Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

High reving engines .. plastic tension arm ... plastic arm flexes under fast rev increases and lets the belt slip momentarily, also damps the vibration...

Plastic? Very interresting. Have any pics of one? Where can I get one or are these parts that need to be hand made?

-Markus

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Evolution three is it now? I really hope this one does the Job. It turned out this iron was only 10mm thick not 15, but I hope its up for the task. It sure looks robust enough.

[Retromotorsport]

Re: Escort

Gartrac sell them

sponsors logo's at top of page

[team_zi]

Re: Escort

The bracket looks stronger, but the bolt will be the weak point now. The alternator will try to oscillate under load, particularly when you go over a kerb. The flywheel effect of that pulley isn't going to help much either. You'll probably still sheer bolts off.

Ideally, at least one of the alternator lugs needs to be supported on both sides. Both my brackets (untested) now pinch the lugs, which should prevent oscillation/vibration, and ultimately, the bolts from shearing.

Bottom bracket


Top bracket


Your new one certainly looks better, more substantial than before, but I guess you need to try it now, and see if the fix has worked, before making further modifications.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

I think I'll try it with this one unless I get another lecture again from co racers

I'll have to check into those plastic tension arms and perhaps invest to a hd 12,9 grade bolts.

The huge pulley however will reduce vibrations since the alternator spins a halluva lot slower than with original pulley.

Would a thick washer under the bolt end help any ?

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

I think I'll invest in some Nord lock washers.
They really are the best way to prevent the bolt from coming loose under heavy vibration. And bolts seldom brake if they're snug and tight. But if they get to resonate they'll more likely break.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Picked up the harder bolts an lock washers today.
And finally finished the side project engine.

Now waiting to get mt hand on the race engine. The head should finally be back within couple of weeks or so.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Finally got some good news from the machine shop. The head should be finished soon.

I sent the vernier pulleys to the shop today to have them fitted to the cams and to have the cams drilled for the locking pins.
Finally I feel like the project is moving along.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

The tension arm and the bracket got coated today.
Me like
The most important thing right after horsepowers must be the bling factor

[team_zi]

Re: Escort

Coor. What coating is that? Nickel plated? Chrome plated?

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Coor. What coating is that? Nickel plated? Chrome plated?

I do not know the correct word for it in englis but I believe it is yellow zinc plating.

Its nice that it gets to all the burrs in the welds and its tougher than a coat of paint.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Spent an hour at my garage today. Decided to make the front end of the car lighter .As if the swap from Pinto to Sigma wouldn't be enough. The plumbing got whole lot simpler in the process too.

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

Decided to leave the cabin heater out from the water circulation. Thats why I nedded to plug the thormostat housing. The new RWD water outlet in the cylinder head does not have a outlet for the heater.

Removing the heater from the cabin should take some weight off the front end. And It is simple job to do the plumbing now.

[Moggy]

Re: Escort

Hey Marcus....it's looking good.

On our plumbing we also got rid of the heater. We used the small outlet on the black plastic thermostat hosuing as the inlet connected to the top of the header tank....it allows for expansion then......could you not have done this rather than blanking it? or do you not have a seperate expansion/header tank.

On the back of the head we connected the small 8mm bleed up to the header tank also so no air gets trapped in the head. The swirl pot also has a bleed in the top which goes to the expansion/header tank.....as does the bleed in teh top of the radiator which in our car is at the front (engine is mid mounted).

we have no overheating, expansion or trapped air problems. Although the Samco bill was crippling!

[Roadsport]

Re: Escort

I was planning to keep it as simple as possible.
I was planning on putting in the Focus coolant tank / header tank (not sure is that the right word?) on my Sierra radiator to keep the pressure high enough and thus prevent overheating.

On the older Zetec S's the header tank is connected directly to the radiator. As I now have. But on the modern Sigmas the header tank is connected to the heater inlet in the thermostat housing via T - piece. I'm going with the older, more simpler way. It may still need to change the radiator tough. And I'd like a shorter one to leave room for the cold air intake for the engine.

So I can plug the heater inlet and spare myself from the trouble of putting in another hose. Coolant can expand to the header tank via radiator. I still need to pull the de-air hose. We'll see wheter these plans of mine work.

Jon has a single inlet thermostat housing for sale. But it had no groove for the O ring and I'm not a big fan of glue sealants. And its quite a task to order stuff from Jon to Finland. So I decided to do one myself from the OE housing.