mikuni Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 This is attempt number 2, since the red car got a bit out of control and I realised it was going to take a decent amount of time to get it back on the road, if ever. I decided it would be better to have something I can drive and at least have fun with while I build it. I picked up this Vectra 2000 in late January after thinking it had been sold to someone else. It's one of the messiest cars I've ever seen, but a great base for a track car. I was quite shocked to see the state of the engine bay. It needs a lot of tidying up, but mechanically everything seems to be ok and it has actually had maintenance, just never a clean. First step was to get the rear end sitting a bit lower. This involved solid mounting the subframe and I also moved it back 15mm to lengthen the track and give a bit more guard - tyre clearance, as the wheels actually move forward when you lower these Vectras with IRS. As you can see in the above photo, removing the interior was also part of the first step The dry ice method was used to remove the tar inside, and I'll never go back to chipping the tar out. It's only around $6 a kg and 5kg goes a long way. There was some matted stuff that it didn't quite work on, but overall it's such a clean way of doing it and heaps of fun. Stripping the engine for fitment of individual throttle bodies was also happening at the same time. I was also doing a little bit of tidying, relocating some components such as the coolant header tank, and replacing some seals and gaskets as required. I'd contemplated all sorts of options for the throttle bodies, but decided to take the easy route in the end and ordered a direct to head kit from the UK. A company called QED to be exact. I was impressed with what came with the kit, and also added a few extras on top. The base kit consists of something like below It came in without too much hassle, but did take quite a while to sort it all out through customs. Probably 3 weeks in total. I was olso missing a stupid little bracket that you had to specify seperately, so had to make another order but this came in much quicker being a cheaper package (3 days from the UK to my door). On it went, and I was nearly ready to start it up. The kit comes with a mostly wired loom and a base map, but there is still a little bit of wiring and customisation required to get it to work with the Vectra (it is made for a Lotus 7 style kit car running this engine). Start up vid. This is the second time I started it up, so it was running a bit crap, but I just wanted to catch a little bit of dort on camera before pulling the suspension out for the next stage. I wanted to set the ride height close to how a touring car should be, so set about undertaking some relatively major suspension work. It's not as low as I want it, but I needed to compromise it at least a little bit so that I could drive to the OS Nats trackday, which was held at Manfeild in the Manawatu. I was concerned about the angle of the axles/CV joints and that they might break if it was too low. The front wishbones are a known weak point on these Vectras and so I had a good look at mine. I found one completely broken in half! I'm not sure if this rubber mount is factory or a retrofit, but what ever it is it didn't fix anything. If anything it appears to have made things much worse by creating a weak point where the cap screws are. Needless to say I changed this out for an uprated arm, which is what has already been installed on the other side. New on the left. I also put a better boot on the ball joint and re-greased it. It's not ideal but it should last till stage 2, when things get a bit more serious. The driveshaft on this side was also changed, as the boot was broken. The other sides boot looked fine, so short of tightening up the strap holding it on, I didn't bother replacing it. Unfortunately it didn't have any grease in it, which resulting in a blown CV joint on the way back from Nats. Before Nats I also bolted the seats and harnesses in once the car was sitting back on the ground and level. They are a little low, but I will hunt for some more suitable seats once my bank balance recovers. The oil catch can was also mounted, along with hooking up brake boost vacuum and tidying up a few other loose ends. A wheel alignment was next, then we hooked it up to a wideband and did a bit of a road tune. It took a while to get it right, the tune was very rich and the timing needed heaps put back in it. We had it about as close as you can get it in only a few hours on the road, but the next day I found the TPS was loose and had fallen out of adjustment. We adjusted it blindly as best we could (I was already on the way to Nats) but to be safe we had to set it a bit rich. This was a pitty, as it was running so well, but it didn't seem to affect the power output too much, it was more at idle that it was really bad. Final picture of it out on the track. Sorry about the windscreen wiper. Blame uncle jake for that! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaver Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 jeah, I enjoyed seeing this at nats. Whats the thinking behind such big wheels? Following the touring car image thing or is there another train of thought? I imagine it would be pretty sacked with normal sized rims etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Umm, pretty much just for the look at the moment. Even though I hate those wheels, they were the cheapest 18 inch 4x100 wheels I could find. I want to run the wheels below eventually, but need to change the stud pattern to do so. I bought 18 inch semis for them, but needed something to put them on in the mean time. Main reason for big wheels isn't brakes or anything, it is to drop the lower arm down (RCA) to run the car super slammed, kind of like drop spindles. Here's a pic to show what I mean. And a way more awesome example. You can just see the lower arm there, below the massive disk. You'd never be able to run small wheels on that, but they actually ran 19s! They're too big/expensive for me, so 18's will have to do. Second hand slicks and semis are cheapish in 18 inch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaver Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Fair call, knew there would be method in your madness! THe wheels on your red one are way more rad/will pull off the look better. Onwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage Grumble Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 As the hubs were like half way up the strut, to keep the arms at the correct angles, they needed the big wheels to clear the bottom of the strut, I believe. This looks bad ass as hell, cant wait to hear the dort IRL. Edit: Beat like a rented mule. