP............however, 1100 miles from Florida is a bit of a drive. Do you guys ever go south ? I saw some pictures of your gang and you look like a fun bunch and great friends. Not much 7 activity here in the South like you have up there. Thanks for helping me out with information.

With regards to these scales, don't you have to lift the car and put it back down each time to get the scales to read ? If that's the case, isn't that a bit tedious ? I wonder if they make the analog type scales for fat people so you can use it on your car. Even if they're off by 5 lbs or so, that should be close enough for corner weighting. I have a shop nearby that does it for about $60 and gives you a computer readout. I like the DIY approach but real scales are about $1200. What do 4 bathroom scales cost anyway ?

Let me caution you and anyone else thinking of polyurethane bushings. I used them on my 2007 Z06 and many others in our Corvette club installed them as well. We started having failures in as little as 3 years. Some lasted up to 5 years. I pulled my shock bushings off before they failed but could see after 3 years they were brittle and ready to go. We seem to have the failure from different manufacturers and suppliers so there didn't seem to be a common source. I loved them when new but need to have something last a little longer and be more reliable, especially on the track hitting speeds of 160 or more. Be careful ! Maybe the British or Germans make a superior urethane bushing.

Pretty neat video. You mentioned that You Tube editor fixed the shaky video with a snake version..........not sure how they did that. I noticed not only the mirror swaying but the entire front end of the car did too. I had a Corvair that would do that because it was so rusty. On the more serious side, what kind of speeds do you hit on this track ? Being in Florida, I've never been up that far but it sure looks like a neat track.

My 5 speed was notchy too, difficult to downshift 3 to 2, almost impossible 2 to 1 gear. I read on this forum about Redline so I bought some. It was like getting a new tranny. My 5 spd is the Sierra Ford T9, not sure about 6 spd so check on the type of synchros & their lube requirements. On the "cut down" Allen wrench, better solution is 1/4" X 1" X 6" piece of steel with a hole drilled on one end & weld a short piece of correct size Allen in the hole with 3/8" Allen sticking out.

Have you considered a windscreen vs the brookland ? I put it on mine. Got the kit from Cat USA (Jon) in fiberglass but carbon fiber is also available. It included the two side mirrors, center mirror backing plates & most everything needed. Cost was around $400. It's slick and purposeful looking.

Just as a point of curiousity, what would make this car emissions legal ? If you don't yet have a catalytic converter, how much trouble would it be to add one ? Or is there more than just the emissions to be considered in MA.

Have you considered installing an AFR gauge to see if you are running rich or lean, especially at higher rpm and loads. Mine was running lean but I didn't have a clue until I did a dyno run. That likely saved my motor from further damage.

Wow, I'm envious. Great choice, you are obviously a man of good taste. Personally, I don't see the big advantage of a sequential tranny. I find myself using mostly 3rd & 4th and that is as sequential as a sequential. On longer tracks, I'll use 5th sparingly. I believe a sequential tranny weighs more as well although it's not a lot more.

Great looking car. You get to see its "birth". Since I bought mine from the original owner, I didn't get the pleasure of assembling the car. Wish I did. I didn't see a mention of which powertrain you're installing. Are you going with a Duratec, a Cosworth prepped engine, or another choice ?

Ok, what business isn't a profit center ? Should business be run as a non-profit ? I just don't get your point. Obviously you don't like dynos or don't like guys who run the dynos. The alternative is a butt dyno or doing tests on a track, pulling in, adjusting the ECU, going back out, etc. I think dynos are for comparison purposes and you can do whatever you want with the numbers, they're only numbers and won't make you faster or slower unless they're truly representative of the output. Most newer dynos are designed in accordance with the latest SAE technical guidelines and adjust for temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity and other parameters that may effect the run. I use a reputable shop with a quality dyno and I trust it's been calibrated correctly. If not, and I'm using it to improve what I have, it will show the relative gain or loss. I never heard a spark plug was a sensor. How do the Saab people read a spark plug from the ECU or anywhere else ? I'm not saying it can't be done but for the life of me I can't think of how you'd do it.

I think the Duratec engines have more potential & may be more durable. It's too bad these engines have intake & exhaust on opposite sides or switching over would be much easier. If yours is right out of the boneyard, it likely doesn't have ITB intake which would likely get you additional hp without doing much else. Add a tune & maybe a little porting, more aggressive cams, & you'd be adding 30 to 40 hp. Not bad for a NA 4 bangger.

With regards to the rpm range, I set mine to cut off at 7200 rpm only because of all the chatter of oil pumps disintegrating above that level. I checked with Jon @ Caterham USA and he says of the 150 or so Zetec motors he has built, only one failed due to an oil pump failure. He feels that running up to 8000 rpm is safe and further adds that if the oil pump were to fail, just shut it down and the engine should be fine. I tend to agree with him. I studied the oil pump housing and determined the failure should be contained without external damage, and if the engine is shut down within 10 or 15 seconds, the chance of damage is minimal. I heard similar scare stories on the Corvette Forum regarding the Z06's LS7 engine and its roller rocker arms having bearing failures causing "major catastrophic failure". Some guys sitting in their basements in their underwear in the middle of winter at their computer keyboard with nothing better to do than start a mess or rumors with little or no basis. A lot of people love hype, and even better, a disaster story. So when this kind of crap starts, it's epidemic. Harland Rockers sold a boat load of roller rockers for the Z06 with the understanding that their needle bearings were better and more durable. Who knows if they were, few if any failed either on the GM or Harland side so the argument is moot. I researched this forum to see how many Zetec engines failed due to the oil pump failure at high RPM and all I could find was reports of this happenning and not much of anyone saying yes, their engine puked as a result. Likley, 90% BS and 10% maybe. In my opinon, and of greater importance, is the rolling assembly properly balanced ? Are the valve springs capable of high revs ? Is the HP and Torque still rising above 7000 rpm ?

