And so 2013 comes to an end....

 A bit of time off work, and apart from entertaining the kids, I've also managed to finish off a few niggles on the car build.

One of them was the fan which I had originally wired in to operate simply from the fan switch in the radiator. As it turns out, the ecu can take charge of this task, with the advantage of being able to program in the temperature you want the fan to switch in and out at. I figured as the the radiator is so far away from the engine in the J15 / Vectis, having the ECU reading the temp direct from the engine would be a better strategy. It's a simple case of using the ECU to provide a 0v signal to a relay, thus making the circuit to turn the relay on, this then starts up the fan...simples.

Also, completed (thanks to some helpful fellow builders / drivers on the locostbuilders forum) was the alternator wiring, the Puma has a two pin connector, so this was simply connected to a switched 12v supply and the other pin to the warning light on the digital dash....I wired all the engine using the semi assembled loom from Omex via connectors so it's all quick release if required.

Finally for 2013, I celebrated the end of the engine wiring by adorning it with a newly sprayed and lacquered engine cover...I was going to make one out of carbon, but thought better of it as the one on the Puma engine has a rather nice design which seals off the spark plug area.

2013......over and out....roll on 2014, which may well be the year the J15 hits the road...we shall see.

And so it continues.....

'First of all...apologies....I wrote this post some time ago, and should have been posted before the engine start post...not sure how to swap them around!'

This wiring lark really does take a while doesn't it.....

I keep wanting to move to the engine loom, but I'm determined to fully complete the rest of the wiring to a point that I never have to think about it again...Reliability is a big part of my own design brief, so simply no compromise with any of the wiring.

If you've been reading this blog for sometime, you will know that I really wanted to use the high quality fuse and relay box I removed from the Puma. At the moment, I'm still glad I pursued this route, as it's made for a good solid platform for the rest of the wiring.

This shows the main fuse box (lights, switches, etc,etc), you can also see the rear of the switch cluster which I have kept on a 'stand alone' panel with a connector - This means I can detach the lot of I need to.

 Moving to the other side of the car, the heavy stuff (starter / power / etc) is taken care of via the engine bay fuse box (from the Puma).....

Moving onto the ecu - although I've not started it's wiring, I have positioned it so I know where the loom will go. I ended up making a bracket on the passenger side which keeps the ECU easily accessible.

Engine.................STARTED :-)

A momentous occasion this evening......The engine started, and whats more seemed to purr like a kitten.

I'll be honest and say it's not been all plane sailing getting it up and running the map the Omex came loaded with did not want to open the injectors (still really don't know why), but a little help from the Omex helpline and a new cal file sent had me underway....a big thanks to Omex, their support has been great thus far, and worthy of a sticker on the side of the car when finished :-)

To recap - the ECU being used is an Omex 600 which uses one of it's aux outputs to control the cam solenoid. The function is an on/off function rather than that used on the Ford Puma which changes the cam timing on the inlet cam gradually as the revs and load rise making it not detectable. using it with the Omex means it will act more like the Vtec found on a Honda. I wired it in using a relay to be safe, although the ECU would probably have been capable of driving it.

The theory is that the cam can be switched in lower down the rev range (around 3000rpm), with the car mapped correctly (which it will be at Northampton Motorsport) should give a worthwhile performance gain........that's the theory anyway...we will see. So, in the Puma, the engine is rated at 125bhp, I've added individual throttlebodies from a gsxr750 motorbike on a homemade inlet manifold, and a decent (I hope) exhaust system...anyone care to guess what the bhp will be?.....I'm hoping for around 140bhp, and I also have a set of ford racing puma camshafts in the crosshiar when the cars through Iva and the bank balance has recovered a little.

Apart from joining the appropriate wires to the lights (that clearly can't be done until the body work is on), that's pretty much it for the wiring, I have some tidying and securing to do.

I'm pleased that I managed to keep the main loom from the puma, this connects to to the ecu via a 16 way connector, but it makes for a very neat install, and keeps the engine bay un-cluttered.

