1967 S3 (Millington XE 2.0L and Sadev)

[coffee break]

The documentation is as comprehensive as skill and detail put into this project. Looking at this is like drinking from a firehose, how long has this projected lasted so far?

Well done!

[Croc]

 

@Rosteri  I am still coming back here to study your posts and absorb.  One question I am interested in - the Millington engine block.  Is this the block that Millington did to copy the Vauxhall 2L (re-rengineered so stronger) or is this their custom block that they build bespoke competition engines with, which is what I thought was called the "XE"?   The reason I asked is I thought you needed a Millington head to go with the block but you mixed and matched with a non-Millington head so I got confused.

 

Thank you for clarifying

mike

[Rosteri]

Hi Mike, the block is the aluminium version of the Opel/Vauxhall 2L 16v, which has an engine code C20XE -> hence the name Millington XE.

 

Millington produces also new heads for this block and builds complete XE engines, however they are usually with a longer stroke and max out the cylinder bore to 88 mm for this engine. The original KS or Coscast C20XE heads fit perfectly as well. According to Millington I'm the first one to build a 2.0L with their block, which I selected mainly so I could use the Caterham HPC as my reference vehicle in our local re-registration process. The main advantage of the Millington block is a weight saving of 20kg, which takes place in the front of the car, and of course everyone else uses the option to increase the volume to 2.5L, which takes the engine effortlessly to 300-320 bhp. 

 

The project took 11 months from start to first drive, but I'm still in shakedown mode to get rid of a few fluid leaks, leaking header joints, re-routing a few chafing oil hoses... all the normal stuff that appears only after driving the car. 

[Croc]

Hi Rosteri

 

Thank you for clarifying.  The 2L displacement was what confused me and now I get why you were using the HPC as the reference.  

 

Thanks again

mike

[Rosteri]

Copying also my RHD -> LHD post here to complete the documentation:

 

Chassis: Imperial S3

 

• The steering column lower and upper are usable on both sides
• The steering rack pinion can be rotated, but it needs machining a hole to the blanking plate. Remove C-lock ring, drill a small hole to the center of the blanking plate, use a punch to push the pinion out, take blanking plate out and machine larger hole to match steering rack connection and assemble -> done.
• I didn't have mounts for steering on both sides, so I had to do some welding. 
  • I cut the lower dash tube with the steering column symmetrically and flipped it over. The angles match.
  • I cut of the pedal box as close as possible to the footwell
  • The footwell on the driver and passenger side was of different shape. I used cardboard templates to replicate the original driver side, removed the original passenger side completely and built a new one out of scratch (1.5 mm 6061T6).
  • Reshaped and fitted the pedal box and welded it in place
• Cut off the lower mount for the steering column (just outside scuttle) and welded it to other side
• Made a half moon cutout into the rectangular chassis tube to clear the steering rack

 

Whether the steering column clears the engine components (exhaust, drysump, alternator...) or not is fairly hard to predict, but it can be checked with a string before starting. I had only a chassis to start with and could design everything around the new steering column location. 

 

So it is perfectly feasible to switch sides, but it will require serious fabrication and welding skills. I hope this helps someone in the future!

 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Rosteri

[Rosteri]

[Rosteri]

[Rosteri]

At a local car breakfast a photographer took some really nice images of the car - credits to Teemu Turunen: 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Rosteri

[Rosteri]

And a small upgrade - a new steering column from Go-Race arrived, the old one had some play in it. The first impression is great.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Rosteri

[Rosteri]

The Go-Race column was 200g lighter than the original Lifeline, which was a nice surprise. The engine is out again and the Tracsport type9 has been sold, it will continue its life in an Escort - I’ll place an order for a new Sadev sequential this week.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Rosteri

[Kitcat]

I’m totally blown away by your skills and knowledge. What an epic project. It’s  on a much higher level than the typical Caterham assembly. Few, if any, here could do it and we have some very impressive folks. The combo of this engine and the Sadev should make this very competitive on the track.

[Rosteri]

Thanks Kitcat, much of this wouldn’t have been possible 20 years ago before forums like this or youtube - today anyone can pick up skills, that were previously very special.

 

The sequential control has been very interesting to study and I’m leaning towards MME Motorsport from Slovenia. They have great documentation online, respond fast to questions, good looking products and a modern can based interface, that requires minimal changes to my engine loom and integrates well to my Ecumaster Black Ecu.
 

It was very similar when researching Ecu’s - many of the Ecus from the Uk felt outdated and expensive with their RS232 interfaces and e.g. lack of built in wideband control. They most likely do their job extremel well once setup, but without any special experteese (here where I live) and minimal info on forums (as most are 10-20 years old tech) I was eventually super happy with my choice. Unfortunately the Ecumaster doesn’t yet have closed loop shift control, so I’ll still need a gear control unit alongside it. 
 