Am I reading this correctly, 391 crank horspower ? Good God, is that a time bomb ? If all this is correct, I'm drooling with envy, maybe even lust.

This Zetec was supplied by Jon @ Caterham USA back in late 2003 to the original buyer of the car. I only know the components, not the basic block, and Jon has helped me tremendously from memory and records to understand this engine/ECU. "That's a great result. I dont meant to backtrack, but could what kind of intake are you running, what head work, and level of Zetec tune? Allow me to add a comment about 1trubofucus (Tom). Tom really went out of his way to help me troubleshooot my mapping issues on my Zetec. In the end, it wasnt an ECU problem, but a simple injector wiring issue. Regardless, Tom is one of those special people who is willing to dedicate his time and knowledge to help like-minded enthusiasts. Jason" Running TWM/Borla ITB now with Bosch low impedance 42 lb injectors and fuel pump turned down from 62 psi to 45 psi. Agree about Tom, great help. Motos typically average 15% losses. Few 4 wheelers can even approach that figure Very Odd, that 10% claim..rendering the entire 'data' as suspect --danilo I agree, but you need to read the post above whereby I state that Jon @ Caterham USA says they understated their engine power so the engine was puting out more like 215 hp rather than 202 hp as claimed on the invoice sheet. The dyno that I used has been calibrated and certified. AND, I ran the car there before and got 170.3 hp prior to adjusting the maps and correcting the incorrect injectors. Since I'm not selling anything or boasting of anything of any great output, I really don't have anything to gain from fudging or lying. Take it for what its worth. My point is proper tuning on a dyno can help if you look at all the parameters and if you get some really good help like I got from Tom @ 1turbofocus in mapping the fuel and ignition tables, and IF you have a better ECU than the simplistic one I have, likely other factors that are adjustable can also enhance your performance. I'm not bragging about 183 hp, its a really low number to me. BUT, in a 1080 lb car, its adequate.

Jon @ Caterham USA rates his engines on the conservative side. He told me this was rated at 202 hp but was closer to 215 hp at the crank, hence the difference. I think 15% to 18% power train loss is more likely. I'm happy.

Fuse ? Are you kidding, this is an english car with Lucas styled electrical. The fuse is totally unnecessary :jester:. Just think about how your car is wired............. power goes to the switch via a wire, then back over to the fuse block via a wire, then to a fuse, then to the load. The only thing that can start a fire faster is a Bic lighter.:party:

Ok, I'm stumped. I see the list of things to take, and my F-150 might handle all that but I look at my 7 and, well, I don't see it. Are you towing a trailer ?

After a few months of trial and error, and a PECTEL ECU that suddenly went dead, I managed to get things back on the good side. I've attached the dyno sheet to show everyone what we achieved. First off, the engine had apparently from the very beginning the wrong type of fuel injectors on the ITB's. Tom (1Turbofocus) is the one who helped me by looking at the ECU over the internet and noticed that the mapping changes weren't making the right results. When I looked into this further, I noticed they had installed low impedance 30 lb injectors (320 cc). Pectel T2 ECU can only drive high impedance injectors. I installed 42 lb Bosch high impedance units. I looked at the fuel pressure which was set at 62 psi and thought this was a bit high so I knocked it down to 45 psi with the regulator. Then I ran into a dead ECU, no fire, no kick, no nothing. Dead as dead got. After a few weeks of checking wiring, replacing the camshaft sensor, Jon at Caterham USA said it would run without a camshaft sensor but not without a crankshaft sensor. Bingo, there was my problem and after a replacement, I heard the Zetec fire up as it had in the past. 1Turbofocus (Tom) had given me some very good guidance on how to approach this. He really knows the Zetec engines inside and out and knows how to tune them. Well after almost 3 hours on the dyno here in Melbourne, and 18 runs, we got it where the AFR is good and safe and the best thing is we gained 13 hp and about 7 ft/lbs of torque. Amazingly we got 183 rwhp out of the 202 crank hp Zetec at 7000 rpm, and strong all the way up. As you can see from the dyno graph, the AFR stays in the 12.5 to 13.2 range whereas before I was getting in the 14.5 (Yikes) range. I'm not sure if the attachment will show up as it should, not too good on these things so bear with me if it doesn't work the first time, I'll try again.

When I run on the track, I switch to a set of custom aluminum front fenders (wings) which are lower in the back. I also added some flex rubber mud flaps on the bottom of the back side to completely block stones & other debris from hitting the car or me. It is extremely effective in protecting the mid body region & rear wings, but not very attractive. I've used the 3M film in the past but would not again. Never seen it used on a windshield, might work out well there if it doesn't affect visibility.