Rhyscar's Toyota Levin - 2zzge Touring car - Cert list

[Rhyscar]

@Truenotch Yeah I wonder if they have been leaking a bit of pressure. It was only the one nipple on the bottom that was. I’m pretty sure wheel cleaner attacked the residual fluid.
 

 I hadn’t noticed any fluid loss, but it wouldn’t take much for the pressure to drop. 
 

So got some nips on the way. Getting pistons checked out tomorrow. 

[Roman]

I really wish there was a different word than nipples for brake parts.



 

[tortron]

43 minutes ago, Roman said:

I really wish there was a different word than nipples for brake parts.



 

They look bell shaped to me?

 

Bell ends

[GARDRB]

1 hour ago, Roman said:

I really wish there was a different word than nipples for brake parts.



 

You can milk anything with nipples

[Roman]

The last page of this thread is a better written romance novel than any of Igor's viking stories
 

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I'm not sure I would endorse anyone do what I've done to be fair. It was unbelievably hard.

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It’s just got a massive slot

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I softened it by 20mm and it made a noticeable difference

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That thing is so solid. I reckon it has twice the fibreglass thickness mine does. 

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Have these been leaking out the nipples

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Looks like quite a bit of fluid has made an escape. 

 

[Rhyscar]

This is pretty cool. Small feature in latest NZPC rag. Don't think this was ever a goal, but nice way to round out the massive effort of this build. Also well done to Mr @Snoozin for converting my illogical, touring car fanboy/technical jumble into a decent story! 

 

In other news, I've been super busy with work lately and building a carport, so haven't pushed much on this but had a few things tickling away in the background to get on top of my brake issues. 

Project 'keep my rusty 80's toyota out of Waikato rain' underway. Should enable up to 3 cars and/boat to be added in the future, and car trailer can be pushed through the gap for backyard storage on gravel base. @Geophy did a cracker job with the steel posts. Next job is to get the beams and purlins in place, ready for roofing materials (colour matched to garage/garden shed) to arrive next week. Going to look good once done!

 

In 101-related news, I pulled the calipers apart, since they haven't been rebuilt in 15yrs. Nothing too bad, but seals were well past due date, and after a tidy up, found some marks on a few pistons (maybe from removal even). So ordered some new pistons (that annoyingly are the wrong height so @Geophy is now whipping a few mm off for me. 

 

I also took it a little further by making a centre bolt/crush spacer to hold the caliper together a bit better. Theory is they can flex through the middle join, so this will help it stay a bit stronger. (BTW ignore threaded rod - dw I've ordered special bolt with nord-lok washers to hold it together + a few spares for toolbox!)

 

 

So I found this issue again with leaking master (unverified). This is the cylinder I replaced recently so weird that it's failed again. Cardwellsis good with option of warranty, but keen to get to the bottom of it before replacing with something else. So I've got a new brake pressure gauge I'll use to verify the pressure, balance bar settings, and check where this leak is coming from before moving on and replacing. It's a 3-4hr PITA job to replace a master (I'll need to do 2x!) so if I can find its coming from elsewhere, it will save me a massive amount of fuckery. 

 

Going through a basic list of car prep stuff like re-greasing the struts with the correct Moly grease EP 3%, fabricating a behind-reverse blockout plate, and tidying it up since last trackday. 

Not 100% sure of next event - probably one of the various a drive/ride dangerously days and then start the cert process! 

 

As always, family areis super supportive. Reid, the youngest, loves everything to do with cars and is a boy at heart - which is encouraging Finley too. Keen to get them along to more events so they grow up with no other choice than make their life a financial train-wreck in the pursuit of a ridiculous hobby... jks - well kinda.

 

 

[Rhyscar]

Has been a few months of sorting out brake stuff. Not quite at the end, but there has been some interesting findings. I feel useless for how long this has taken, but I know enough to know how it isn't working wasn't right, and until I can satisfy myself that the braking system is 100%, theres no point wobbling around the track and wondering why its slow. So, I'm taking the time to get all this stuff right so I can confidently lean on the car and always drive it to the limit of the tyres. 

 

Firstly, got new pistons. @Geophy machined them down to match the height of the existing pistons. Fitted new seals, bleed screws etc all torqued to correct tightness. Reinstalled with my caliper crush tube and nord-lock washers. Been geeking out on fasteners lately. 