I'm hoping Mr Christmas brings me a few bits....I still need seatbelts, rear lights, some carbon panelling and driveshafts....

Exhaust is finalised, on with the wiring..oh and a little bit more on the rear brakes.

I'm lucky enough to have some skilled welders on hand for advice where I work...... This has really helped with the final exhaust system. My original plan was to simply hand car over to an expert and let them sort the exhaust system, but, once again, my bank balance got the better of me and a few quotes of 1k plus put me off the whole idea.

The system is now finished...lots of measuring, cutting, welding followed by purchasing the next section bend. I'm pleased with the end result (of course the proof is in the pudding and I'll not really know what it's like until I fire the engine up).

I purchased the base silencer first, this came open ended with no bends - It's stainless (as is the whole system), 6 inch wide and around 20 inches long - this should be plenty for IVA and 100db Track days.

First job was to weld on some mounts and get the silencer located. The rest was just figuring out how to get the outlet of the manifold through the silencer and back out the rear of the car....it's a fairly convoluted system, but the constraints of the J15 space meant it had to be like this...plus I'm going for a forward hinging rear clam.


The build:

• Mounting lugs welded on, and chassis mounts needed two brackets to allow the rubber mounts to be inset to fit the silencer.

• Two of the bends welded in:

• The most convoluted of the bends was the bottom bend that needed two angles to get it to point in the right direction:

• Almost finished system with the cat in situe, the link pipe on the left and side was changed for a welded on connection that only need one clamp (see the finished  pic):

• Anyway, here it is the finished article (note: the cat slots into the space where the lower link pipe is located):

Back to the rear brakes.....As I saved some hard earned cash on the exhaust, I scummed to a set of rear hispecs with the IVA rear handbrake mechanism built in (in blue of course), they conveniently do a vw lug mount calliper, which is very lights and should fit straight on....they've been ordered and I hope to get them in a few weeks. I just wasn't overly happy with the VW callipers being so close to the 13inch wheels (although they did go in). Will post some pics when they arrive.

Roll bar measurements

Wheel arches....Finalised

I think I'm happy with the wheel arch extensions I devised (although I'm sure it's been done before). 40mm carbon strip (1.5mm thick). This is bent around into the arch and secured using a number of stainless M4 bolts and nylock nuts. The arch has been shaped to make it flow with the body work, and finished off with some rubber edging. My only concern at the moment is whether the rubber edging is 'round' enough for IVA. As yet I've not studied this part of the manual, but I need to do this....Back up is to use some far thicker edging.

Anyway, end result looks like this:

Also, as you  can see the wheels now have a brand new set of R888's on them. I ended up goig to Tiger sports cars for the tyres who got them to me nice and quick, and were very reasonable on cost.

progress on exhaust

The first part of the exhaust system is complete.....all that remains is to connect the cat to the inlet of the silencer. I say all...thats the most difficult bit!.

To get all this to work, the rear clam will need some fettling.....but I think it's better to get the exhaust how I want and do the body work later......

Back to the wheels...I've been playing around with some carbon arch extensions, and I'm sure I can get them to work and look good.....Question is, with my idea of using carbon strip and some rubber trim, will the IVA man be ok with it?....answers on a post card please!.

Wheels again, and more on the exhaust.

Back onto the subject of wheels.......

I purchased some rather nice Image split rims and have been working on getting them refurbished. This was an interesting process. The three piece split rims have a central hub, an inner and an outer rim.

I had the outer rims re-polished and the hub stripped back and recoated in black. The end result is the wheels really do look great. On re assembly you need to seal the joints using a High Modulus silicone. I also opted to use all new nuts and bolts throughout.

Fitment wise.....if you use the VW rear callipers it's a tight squeeze, but the split rims do fit with some work. Rims are 7 inch wide with an offset of 29. Tyres will be toyo R888's (185/60/13) allround to start with (maybe going up to a 205 rear when I start upping the power of the engine).

