New Addition to the Stables - Mk1 Track Slag!

[tommundy]

Hi all,

I picked up this machine on Saturday:

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5014JPG-1.jpg

It's a stripped out ready to track/race Mk1, which has had many hours put into it to reduce weight wherever possible. It's also had a nice amount of money spent on wheels, tyres, suspension, bracing, seats and stainless exhaust.

Brief specification is below:


100 kg of weight removed
Sunroof removed and blanked off trim
Carpets & soundproofing removed
Front and rear strut brace fitted
Koni shocks, apex springs & poly bushed suspension fitted
Rear Mk2 18mm anti-roll bar fitted
Steering rack poly bushed
Lightweight motordrive seats & Willens harness drivers side
Quick shifter kit
Team dynamics pro race alloys with Toyo R888 tyres
Lightweight cooling fan
Momo steering wheel
Modified bonnet


Firstly, R888's... OMG! The grip these tyres can produce is astounding! Absolutely no understeer and near on unlimited amounts of grip! I've not had chance to drive her in huge anger as the seats are a little too snug for my frame at the moment, but there were some country roads on the way back from darn sarth, which gave me a brief chance to see what it's capable of. It's had 4 wheel alignment done also and you can tell! Also, because all of the soundproofing has been removed, you get all the engine bay noises and tyre drone that make you feel like you're in something special. There's no heater/cooler as all of the dash has been removed, but you just have to dress for the weather! :) The guy that I bought it off really has gone to the nth degree of stripping and weight saving, even down to having 1 washer jet, 1 rear number plate light and having a sticker as a rear number plate!

It'll make a good companion to my Mk1.5 and there's only a couple of small jobs to sort, namely a sticking handbrake cable (which is a must in Sheffield!) and a slight blow from the exhaust manifold along with some new seats or possibly stretching these ones. It's also got the common high Mk1 cold idle, which I'll sort temporarily with a tyre valve cap with ye olde hole drilled in it.

It get's a lot of looks wherever you go and should be funny to take in for MOT. The previous owner had done a couple of track days and had taken it across to the Nurburgring, so it's got a nice history. It is a low mileage example with only 66k on the clock, but I'll be keeping it on the road, which is the main point! :)

Anyway, here's some more pics:

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5011JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5013JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5015JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5016JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5017JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5018JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5019JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5021JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5022JPG-1.jpg

Jekyll and Hyde or Hyde and Hyde? :D

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/04/IMG_5010JPG-1.jpg

All thoughts and comments welcome! :D

Cheers,
Tom

[coverco]

Now that is basic motoring :-)

[Master-B]

YES! Is it coming to one of the Tattons, Tom?

[tommundy]

YES! Is it coming to one of the Tattons, Tom?
Possibly the June one mate. I'm away for the August one on a road trip around Europe; thread to follow! :)

I'll be bringing it on the Peaks run in May though!

It's good being back in a 4AGE'd Mk1. :D

[Master-B]

4-AGE is the engine of winners! I wont be on the peaks run due to a corporate engagement unfortunately, so I cant wait to check it out in the metal... you wouldn't think so to look at my cars but dirty stripped out to poverty spec specials like this are right up my street :-D (ps mrs b is horrified and has declared you a "bad, bad nerd" :-D :-D :-D)

[AW11mike]

fantastic MR2 tom, its alot like my brothers (AW11glyn) track car. your right about R888s, i wont use anything else :)

[chief44]

Wow, I love that. I look forward to seeing it on the next peaks run, providing my 1.5 is healthy. Looks like great fun!

[julianw]

Nice, Tom, very nice.

But please, exercise due diligence and get something lightweight but protective in front of that rad! Nothing spoils a good blast like losing all your coolant in seconds.

[tommundy]

Cheers all!

Yup, already have some decent mesh on my shopping list Julian! :)

Probably going to treat it to some lockable boot and engine bay pins too as it'll be parked on the street quite a lot.

Cheers,
Tom

[tommundy]

Damn, looks like it'll need a new screen before long. I didn't notice it had a small chip with slight spidering in it when I bought it. I had it repaired on Monday but the spidering has started to spread.

I'll keep an eye on it and do it through insurance when required.

[coverco]

Take out the windscreen and wear goggles Tom, that screen must weigh 5 or 6kg :-)

[Gilles27]

Take out the windscreen and wear goggles Tom, that screen must weigh 5 or 6kg :-)
For better aerodynamics you should also remove the rear glass! If you wear a helmet with a wing on it you can tip your head as you go into corners to get more downforce and straighten it on the straights! :+:

[coverco]

I have driven my MK1 with no windscreen in, even wearing a motorbike helmet it was pretty uncomfortable. It was funny to see the looks other drivers gave me though :-)

[tommundy]

Just an update on this... it's still great fun!

I've not driven a tighter Mk1 in a long while; it even makes me realise I need the geometry re-doing on the Mk1.5. Okay, it's a bit hampered when it's raining due to not having any blowers fitted, so you've got to have the windows down, but apart from that, it's great fun!