Then I test-fitted the calipers, and noticed the disc wasn't sitting central on the caliper. Then remembered when I went to replace the disc, the exact size wasn't available, so had to use a disc with 1.5mm more offset. Didn't think it would matter - but after some head scratching it really did. I found witness marks on the caliper showing the disc touching the aluminium inner. Meaning I was generating lots of heat but not via brake-pad contact. Which explains the overheating fluid and still under-temp pads.

Once again @Geophy to the rescue, machining some 1.5mm washers that I tacked onto the brackets. Now sitting nice and central (ignore the unevently worn pads!). 

I also replaced all the fasteners on caliper brackets with Hex-head and nordlok washers (were cap screw/allen key prev), to make it easier to service and check for tightness pre-event. 

 

On the weekend, got the system back together and bled up. Temporarily installed a pressure gauge on the caliper to confirm if I was generating enough pressure. This showed approx 900-950psi for my 'normal' amount of braking leg force - which isn't enough (1000-1200psi ideal) to get the pads working properly. If I put all my effort into it, I could get up to 1300psi - so I don't think there's anything wrong with the circuit. These findings made me think about my pedal box setup a little more...

This testing also uncovered an issue with ae101 hubs that the caliper/hub flexes A LOT under braking force. Solution is to move to Prius/CT200 aluminium hubs.... but unsure if I'm keen to undertake this job and deal with 5x100 to 4x100 conversion at this stage. 

 

So in hindsight, a floor mounted pedal box would have been a better idea in this car - I've got enough room, and a top-mount is actually more difficult. But live and learn and all that. What it meants, is I've got a set of spacers between the balance bar, and the master cylinders, which are mounted to the firewall (fabricated sheetmetal insert). One thing we noticed when bleeding it is the firewall flexes a lot (5-8mm) under load. This made me think of dual-spring suspension setups, and how the force is an average of the combined spring forces/lengths - and realised the braking circuit is acting like 1 spring, and the firewall as a second spring, resulting in lower output force on the braking circuit.

I did consider whether changing master size would help me out - going smaller would increase pressure, but lengthen stroke - but decided removing the extra movement will increase effective pressure in system anyway, so I think I'll achieve the desired result by fixing the mounting. The best way to solve this is to move the masters onto the back of the pedal box where they were supposed to be. This requires a few mods involving a grinder but I'm confident I can achieve it... 

 

Splashed out and bought some liquid gold on a few peoples recommendation. 

 

Also confirmed without a doubt that the front cylinder is still leaking - so going to move to Tilton master cylinders because 2x successive failures is enough to not want to repeat again. Although, I'm 80% confident that sorting the mounting will sort the failures anyway. 

 

Here's another small job - making a blockout plate for the blank space behind reverse/next to 2nd. I found that going down 3rd to 2nd was a difficult change as the gate isn't super easy to find. Hopefully this will take some thinking out of it. 

 

 

Next focus is getting ready for cert. Aiming for Sep-Oct ish hopefully. On road by xmas would be amazing. Few jobs to do, but nothing major;

• Authority card inspection
• Windscreen washer to work (need to run line from boot up to front)
• Number plate lights
• Inner guard liners front tubs
• Paint and underseal rear tub mods inside & out

 

I'm learning more and more that this part of the build/commissioning everything you've built over the years is an incredible humbling process. Can only keep moving forward. 

[Rhyscar]

Made some sweet guard liners to stop stones denting the inside of the guards. Turned out pretty nice. Also reprimed/undersealed the rear tubs from when I cut them up. 

 

 

After weeks of looking, finally found an m8 to 6mm hose tail for my Aluminium windscreen washer fluid hard lines I've bent up (reservoir in back of car). These are a keg fitting of all things. 

 

Ordered 2x new Tilton master cylinders to replace the wilwood ones (front had failed, didn't want to risk it with rear). To leave no stone unturned, I also decided to mount the cylinders back onto the pedal box, recessing them 80mm and removing the extenders the old cylinders had on them. This will reduce any sideload on master from misalignment (was all within 1mm), and eliminate the flex between the pedal box and the firewall which wasn't helping pedal pressure, or alignment.

