Fordtopia

Thursday, 12 June 2014

2013 V8 Supercars Sydney NRMA 500 Sunday 8th December Part1 (hospitality)

The Sydney Telstra 500 was launched on 16 May 2009 in Sydney. It has an identical format to the clipsal 500 with two 250 km races, one on Saturday, and one on Sunday.

The previous champion Jamie Whincup (and favourite) secured a record-equalling 5th championship title in style coming first in Race 1 and then 3rd in the second race. It was the final race of the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship, adding to the excitement of a great weekend of thrilling V8 racing was the first ever twilight finish at Sydney Olympic stadium making the circuit’s close concrete walls even more of a threat as the drivers had to compete with a lack of light as the sun set and extreme glare at some points of the track

On Sunday the 8th December I was lucky enough to tag along with a mate to the second day of racing. Its was on from Friday with practising and qualifying through to Sunday, we only went on Sunday though. The event is located at Sydney Olympic Park in West Sydney. Its the same complex that hosted the 2000 Olympic Games

We were given free corporate tickets to the 'Norton 360' Suites, which were located directly over the pits on the main straight. They have food all day long, buffet style, lunch was pretty big and a large selection of hot meats. And unlimited beers / Spirits all day. Because they share with the Kelly Brothers they had Jack Daniels there as well.

The venue is very large and very flat almost a rectangular shape track. I would highly recommend spending the extra cash on getting grandstand tickets to be elevated for a better viewing point.

Getting there by train is very easy and free if you show your tickets, we got dropped off nearby and walked up and found it a bit of a maze to find the grandstand

The corporate stand was 3 levels up formed on temporary scalfolding and shipping containers. The stand was directly above the pits. And opposite from accross us was another grandstand as well without the corporate catering which would have been a good vantage point to look directly at the pits.

The corpoarate stands have a balcony along the full width and large fans / fridges bar staff and large screen displays they also have a direct screen feed to the V8 supercar time data and also our particular stand because it was sponsored by Norton / Jack Daniels had ipads with a direct camera feed to the pits.

Below is a view from ground level of the stands.

Being part of the Olympic Park stadium there is roofed pavilions that the V8 supercars have utilised they had a few V8 supercars being worked on between races in direct public view which was nice to get up and close. Any other time of the year the track is a public road.

Outside the pavillions heading away from the pit area they are had various other promotions such as this ford ranger and kuga stand. You line up and choose either to be a passenger in the ford kuga's which the ford driver will show you the automated park assist, or the ford ranger which as you can see shoots over a small course incorporating a 10m high ramp with good views across the venue

Down the main throughfare there is a long road called Olympic boulvevard with various car club displays branching off from it and also trade stands and merchandise.

This 4wd display was amazing the rock hopper had fully articulated hydraulic suspension and did all sorts of tricks and crazy moves to dazzle the crowd throughout the day.

This was the Austin Healey car club display they had a car for each driver and escorted the drivers around the track before the start of the race on the parade lap.

View looking down over the pit entry from the corporate stand.

This is the display screens from the corporate stands with gives a live feed of track data positioning etc

We were exceptionally lucky to have a Norton rep come and give me and my mate a private tour of the Norton Hornets pit, we got to go down and were fitted with a headset that was the same communication line that the drivers and engineers use to listen in while we walked around the pit.

We stood with the engineers and watched the screen data change and also kept an eye on the pit crew and what they were up to.

Pit crew waiting around for some action

On the particular day that we went James Moffat the Norton Hornet V8 driver had his gearbox blowup mid race and we had the oppurtunity to stand with him in the pits, understanably he was aggravated having to pull out with mechanical problems and wasn't approachable.

A couple of pics of the sorts of live data the engineers are processing

Engineers hard at work...

Overall a very special day that I wont forget!

