Slomove

I have posted that question on another thread and did not get a reply ☹️ Maybe somebody here knows.... Can I get the Belgom Alu stuff in the US? If so where? I am using Mother's with good success but would like to try the Belgom. Thanks, Gert

I have been reading a few times now about how great the Belgom Alu stuff is. Anybody knows where to get it in the US? I can get Mother's everywhere here and it is O.K. but I am still looking for something better that does the polishing by itself Gert Edited by - Slomove on 25 Jan 2005 06:01:08

I have a bare one now for 2 years. The first year I was wondering to have it painted. Now I have grown used to it. I polish 2 or 3 times a year. With a hand drill and a Mother's Polish on a buffing wheel you can get it very shiny in 2-3 hours. This is not showroom quality mirror finish but you see that only when closer than 3 feet. Gert

if you REALLY want to have it read 10k miles you can hook up a small transformer with an e.g. 5V AC output to the sender input of the speedo and thus feed it with 50 Hz. If you set the speedo calibration to 2500 pulses per mile you will add 1 mile to the odo per 50 sec. Now, let it sit for 5.78 days and the odo should show 10'000 😬 O.K., just joking.... Gert

Just water with window cleaner for real dirt or mud. For a quick wipe I use the foamy household glass/mirror spray and a terry cloth or paper towel. Cheap and dries up with no spots. Also excellent to remove the black polishing residue. Gert Edited by - Slomove on 16 Jan 2005 07:32:47

I have the Cobra Roadster7 here. Pro: - they fit (after a minor modification) - very comfy for long drives - very good side support on the track - well made and look good (IMO) Con: - a bit heavier than e.g. Tillets - if you are over 5'6" you may need additional head support (e.g. on the roll bar) - if you are much over 200 pounds you may not fit in Summary: I like the seats. They are directly bolted to the floor on added steel strips and spacers to tilt back. Gert Edited by - Slomove on 15 Jan 2005 02:18:00

I am quite happy with my ForeTrex mini-GPS as speedo. Admittedly more expensive ($130 here in US) and needs recharging or car battery hook-up. But no wiring or calibration whatsoever and a lot of additional functions. Gert Edited by - Slomove on 9 Jan 2005 16:51:41

Thanks Alan, I did not recognize first it was just a thin disc. And of course you are right: The spring can break at any point and if it happens to be at the top it will just fall down and do funny things. I decided to remove them and install additional external springs. Gert

I read in previous post it is recommended to remove the internal return springs from DCOE Webers to prevent blockage when breaking and install external springs. I had the carbs off today and peeked inside. The spring is suspended from the top on a screw and attaches to the butterfly axle with a little crank. I don't really see how it can block the mechanism even if this extension coil spring breaks. I would expect it to just retract into its bore and leave the return job to the (anyway installed) double springs of the linkage mechanism. That would cause some play but should not be big trouble. Am I looking at the right springs here? Or does the warning not apply to my 45DCOE152 model? Thanks, Gert

How about 3/4 doors Gert

Nifty, the box is easy to take off/on (see the other pics "OneDaySoon" dug out on my web site) and I made it specifically for the USA2005 tour next fall. It is bolted at the bottom to threaded bushings on the lower chassis tube and tied at the top to the roll bar tubes. Maybe it turns out to be useful anyway to haul tools and stuff to a track day . Might even carry a spare set of wheels. Gert

Thanks for all the hints guys, right now I am checking out how much it may cost me to send to Ammo. My company has a good discount with UPS. It may not be that bad (I hope). Brad, I have a lightened flywheel already (not Fidanza but a shaved down steel one @11 pounds). Got it put in together with the semi-close T9 and the LSD. But you are right, it is a noticable difference, especially when shifting. Sean, I will check with Cosworth but the name just sounds very expensive. Their web site is only about the UK headquarters. There is nothing of Torrance mentioned. Well I can give them a call. Gert

You got to make the car longer Gert P.S.: well maybe I should add I normally don't drive like that. Edited by - Slomove on 21 Dec 2004 02:36:16

