Mickeyduck's machines

[Benckj]

Hope car breezes though the WOF.
Notice you have a can of tyre weld attached to cover bracket. Do you carry a spare tyre or simply rely on this tyre goo?

[mickeyduck]

Hope car breezes though the WOF.

Yes it did.

Notice you have a can of tyre weld attached to cover bracket. Do you carry a spare tyre or simply rely on this tyre goo?

No spare Jim. Nowhere to stash it that it would fit. The 86 doesn't have a spare either, it ships with a Toyota tyre pando.

[mickeyduck]

When I bought the oil and spare brake fluid on Tuesday I forgot to get an oil filter. So Michelle got me one today.

Rather annoyed at the moment. Paid an NZ supplier for a new HKS GT-II wastegate diaphragm, including a hefty extra charge for 1-2 week fast delivery to get it from Japan. Three weeks later I rang them up to ask where it is and discover it's all been forgotten about or something. Wow. I had found one in the USA and was going to order that, via YouShop NZ Post forwarding, but decided to go with a reputable NZ supplier instead. Hmmm...

Anyway I'm expecting a call back. We'll see...

[mickeyduck]

Supplier most apologetic, doesn't know why the order was not placed. Being got from Japan on the fastest possible courier service... Would be nice if it gets here by next weekend as that's my last chance to work on the car before Manfield.

Off out to the shed again now, going to fit the oil cooler and then I might take a look at reducing the rear camber. Will need to carefully document the wheel alignment setup first so I can put it all back again next weekend if needs be, cos it handles very nicely as is.

Weather doesn't look suitable for test runs tomorrow so hopefully next weekend it's dry. Must get a demister working in that thing too. But that requires disassembly of the dash and centre console with the gauges etc. Definitely want to do that but it won't be before Manfield, cos the gauges will need a bit of messing with and I'll also be fitting the 320kmh speedo and probably the telescopic Gen 2 steering column at the same time.

I hope everyone else's cars are coming together nicely for the Nationals at Manfield?

P.S. note to self: date of manufacture of a tyre is last 4 digits of the DOT code. First 2 are the week, second 2 is the year.

https://www.bridgestonetyres.co.nz/tyre ... -of-a-tyre

TyreAge.png (78.43 KiB) Viewed 2403 times

[mickeyduck]

Didn't really do much today. Drained the oil, fitted the oil cooler again with a new filter, threw fresh oil back in there.

Lay under the car checking things out. Threw some lock nuts on top of the nuts that hold the top-hats to the chassis (to be sure, to be sure).

I did discover that this M18 x 1.5 nut had backed itself off slightly. Took it off and cleaned the threads with carbie cleaner then used medium strength Loctite when I cranked it back up.

I want to fit another nut behind these on each side to stop this ever happening (as a lock / jam nut). I'm guessing the torque under full boost is a bit much and perhaps compresses the urethane bushes (pushing forwards) thus relaxing the pressure on the aft nut? I can't find any M18 x 1.5 nuts for sale online as yet. Anyone have a couple of spares of these things off an SW?

Tomorrow I'm going to take a look at the rear camber, see if I can reduce it to get those tyres a bit flatter on the deck. Weather's looking like I might not get a chance for a test blat until next weekend though which is a bit annoying. But who knows? maybe a dry patch will come through?

I'm real happy with the revised suspension setup though. Not that it's had a serious dose of cross-country punishment as yet. But it feels to me as if it's heading in the right direction. I like the ride height too. High enough to soak up any bumps but low enough to corner nicely. Harder springs and softer shocks do seem to be the way to go if you want to get around corners. Unless you're building a rally car. In which case I suspect you might want lots of suspension travel (fairly soft) with some really serious sway bars to stop the body roll? Which is very much how the OEM suspension in the 89 AW SC felt when I got it. Like a limo that can corner.

Anyway this thing's never gonna be a rally car. Even if you can slide its arse around corners.

[CJ]

I did discover that this M18 x 1.5 nut had backed itself off slightly. Took it off and cleaned the threads with carbie cleaner then used medium strength Loctite when I cranked it back up.

