Breakthrough today - I had the engine running !
It fired up first "turn of the key" (no key yet, just wires touched together) and ran fine for a minute until I shut it off. No water connected yet, but good oil pressure. No leaks evident yet.
Transmission filter and cooler present. Sierra Teves II brakes (without ABS) in place.
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The Cortina actually moved under its own power today and then broke down just outside the garage due to a suspected lack of ATF. I'm feeling a bit more optimistic for making the National Finals this weekend.
edgasket wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:24 am
Who is this guy who is out in your garage and getting shit done??? And when he's finished can you send him up to my place?
It's a guy who has been spannering manically and doing little else. Normal work to resume ASAP.
We made the National Finals! (At 01:30 on Friday and had to sleep outside)
On Saturday I skipped Q1 to go out road tuning with Phil R. Auto tune worked great and the engine was behaving. Cooling was rubbish and there was an ATF leak from the filter. In testing I accidentally smoked the tyres from a standing start. The engine made the low boost planned. I have a 7psi gate, but I removed one of the springs to give 3psi.
Back at the track, the ATF leak was because I hadn't put enough welly into the filter. Fixed.
I was pretty nervous for Q2 and haven't done a footbrake auto launch since 1999 (the Cortina had a BW65 behind the Rover at the Easter 1999 meet at York.) The box shifted up really early and most of the pass was in 3rd gear. (1:1)
For Q3 I left the shift points at the low 4000RPM even though I had planned to raise them to something more normal and netted a 12.8.
Before the cruise with Dave S, I set sensible shift points and had an opportunity to boot it. It dropped down into second and pulled hard to the rev limiter.
On Sunday we had a bye in E1 as Tony in the Capri had unfortunately damaged his engine. The new shift points helped a lot and gave a 12.1.
Before E2 I tweaked the fuel and timing a little and on the line I tried to stage a bit harder. Ran an 11.9. That's only half a second from the best with the Rover and nitrous on its first outing with lots of learning to do.
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Thanks to Phil, Dave and Wacky for their help and encouragement.
Nice work James, you have the patience of a saint.
I would have wound the boost up to a bar by run 3 lol.
With a better launch you will be low 11's easy. A little tickle on the boost for 10's.
I see 9's come next year without too much trouble. Are you coming to Melbourne at all this year?
Ive decided to make serious plans for one of my SD1's to get the turbo LS treatment. I asked Dave McCallan but he isnt taking on work! May have to attempt building an 8.5 tag car myself!
Yes, I'm hoping to come to Melbourne for the 9/10 October meet.
I was still working on getting the car to shift at a sensible RPM and learning to launch. The boost solenoid isn't even fitted to the car yet and the second wastegate spring was at home. For Melbourne I will likely leave it all the same as I am rather burned out from all the hours I've spent on it recently.
I made it to Melbourne and was able to develop the car some more.
In between rounds, I got a boost solenoid fitted and was able to slowly step the boost up from 3psi to 6psi. I tried higher, but I've run out of fuel pump as expected. The old Granada III pump is claimed to be good for 450hp which sounds about right.
The gearbox is very lazy on the 1-2 shift - probably because it is an old stock box.
My 60fts are still hopeless (2.0 best) as I am not yet able to launch hard. I'm not sure if I will get anywhere with the footbrake and am aiming to have a built autobox with a transbrake for next year.
My best in the 1/8th was 7.60 @ 101mph. The ET equates to a mid eleven, but the mph looks comparable to a high ten second run maybe?
The cruise in the evening reminded me just how weak my cooling system is at present, some ponderous driving and it was boiling over.
Lots more to do, but I'm happy to have made it out this year and things are heading in the right direction !
It's also great to see the track facilities progressing.
You have done well with the car, what a brilliant first event , ran an 11 on 3lb of boost and didn't brake anything, when we get it on boost off the line its going to get fun real quick, .....
