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Towed does the piece of box you have used to lower have any reinforcement inside it? If not then you may want to check it after some miles have been put through it to check it hasn't started collapsing?
Aware of the collapsing lowering block issue thanks to Phil. I welded strengthening blocks into the original, but the 40mm box section I used this time is double the thickness in the walls, so should be fine. I've also now received a pair of 150lb Spitfire springs and when I get around to fitting them I might just raise the rear suspension again anyway.
Hi mr T, was that spring originally a herald or spitfire spring? On the cooling side have you put any ducting in to guide air from the grille to the rad? If not i think you're getting a high pressure zone in your entire engine bay, stopping the flow throug h the actual radiator. I think this as u say only temp prob at high roadspeed. At least u need some kind of tray at the bottom linking nose to radiator, probably with a downwards lip. Look at some pics like australian ford falcon undertray. It creates a lower pressure behind the radiator assisting flow.
Hi mr T, was that spring originally a herald or spitfire spring? On the cooling side have you put any ducting in to guide air from the grille to the rad? If not i think you're getting a high pressure zone in your entire engine bay, stopping the flow throug h the actual radiator. I think this as u say only temp prob at high roadspeed. At least u need some kind of tray at the bottom linking nose to radiator, probably with a downwards lip. Look at some pics like australian ford falcon undertray. It creates a lower pressure behind the radiator assisting flow.
Hi Tim, rear spring is original Vitesse item. The three loose leaves were removed during the build, and I've just removed the next three down in the stack as the ride was rock hard. That's given the back end a softer ride and improved grip as the tyres are staying in contact with the tarmac. Once I get round to fitting the 150lb Spitfire front springs I should have a car that can be driven much faster on the road without hopping about and loosening both your fillings and your bowels.
Adding an alloy wing ahead of the radiator to scoop air into it was something I'd considered, but there isn't much room to play with at the front and if I did fit one it'd have to be removed prior to bonnet opening or it'd foul.
I might just fabricate something to divert air into the rear radiator when I fit it, which won't be this weekend as I just need to get the side exit exhaust finished and the car back on its wheels for Sunday's race meet at Snetterton. The reason for going for a side exit exhaust, by the way, is partly to stop the exhaust from heating up the rear radiator, partly to provide a little more ground clearance (the silencer was the lowest part of the car) and partly because I hope it's going to look cool.
Should have some video of it fully fitted by this evening.
So, after test running Frankenstein's exhaust system made up from hacked about bits of the old system and a few new bends yesterday, it was time to assemble it with exhaust cement and test drive it this evening -
It was too dark to video the test drive I'm afraid, but it sounds a bit more like a racing car now and I'm rather pleased with the way it looks.
So, after test running Frankenstein's exhaust system made up from hacked about bits of the old system and a few new bends yesterday, it was time to assemble it with exhaust cement and test drive it this evening -
It was too dark to video the test drive I'm afraid, but it sounds a bit more like a racing car now and I'm rather pleased with the way it looks.
Funnily enough, no earplugs will be necessary. It roars when you floor it and crackles on the overrun, but it settles to a 'speedboat' burble while cruising.
It also feels like it's freed up a bit more power. That could be because of the 'straight through' silencer, or it could be that the new system just happens to be better tuned to extract the exhaust gases or it could just be that it sounds faster so feels faster.
Either way I'm rather pleased with the new look and sound
Do you need to treat / protect the ply next to the cherry bomb from heat?
Enjoy Snetterton, I have lots of fond memories of that track from my days on two wheels.
Take care, Paul.
Hi Paul, glad you like my side pipe
The only treatment the ply hss had is a generous coat of cuprinol clear. I'll see how it goes tomorrow, but I'll be heat wrapping the whole exhaust system next week some time anyway.
if towed's got flame's coming out the back ..or his back is black with holes in his coat then i guess he's got a prob ..just go faster to put them out....
Son and I met up with Barry and Phil first thing at a local petrol station en-route -
Then a quick blast down the A134 to Thetford and a left onto the A11. We'd kind of agreed to take it easy on the run to Snetterton, but there was this Caterham 7 about half a mile ahead, and, well, it would've been rude not to blast past him, now, wouldn't it?
Here's a taster of the first part of the journey. It was quite an experience driving in convoy with two other Spyders, I can tell you. Apologies for the shaky cam, but that's just a sign of how firm the ride is on the cut down Vitesse front springs. Hopefully it'll be a little smoother when I fit the Spitfire springs.
We all parked up together in good company with loads of old classics and the three together drew quite a crowd and instigated quite a bit of head scratching -
Between watching the racing, strolling round the pits and classic car park and stuffing food in our faces, we had an ongoing game of 'dream garage'. Given a big enough cheque from Camelot, this'd be my choice -
Lovely!
I'd like to say a big thank you to Phil and Barry for inviting me along and keeping me and my son company. It truly was a grand day out
Either way, it looks like what I am having built, even the same colour choice as I am thinking (at the moment)
Lovely burgundy red colour, somewhat darker in the metal than in the pictures, will look great on your car. Didn't ask what model of Maserati it was, Phil J will know though.
Lovely burgundy red colour, somewhat darker in the metal than in the pictures, will look great on your car. Didn't ask what model of Maserati it was, Phil J will know though.
I finally got round to putting my Spyder on the weighbridge this morning thanks to the guys at my local VOSA testing station, which just happens to be under a mile from my house
It came in a little heavier than I expected at 780kgs (with a full tank). The weight distribution is rather front biased, as you'd expect, with 530kgs over the front axle and 250 over the rear, giving something like 70%/30% front to rear. With me in it my weight all goes over the back axle giving around 60/40, and with another adult passenger aboard it would be about 55/45. It certainly doesn't feel unwieldy on the road, it grips and turns with real precision although it's quite easy to light up the back tyres if you choose to.
Obviously my great big cast iron six weighs about 200kgs on its own, so a four cylinder model without the modern fripperies I've added - brake servo; wireless; heater; steel spreader plates/armour under the seats - should come in at around the 680 to 700kg mark.
And just to prove that the sun always shines when you're driving a Spyder, here's a pic of my car parked outside the gym this morning -
My power to weight ratio works out at 101 bhp/tonne, which isn't bad, and it wouldn't take much tuning or a swap to a more modern engine (sacrilege!) to turn one of these into something that could out-drag a fast bike.
Hmm, I wonder if I could get the motor from one of these to fit -
Yout exhaust looks very great. I love it when it is loud and it roars. There is absolutely no reason why it shouldn't. The drive you took look swell. I have no heater planned, so I gues I have to save up for some sort of leather bomber jacket to compensate.
Really nice to see the theree cars together.