Duboy, I would love to do this but I don't get that often to the UK and a Zetec head in the suitcase may raise some questions at the airport Gert

Thanks Brad and Ammo! Looks like it is down to Piper and Kent. I will indeed have the head shaved and ported, not sure yet where. I talked with Esslinger but did get the impression they were not that much interested in Zetecs anymore. Piper recommended upgrading the valve springs. Anybody (Ammo?) knows if I also need new spring retainers, tappets or other stuff with the Piper 285 or Kent FZ2002 cams? Or is it just a drop-in and re-tune? Also, when skimming the head, how much? I suppose I don't need to touch the pistons? Thanks, Gert

I want to upgrade my 2.0 Zetec (stock cams/45DCOE carbs/Emerald) with more interesting cams. So far I found a few that should work from Piper (e.g.285), Raceline, Kent (e.g.FZ2002) and Dunnell. Maybe there is more out there. Prices are different but not that much. Are there any technical, performance or reliability reasons to prefer one over the other? Thanks, Gert

Guess that was me who posted that a while ago. here. It is very practical (easy access) and waterproof around the edge. I never got around to seal the breakout for the rollbar stays. But it rains rarely here and I don''t care. The material was maybe $100 and I spent a few days in the garage. No fancy tools but you need a hand for metal work. For a Caterham some dimensions would have to change, but I don't have drawings anyway. Gert

Michael, you may want to talk with Woody of the California Team Birkinsport race team. They sell a cage for the Birkin and tested it thoroughly. (including several flips and barrel rolls). It may be difficult to ship to South Africa but maybe he can give you some hints. Gert

4 bathroom scales, a little 2x6" lumber, 4 hinges, 4 small casters and an afternoon with the jigsaw :here. Works pretty good. Not as elegant as load cells but only $60. Gert

It seems to take forever with a Zetec to "boil it away". I was running with an annoying stumbling engine for a while before it occurred to me that I had pressure-washed the engine bay a while ago. That means it took some time for the humidity to creep into the plug boots. When I finally remembered I found the plugs a few inches under water. After sucking out with a shop-vac everything was back to normal. Gert

Don't make the bracket too stiff in all directions, because otherwise the can and headers will have to take up all the movement of the engine and vibration. I used a single 1"x0.25" stainless rod (vertical orientation) mounted underneath the seats and attached with a single 10mm bolt to the side exit end pipe. That gives excellent support in vertical direction (I can stand on the end pipe) and flexes in the other directions. Welding that bracket, the header and end pipe joints was the first job I did with my new MIG welder. I found it almost easier to do the stainless steel than mild steel. Even if the welding skills are very limited (like mine) you can get a very nice result using the angle grinder to clean-up the incidental weld mishaps (here). Gert

If you don't mind some DIY work here is what I did. Gert

Not sure of course but it may be due to slight differences in exit tip position/direction. I definitely had that annoying problem (exit 3" inboard of the body edge) and changed to side exhaust. This also allowed for better exhaust gas flow and I can take off the exhaust in 2 minutes. I guess that cars with full windscreen are more susceptible to exhaust fume backdraft because of the huge vortex created by that angled plate. Gert Edited by - Slomove on 3 Oct 2004 05:59:12

50mm removable blocks/spacers on the pedals? Just an idea....

Steve, the duct to the footwell dangling out of the "door" was one of the tests for which I posted the temperature readings a while ago. With a 3" flex duct directed forward outside the cockpit the effect was measurable and very satisfactory. But it was just an experiment to show the principle. It is quite annoying to drive with a 3" wide aluminum air duct between your legs. That was the reason I routed a 2" air duct inside from the nosecone opening to the pedal cover. The effect is almost as good. On my car there is about 3/4" gap between the radiator top and the nosecone skin that I use to tap the fresh air from the front. There are links to some pics in the "Footwell Cooling Strategy" thread. The other promising possibility would be - as proposed by other posts - to install a vent in the footwell outer wall. I just did not want to cut that hole. Gert