Competition towing loops and timing strut etc

Towing hoop

I am not predicting the need to be towed off any tracks in the near future but just in case, as I had the time during this restoration, I decided to add them front and back. I thought long and hard about how to attach them. There is little guidance for 7 style cars despite trawling the forums. Most appear to favour the TRS type towing loop (as I have used) but attached to the wishbone suspension bolts. In my opinion this could be hazardous to the bodywork if a change in direction is required and the tow rope is on the wrong side. I also plan to use this for getting the car on to the trailer bed, The winch gets fouled if  the line is attached to one side or other of the suspension.

I elected to make some custom brackets and attach them to the chassis strong points, in the middle and with no bodywork obstructions. I used a press stud to keep the loop out of the way when not in use. The TRS loop could be removed for road use. The TRS loop is held in place with an M12 bolt + lock nut.

Contents

There is a contents page Link

Front loop

Rear loop

Timing Strut

Should I get brave enough to enter a MSA rules hill climb/sprint then I guess I will need one of these.

etc

The bulkhead had at least three points of entry into the cockpit for any fluids.

* The battery box (which has been moved)
* The clutch master cylinder
* The foot rest

The clutch master is an odd device, it does not look like a car or bike part. I guess that will be a challenge to find spares should it fail. It has an unusual bespoke attachment method to the bulkhead which leaves a gap. I managed to find a rubber boot from RS components that seals this up nicely. I must find out which parts bin it is from.

Reversing Light

One of the things that did not work when I got the car was the reversing light. I was going to upgrade these lights to LED's  from Europa Spares (as they are modern compact little units). When I came to swap them over the reversing light had the wires disconnected. When I removed the transmission tunnel cover to find out where they should be connected there was nowhere for them to go. Now this car has an electric reverse (in the transmission tunnel) and Westfield had obviously made no provision for a reversing light switch. I pondered the insanity of wiring it up or leaving alone. Obviously it is not an MoT or IVA issue otherwise it would have been wired at some point.

Do I need one, and how should it operate if I had one?

* It balances up the light clusters at the rear
* It warns other road users of your intentions.
* Illuminates your trajectory
* Possibly useful in the pit lane.

On balance I decided to do something about it (unlike the previous owners).

I used a motorcycle brake light switch and attached it to the reversing leaver such that as soon as you move it the light comes on simple!

Contents

There is a contents page Link



Reverse light switch fabrication

Exhaust

The problem with the exhaust, as perceived by me, is  mainly down to noise level. However in order to pass the MSA scrutiniser it also has to be less than 99dB and have a Catalectic converter . When I purchased the car it was very noisy (even for me), however by experiment fitting some wadding brought the noise level right down. For track use, the car must have a cat being first registered in 2009. There is not much room in a Megabusa to fit a CAT so it has to take up some of the space in the exhaust. I found a 100 cell sports CAT at Demon Tweeks for £138.00. I then welded it into the front access plate of the existing exhaust. The theory being what I loose in space I gain noise attenuation with the CAT. Overall the exhaust is much quieter.

After some consideration of the appearance of my welding I decided to have it blasted (at Aliblast) and painted with high temperature paint.

Contents

There is a contents page Link



CAT welded in place

Demon Tweeks part

After blasting and painting

Reference: http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/universal-exhaust-parts/custom-chrome-racing-stainless-sports-catalytic-converter

Paddle shift

I hate the gear change on a bike engine bike gear box combination. It has the advantage of a sequential shift however it comes at a cost. It is always a bit of a hit and miss with me as I am not good at changing down without clunking the box. Ideally you have to interrupt the power on the way up and you have to match the gearbox to engine speed on the way down by blipping the throttle. This type of box is usually referred to as a DOG box. If you want an explanation see:

http://www.dansmc.com/gearbox.htm

As the Bike engine/gearbox combination is usually under more strain when installed in a car, reliability can be an issue with these boxes. The way out of all this in my opinion  is two fold:

1)  Fit a paddle shift

2) Fit a Flatshifter

The Flatshifter is a computer/ECU that specifically adds to your existing ECU the capability of clutch less up and down shifts.

I have just completed the firs part of the challenge by installing a paddle shift from AB Racing. This paddle system is cable operated and gets a good reputation in the racing world.

Several parts had to be fabricated or modified:

* Engine mount bracket designed, fabricated and brass spacer for the gear leaver turned to  restrain the cable at the engine end.
* Bracket at the steering column to restrain the cable at the other end as it is a push pull mechanical system.
* Modification of the gimbal mounting tube on the steering column as the slotted holes for my application (Austin Alegro column) are 90 degrees out.
* Nylon bush spacer as the paddle tube is 40mm ID and the Alegro column is 31.5mm. This part was turned on a lathe.
* New switches for the indicators, dip-main and horn had to be installed as the space taken up by the one piece unit from the Alegro is needed for the paddle shift.
* Old transmission tunnel parts to be removed and tunnel hole filled in. The weight saving in this operation alone is considerable.

* Shorten the steering column and weld on the quick release spigot.

Needless to say all this took some time and effort.

This exercise has at the minimum. a) Tidied up the horrible Westfield gear change in the tunnel
b) Provided a route for the possible Flatshifter. c) Added back the steering quick release at the correct distance for my driving position.

References

Link to AB racing: http://www.abperformance.co.uk/default.aspx
Paddles: http://www.abperformance.co.uk/products.aspx?cat=17
Flatshifter: http://www.abperformance.co.uk/products.aspx?cat=18

Paddle shift + tunnel tidy up

Steering column welded



Steering column bracket

Engine end bracketry