Race Engine Forum UK

MODEL POST!

Sorry I just don't have time right now to remark on it (to any useful extent) but I do applaud the way in which the specs are published and results too, with good photos, and the structured way the thread has developed.

GC

Very nice results! Small changes made a big difference.

If you have incar material coming on this engine in race situation, we all like see & hear it!

Actually I do have some footage from using thne car on the weekend. This is my first attempt at adding captions and I tried for a bit of Myrtrh which may not always come throuh to all.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGg7963?feature=mhee

Excellent informative post! Liked the in car footage and soundtrack too, keep up the good work.

Regards

Ian

A quick update on the car after our "off period" brake in the motorsport calendar. For those that don't know, our summers here in Perth can be pretty relentless with the heat and we usually have most of the summer off from competitive events. The problem is it's usually too hot to get much done in the shed on the car either. Oh well that's my gripe.
I did mange to obtain and fit a Bacci Romano L.S.D. to the car just recently and have had an oportunity to test it. Very interesting how their design allows control of the speed of the unladen wheel without some of the unwarranted side effects of "locking" the diff.
Below is a short video comparison of 2 single laps of Collie circuit before & after the diff change. (it only takes a couple of minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhBf0ekq ... ature=plcp

Great clip!

A proper LSD makes RWD car handle much better no matter what the surface is. Ice, snow, tarmac or gravel. There is pretty much no use for open differential at any circumstances.

Do you know how much preload your Bacci diff has?

An update on the 125T. We just completed an event on 3-6-2012 in Albany (southernmost city in Western Australia). It's called the "Albany Classic" and is open to classic vehicles only. A street based circuit is constucted in the centre of town, literally overnight and on the Sunday we get to tare around in a multi car event. Here is some footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWia3xOP ... ature=plcp

WELL I LIKED IT!

Always nice to hear your motorsport news Steve!

Readers - can we have a bit of interest in what 'other folk' are doing please?

G

I have watched it and I loved the sound. It made me want to get in that car and try and pass the guy in front by giving him a bit of leeway before one of those ninety degree corners, slamming it through at a faster speed and use the higher exit speed to pass him on the straight. It's probably being tried every year, because you can find quite a lot of "car crashes into gates" style Albany movies on the internet. The car sounds and looks so much faster than the car in front, but the track looks so hard to find a place on? I know it's real easy to say all this from your arm chair, so is it really that hard to get past another driver there?

Me too. I've watched pretty much all of your videos Steve. Nothing beats that classic sound track of roaring Webers...sound tracks between two engines are both nice. 1600cc+ one has more italian feeling to it but old 1800cc has real nice bass-oriented sound track. Sings like a Pavarotti...

If this car had a proper 5-speed straight cut box with reasonable gear ratios, it would be real_fast. When engine revs drop only 1000 rpm between changes, it's feels like a totally different engine.
What kind of modifications this class allows you Steve? It hasn't been discussed here if I've read this topic carefully.

-T

Thank you for your responses gentlemen. YES these gearbox ratios are killing me! The good news is I'm just about to order a close ratio gearset from Bacci Romano for a 131 5 speed. This car used to have a 131 5 speed in it and just 6 months ago I returned it to it's original 4 speed. The gap from 3-4th is such a hole.
In response to your question Urbancamo about allowable modifications, internal ratios are "free" in this class but you must run the original gearbox casing. As I don't have a "shop" I can go to who does a close ratio set for a 4 speed 125 gearbox I just might just have to try and fudge this one. As far as engines are concerned - you must retain the original block & head for the model, 1.5mm oversize is permitted. Cylinder head mods are confined to removing metal only. Carbs are free up to one choke per cyl. Brakes are limited by the original "swept area" though you can go to vented. My car at the moment is almost ridiculously honest and has almost every aspect as standard right down to the carbs and brakes. What you may not appreciate from the videos is that is still road registered and is often driven to and from events. It even has full interior and carpets on the floor. To use an old cliche you really could "drive your grandmother to church" in this car it is that tractable.
I would really like to put this fine engine in one of those feather light Mk1 Escort shells and then the 1600 would show a few Pinto powered Escorts the way around.

Another update.
I used the car on Sunday at our main circuit Wanneroo, this is a 3rd-4th gear track with no slow corners which will accentuate the gap in ratios. I had a deliberate strategy of "over revving" 3rd gear to bring the car into 4th gear, up & on the cam rather than in the "soft" range. By that I mean moving my shift point from say 7000-7200 up to 7600-7800. It worked quite well and a lot of trouble free fun was had at the track - and the drive there & back wasn't too bad either. Enjoy the music. - You gotta love a Twin Cam on full noise regardless of capacity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5Vg_pySvU

That's my kinda music! Very reminiscent of the Bullitt car chase soundtrack especially when pulling hard just after the upchange - obviously only half the cylinders compared to the V8, but you're doing twice the revs :-)

It's been a couple of years since my last post, I thought I would update everyone on the car's current status.
The 1608 engine described above is still going strong after it's freshen up and is running in the same configuration.
The most recent change has been to install the correct 4 speed gearbox (as that one was incorrect for a 125 with poor ratios)
and what a transformation the car is just quicker everywhere.
We have new engine coming along in development at the moment (watch this space) and I wont be changing up at a mere 7500rpm any more.
I have included a link to some video of the car running last Sunday. Turn it up & enjoy.
http://youtu.be/sFPTzszkSzg

Looks like a very fun exciting drive, great sound. Enjoyed watching that, looks like a nicely setup car.