Friday, 25 April 2014

2wd Sapphire Cosworth Heating / Cooling

The Ford Sierra Cosworth Cooling system is a traditional setup found in most cars and is very similar across the cosworth range it basically consists of the following main items:

-Radiator
-thermostat
-waterpump
-header tank

It circulates between head , block, radiator and turbo through various hoses

The two rear wheel drive Sapphire Cosworth's that I have owned have had problems with the heating / fans when I first got them. In short for a standard 2wd Sapphire Cosworth:

-fan wiring is inadequate
-not enough relay's for the fans
-not enough fuses for the system
-thermostat could be replaced with a lower temp one
-fan switch could be upgraded to a higher temperature switch if aluminum radiator is used
-end tanks of radiator prone to collecting sludge

With my 2wd Sapphire Cosworth at the moment I have a standard radiator that I have just had re-cored about 6 months ago.The radiator was filled with sludge and leaking from the previous owner who had used also used 'Bars' head gasket leak etc on it . With limited options in New Zealand , I opted to have it reconditioned. The internal core was not able to be cleaned out as the waterways are spiral I was told. I had the end tanks cleaned and fitted to a new core.

The benefits from going down this route is that I firstly didn't need to wait to get a radiator imported and that the standard radiators do not get heat sink like the aftermarket alloy radiators do.
If upgrading your engine it is obviously recommended that you upgrade your cooling system at the same time though.

One of the radiators I had was accumulating debris beside the fan switch within the end tank. Because of the shape of the tanks it is prone to collecting unwanted sludge. If your having problems you can just stick a object in the fan switch hole with it removed to check the extent of it.

There is aftermarket alloy radiators fan switches available that come on at a higher temp to take into the account the heat sink from passing through the alloy. They are available from all the main UK suppliers.

Check out some links below:

(http://shop.motorsport-developments.co.uk/uprated-ford-sierra-cosworth-fan-switch-131-p.asp)
(http://www.burtonpower.com/fan-temperature-switch-88-77deg-sierra-cosworth-m22x1-5-xefs92.html)

91 Deg C and Off again at around 87Deg C

-The uprated fan switch comes on / off at 91/87 degrees.
-The standard fan switch comes on / off at 88/77degrees.

91 Deg C and Off again at around 87Deg C

The fan circuits on the 2wd Sapphire and the 2 door cosworth's are single fuse / relay, and are prone to burning out. The later model 4wd's had twin relays to remedy this. And if you haven't already updated your's I suggest you do. There are aftermarket fan loom kits available on Ebay or direct from the likes of CW-loom or Motorsport Developments all ex UK. You can replace the fuses but after a while it will melt the fuse holder / fuse box housing, and I have read of other owners having other fuses and wiring close by also getting damaged.

(http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ford-Sierra-Rs-Cosworth-Cooling-Fan-Rewire-Loom-/270996701600?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f18a981a0)

(http://www.cw-looms.co.uk/)

(http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Sierra-Cosworth-Radiator-Cooling-Fan-Rewire-Wiring-loom-Sapphire-RS-/251336051552?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a84cbcb60)

The standard thermostat in the two wheel drives is 88 degrees, and I have replaced mine with a 82 degree thermostat, so that the water pump circulation starts earlier. Please note though if you read the article from MSD (Motorsport developments UK) that the temperature directly affects the ecu chip map. So check with your tuner first. http://www.motorsport-developments.co.uk/tech_articles/FAF249.tech.pdf

With my cars after emptying the water system and refilling, I got air pockets you can leave the radiator cap off and squish the radiator hoses and wait for the thermostat to open to bleed it all out with the heater on, or on the RS forum one of the helpful contributors recommend drilling a 4mm bleed hole to aid flow in the thermostat. (http://bbs.rsownersclub.co.uk/showthread.php?t=443920&highlight=thermostat)

There is a great thread on "How to wire Cosworth fan looms"
I wont repeat the information other than the diagram. See the link below:
http://bbs.rsownersclub.co.uk/showthread.php?t=347745

On my current 2wd Sapphire Cosworth I have also added a over ride switch close to ignition so if I have any dramas I can flick the switch on without having to wait for the water temperature to heat up while driving. (I hope I don't have to use it)

The other thing to be weary of with the fan system is the radiator fan switch. On the 2wd cars it is the brown switch above. The switch is not available at any of the usual suppliers in New Zealand and Australia that I could find, such as BNT, Repco, Partmaster, Trade Parts, Supercheap etc
The switch can pack up, on my 2wd Sapphire Cosworth the fans weren't working and I got an reproduction aftermarket switch replacement from Lodge Auto centre in Hastings , New Zealand ( http://www.lodgeautocentre.co.nz/cosworth.html ) after having the radiator reconditioned I fitted the new fan switch only to find that it didn't work. I then tested it by dropping it into a kettle to test it with a multimeter on it. And it was not working as the kettle came up to boil. Disappointed I contacted the supplier back and although the product didn't work Lodge Auto Centre quickly returned a replacement OE one. So be careful when using aftermarket parts.

