Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Hi All  Well it's been a while and the last 2 plus years have been a bit of a disaster to be honest but I think we (The Keyser clan) can see a light at the end of the tunnel, so assuming it is not another train coming things may be on the up at last.  With that in mind and the fact that I haven't had a build thread up for ages I thought I would start another one to give you something to read in the evenings as the long nights start to draw in or if nothing else it may help some of you fall asleep  So the plan, This is not going to be a quick build and I would like to use the car in the nice weather both for testing and the fun of it so the refurb is going to be in 4 phases over 2 winters - could be a long thread  The aim of the game is to increase power, improve everything - the Radical is No 68 of the production line and was built originally in 2003 with I believe a 2002 engine so she has been around a while and things have worn, been added/removed and fixed so I want to get her all tip top again. - I also want to make her look good again the gel coating is fading and the fiber glass has signs of stress and wear along with a few battle scars. Of course as always allow for some scope creep as if I find things no doubt I will add them to the list as I go.  Like all good car restorations/modifications the plan has already bumped into a few problems in the opening stages, more on that as we go, I started the refurb about 6 weeks ago, way ahead of the intended start date but circumstances and a strange noise from the gearbox on the last 2 track days forced me into some exploratory work and it sort of snowballed from there.  So pull up a chair grab a glass and enjoy (or not) the over engineered (according to some observers) tinkering of a petrol head in his garage.  As soon as the pics upload part1 will be posted......................   Keyser and the Zed Shed Crew 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) So the first thing was to discover what the strange noise was, it presented itself as a loud rattle in 3rd gear, only 3rd mind you so my guess was a damaged or sheered tooth on the 3rd gear cog but this did not seem likely as when teeth start sheering it usually gets worse quickly and the bits that come off tend to do more damage especially in a bike engine where the GB and crank all sit in the same housing  anyway we rolled her in and got to work,    Note the position of the red battery box that I made last year to take the new bigger battery - that comes back to bite me shortly!     Engine out    and on the bench   Awesome not that bad to get out when all the panels are removed  Moving swiftly on we stripped the engine to look for the problem - sure enough 3rd gear has lost a tooth    on the plus side it broke cleanly landed in the sump and stayed there, so no other damage    This is where my first dilemma set in, I picked up a new cog from eBay from some bike shop selling "old new parts" basically clearing the shelves off they sold anything that was new but had, for whatever reason not been used. It was cheap enough but if I go to all the trouble of fitting it and putting the engine back in I am going to spend a few hundred £££'s in oil and gaskets alone to get the car running for 1 maybe 2 track days then take it all apart again - Hmmmmmmmm, after much pondering and a few days of typical British weather I decided to leave the engine out and start the refurb ahead of schedule.  I also found the first unexpected problem  More shortly ........................   Keyser and the Zed Shed Crew  Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. Edited November 2, 2016 by Keyser 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Â Keep it coming Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Cheers GM   So onto the first problem,  The engine sits in a cradle -   The cradle has a problem   I'm sure they didn't design it like that - could be wrong though  2 spot welds to line it up   weld the inside face (no space restraints)   Channel and weld the outside face   sand smooth and repair complete    Of course I have removed all the protection so it will now rust but it just so happens I have some powder coat left over from a previous project, bet you can guess what colour it is (especially Mr G)   so that's the first unexpected thing sorted  I will apologise now for the pics - they won't get any better and anyone who has read my previous threads will know I am not known for my photographic abilities and I only have my phone now as the last camera (donated by Dave) gave up the ghost.   Keyser and the Zed Shed Crew  Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I will apologise now for the pics  Don't know what you mean.....  4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Next up, remember the battery box from post #2? well thatn as you will have noticed sits very close to the zorst and also sits exactly where I plan to put a turbo (the more power bit) so it needs to move, but where? This is not some road car that you just stick the battery in the boot. I looked at all the possibilities I could see and considered mounting it in a side pod, in-front of the passenger foot rest even moving it back alongside the rear diff but nothing struck me as a "good" option.  Then in a rare moment of clarity it came to me -   yes the crumple zone at the front well its a big empty box and if they can mount the 3 pedal box master cylinders in the lower left (as you look at it) I can mount the battery in the lower right  So I gritted my teeth and cut a hole -   Excellent, plenty of space but a few problems - I cant really mount it on the floor in case I go over any curbs (not much ground clearance) the back is problematic as the brake and clutch lines are there and it's a thin ally sheet so not really a good solution - Hmmmmmmm - I know lets overengineer our way out of this  A sheet of ally a ruler and a sharpie   out with the hole punch to reduce weight   then a fun time bending things   quick test fit   looking good  few more holes   and onto end panels    Now this is probably a really bad time to realise that you have only ever welded ally about 3 times in your life and are not very good at it  So practice   Yer that's not really going to cut it is it? So I had a word with my neighbor who as well as being a bike enthusiast happens to have been a welder in a previous job, he popped round a couple of evenings and showed me how to set the welder up properly and gave me some quick lessons -   getting better    After a week of practice each evening it finally clicked   I can weld ally whoop whoop .  To be continued ......................................... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 In for the blurry photos! Â Love these builds 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Right where was I, Ahh yes ally welding - did I tell you I'd been practicing?  