Pog’s X1/9

[VitesseEFI]

21 minutes ago, yoeddynz said:

Have a look at the BMW k1200 4 cylinder bike engines.

They have a separate gearbox and are easy to adapt. Strong reliable compact engines The 16v model has 120-130bhp stock?  

Quite a well trodden path for Imps and Imp based cars over here - as I’m sure you know. A friend of mine built a Ginetta G15 a few years back and put the BMW engine it. There’s a guy sells conversion parts making it pretty easy.

Was a good looking result and apparently went very well. He sold it pretty quick so I never had a go in it unfortunately. Some details of the build here

https://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=211756&page=2

13 minutes ago, ThePog said:

as a 'noise' has developed

Hope it’s something “easy”. Or at least cheap. ISTR mine ate an alternator bearing and changing that was a bit of a mission. Mind you, my definition of “mission” has since been shifted by Audi ownership….

[yoeddynz]

11 minutes ago, VitesseEFI said:

as I’m sure you know.

Blowing my tiny little trumpet here.. I was the one who came up with the idea, investigated it further, had a friend with a k100 bike and bought a haynes manual etc etc. Posted it up on imp forum and then moved back to NZ. Fella in scotland continued on with the idea and he was the one who made the first conversions.

The current kit is a neat bit of work. Adaptor plate and new revised uprated front half of the imp transaxle all machined from one huge lump of alloy. Great conversion for imps.

[ThePog]

8 minutes ago, yoeddynz said:

Blowing my tiny little trumpet here.. I was the one who came up with the idea, investigated it further, had a friend with a k100 bike and bought a haynes manual etc etc. Posted it up on imp forum and then moved back to NZ. Fella in scotland continued on with the idea and he was the one who made the first conversions.

The current kit is a neat bit of work. Adaptor plate and new revised uprated front half of the imp transaxle all machined from one huge lump of alloy. Great conversion for imps.

I think I saw him in a vid, two husky's, one with a k1200. Pretty sure he said he developed a kit and had done a few conversions.

[VitesseEFI]

8 minutes ago, yoeddynz said:

I was the one who came up with the idea

Hah, should’ve known 

Not sure the Honda flat six will gain the same following though - too much like work 

[ThePog]

26 minutes ago, VitesseEFI said:

Hope it’s something “easy”. Or at least cheap.

It sound a lot like bearing noise, it comes in over 2.5k and has a cyclic sound, so I would put money on the cambelt tensioner. Probably should have replaced all that when it was out but it looked ok at the time.

[yoeddynz]

2 minutes ago, ThePog said:

I think I saw him in a vid, two husky's, one with a k1200. Pretty sure he said he developed a kit and had done a few conversions.

That young fella and his dad (neat cars, terrible video) are well into their imps. But neither of them developed it. The young fella, Dom Smith, has just really taken to the conversion early on, set up a facebook page for the conversion and helps others with info etc.

Clark Dawson is the fella who constructed the first setup and went on to develop the adaptor parts with the help of a cnc shop (I think the parts are now made by another cnc place because the first one wasn't sorting their shit out)

[NickJ]

10 hours ago, VitesseEFI said:

Hah, should’ve known 

Not sure the Honda flat six will gain the same following though - too much like work 

I reakon Alex could complete one in a weekend if not for all the bike rides, Kevin watching, Weka feeding and general Golden bay lifestyle demands.

[VitesseEFI]

13 hours ago, NickJ said:

I reakon Alex could complete one in a weekend if not for all the bike rides, Kevin watching, Weka feeding and general Golden bay lifestyle demands.

K conversion maybe. Suspect the flat 6 would take at least two 

Cat paralysis does sap productivity somewhat.

[HumberSS]

This thing is around here 

 could get you a contact if you want to have a yarn with him, friend of a friend. 

Or obviously k-swap or LS1. 

[GregT]

I went through a ZZR1100 Kawsaki motor for a guy putting it in a Mitsi Mirage. No idea if it's finished or not. But the engine had a chequered history incl two deceased former owners. One speedway sidecar pilot one roadrace sidecar pilot. The latter killed while actually riding with this engine.  Both friends and customers of mine. Good engines just seem to go around regardless.

[ThePog]

1 hour ago, HumberSS said:

This thing is around here 

 could get you a contact if you want to have a yarn with him, friend of a friend. 

Or obviously k-swap or LS1. 

Yea hes is on here I think. I have seen a few vids of it fanging, its a great sound.

I did some investigating today, I don't think it is any of the ancillary's. 

It is a light clatter that comes in at about 2500rpm and probably until it is drowned out by other noises further up the range. You can hear it when trundling along at 50k, and it is noticeably cyclical, resonating in and out at something like every 2 seconds at a constant engine speed.

It sounds like it is coming from the top cambelt end of the engine. I also looked at the camshaft etc, there wasnt anything bad looking altho I did not check any clearances.

Tbh it was always a punt that it would or wouldn't be fine having languished for so long before getting the tits wrung off it again.

I am now super keen to get the engine apart however I have many other things that need doing as well. I have asked for opinions on the x1/9 forum before I het too deep in but no results yet.

[GregT]

Cam walk ? Easy to check endfloat.  There's a family of bike engines known for it and that's what they sound like.

[ThePog]

8 hours ago, GregT said:

Cam walk ? Easy to check endfloat.  There's a family of bike engines known for it and that's what they sound like.

Good suggestion and easy to check. Ta.

[ThePog]

11 hours ago, GregT said:

Cam walk ? Easy to check endfloat.  There's a family of bike engines known for it and that's what they sound like.

0.3mm, probably not enough to notice.

[VitesseEFI]

Looks bloody brilliant on those wheels .

Good news on probably finding (and curing) the noise. Sounds very plausible.

[ThePog]

6 hours ago, VitesseEFI said:

Looks bloody brilliant on those wheels .

Good news on probably finding (and curing) the noise. Sounds very plausible.

Yea in my head it hits 2.5k revs, the belt centrifuges out enough to stretch and take tension off the bolt, allowing the bolt to vibrate and spin in its hole.

Entirely plausible.

[mjrstar]

I've been for a ride in Kevins starlet, it's quick but not spectacularly fast (maybe a 13.6 1/4mile) in a straight line, but it brakes and turns and grips almost like the feeling of an open wheeler meaning it's highly competitive at tight and twisty events.

Also the 11,000 rpm is kind of cool.. it is however slightly tricky to get a car which pretty much has zero flywheel smoothly off the line.. 

Would definitely hoon as a race car, but as something to have to drive in traffic  maybe not.

[ThePog]

7 minutes ago, mjrstar said:

I've been for a ride in Kevins starlet, it's quick but not spectacularly fast (maybe a 13.6 1/4mile) in a straight line, but it brakes and turns and grips almost like the feeling of an open wheeler meaning it's highly competitive at tight and twisty events.

Also the 11,000 rpm is kind of cool.. it is however slightly tricky to get a car which pretty much has zero flywheel smoothly off the line.. 

Would definitely hoon as a race car, but as something to have to drive in traffic  maybe not.

Well it seems I can put that plan off for a little while longer now.

[yoeddynz]

But if you do decide to dabble then the install that this guy did was super simple and neat (with, as he's admitted, plenty of scope to be improved) 

 

[ThePog]

I saw that - it may have sparked something...