I want to fit another nut behind these on each side to stop this ever happening (as a lock / jam nut). I'm guessing the torque under full boost is a bit much and perhaps compresses the urethane bushes (pushing forwards) thus relaxing the pressure on the aft nut? I can't find any M18 x 1.5 nuts for sale online as yet. Anyone have a couple of spares of these things off an SW?

https://www.bearingandengineering.co.nz ... +Nuts.html
For a nyloc one.

or

https://www.bearingandengineering.co.nz ... +Nuts.html
for a standard one.

Crank one on with a split washer, shouldn't come off.

[mickeyduck]

Thanks CJ. I've ordered some M18 x 1.5 flats to act as locking / jam nuts on the rear suspension arms (whatever they are called) and some M12 x 1.25 nylock nuts for the rear shocks.

Threw a few lock nuts on things here and there today too.

Can't find any M15 x 1.25 nuts anywhere (for the hub to strut bolts). Might be a size peculiar to Toyota...?

Finally bought myself a thread pitch gauge so I could be sure I was ordering the right bits. Got a T&E metric one from Repco. Twice as many gauges on it as on a Toledo and nice quality too, at half the price of many comparable gauges from other places.
https://www.repco.co.nz/en/tools-equipm ... p/A1300235

T&E.jpg (174.05 KiB) Viewed 2365 times

After that I reduced the (negative) camber on the rear wheels of the SW. Had to tweak the toe-in again (less negative camber = less toe-in so I had to put some back) but pretty sure I still have between 6 and 7 mm which is what it was before. Definitely more tread on the deck, and still more camber than the front wheels which is how an MR2 is supposed to be.

It will be interesting to see how it is to drive now, but it's not looking like I'll get a chance to really find out until after Wednesday when the rain naffs off. So it'll likely be Saturday before I go for another test run... Cutting it fine.

Oh yeah - I can't remember who it was that suggested to me to swap the back tyres over so the worn inner edge would become the outer edge (which gets less punishment unlike on any of my other cars). I remember I said to them it's not possible as the sidewalls are a different stiffness on the S001 so they have an inside and an outside sidewall. Rather unusual but then they aren't exactly run-of-the-mill rubber. Anyway here's the guts -

Roll on Saturday.

[mickeyduck]

On Saturday I went to Redline Performance to collect the HKS GT-II wastegate diaphragm aka "bellofram".
They threw in a couple of new studs for the BC Gold coilovers too as one had started to strip.

The stud that had started to strip was the first one that I had tried fitting a pair of stainless nuts to, the idea being that one would do up and one on top would be a locking nut. Turned out that I only got to about 50 NM of torque - well below the BGB specified 80 NM - and the stud started to strip.

Thinking about it, the stainless nut was only half the height of the OEM item, thus having half the amount of thread in contact with the stud, so it made sense that at just over half the specified torque the thread on the stud might give way. Bear in mind that torque settings are typically close to 80% of what it takes to strip a thread. Anyway one stud was a bit sad and I wasn't too happy about that.

So the first thing I did when I got home on Saturday was replace that stud with a new one. I removed all the stainless nuts and put the OEM ones back after cleaning the studs and insides of the nuts with solvent and applying a little Loctite. The one stud that takes a slightly smaller nut, then earth wires, and a nut on top, I used 60 NM on the lower nut. The others which are all the right height, I used 70 NM. All with Loctite.

Note: Loctite does not work anything like as well on stainless as it does on regular or high tensile nuts and bolts. If you use Loctite on stainless fasteners I suggest using high strength Loctite, not medium strength. Even then you might only get 1/4 to 1/2 the usual bind (see the product specification charts).

Anyhow, rear BC top-hat studs all have Loctited OEM nuts again now, and all studs are healthy.
Apologies for the sub-standard pix.

So, I had scored a new wastegate diaphragm as well as a new coilover stud:

I removed and dismantled the wastegate. Gotta be careful cos the spring inside is reasonably gnarly and things go flying if you're not careful. The first time I dismantled the thing it took me ages to find the tiny hardened gizmo that the preload adjustment needle pushes against (arrow in pic).

