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Post by SeanW on Jun 24, 2018 21:15:57 GMT
Small maintenance item to taken care of today, replacing [yet again] the CAS seal. I know that mine’s had a slight leak for a little while, figured that how’s as good a time as any to swap it out. Not a last-minute thing I want to do just before a couple of track days this coming July. Swapping to viton quad-seal O-rings to, hopefully, get a better and longer lasting seal than the OEM buns O-rings. You can buy the individually from some shops on line for like $9 a single ring or you can buy a five pack from McMaster-Carr for $15. I ordered mine from McMaster-Carr so I’ve got some spares to share with friends or use on my CAS if I need to replace the seal any time soon.  |
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Post by garman on Jun 26, 2018 20:30:36 GMT
While I was talking to the tuner who dialed in my fuel, spark, and boost maps we got to subject of cable bracing for big wings. I mentioned that I needed to remake my cables, shared an interesting pro-tip with me that made me realize I was way overthinking my solution. On his time attack S2000 they just use really long zip-ties to brace their wing. It’s easy to get the correct tension, practically impossible to over-tension with zip ties, they’re strong enough to keep the wing mounts square to the body. They’re easy to cut and replace if you need to. Added bonus, the zip-ties have a slight give to them so that sudden changes in direction won’t stretch the cables, basically damping big bumps that could damage the cables. Suddenly I went from this complex construction of cables, cable stops, threaded cable ends and tensioning nuts to just two equal length 1/16th inch cables with thimble loops on either end zip-tied to eyebolts mounted to the chassis and the wing mounts. Works crazy well! For the record, I’m using stainless steel M8 eyebolts and eyenuts to actually affix the cables to the chassis and wing with zip ties. And to think I was going to source some small actuator motors, cable cams, angle sensors and an arduino that could relieve pressure on the cable braces when all I needed was some zip ties. Haha  . Seriously though, this is a nice and cheap way to go. |
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Post by garman on Jun 26, 2018 20:33:09 GMT
I somehow highjacked your quote. Oops And to think I was going to source some small actuator motors, cable cams, angle sensors and an arduino that could relieve pressure on the cable braces when all I needed was some zip ties. Haha . Seriously though, this is a nice and cheap way to go. |
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Post by bornwild on Jun 27, 2018 1:57:54 GMT
While I was talking to the tuner who dialed in my fuel, spark, and boost maps we got to subject of cable bracing for big wings. I mentioned that I needed to remake my cables, shared an interesting pro-tip with me that made me realize I was way overthinking my solution. On his time attack S2000 they just use really long zip-ties to brace their wing. It’s easy to get the correct tension, practically impossible to over-tension with zip ties, they’re strong enough to keep the wing mounts square to the body. They’re easy to cut and replace if you need to. Added bonus, the zip-ties have a slight give to them so that sudden changes in direction won’t stretch the cables, basically damping big bumps that could damage the cables. Suddenly I went from this complex construction of cables, cable stops, threaded cable ends and tensioning nuts to just two equal length 1/16th inch cables with thimble loops on either end zip-tied to eyebolts mounted to the chassis and the wing mounts. Works crazy well! For the record, I’m using stainless steel M8 eyebolts and eyenuts to actually affix the cables to the chassis and wing with zip ties.    Awesome mate. Can you post a picture of the eyebolt on the body? Where did you place it? I'm thinking of running a riv-nut on the body however I'm not sure that would be the best solution. |
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Post by SeanW on Jun 27, 2018 4:37:45 GMT
While I was talking to the tuner who dialed in my fuel, spark, and boost maps we got to subject of cable bracing for big wings. I mentioned that I needed to remake my cables, shared an interesting pro-tip with me that made me realize I was way overthinking my solution. On his time attack S2000 they just use really long zip-ties to brace their wing. It’s easy to get the correct tension, practically impossible to over-tension with zip ties, they’re strong enough to keep the wing mounts square to the body. They’re easy to cut and replace if you need to. Added bonus, the zip-ties have a slight give to them so that sudden changes in direction won’t stretch the cables, basically damping big bumps that could damage the cables. Suddenly I went from this complex construction of cables, cable stops, threaded cable ends and tensioning nuts to just two equal length 1/16th inch cables with thimble loops on either end zip-tied to eyebolts mounted to the chassis and the wing mounts. Works crazy well! For the record, I’m using stainless steel M8 eyebolts and eyenuts to actually affix the cables to the chassis and wing with zip ties. Awesome mate. Can you post a picture of the eyebolt on the body? Where did you place it? I'm thinking of running a riv-nut on the body however I'm not sure that would be the best solution. Eh, there’s no reason to drill into the tubes for this, IMHO. One of the things I like most about owning a tube-frame car is that you can use clamps, which is what I did.  |
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Post by bornwild on Jun 27, 2018 20:38:56 GMT
I was just worried about the clamp slipping but then again I was using those amazon-special clamps with rubber inserts for a bunch of stuff (to prevent marring). Thanks for sharing!
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Post by einy on Jun 29, 2018 1:13:20 GMT
Sean ... earlier you mentioned using high temp thread sealer on the flywheel bolts on the 1.8 to stop an oil leak from occurring. Any idea is that also applies to the 1.6?