So welded the sides on   all finished  and I put that fabrication exactly where it needed to go -   Yes the scarp bin! Now I may have low standards and fail to maintain them but it was just not good enough, it is to heavy, slightly out of square and just well crap really.  So another sheet of ally another sharpie bu the same ruler (please note with flanges this time )   more bending   end panels left open this time   test fit    Battery   Battery strap    how much lighter is this one  first one   second attempt   that's over 100g I should work in F1 that must be worth 0.0000000000000000000000001 of a millisecond per lap  Anyway now that I'm happy with my creation I powder coated it     Please note the 2 battery strap bolts, they come from a 350z Plenum and therefore totally justify me posting a build thread on this forum  More soon.   Keyser and the Zed Shed Crew  Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) looking forward to seeing this back on track! Â If you need a competent driver to test drive it once you've finished engineering it let me know! Edited November 2, 2016 by brillomaster 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Â Â If you need a competent driver to test drive it once you've finished engineering it let me know! Â Why .... do you know one????? Â :lol: Â She will be off the track until late spring next year and that's only if everything goes back together OK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPod Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Cool thread keep it coming  Also send your welds my way and I will xray them see if there up to scratch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Always an interesting read even if the pictures do make me feel dizzy looking at them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Awesome work Chris Looking forward to the next round of updates. Â . . . although I am a little disappointed that your not replacing the engine with something bigger with 8 cylinders 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Awesome work Chris Looking forward to the next round of updates.  . . . although I am a little disappointed that your not replacing the engine with something bigger with 8 cylinders  The problem with that is the weight, Chris would be pulling wheelies all the time.  Nice work Chris, remember, do everything twice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Awesome work Chris Looking forward to the next round of updates.  . . . although I am a little disappointed that your not replacing the engine with something bigger with 8 cylinders  The problem with that is the weight, Chris would be pulling wheelies all the time.  Nice work Chris, remember, do everything twice!  Reminds me of a build I did recently with you, although I think we got to third time lucky with the clutch slave cylinder the master cylinder we only did twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Awesome work Chris Looking forward to the next round of updates.  . . . although I am a little disappointed that your not replacing the engine with something bigger with 8 cylinders  The problem with that is the weight, Chris would be pulling wheelies all the time.  Nice work Chris, remember, do everything twice!  Reminds me of a build I did recently with you, although I think we got to third time lucky with the clutch slave cylinder the master cylinder we only did twice  Please don't say that word clutch! That was a very expensive few months. There is never any harm with more than once, Jayne agrees with me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 At last a bike engine! Watching with interest Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy james Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Don't think I'm gonna keep up with this one on the straights! Lol Great skills in the Z shed as ever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bockaaarck Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Great to see another build thread from you Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016   I have an hour before my next appointment so I thought I would get the next update posted up  My next job was to move the "throttle blipper" when I picked up the Radical it came with a Pro-shift paddle shift system that as well as selecting the gears from the paddle also cuts the ignition on up shift to allow flat shifting and "blips" the throttle on down shift to assist rev matching. This is not a nice computer controlled system like the Rev match on a 370, it is just a mechanical device that physically moves the throttle cable a set amount on each downshift. It does seem to work though. When I got the system it was not attached to the car although the wiring was all there for it. The part that connects the solenoid to the throttle cable was missing though I did make one up last year that attached to the throttle bodies but I was never that happy with it and it will be in the way when the new engine goes in as the turbo will change the air inlet system completely.  So onto the new one - designed to fit next to the throttle pedal and connect directly to the throttle cable (first attempt I tried to just push the throttle pedal but that failed )  Got some assorted bolts/bars/screws together   Bit of time on the lathe and I had version 1       made up a mount and put it together   ignore the spring it was the closest thing I had, i have ordered one of the correct size now.  Although it worked it was under to much pressure with the added resistance of the throttle pedal return spring and would be awkward to mount where it was not interfering with something else.  So attempt 2 and I had a nice array of parts    All assembled it looks like this     Just need to get the new spring and mount it, I will get a photo up when it is all mounted - seems to work when I tested it, may need to modify the throttle cable connection to the pedal to make sure it does not strain the cable when in use.   More Soon   Keyser 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Good to see your taking this "do it twice" philosophy seriously 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 (edited) Genuinely i get the warm fuzzy feeling that I used to when i watched wheeler dealers when I see your build threads.  For such a modest person you are extremely talented  Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk Edited November 8, 2016 by Ricey@revolveautomotive 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Great work Mr K some excellent fabrication going on I'm so impressed I'm not even going to be sarcastic regarding the earlier photo's 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Great stuff as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Done any more yet? Love reading threads like these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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