Discovered that since the last time that I pulled the wastegate apart (a year or two ago?) the valve has suffered some serious decay. Really bad pitting. I think perhaps it's because it's been rattling (too loose) and has thus suffered constant blow-by. So I've adjusted its preload screw to one and a half turns after contact and that seems to have stopped it rattling. Some time after Manfield I will need to remove the valve again and have it turned down / refaced in a lathe, then refit it, probably using some small washers as spacers on its threaded section to bring its face back to proper contact with the mating surface in the headers. It'll be losing a little bit of boost and making things spool up a bit slower than they should, and if I drive it too much like this the exhaust blow-by through those pits will eat the valve, but hopefully it'll handle the trip to Manfield and back ok. Damn-well better! I don't really want to spend two grand on a replacement wastegate!

On another note, a wee blat on Sunday morning confirmed that the reduced rear (negative) camber has had no detrimental effect on the car's cornering ability. Hopefully it reduces the car's tendency to destroy the inner edges of the rear tyres under full boost.

The million dollar question now is, can I get to Manfield and back without anything breaking? Especially considering I've gone back to bloody hard springs. I guess we're gonna find out!

I'll print out pace notes for Isaac so if I do break something he can carry on leading the run to Fielding with his Mum as co-driver. He's a damn good driver so if you're looking to tag along this Friday for the trip down, don't worry, you'll get there even if my temperamental red thing does decide to throw a tanty. But I'm fairly certain it'll be just fine.

Can't wait. This weekend should be truly EPIC...!

[Benckj]

Hope it all goes well for you Charlie. Would hate to see you miss an event like this after all the hard yards you have done. I have a few miles to do myself on some untested work. Didn’t really plan on tuning the boost controller and EMS on the drive up. I know it will be far from perfect power wise but just want car to be fun to drive.

[mickeyduck]

Hope it all goes well for you Charlie. Would hate to see you miss an event like this after all the hard yards you have done...

I hope it all goes well for you too Jim..! Have a great trip up mate and I'll look forward to seeing you at Manfield.

[mickeyduck]

Yep that was a great weekend! Nothing fell off and nothing broke.

Awesome track, Manfield.

And there were some seriously enjoyable stretches of road on the way there and back too.

As always, great to catch up with good friends and great to finally meet folk from way down yonder!

A wee video courtesy of Ivan. Thanks mate, nice.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqcThQd6o8U

Here's to the next MR2OCNZ Nationals!

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15506

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15497

[mickeyduck]

There you go. Finish cone just behind my car, just in front of his 2GRFE powered nose. So I finished a car length ahead that time. Just need to practice launching.

It was a bloody good laugh even if I did stuff up the rest of my launches trying not to wheel spin!

A brilliant day and a brilliant track!

Lent my GoPro to Isaac and my other old dash cam recorded nothing so no footage of interest from the track itself from me, sorry. I'm sure there'll be plenty from other fellas posting good footage though, many of whom are far more experienced on track than I am!

[mickeyduck]

Basically happy with how the SW was for the trip to Fielding, a bit of track time and the drive home again. Nothing broke and nothing fell off which is good considering the trip covered about 1200km with maybe half of it being pretty bumpy stuff. Essentially the car, which was built originally for shows and drags (dead flat surfaces) and which used to break as often as not when driven hard on a back road, held up well and was fun to drive, even though I have put damn hard springs back in those coil-overs. So I reckon all those little changes and tweaks over the last 6 years are paying off.

It does need a new starter motor though. Has done since I've owned it...

I was a bit surprised to discover it didn't boost to more than 1.4 bar the entire trip, so it won't have been developing its proper levels of grunt either. It should reach 1.6 so I'm thinking perhaps that wastegate valve may be the cause. It's right up there on the to-do list anyway.

It's going to need new rear tyres soon. Not much left on the inner edges after Manfield, as expected. And I did try (a bit too hard) not to light it up.

Been looking at tyres (online) and wondering if I can fit some 17 inch rims (17 x 8 perhaps?) with tyres that have higher sidewalls than now, but are a smaller diameter and slightly less wide. That would give me a softer ride while retaining the flat and precise handling of my very hard springs. It would also mean less chance of the tyres hitting the guards on really nasty back-road bumps while perhaps having a slightly lower ride height than now. Softer tyres taking the impact would mean less spring travel eh.

