Hey All!!
I haven't been on here for a while, hell i think it's been well over a year now, jus thought i'd say hi and see how everyone is, let you know what i've been up too.
"EVO-360" is gone now, there was more and more strange problems appearing with it, so salvaged what i could and sold it as a spares car, there is definately a need for rollcages and braces if you plan on throwing a car around in less than forgiving paddocks, it's for performance as much as for safety.
Spent all of 2006 racing the MR2. My debut was at Kempsey on the old Mt Cooperabung highway, took a 1st in class and learned a lot about how the car handled, but wasn't until i went up to armidale that the real learning took place.
The 360GLT is alot more capable of hanging its rear out than the MR2, which I really struggled with at armidale, took dad up to there and he had a go to show me up seeing he used to rally, but soon changed his mind, you could get it to slide the rear out with the handbrake, if you tried hard, but the second you went to power on it would instantly get full grip and shoot forward. That said, i have adapted and can say i took a 1st outright at the last armidale meet, and on the more open courses usually set fastest times.
Grafton's Mountainview Hillclimb is one that i'd been frequenting the most and it is a fairly big local event (its also one of the 10 best courses in the state). After putting a new Heavy duty clutch, flywheel, the clutch master and slave cylinders, it will still slip the clutch before wheelspinning.... this is with stock power (173hp@7200rpm). After fixing the clutch problems (cylinders were leaking) i was able to edge to 1st in class for the first time with a 61 sec run, and since then my best time is now 58.69, not bad seeing as the others in the class haven't broken 60 secs since the course got lengthened, there is also a Turbo MR2 there that is a QUICK car (25-30psi boost anyone), i'm now only just over 7 secs slower than it. My times have been on par with some of the modified 6 and 8 cyl cars running there, and corner speeds as good as some of the cars with race slicks (0.05 sec slower isn't too bad) I had been on track to do a 57sec run but almost lost the car too, taking a 85-90kph corner at 110, i would have been fine if I hadn't got scared and lifted mid corner
Even got some in car footage of my best run for you guys to leave comments on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-rcSNnxP9o
With the 2006 season over I decided to enter the 2007 NSW Hillclimb Championship. As the classes are structured differently for the state series, I thought i'd better step it up a notch as i'd be in the same class as the exotics (because the MR2 is a 2 seater). So the Bathurst Edition Gen3 motor is coming out, being replaced with a japanese GT motor that puts out 245@11psi. The motor is presently being rebuilt, but the bottom end is seriously built, everything's forged and ceramic coated, balanced, lightened... the head's is fairly unmodified, save the valvetrain weight being reduced by a 1/3 so it'll handle 9000rpm, 20psi, hopefully putting out numbers around 300hp, i know i'm understating this, but i'd rather not set myself up for disappointment.
The suspension is getting worked over, polyurethane bushings, adjustable swaybars, CF Strut Braces, the shock's/springs i was going to change, but they are factory bilstiens, so am spending the money elsewhere atm till i can buys some Teins. Also getting some semi-slicks and some of those volk CE-28N's that i had got ur opinions on seeing as the colour matches the car and they are the same price as the racing hart rims i have (still for sale if anyone is interested). Going to be using EBC brakes, if anyone races over in europe, they have (last time i checked) a deal on their brakes for race use for 1/2 price, shame they wouldn't do that deal for me over here.
The motor is going to be pretty high tech as i've got sponsored the ceramic coatings off JET HOT Coatings, the intake will be cryogenically cooled at some point, with water injection, anti-lag, a trunk mounted Air-Air/DryIce intercooler, and a variable vane turbo going in at some point down the road, so no doubt when i start this year i'm going to have a site set up and hopefully some more abundant video available as well as be a reseller for a few such pieces, if anyone is interested in insulated intake manifold gaskets, i'll be doing some road and bench testing if they work well enough to justify the cost or not (~$40), and will be able to do a few runs for different cars if their is enough interest. Also these are not phenolic spacers, these wont need gaskets on either side to make a seal.
EEK, didn't realise just how much I typed just then. Anyway there's my "short" update for your reading and viewing pleasure. I'll let you all know when i get my website up.
Oh and if anyone lives in Sydney, Newcastle, Woolongong, Tamworth, Grafton, Canberra, or surrounding areas, let me know i'll be travelling around through the year likely wanting some accomodation, people to talk with and take for a drive when away from home lol. I've got RSI now, TTY all later!!!
Trent
its £25 for a decent seat though