Moving onto the exhaust..........The silencer is a 6 inch x 18inch stainless with a seperate 200cat. Plumbing this lot is going to be a head scratcher, but I think I have a plan...see below for approx placement of the system. Doing it like this will mean the rear clam will need to open forward. Plan is to get the exhaust sorted out then worry about the body work at a later date.

Indicator position

So, if I understand IVA correctly, as my car is over 1400mm across, the minimum spread on the front indicators is 500mm....well that's easy. Also, the height min is 350mm....closer, and it just comes in at 360mm.

I've started to play around a bit with positioning as you can see.....I think I like the first one which aligns the indicator slightly in of the centreline of the headlight.

Bonnet catches

Bonnet Catches - another subject I probably spent far too long thinking about!.

The demo car from Sylva uses some springs on the inside of body work. I liked this idea as they are well concealed........however, when I got the body work lined up, I felt there was a little bit too much 'spring' in the fibreglass to be held by a spring alone. I figured a more secure and direct method may keep the shut lines a little neater. There are plenty of catches around, but of course, IVA is something you must consider, so this meant only a few were actually suitable for the job. I ended going with the 'aerocatch' TYPE arrangement. I say the aerocatch TYPE as my first effort was purchased from China (they looked the same!). these turned out to be aerocatch copies and surprise, surprise...broke after 5 mins (that's £18 down the drain). Lesson learnt, correct and proper Aerocatches promptly ordered....

Drilling the hole was simple enough. The catches come with a template. so it's a matter of  marking the position, drilingl two holes with a holesaw (one 44mm, the other 25mm), then cut the bit out in the middle, a bit of fileing and sanding and you're there.....Note: as with all things fiberglass, it helps to mask the area first  and use a higher drill speed. 

.........and fitted. you can see the square cut out in the front clam, this forms two functions a). allows the red anodised pin free entry to the catch, and b). I wasn't happy with the pin going direct into the fibreglass, so strengthened it with some ally on the top and bottom.

The nice thing about the aerocatches is you can set them up so you need to push down on the bonnet with a fair amount of pressure to locate the pin, this in turn keeps the shut lines looking good. They are also very tactile and have a pleasing action (ok, this is getting a bit weird now!).

The alignment work is by no means finished, and the body work needs to come back off to finish the wiring. Other things to do include reinforcing the area where the clam is attached to the pivots.

Another success story was the holes for the front lights. Common practise is to chain drill (the hole is approx 125mm dia), but I hate chain drilling (not sure why). I purchased (for £2.99) a hole cutter from ebay. this was the type with the two outriggers with a cutting blade at each end. The items are recommended for use in a pillar drill, but I figured I could get this to work with a steady hand and my mains powered drill. It was admittedly very scarey, if something goes wrong you could trash the clam. However, it didn't go wrong and I was left with two well finished holes of the correct size....Will try and post some pics of this later.

Brake cylinders, front clam fixing and a very nice wheel

The fixing of the front clam was another part of the build that I wasn't entirely looking forward to. The first step is to get the clam in position then mark out and install two fiberglass panels into the front to a), stiffen up the clam and b): to give a fixing point for the brackets.

I decided to tackle this by hanging the clam first on some fixing points that I attached to the main tub, these points will act as a lip and support and help spread the load. With the panels marked I fiberglassed in the supports.

There have been some discussions on the locost forum recently regarding the fitment of integral master cylinders. From my experience, I don't seem to have an issue with them, but there are a few variables that could mean they don't fit certain cars....the biggest of which being a different pedal box for the earlier cars. Here are some pics of the three cylinders. Note the two brake cylinders are angled slightly down to get a better alignment with the bias adjustment bar, but to be honest this is probably not necessary. Also, I used some fiesta level indicators that fit the wilwood cylinders and are actually slightly lower than the wilwood cap. Again, this may help with clearance.