Got a few jobs to try and do before Tatton Park this weekend!:


Fit some seats that I can sit in for more than 20 minutes without my right leg going numb
Swap wheels front to back as rears are a little low
Fit new headlight bulbs as the main dipped element has gone on one side (rusty screws ahoy!)
Bleed the clutch as it's not fully releasing sometimes
Do the tyre valve waxstat fix (I may do this at Tatton though)
Fit a mesh over the radiator (again, I may pick up some at the auto jumble at Tatton park and do it there!)


The weather is hampering things somewhat though!

Cheers,
Tom

[coverco]

If you need a garage you know where to come :-)

[superwhite90]

It's got an aftermarket 12" fan in it hasn't it? Replacing the two originals? Any idea of the make as I was looking into that myself whilst my front end is apart!

Does it make any difference to the cooler or do you not notice?

[tommundy]

Hi Alex, yeh, it's got an after market fan fitted. However, I don't think it's even come on yet due to a thermostat that's stuck open and the bonnet vent mod, which brings air through the radiator more effectively. The guy said he'd just wired it in to the existing connections. I'll check out the make for you and post back on here.

Cheers,
Tom


If you need a garage you know where to come :-)
Cheers mate! Hopefully I'll get the main jobs done tonight, but then again, I don't get in from badminton until gone 7. I've cleared it with work for the possibility to take tomorrow afternoon off just in-case! :D

[jimi]

I got my 12" slimline fan from ebay, plenty to chose from and not expensive around £25 iirc

from this

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2010/04/03-1.jpg

to this

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2010/04/04JPG-1.jpg

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2010/04/05JPG-1.jpg

It's been on the car for 3 years and I've never noticed any change in the temperatures, just the same as they were with the 2 fans
:D

[superwhite90]

The pictures didn't come up Jimi. I'm guessing you just cut the existing loom and splice onto the new wiring? How slim was yours?

[tommundy]

Pictures showing fine for me. :/

[superwhite90]

Maybe it's cos i'm at work. They normally show up.

[jimi]

Pics seem fine for me :confused:
I cut the plug off an old fan I had and fitted it to the new one, so it's plug and play. The original fans can be refitted any time. High wise. it's no higher than the inlet/outlet spigots on the radiator. I can remove / refit the radiator from the above with ease :D

[snoball]

for me your track car looks a mess - sorry but for my taste it should be all there on the outside if not on the inside and that front end looks as though it's been through a wall.............

there's a lot to be said for decent aerodynamics and that sure a heck hasn't got em..............

sorry but i find your "track slag" extremely distasteful............. just my opinion...............

[tommundy]

Are you saying a track car should be totally standard on the outside and have no interior removed? If you are, I'm not sure you get the idea of a track car! :lol:

The front end is rather blunt, but should look better once I've put some mesh over the radiator. However, it's not designed to be pretty!

The only negative aerodynamic difference to a standard car is the flatter bumper, but that's not going to make a great bit of difference. In my humble opinion of course. :)

I'm kind of glad you don't like it; a car like this should divide opinions.

Cheers,
Tom

[coverco]

My fans have never come on (they do work). I think you would need to drive across the sahara to get the front fans to come on, my engine compartment fan has been on once before. Having just replaced my radiator I can say the twin fans are bloody heavy :-)

[snoball]

no am not tom :)

what am saying is that the body kit should have been left alone or altered for one with better aero characteristics - the interior should be as it is - totally stripped out and a cage put in with limited dash requirements etc......

chopping the aero parts off the car creates more drag due to increased friction - the front should have got summat like an F1 or T type bumper and the back end that should have been left as it was as the bottom of the bumper should line up with the undertrays creating a nice airflow aft under the car.

if you're gunna do anything with it as it is then take it stock car racing....... can't hurt it any more than it has been..........

[coverco]

chopping the aero parts off the car creates more drag due to increased friction - the front should have got summat like an F1 or T type bumper and the back end that should have been left as it was as the bottom of the bumper should line up with the undertrays creating a nice airflow aft under the car.


This actually made me spill my drink, trust me the bumpers on a MK1 can not be described as aero parts :-)

The set up on Toms car actually allows the air to move more quickly past the front end as the bonnet scoop allows the air to flow up and over the car, this should in effect create more downforce because the split air will speed up to pass over the top of the car as that is a further distance than the under route. The rear bumper is definately not an aero part either, by the time any air gets to it the car is gone. My only problem with this car is the seats are the most uncomfortable I have ever sat in :-)

[Master-B]

Even with all your natural padding aswell Tommy?! :-D

[coverco]

Trust me Kris the seats are shocking, I know Tom is bringing this car tomorrow and even he wants to change the seats before he sets off ;-)

