Santa Came early - R400 Roller Barrel Conversion!

[SK400]

Santa was very nice this year. He managed to drop a set of Caterham / Titan Roller Barrel intakes (kit) and a Cat Bypass on his way back from the UK and a bit in advance. Lots of sound, a bit more HP (10,.. 20HP according to some?) and a few flames coming out of the exhaust.. just what my car needs.

I can't wait to our next blat on the East Coast this spring. :drool: This will be a looooong winter.

 

So now a few questions for the group:

1/ Santa bought the kit from Caterham directly. Part of the arrangement is for Santa to send the ECU back to Caterham to be remapped. However, Santa understands the that Caterham ECUs are locked. So should Santa consider another ECU either from SBD or from another source to have more "fine tuning and remapping" flexibility going forward? Would it be worth it? If so, who would have a base map for the R400 2.0L duratec engine equipped with the Titan roller barrels?

2/ Santa did not receive any "setup" information from Caterham yet. He could call and engage with them or ask... USA7s for tips and tricks! Has anyone already installed this set on their R400 2.0l Duratec engine? Do you know where I could find setup instructions?

3/ Finally, Santa told me that i needed to cut my bonnet to install the air filter. Caterham sent a drawing for the cut out. ok.. but any tricks and tips on how to do this properly and not brutally damage the bonnet in the process?

 

Thanks a ton for the help in advance!

 

 

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12012&stc=1

[vstryker]

Very nice! I have the same setup on my CSR260 engine swap. If you refer to my build thread, you can see how it was set up with a 6mm round rod for initial throttle opening balance and how I cut my hood as well. You'll also need to reset your tps sensor too after doing that. I taped the bonnet with masking tape, started small on the opening with a dremel and 3" cutoff wheel and worked my way until it was a perfect opening. Didn't take that long actually, maybe 1-2 hours.

 

I would suggest getting an unlocked MBE 9A4 from SBD or Bruce Beachman which will come with a basic map according to your engine specs that will get you started.

[SK400]

Thanks Vstryker.

I will definitively ping Bruce (which i have already) about the ECU and weight the pros and cons versus a stock Caterham ECU.

 

As for the bonnet, did you use the dremel tool with a special wheel to cut through and followed the opening lines (if so, what type of wheel?) I was thinking of drilling first to create an opening as you suggested and then using an electric reciprocating hand saw with the right blade of course and to follow the lines of the template, and finish with fine hand filing. But perhaps it will be too heavy or bulky to do a good job and not friendly with the paint at the line. What do you think?

 

As for the TPS, we will cross the bridge when we get there!

thanks for your guidance.

[Croc]

As for the bonnet, did you use the dremel tool with a special wheel to cut through....

 

Chainsaw? :jester:

 

 

ok I get the message...leaving now...:leaving:

[vstryker]

I used a dremel with an aluminum oxide cutting wheel. It cuts the bonnet like a hot knife through butter. I would not use an electic reciprocating saw as it can get caught while cutting and can mess up the hood. The dremel with the cutting wheel does not get caught and can easily be maneuvered to the contours, just go nice and slow. Another tip is to cut to a depth of about 1/8-1/4" or just enough to go through. Finish off the edges with a file, touch up paint on the edges, and cover with rubber edging

[SK400]

Has anyone tried a hand nibbler or air nibbler to cut the bonnet opening? how would this compare to other techniques?

thanks!

[m wirth]

I have used an oscillating cutting tool with a half round and narrow straight metal cutting blade to cut sheet metal and fiberglass, it is very easy to hold a steady line and clean up is just with a half round and flat mill file. They now have tungsten blades of which I have not tried yet.

[Dave W]

I opened up a pear shaped hole in my hood using an air nibber after it was painted. I layed out the lines on masking tape, and cut about an 1/8" inboard. The final hole size was opened with a fine grit sanding roll and die grinder, then deburred with a file. The only problem using the air nibber was it would dig into the tape, if you where not flat to the surface. Dave W

[BruceBe]

A stock bonnet with the cut-out is actually hem-rolled. About 1/8" is folded over and rolled flat. It makes a nice contoured edge, and puts back some rigidity.

 

Van - how flexible did the bonnet get after you made the cut-out?

 

-Bruce

[vstryker]

A stock bonnet with the cut-out is actually hem-rolled. About 1/8" is folded over and rolled flat. It makes a nice contoured edge, and puts back some rigidity.

 

Van - how flexible did the bonnet get after you made the cut-out?

 

-Bruce

 

 

I would say that the bonnet did lose some of its rigidity after cutting the hole in it... but my guess would be maybe 15-20% less rigid. Because of this, it made it a little easier to mount the bonnet since now it has to bend slightly over the large foam filter before it goes on.

[SK400]

So there is nothing like a snowy weekend on the East Coast to get started with the Roller Barrel conversion. One kid was sleeping, the other one in front of a hilarious Peanut movie, the time was right to excuse myself discretely for a few hours. I love them all but you know..