Header tank cap










Standard Motorcraft screw type radiator tank cap that is fitted to the 2wd's. These are not known to have problems that I have found. Replacement ones are available from the likes of Burtonpower. http://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-fitment-type/parts-by-engine-ford/ford-cosworth-yb/radiator-cap-screw-thread-plastic-type-fc500.html





Header Tanks This is a picture of the standard 2wd sapphire header tank. The are prone to becoming silted up, and discolour very quickly. Most people replace them with aftermarket alloy tanks (refer to my other blog post) There is suttle header tank variations in all the Sierra range. The 2 door sierra cosworth has a water temperature sensor in it for when the fluids get low. And they are not interchangeable with the 4wd's as the turbo return is small on a 2wd and larger on a 4wd.



Waterpumps The 2 door sierras and 2wd Sapphire cosworths have the same waterpump and the 4wd waterpump and thermostat housing is different. Also be aware pinto sohc water pumps fit but are not up to the job. In terms of flow / keeping the engine cool.

Standard coworth waterpump on left, standard pinto sohc waterpump on right

Standard cosworth waterpump on left, notice thickness around snout area, and impellor flange, standard pinto on right thinner housing and thinner shaft housing

Standard pinto sohc waterpump furthest away, and standard cosworth pump closest.

This is a hybrid reproduction water pump, it utilities the pinto sohc housing with a larger cosworth impellor / flange. And its affordable and in stock at the moment , compared with getting a standard cosworth waterpump from uk. It is however manufactured overseas.

Picture of part number of the Non OE waterpump part number from BNT in New Zealand

Waterpump to block housing gasket

4wd waterpump which has suttle differences from the 2wd water pumps.

http://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-fitment-type/parts-by-engine-ford/ford-cosworth-yb/water-pump-sapphire-escort-cosworth-yb-4wd-rs500-epw12.html

Water rail

This is a picture of the standard water transfer rail that runs underneath the car at the front of the engine, attached to the radiator with brackets they are prone to rotting out and replacement stainless ones can be brought from the likes of Graham Goode racing etc. The water transfer rail is no longer available from ford.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Sierra-Sapphire-Cosworth-2wd-Bottom-Radiator-Tube-Water-PipeStainlessSteel-/390511982625?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item5aec53f821

Fan Belts

The other items I have not mentioned are the fan belts, which are a twin system on the 2wd Cosworth Sapphires and the usual up keep / replacement is required when they become brittle or start splitting.

Frost plugs

And also throughout the head and block is frost plugs, and occasionally they rust out. The block ones are easy to flick out, and tap new ones in. And the head ones need to be replaced with head off and manifolds removed for access.

Friday, 28 February 2014

All Ford Day / American Car Nationals GM Day Canberra 23rd November 2013 Part 3

View from lookout on way into Canberra looking over Lake George

Early Sedan for sale, was a good solid body

BSA Vintage motorcycle for sale with all parts, didnt look like much it was largely surface rust on all the parts.

VW Sand buggy that sold at the show, I havent seen one of this particular shape before and had a canvas top that would be useful as well.

Holden ute, lowered on widened steels with white walls, and trendy ratrod /hot rod style centre wheel caps

A few more shots of the VW buggy that sold. Looked pretty scruffy but would have come up good after restoration with minimum work.

Ford Galaxie that was for sale. Looked very original including paint, could come up nice with a respray.

Chevy Ute, with period air con unit attached to window, bagged and immaculate, was a very tasteful restoration. Had white walls widened steel rims with polished centre caps.