John
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Post by SeanW on Jun 29, 2018 2:05:02 GMT
Sean ... earlier you mentioned using high temp thread sealer on the flywheel bolts on the 1.8 to stop an oil leak from occurring. Any idea is that also applies to the 1.6? John I don’t really know if it does apply to the 1.6, unfortunately. |
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Post by SeanW on Aug 5, 2018 14:23:41 GMT
It's been a bit of time since I've updated here, I've been way more active on the Exocet Owner's group on FaceBook and over on Wheelwell. ( wheelwell.com/sean-wally#wall ) Throwing out a quick note while thinking about it. Big Thing - I've done a back-to-back trackday in the car and it was way more fun than I could have hoped for. Unfortunately it really highlighted the need for an oil cooler and better brakes. The bias of the stock '97 brakes is a bit too far forward. Upgrading the car from '97 brakes to 2003 brakes should be a good bolt-on bump for the car. |
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Post by SeanW on Aug 5, 2018 14:28:11 GMT
Small side note - A month and change on and two trackdays later, the quad-seal CAS seal has not leaked. If you're going to be replacing a CAS seal I HIGHLY recommend spending a few bucks to buy a five-pack of them. They're AWESOME!
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Post by SeanW on Aug 10, 2018 4:19:08 GMT
First update, trackday results now that I’ve had some time to think about them more. Two days at Laguna Seca, back-to-back. The car survived both days well. Had to retire early on the second day because I badly flat spotted the tires when they were cold. (long story)  1 - The car ran like a champ, no significant issues to speak of mechanically or electrically on the car. It ran. It didn’t over heat. (coolant wise) It made me smile. Even with only 210 horsepower the car has a lot more speed around Languna Seca that I’m currently capable of extracting. Then again, first trackday in this car. Still setting it up. 2 - Boost spiking, my old nemesis, stalked me on the track. Any time I was in 2nd and mashed the throttle the car would shoot all the way up to my overboost limit, cut fuel, and murder my drive out of the corner. Driving 3rd/4th was no issue, 2nd...bad touches in the no-zone. Not really a problem except when coming off of turn 11 onto the straight. 3 - Even with Hawk pads and high-temp brake fluid the stock ‘97 brakes weren’t doing it. They started to fade toward the end of each session and when tires were cold the forward bias of the non-sport stockers could cause the car lock up a little and get kind squirmy. Part of why I locked up the fronts on on cold tires going into turn 11. (Ending my second day out.) 4 - In the first session of the second day I found myself with a lap and a half of super clear track so I went for it...and then found myself suddenly hearing a lot of lifter tap as the oil went thin from too much heat after a lap of as much boost as I could squeeze between corners. I backed off after that, the car cooled a little, and the tapping went away. Clearly I need A) an oil cooler and B) to actually wire my oil temp gauge in.   Things that worked better than I could have imagined: The cargo basket was amazing. There were four Exocets at Laguna that weekend. Mine was the only one that showed up under its own power. (No trailer for me, friends!) All of my gear and luggage fit nicely in the basket. The quick release clamps make it a snap to pull off the car, too.  |
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Post by SeanW on Aug 10, 2018 4:29:58 GMT
As mentioned, the car needs an oil cooler. I’m kinda cheap and DIY oriented so put together my own setup instead of buying a kit from somebody else. Apart from the time spent fabricating things up, my oil cooler setup saved me about $155 over buying one from Flyin’ Miata or TrackSpeed Engineering. The cooler is assembled from parts I bought on Amazon with a little bit of flat steel bar that was in my scrap pile, purchased from my local hardware store a bit ago. A little grinding and welding with a cheap Harbor Freight flux-core welder made relatively short work of the need for brackets.     That savings went straight into the car’s brakes by raiding Ebay for a used set of Hard S (Sport) front and rear brake calipers with brackets for $127. I sourced a set of OE rotors from PartsGeek. I’m now a set of brake pads away from what should be a fairly effective brake upgrade. |
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Post by SeanW on Aug 10, 2018 14:01:46 GMT
The brake upgrade for the car is also going to be pretty straight forward and basically bolt-on. I'm going to outline what I'm doing here but that's about it, not much need to really go into a ton of detail since it's a very simple operation. - Front & rear calipers and brackets from a 2003+ US spec MX-5. These are a straight bolt-on application.
- Front & rear rotors for a 2003+ US spec MX-5. Nothing special, just Centric CTek OE replacement rotors as there's no really no need for anything more expensive or precious for my application.
- Front & rear brake pads from a 2003+ US spec MX-5, again nothing too special right now. A full on track pad isn't really going to buy me a whole lot right now.
- Ford Explorer master brake cylinder. Much larger, should increase pedal feel/pressure needed to what I'm looking for. $45. If it's too much, there's a middle ground with a Wilwood brake cylinder kit.
The current plan is to get the calipers, rotors, and pads on the car this weekend with the brake cylinder upgrade happening after I figure out a couple more installation features. |
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Post by weekdayskier on Aug 12, 2018 8:13:46 GMT
We have nearly the same setup for brakes. Hard s brakes, EBC yellow pads, stoptech slotted rotors and willwood prop valve. No fade noted at LS. Using a master off of a mazdaspeed Miata. Brake feel is like Miata X 3. I’m sure you’ve looked at Keith Tanner’s write up about the various Miata brakes and the pressure generated.
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Post by SeanW on Aug 13, 2018 15:56:31 GMT
We have nearly the same setup for brakes. Hard s brakes, EBC yellow pads, stoptech slotted rotors and willwood prop valve. No fade noted at LS. Using a master off of a mazdaspeed Miata. Brake feel is like Miata X 3. I’m sure you’ve looked at Keith Tanner’s write up about the various Miata brakes and the pressure generated. I've looked over it a few times, yeah. There are a ton of good options to explore and play with when it comes to brake setup. |
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. Seriously though, this is a nice and cheap way to go. 