The plan is to retain the gear lever for normal shifting and neutral/reverse, while having paddles as an additional option for gears 1-6. I went with 2.30-0.87 gear ratios while keeping my 3.98 Ford diff.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Rosteri

[Rosteri]

Ok, the paddle setup has been ordered. I ended up with:

 

- MME integrated gear actuator, which has its own valves and the GCU all built into one tiny package

- MME inline valve and inline throttle cable blipper

- MME steering wheel paddles for 280 mm flat Momo wheels

- Meteor Motorsport compressor and bottle with actuator (only 2.3 kg)

 

The compressor will go to the back of the car, so overall this should end up as a very clean installation in the engine bay.

 

The engine (ECU) loom will require only 2 new connections:

- Analog input for the ignition cut signal given by the GCU.  The recommendation was not to use the CAN signal for this due to priorities.

- Analog input for the gear signal. The MME GCU can send a simulated gear position signal (0-5V), so that the ECU can then also calculate the gear and eventually the AIM display can show it based on its communication with the ECU. I'll also pull this wire to the dash, so that I can have a separate gear indicator if needed.

- The GCU will get the TPS and rpm info via the CAN bus, for which I had already a connector in the ECU loom from the dyno session.

[Rosteri]

Some progress here as well. I’m still waiting for parts, So I cleaned up the engine harness a little and added the wires for the gear control unit. The harness doesn’t look very complicated, but I have to say that figuring out all the connections and sensors from scratch was a big job item on this car. 

 

I also started work on the chassis loom to add everything for the paddle shift system. My electrical ”tray” with its bus bars for ground, ignition and switched 12V make things relatively easy.

 

The drysump oil tank is now out as well and cleaned up also from the inside - I had a few pinholes that need to be fixed. One large AN connector had trouble sealing and it looks like I have managed to dent the lip. Most likely the best solution is just to replace it.

[Kitcat]

Still looking good! Smart to add insulation to the foot wells. They get very hot in warmer weather.

[Rosteri]

20 hours ago, Kitcat said:

Still looking good! Smart to add insulation to the foot wells. They get very hot in warmer weather.

Yeah, my drysump even follows the shape of the foot well, so better to have something in-between!

 

Tracsport helped me out and exchanged my long T9 input shaft to a shorter one, thanks Steve - super service! I assembled the gearbox today with the new shaft and it is ready to be picked up by the new owner. 
 

The drysump is now repaired and after a short polish it can go back into the car. The fitment is so tight, that it can be accessed only when the engine is out…☹️

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Rosteri

[Ferrino]

Wow, what an amazing build - thanks so much for sharing it here! It's the first time I've been engrossed in a 7 build thread for a long time. Love the layout for the electronics and the modular AN-based fuel plumbing. What immediately grabbed my attention is that we are both using the same electronics: I am also using the Motogadget + AIM MXS 1.2 + EMU Black (albeit with a humble 2.0 Duratec!). I can't wait to see the SADEV pics! I had a couple of questions:

 

- The bracket you welded near the accelerator pedal, with the 3 holes: are those just 3 alternative locations for the pedal pivot?

- How are you etching logos into those anodized finishes (e.g. oil cap and steering wheel hub)? Is that by laser?

 

 

[Rosteri]

3 minutes ago, Ferrino said:

 

- The bracket you welded near the accelerator pedal, with the 3 holes: are those just 3 alternative locations for the pedal pivot?

- How are you etching logos into those anodized finishes (e.g. oil cap and steering wheel hub)? Is that by laser?

 

 

Thanks Ferrino! You have some good taste in car electronics =)
 

Yes, they are just 3 alternative locations for the pedal pivot and my clutch/brake has the same adjustments. That bracket and the pedal also has now additional provisions for a position sensor, in case I’d opt for a drive by wire throttle setup ->  unlikely.
 

For the etching I’m now using a simple co2 laser. I’ve also had good success with Bungard Alucorex, which uses the pcb photoresist process with a simple uv light source and a mask. 

 

[Rosteri]

New drive- and propshafts arrived last week and today I dropped the diff to put them in. I knew the Sadev spec propshaft was larger, but didn’t expect this much… No way it will fit into the tunnel, so let’s make a spreader tool next.

[Rosteri]

Ok, the propshaft tunnel is now (70 mm -> 82 mm) wider at the rear. I also had to remove the recess for the seatbelt on one side to have enough room to slide the propshaft in. I actually don’t need that recess with the Tillett seats, so I think I’ll make a flat replacement to avoid the hassle later.