Johnofox Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Hello all. I’m new to the club having been advised on Facebook to join. I bought a slightly tired SEIW in December and used it in anger for the first time today - it will be largely used for autotests, autosolos and the odd sprint. I was initially very happy with the way the car turns in, and having never owned a kit car the feel compared to a road car is incredible…but then the engine started making some horrible noises which everyone thought sounded like it could get terminal so it was a very short outing. The seller assures me he had no idea it had any issues when sold…guess he was always going to say that but have to give him the benefit of the doubt, just unlucky for me! It’s an 1800 Zetec, so wondered; is the two litre a straight drop in? Does anyone know of a lump with good pedigree for sale? …and does anyone know how much work it is to convert to duratec if one became available? Other things it needs are; a hydraulic handbrake, an LSD, and if you can get steering racks that give you a tighter lock? …then I need one! Thanks in advance for any advice you might be able to offer ☺️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 12 minutes ago, Johnofox said: 1800 Zetec, so wondered; is the two litre a straight drop in? Physically yes, but how easy it will be depends on a few things. Is it a silvertop or blacktop? Is it on carbs or injection? 15 minutes ago, Johnofox said: Other things it needs are; a hydraulic handbrake, an LSD, and if you can get steering racks that give you a tighter lock? …then I need one! Hydraulic handbrake? Why? Tighter lock or quicker steering? Lock is mostly limited by the wheels hitting the body on full lock. Widetrack sorts that. Quicker steering is either a rack change or small steering arms (depending on what uprights you have) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Welcome @Johnofox sorry to hear you've got potential engine trouble. Best to post here for tech questions- https://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/forum/65-tech-talk/ Let's hope you're soon sorted. What how many turns lock to lock does the current rack give you? I find it easier to get it round hairpins with the loud pedal 😉 Do you know what rear diff you've got? It's likely to be a ford sierra item, so plenty of options for viscous or mechanical LSD's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 1 minute ago, Kingster said: Hydraulic handbrake? Why? 20 minutes ago, Johnofox said: - it will be largely used for autotests, autosolos and the odd sprint. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 I'd think that sort of activity would be a very quick way to discover if you suffer from oil surge...by which I mean, what sort of sump/oil system does it have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnofox Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 27 minutes ago, Kingster said: Physically yes, but how easy it will be depends on a few things. Is it a silvertop or blacktop? Is it on carbs or injection? Hydraulic handbrake? Why? Tighter lock or quicker steering? Lock is mostly limited by the wheels hitting the body on full lock. Widetrack sorts that. Quicker steering is either a rack change or small steering arms (depending on what uprights you have) Hi Kingster. It’s currently on R1 carbs, and it’s a black top. Hydraulic as I’m using it for autotest and know from experience a cable operated disc brake set up won’t lock the wheels reliably enough (this was confirmed today). Only my classic mini works for me and that’s on drum brakes which you can get to work ok in this regard. There’s decent clearance to the body so it might already have a wide track. The clearance is what made me think there’s more lock to be had (and it needs it for what I’m using it for!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnofox Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 30 minutes ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said: Welcome @Johnofox sorry to hear you've got potential engine trouble. Best to post here for tech questions- https://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/forum/65-tech-talk/ Let's hope you're soon sorted. What how many turns lock to lock does the current rack give you? I find it easier to get it round hairpins with the loud pedal 😉 Do you know what rear diff you've got? It's likely to be a ford sierra item, so plenty of options for viscous or mechanical LSD's. Hi Ian. It’s got a Sierra diff but it’s open atm; the diffs I know from other motorsport are ATBs and Gripper plated diffs - the latter would be better suited to what I need. I’ll have to go and check the turns to lock! It felt fast enough, just not enough travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnofox Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 21 minutes ago, corsechris said: I'd think that sort of activity would be a very quick way to discover if you suffer from oil surge...by which I mean, what sort of sump/oil system does it have? This did cross my mind…though it was actually an “autosolo” today (I say autotest as people have heard of these more, I do a bit of both) so no reverses and I wouldn’t have thought any more lateral load than a track day and I know the previous owner used it on a few. Doesn’t mean oil surge isn’t the issue though…I’ve not idea what the setup is, which was partly why I was happier buying a car with a BARC sticker, a track day number, and an MSA roll bar as hoped this meant any such issues would be long resolved…perhaps not 😬 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 5 minutes ago, Johnofox said: Hi Ian. It’s got a Sierra diff but it’s open atm; the diffs I know from other motorsport are ATBs and Gripper plated diffs - the latter would be better suited to what I need. 3J driveline are a club sponsor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 16 minutes ago, Johnofox said: This did cross my mind…though it was actually an “autosolo” today (I say autotest as people have heard of these more, I do a bit of both) so no reverses and I wouldn’t have thought any more lateral load than a track day and I know the previous owner used it on a few. Doesn’t mean oil surge isn’t the issue though…I’ve not idea what the setup is, which was partly why I was happier buying a car with a BARC sticker, a track day number, and an MSA roll bar as hoped this meant any such issues would be long resolved…perhaps not 😬 That should have been an excellent choice then as you say. Only one way to know though I suppose, pull the sump and have look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Welcome! Sorry to read you've had a few issues, so soon. 36 minutes ago, Johnofox said: There’s decent clearance to the body so it might already have a wide track. The clearance is what made me think there’s more lock to be had (and it needs it for what I’m using it for!) The standard car is supplied with narrow track from new, unless the wide track option is picked, so by default, the steering racks Westfield supply have lock stops under the rubber bellows to limit the movement. Even on a factory built car on wide track from the start, they wouldn't actually remove the lock stops. So might be worth checking if that's all that's needed on yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnofox Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 Just now, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman said: Welcome! Sorry to read you've had a few issues, so soon. The standard car is supplied with narrow track from new, unless the wide track option is picked, so by default, the steering racks Westfield supply have lock stops under the rubber bellows to limit the movement. Even on a factory built car on wide track from the start, they wouldn't actually remove the lock stops. So might be worth checking if that's all that's needed on yours. This is helpful info Dave, will have a look! Any way to determine (eg on wishbone length) if mine has the wide track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Quickest easiest give away, is there will usually be rack extenders screwed on the ends of the steering arms to accommodate the extra wishbone length. Many, though not all, the wide track makers also use oval or flattened oval section tube as well, whereas narrow is almost always round. A wide track car, will typically have similar track front and rear, but again, there are exceptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Another tip (and people love seeing photos anyway!!) If there are parts on the car your not 100% sure about, put some photos up on here - we can usually identify stuff then, unless it's really, really bespoke. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hunter - Club Secretary Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Welcome from South Derbyshire! Sorry to hear you've got some potential problems.... A blacktop 2.0 should be a straight swap for a 1.8 (dimensions are the same) but will obviously need a remap etc. If you have a shortened sump (raceline etc) then that should also fit the 2.0. Someone like DanST are very good with the bike carb installations. It would be worth knowing what ECU you have before you do anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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