Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Patience my good friend, patience.

Custom made Clutch hose from Earls. 3/8 banjo and 7/16 female to fit on the M-Sport adaptor on the slave.


The Mk6 Fiesta ST IB5+ output cup from the ST and the BC output cup from the RS1800i Fiesta gearbox, side by side. I tried fitting the BC cup in the box, but the shoulder is totally different, and it would result in reliability issues, oil loss etc. And the ST cup is lighter anyway 8-)




The car off the ground.

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

I've fitted the 2nd new axle-bar, on the passenger side, and its a little bit tight. I've around 5mm space between the end of the shaft and the inside of the output cup on the gearbox. So I'll try lengthening the track control arm a little bit more, to push the wheel out further, to pull the driveshaft out a bit more to increase the gap, and then rotate the adjustable strut top to push the top of the strut outwards to keep the front wheel from running too much camber (which also increases the gap between the axle bar and the output cup). I can pull the wheel forwards using the adjustable tie bar, to give me back any castor I loose from rotating the strut top.

Its so nice working with this suspension from Karl Hacken. So easy to make adjustments.
And the Fiesta wont suffer if I widen the track at the front. At least it'll fill the wheel arches better than before. And I can run wider tyres hopefully too as they always used to catch the inner wing, even with lock limiters.

[makindue]

Re: My Mk1 Fiesta XR2

Yeah right! I think you have a great job for Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber.

[mervhill]

Re: My Mk1 Fiesta XR2

Yeah right! I think you have a great job for Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber.

Huh?

Come on Graham, still waiting to hear it!!

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Not much longer...

The rear brake pads need to be skimmed down to 10.5mm thickness, in order for them to fit in the calipers with the disks, a job for Altiss hopefully.
Made a blanking plate for the bulkhead, where the clutch hose passes through. Just need to spray it and fix it in place.
Going to order a shorter driveshaft for the near side. Just not comfortable with the lack of space and the lack of remaining suspension adjustment.

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Just got back from Altiss. They'll have the rear pads ready for the end of the week.
I cant afford another driveshaft this month, so the next one will have to be ordered in August.

Altiss had the biggest pair of monster sized turbo's I've ever seen. Matched pair, going on a 7L V8 engine, to produce 3000BHP.
96mm inlet, whatever that means x-)

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Rear pads are ready for collection from Altiss. I've had them machined down to 10.5mm. Collecting them this afternoon.

Went round Thruxton yesterday with Tiff Needell in his BMW M3. OMG it was fun. Didn't scare me, but the car control he has is mind boggling. Sideways with smoke pouring out the arches. He was asking about my Fiesta, and which tracks I'd driven, so I said Croft, Cadwell, Anglesey, Donington, Oulton, Silverstone, Mallory, Snetterton but never Thruxton. He asked if they were track days. When I explained I'd held a competition license for 25 years and I sprint the Fiesta, he then proceeded to show me how to do Thruxton 'in an M3'. Proper job. Guys a legend. Well worth the £125 for 3 laps.

He wanted to know what Zetecinside was, and what I'd done to the Fiesta. Sounded impressed.

The incar footage was ok, but there was a problem with the sound, and Tiff sent me a message on Twitter last night to apologise. There's a letter in the post apparently, possibly a refund or a discount off my next visit...

When I mentioned I'd be competing at the track at the start of 2011, in the British Sprint Championship, he went in to the office to see if he could get me some 1-2-1 tuition, but unfortunately they were fully booked all day. Bum!

[mervhill]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Tiff really is a top bloke, I've met him once and was impressed by his general friendliness and readiness to talk.

Sounds like you had a great time mate, nice one!

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber




Big grin!

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Modified the rear pads for the 2nd time, to fit in the calipers.
Ground a radius on the inside edge of two of the pads, so that they clear the disk bell when fitted in the calipers.







Next I need to modify the pins that hold the pads in, because I've got the wrong ones for the calipers (pins are too long so I need to drill new holes for the retaining R clips)

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Rxd a letter from Thruxton this morning, apologising for the poor sound quality on the in-car DVD from last weeks session with Tiff.

They've offered me and the missus another free go each, so I'll get a session booked again in the next few months.

I'll also get some track tuition, as I'm sure to be competing at Thruxton in the BSC in 2011.

[4parajon]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Thats good of them is'nt it

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Went to the ford dealers in Leicester yesterday, and they found me a spare hydraulic clutch hose retaining clip for the slave cylinder, so last night I fitted the clip and I can now finally bleed the clutch.

I've also finished fitting the Ferodo pads in the rear calipers. The four long sliding pins that hold the pads in place on both sets of calipers, were too long for the width of my calipers, so I drilled new 1.5mm holes in the pins for the R clips to hold them in situ (well I did two 1.0mm holes in two of the pins, then broke the sodding drill bit in the third pin, and after persuading the broken piece of drill out of the hole, so I used a 1.5mm drill bit to make the hole in the remaining two pins)

The pins were then cut to reduce their overall length, and are now holding the pads in place on both calipers, and the hoses are reattached. So I can also bleed the brakes (finally) and see if the raldes pedal box (so far untested) works with the hydraulic Fiesta ST clutch.

The clutch hose clip that fits in the slave cylinder in the ST gearbox

[team_zi]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Bled the rear brakes last night. One man operation using a vacuum compressor rescued from the WEE skip at work.

Draws the fluid through from the reservoir, and works reasonably well. I had to take the calipers off and orientate the bleed nipples to the top to make sure that all the air was expelled.

And at first I couldn't draw any fluid through, which baffled me for a while. Then I realised I'd pressed the pistons fully inside the calipers, which prevented any fluid from travelling around the inside of the calipers. Soon fixed by pressurising the calipers using the compressor, to force the pistons back out, and the once reconnected, bleeding commenced.

[Roadsport]

Re: Grahamb's Mk1 Fiesta XR2 Duratec HE Hillclimber

Good work! It took eventually three guys to bleed my brakes.