I have no idea what offset I'd need considering the big brakes and two-piece rotor setup on the front. Will just need to borrow some and see what fits I guess? But the tyre sizes that look as if they may work are the following, and appear to be available as Bridgestone Potenza RE003 or Toyo T1R. Probably would need to order them in from overseas but that'd be ok.

245/40-17 rear.
215/40-17 front.

This tool is useful for comparing what I have now with what those might be like.
It's also useful for comparing with what the car shipped with as OEM (thinking about the 5% rule).
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc

Anyway, this here is mainly for my reference when the time comes...

I'll round the values up or down to the nearest mm.

#

Rear:

OEM: 225/50-15 diameter=606mm sidewall=123mm

18" now: 255/35-18 diameter=638mm sidewall=89mm 4.7% from OEM. 18mm closer to guards, 34mm less sidewall than OEM.

17" : 245/40-17 diameter=628mm sidewall=98mm 3.5% from OEM. 5mm less close to guards & 9mm more sidewall than now.

#

Front:

OEM: 195/55-15 diameter=596mm sidewall=107mm

18" now: 225/35-18 diameter=615mm sidewall=79mm 3.1% from OEM. 10mm closer to guards, 38mm less sidewall than OEM.

17" : 215/40-17 diameter=604mm sidewall=86mm 1.4% from OEM. 6mm less close to guards and 7mm more sidewall than now.

These are the best 17" sizes I can find. I would have almost as much grip as now and the grip balance would be correct front to back. OEM setup are 30mm wider on the back. The 17's would be 30mm wider on the back, as are my 18's now.

Available tyres are Potenza RE003 or Toyo T1R, rated to 270kmh (pretty tough).

https://www.bridgestonetyres.co.nz/tyre ... alin-re003
https://www.yhiautomotive.co.nz/View-A- ... R?Id=12826

#

If I stick with the 18" rims the options are as follows:

Rear:

Potenza S007A - same size as the S001 on there now.
255/35-18 diameter=638mm sidewall=89mm 4.7% from OEM. 18mm closer to guards, 34mm less sidewall than OEM.

Potenza S001 - slightly smaller than the rear tyres now.
245/35-18 diameter=629mm sidewall=86mm 3.6% from OEM and 4mm less close to guards but 3mm less sidewall than now.

Front:

Potenza S001 -
18" : 225/35-18 diameter=615mm sidewall=79mm 3.1% from OEM same as now.

All the above are rated to 300kmh and are very tough tyres.

Can't find a 225/35-18 or an 18 with a smaller diameter in anything but a Potenza S001.

https://www.bridgestonetyres.co.nz/tyres/potenza-s001
https://www.bridgestonetyres.co.nz/tyres/potenza-s007a

Pros and cons either way I guess.
Slightly better braking, cornering and durability with the 18's. Better top speed too if I ever have the opportunity to try an airstrip.
Slightly nicer ride & cheaper tyres but would need to buy rims, for the 17's.
And will either the 17's or the 18's be available in the longer term?

I have to admit I'd still like to fit 17" and have the car ride just as flat, but lower and smoother then now.

Anyway, other things to look at first. Meanwhile I'll just keep driving the rubber off 'em once in a while.

[GDII]

Ha, having to push the 500hp SW to start it was an experience. Drop the clutch man!!

Have you considered Advan AD08R in 215/40R17 or 215/45R17 front and 235/40R17 rear? They are a really square tyre on 8/9" wheels. Not stretched. Plus they have heaps of dry weather grip. However I have heard but not experienced that they heat cycle a few times and the grip drops off to a normal UHP road tyre. They are not cheap though so less of a viable option as they wear faster.

[Benckj]

Like you Charlie I need new rear tyres and to sort out my wastegate issues. I’ve been looking at the options for plumbing up the gate to EBC and think I have a solution using top port. Wish I looked at before the trip as not having fully operational made my track laps very difficult. Only reason I didn’t pop a piston was because of the WI and extra fuel into center cylinders. Hit 26psi at one point using stock internals.