[snoball]

if the rear of tom's mk1 isn't an aero part then why do the likes of ferrari, chrysler, bmw etc...... spend millions developing the aero parts for the rears of their cars ????? things like difusers sculpted bumpers etc.... oh maybe it's to try and smooth the airflow as it exits the car !!!!!

as for the front end - if it is as you say more efficient to have the bonnet like this why is it then that no company either track, rally or road is using one ????? cos you're saying that it's better for the cars cooling that it should have this !!!!! all the above firms use flat bonnets to increase the airflow over the wind tunnel tested bodywork, they use wide mouth front bumpers cos it forces the air into the rad and or intercooler at a higher speed therefore allowing the engine to run cooler and therefore more efficiently.

car firms spend millions developing the aero packages on their cars and yet i've never in any form of racing seen a bonnet like this with exception of the lotus elise.

so for you to make a sweeping statement like that is just plain wrong - where's your evidence ????? i can pull so many examples by looking on youtube it's unreal --- even the front mounted intercooler versions of the impreza use a flat bonnet !!!!!

[tommundy]

New drivers seat mounted; will fit this tomorrow afternoon!

All this aero talk is funny, not sure why it's all so serious snoball? The airflow on the mk1 that goes under the car comes up and out the engine bay. The other cars you mention have flat bottoms, which the mk1 does not.

As for an f1 style spoiler, don't be ridiculous. It's a road car that may be used on track occasionally.

Cheers for now!

Tom

[coverco]

if the rear of tom's mk1 isn't an aero part then why do the likes of ferrari, chrysler, bmw etc...... spend millions developing the aero parts for the rears of their cars ????? things like difusers sculpted bumpers etc.... oh maybe it's to try and smooth the airflow as it exits the car !!!!!

as for the front end - if it is as you say more efficient to have the bonnet like this why is it then that no company either track, rally or road is using one ????? cos you're saying that it's better for the cars cooling that it should have this !!!!! all the above firms use flat bonnets to increase the airflow over the wind tunnel tested bodywork, they use wide mouth front bumpers cos it forces the air into the rad and or intercooler at a higher speed therefore allowing the engine to run cooler and therefore more efficiently.

car firms spend millions developing the aero packages on their cars and yet i've never in any form of racing seen a bonnet like this with exception of the lotus elise.

so for you to make a sweeping statement like that is just plain wrong - where's your evidence ????? i can pull so many examples by looking on youtube it's unreal --- even the front mounted intercooler versions of the impreza use a flat bonnet !!!!!

Do you have a degree in mechanical engineering? I have :-)

I could address all your points but to be honest I can't be bothered, anyone who believes Youtube is good place to do aerodynamic research is obviously much more knowledgable than me.

Just remember a MK1 with a 4age is a 120 bhp car which weighs just over a tonne and is mid engined with a front mounted radiator. An Imprezza has an engine under the bonnet so obviously you can't put a bonnet scoop in it. Have you actually thought about what the bonnet scoop on the MK1 does or is it just wrong because there are no videos on youtube?

[chief44]

as for the front end - if it is as you say more efficient to have the bonnet like this why is it then that no company either track, rally or road is using one ?????


Ford GT?

[tommundy]

Good call!

[tommundy]

Plus a quick search reveals this:

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/05/live71394_image5_3-1.jpg

*sigh*

[superwhite90]

If they spent millions designing the front, why did they put the number plate bang in front of the radiator. I noticed a difference in engine temp when I moved mine to the side.

The rear spoiler apparently pushes the back of the car down, but mods have been done to move it back 2-3 inches to provide more drag. Someone did that on their v6 conversion I seem to remember.

The mk1 'bodykit' if you can even call it a bodykit, isn't there for aerodynamics just to finish the car off. You can't say the skirts do anything for it either.

[superwhite90]

I'm sorry I asked about the bonnet Tom - I like it by the way - and 'track slag' makes it sound like a nasty bit of kit ;)

[tommundy]

Well, the drivers seat is in, but I can't put the passenger seat in from my Mk1.5 as I don't have any fine threaded bolts here with me in Sheffield! :(

[tommundy]

I'm sorry I asked about the bonnet Tom - I like it by the way - and 'track slag' makes it sound like a nasty bit of kit ;)
No worries, cheers Alex! :)

[HowardB]

Ford GT?

Lotus Elise?

[superwhite90]

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/05/LTVRSagaris8_zps085c5ee3-1.jpg (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/superredmr2/media/L-TVR-Sagaris-8_zps085c5ee3.jpg.html)

[Deadly_smell]

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/05/ferrari_la_ferrari_special_series_04_103-1.jpg (http://s868.photobucket.com/user/Deadly_Smell/media/ferrari_la_ferrari_special_series_04_1-0305-450x240.jpg.html)

[Deadly_smell]

http://www.mr2mk1club.com/images/imported/2013/05/imagesCACJHWKW-1.jpg (http://s868.photobucket.com/user/Deadly_Smell/media/imagesCACJHWKW.jpg.html)

Flat front with scoop