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingbrick Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Love it man. That itb setup was a nice kit! Second to last pic showing spacer looks like a joke to me. Obviously it's strong enough but forces acting on top and bottom of that spacer must be huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Fair call, knew there would be method in your madness! THe wheels on your red one are way more rad/will pull off the look better. Onwards! haha yeah, they are forged and probably less than half the weight on the black ones. Plus spence pretty much gave them to me, which is the main reason I'm bothering with the stud pattern change. Vectras are 4x100 or 5x110 which is super stupid, so 5x100 will be a good change anyway - heaps more wheels available if/when I bend the forged ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakesae101 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 i think its just a long socket showing proof of concept and size required is it not ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Second to last pic showing spacer looks like a joke to me. Obviously it's strong enough but forces acting on top and bottom of that spacer must be huge.It's just a socket to get an idea on how much I'd need to space it up.One day in the future I will be doing something similar, but with a machined billet shaft in a pillow bushing lower mount. I think it'll be strong enough and have seen similar, but I guess time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingbrick Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Hahaha. I'm using my phone and thought it looked like a socket... But chose wrong option. Make much of a difference going itb's on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durty Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Hahaha. I'm using my phone and thought it looked like a socket... But chose wrong option. Make much of a difference going itb's on it? Sounds awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaMpylobacter Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 brool story co. Brad, I meant to yarn to you about this at nats. looks sweet! ken for track hoonage. eurotrash contingent spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Make much of a difference going itb's on it?Not a huge difference yet, but it's the scope it offers. Now I have the intake sorted I can do the exhaust and cams and open it right up, which should make a bit of a difference.Like durty says, it's just made it a bit louder at the moment, but still nothing special. Hopefully once I do the cams it should sing. Brad, I meant to yarn to you about this at nats. looks sweet!ken for track hoonage. eurotrash contingent spec. Sweet! Always keen for eurotrash smack talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.p.n.s Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 lloks sweet mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Next stage is now complete, which consists of the following: Power steering deletion (done the right way by removing the valve in the rack along with all of the PS gear) ABS deletion Floor mounted pedal box installation Re-run brake lines and 't' them as required Fit new seat about 300mm back from original Fit steering extension so I can reach steering wheel Extend gearshifter so I can reach it Replace CV joint Replace radiator Fit plastic windows Cut the shit out of shit Drill some holes Fit bonnet pins and remove crappy cable Remove heaps of loom and other important bits Fit tiny battery Run new battery cables, kill switch etc Probably some more stuff, but the photos will remind me. Playing with things Steering wheel has some adjustment (see above and below) and is also removable UJ would be proud 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencer Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Oh a update! looks good man, must have been good to get it out on the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Can you ecksplane the putting the seat back and extending everything else to suit, is that just weight distribution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spencer Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Weight distribution and super tourer points. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikuni Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Oh a update! looks good man, must have been good to get it out on the track. It was real cool. Need to soften the front suspension a tiny bit and get a bit more travel because it lifts the inside wheel easily. Opening up the exhaust will free up a bit more power too. I think it will actually be quite quick after that, as it feels really well planted on the track and seems to be a good balance of turn in with lack of understeer and a tendency to oversteer a little bit mid corner which is fun. ky pretty much as spence said, but mainly the cool points. It's fun to pretend I'm driving a proper touring car by sitting real low and as far back as possible. I think it makes a difference though, because the car feels good on the track. Engine out the front is around 150kg and I'm around 180kg (despite what Sheepers may say, the fat cunt), so the further I move my weight back, the more it offsets the heavy motor hanging out the front. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truenotch Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Sweet! How'd the pedal box go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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