 

I managed to put in 4 hrs of work over the weekend but unfortunately nothing much to show for but if it is for lessons learned of what NOT to do along with bloody fingers and lots of swearing in both French and English. So for the novices like me out there, here are a few tips of what to watch out for when you install the Titan Roller kit yourself:

1/ Injector / fuel rail: after changing the injectors, avoid reinstalling the rail immediately like i did. It gets in the way of installing the roller barrels and torquing some of the nuts.

2/ engine roller barrel threaded studs: beware! not all the threaded stubs that come with the kit are created equal! they all look very similar but the diameters of the unthreaded collars are slightly different. What's more, the kit comes with 5 threaded studs to mount the roller to the engine but there are 7 holes in the roller bodies.. of course. i chose not to use some of the bottom center holes. I will probably look for appropriate bolts at the hardware shop at a later stage.

3/ rubber seals: i suggest using a bit of clear RTV to keep the rubber seal where they belong in the groove on the back plate of the rollers. This will help not to lose the rubber seals in the engine bay abyss as you are trying to install the rollers

4/ roller barrel assembly install: they have to be installed simultaneously on the engine ... forget about installing one at a time, you wont have the clearance to install one and then the other. I lost a lost of time right there.

5/ make sure to use blue goo: loctite blue is advised on all threaded nuts and bolts.

6/ main cooling hose on r400: what a pain and in the middle of everything. i you are willing to make a mess, suggest you remove the hose, it will saves you several hrs of swearing trying to torque a few nuts on the assembly.

 

Well that's it for now. I will try again next weekend if i find a few hrs.

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12133&stc=1

[Croc]

... lots of swearing in both French and English.

 

Spanish is a far better language for saying what you truly feel! :cuss:

 

That said, your workshop adventure reminded me of the last time I swapped an engine out and finished up only to turn around to see this clutch sitting there. I now pay people to not make my mistakes! :rofl:

 

So I guess I will see you on the road again in 2018?

[wemtd]

So I guess I will see you on the road again in 2018?

 

OUCH!!!, Are you just worried Seb will make the rest of us look worse than we already are

[Croc]

Me worried? Nah! We don't need Seb to make us look bad. I am pretty good at doing that to myself without his help!

[SK400]

You guys are a riot. For starters, we all look like a bunch of clowns, idiots, and goofballs driving these cars around the track at 130mph+. can't get more comical than this.

 

But tadahhh! success last weekend. I managed to install the roller barrels on the engine, together as a pair (pfuuuii). Had to play a bit with the throttle cable and top end of the pedal (cable was too short.. i panicked for a few seconds) and still have to set the idle opening to precisely 6 mm using the shaft of a 6 mm drill bit and adjust the left and right throttle bodies to get the same opening using the black sets crew in between the bodies. I then tried to install the TPS sensor.. and attempted to figure out what direction to install it, with the electrical connection towards the engine or towards the filter. I think i figured it out .. the electrical connection should be pointing towards the filter ( I think and not like the picture I’m including here). It looks like it works the opposite way as it is on the R400 butterfly setup, in other words, starting at high voltage (4.62 V at idle) and with decreasing voltage as one opens the throttle. I will let you know if this works when I put a voltmeter to it.

 

Oh and by the way, i just sent my ECU to Caterham (Gatwick UK location) be reprogrammed for the throttle bodies and bigger injectors . I hope everything goes well. Wish me luck! I wrote my name on the ECU so please return to sender if you happen to see it in your new kits.

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12139&stc=1

[Kitcat]

Quite an adventure, and definitely not for the faint of heart. How much of a hp & torque gain are you hoping to see? I am obviously going to have to add extra stones at all the corners of Lightning to pitch back at you to keep you from overtaking me this year! If confused, just ask Yellow SS to explain my driver's award at last year's event:).

[SK400]

I think I make this assembly more of a big deal than it really is... jusst feels good to vent and share the pain and lessons learned a bit for other novices like me out there. It's therapeutic.

 

As for what I expect to get out of it , well Caterham claims 10 hp increase but people on several blogs who have installed the kit claim more. Some observed a 20 hp increase at the flywheel comparing pre and post dyno test outputs, which sounds logical (bigger injectors, etc). I don't think the top line rpm increases (same cams) so it's all torque increase, which is really nice. Net net I expect to see about 200 hp at the wheels or 230 hp at the flywheel, or a 10 percent increase ish from a 210 hp base. Bonkers. But will see .. I intend to dyno the car this spring when all set and done. Also, look forward to flames at the exhaust and overall better sound.

 

As for the rocks on the track, I'm unfortunately not confused Mike. I have chip or two on my nose cone, that wear your finger prints. Clearly, you deserve the award.

[Kitcat]

So sorry Seb! This year I promise to control my instinct to convert the turns at 3-4 into a straight stretch!

I don't mind when my overly-exuberant driving style hurts me and my car: I definitely don't want others to suffer for it. I will endeavor to be on my best behavior.

I look forward to seeing your dyno results. Do you have pre-ITB results to compare? The 10-20 hp seems realistic: a 5% bump wld be worth 10 hp. The improved sound alone likely makes it worth it.

[Croc]

20hp? Gee Seb, I know someone else planning to ambush you with a whole bunch more hp than last year. And no...its not me!

[yellowss7]

Skill and Horsepower, now that is a winning combination. The Red twins will have to work a little harder this year. :cooldude: Tom