I also wen't down 1 size in front master cylinder, to provide a bit more pressure to the caliper. Time to revise this setup:

This is the recessed mounting plate I had welded in originally. I'll need to seal off the bottom now I've opened it up to the engine bay. I think I've got enough access to TIG weld a plate in maybe?, tidy it all up and paint before installing properly and commissioning.

 

 

I can't remember exactly what my plan was, but luckily the master cylinders fit in there PERFECTLY! The Tilton 75 series master cylinders are a direct replacement for Wilwood compact, luckily - even the reservoir mounting is identical. 

 

 

Authority card inspection complete and all approved! Just waiting for the card to arrive. 

 

 

List before cert is getting shorter:

• Authority card inspection
• Inner guard liners front tubs
• Paint and underseal rear tub mods inside & out
• Brakes not to be shit
• Windscreen washer to work (need to run line from boot up to front)
• Number plate lights
• Exhaust heat protection

Got 3 more weeks to get it finished! Nothing like a bit of pressure. 

[Rhyscar]

Brakes back together and working good. Currently getting cert check, will see how long the list is 
 

DOORTs are full noise too. Enjoy

 

[Rhyscar]

God damn this was incredibly tight. But everything fits. 

 

Dan came over to help bleed brakes and tidy up some last minute jobs. He brought his GTZ Trueno. Couldn't miss a chance to line the two cars up. 

 

Not many can figure out the difference between trueno & levin facelift tail lights (on account of no photo's on the internet), so here you go, internet.

My Levin tail lights are touched up a little with tint around the outer red area - making them look closer to the trueno tail lights. 

[Rhyscar]

So went through first cert inspection. Was pretty OK considering how much of this car is modified. Tim was impressed with how much I'd managed to modify, and generally pretty happy. Authority card helps exempt a few things, but overall the fuel system, suspension, engine swap and chassis mods were all OK. 

• Engine additional throttle return spring - done
• Brake line P-clips 300mm spacing (heaps of mine were 320-350 grr) - done
• 1-2 extra fuel line supports - 50% complete
• Display shift pattern - underway
• Bolts 2 thread exposed - engine mounts, hub & strut bolts mainly - underway
• Heat sheilding steering rack & small section by fuel tank - 40% complete
• Co-driver footrest support
• Handbrake lever stop adjusted to prevent hydraulic handbrake from relying on circlip. 
• Steering column support improvement - machine a support ring
• Front tyre rubbing on gearbox/chassis rail inside
• Pedal box mounted with M8 (requires new mounts to achieve), return spring & stop
• Replace longer studs ARP (wanted to do this anyway, was just trying to save $400!)
• Fuel cell bash plate (might scope creep into a rear flat floor between bulk head and diffuser)
• Boss kit half-nut (needs 2x thread exposed)

 

There are a few challenging jobs in there, but most are fairly easy to achieve. Ticked 5-6 off the list already. 

 

Few of the more interesting/tricky jobs;

Throttle return spring - this was like performing open heart surgery trying to fabricate and fit without removing all the throttles!

 

Header heat sheild - everything is within 50mm, and all needs sheilding. I've got some adhesive alloy wavey material to go on this once I've finished fabricating it. 

 

Wraps right under the steering rack too. Getting it in/out is a PITA - I bit like the lower section of the headers its a major disassembly job to make any changes once it's in. 

 

Here's some rough thinking about fuel tank bash plate. I'll make the under the tank from 3mm marine alloy, then extend under the rear subframe to diffuser using something lighter. Can also fold the sides up to create space/attachement point for tunnels that will fill rear wheel well and out the side open areas in the rear bumper. This was on the cards long-term anyway, so may as well just get it done, since cert requires me to do half of it anyway. 

 

Plan is to crank through this stuff as quick as I can with the aim of having it on the road by summer. Driving this thing on the road is so bloody cool, and suprisingly comfortable - I'd happily do 2-3hr drives. It's pretty crazy that after ~15yrs, and so much opportunity to give up/scope creep to latest fad or another car, I've pretty much nailed the original brief and what I wanted this car for 

1. Be a capable, Touring-car inspired racecar
2. Suitable for daily driving, tarmac sprints and backroad hoons - next level of this will be marathon events/roadtrips
3. Make Doorty noises

So it turns out I'm a simple man, I just go about things in a complex way. 

[Roman]

4. Fucking cool flyby vids