NOTE AND UPDATE: Having now completed the front body work alignment, there appears to be plenty of room for integral master cylinders with out having to angle them......I'm not sure why other can't fit them. but I don't see an issue using this set up.

Finally, a friend of mine was kind enough to let me borrow one of his 13 inch wheels from his caterham R300 (sorry, R419 since the engine was changed :-) ), this has made me more determined than ever to squeeze some 13" wheels on. These particular ones were a whopping 8 inch rim width, and wouldn't fit home, but I'm sure that a 6 inch rim would go on....To do this, I may need to put some subtle wheel arch extensions on and go with a offset of around 24, but I really feel it can be done.

You have to admit, it really does look good though!..

Some wiring pics

Rear brake lines

 There is a well known issue with using the VW / hydra mechanical rear callipers. Mainly the brake line banjo ends up being to close for comfort to the drive shaft gator.....Apart from this issue I wanted to use the VW callipers as they are nice and light being made of alloy. So, although I've not fitted the drive shafts yet, I have the luxury of reading the other J15 (Vectis) blogs and seeing the problem before I started.

So, how to overcome this.......while removing a set of callipers from a VW Passat at the local scrap yard, I wrenched off the ends of the brake lines. As you can see the Banjo is relatively thin, this of course means the banjo bolt is also smaller too.

This means the bolt used is considerably smaller, and if used with a thinner banjo can save a fair amount of height. Note the hole in the banjo bolt both lined up in the picture. This shows the potential as to how much height can be reduced.

My guess is around 4-5mm reduction in height would be plenty, so 2mm off each side of the banjo and 2mm off the top of the bolt will give a total of 6mm which should mean there is no chance of it catching the drive shaft

 Here it fitted...........Job done.

Steering, Handbrake, Speedo

It's amazing how the pace of the build has slowed of recent. Most jobs now being done are the things that are not immediately obvious......So, the car sort of looks the same as it did a two months ago. However, I've not stopped, and have a few updates to report.

Lets start with the steering..........The IVA has some requirements surrounding the safety of the steering column. There are a number of ways to tackle this. If you can have more than 10degrees of angle between the column and the shaft that connects to the steering rack then this really helps. The J15 set up is boarder line, so I opted to use the Puma UJ that also has a collapsible component. This required a small shaft to be machined up that went through the front bulk head and onto the steering rack. OK, straightforward.......well, not really. Although it sounds obvious, by adding another UJ in the system, you also introduce some sag in the column. This sag manifests itself to the shaft flying around all over the place with you turn the wheel....Most certainly not ideal!. The 'simple' fix was to introduce a bearing to hold the shaft in position. I won't bore you with the details, but this turned out to be a bigger job than first expected due to the proximity of the bolts associated with the steering shaft.

Anyway.....with bearing installed with a stand off, all now works nicely with no play and a smooth action.

The handbrake (which has been mentioned before) has also been updated. I made the main cable up from the rear calliper cable from a Golf. The local yacht rigger (Jerry the rigger) has swagged the eyelet and M6 Thread onto the cable. The rear connection was removed from an Audi A4, and is simple in design. I need to trim the rear cables (from a Renault Megan), and that job should then be finished.

Finally for this update, the speedo sensor.....

As you may be aware, I’m going to use a small digital dash…this comes with a sensor that is magnetic. The basic theory is you find somewhere on the car that is connected and revolves directly to the wheels (but has a magnetic high point), point the sensor at it and program in the amount of pulses per 1 revolution of the wheel (you also program in the tyre circumference). I found a convenient place on the drive shaft with three high points…..Hopefully, that should be the last time I need to think about the sensor placement….we will see!.

Forgot to post this in previous blog........As mentioned, I hoovered up a load of coolant pipes from the scrap yard.....End result lookis like this, All the hoses have build in bends so I was able to select some that fitted the application. The T piece at the top acts as a bleed as a few of the other builders have done.