Electronic ignition part 3

I have now picked up the dizzy sensor, looks good at the moment i will wire it into the car once i have driven it a bit more.

One thing that will become an issue is the trigger magnets are moulded into the rotor arm. once this wears out i would have to buy another complete dizzy kit. However when this happens i will mod the rotor arm so that it locates on the cam in the dizzy and refit a standard rotor arm on top. Should work but I'll think about that when it needs doing.

I've done this due to the rotor leaving an additional 0.5mm gap from the rotor and the dizzy cap, it didn't work the sparks weaker. It did however let me get the phasing correct. It was about 6-10 degrees out from the standard setup.

As for the dizzy sensor the supplier warned me they have a lot of returns for dead units when people fit them to Quote kit cars. I think that probably means they get blown by the sort of wiring you find on many classics that overpower the coil on engine start. However more investigation seems to suggest that the unit should cope with the extra amperage of this type of wiring. Or at least the unit i have bought can. The unit has a transistor for the switching part which from the data sheet can stand 15 amps continuous load and 30 amps peak.

Anyway for my application it matters not as the electronic ignition unit stops high current going to the dizzy sensor.

I have now tried the electronic box and WOW what a difference the car need half the choke on startup and doesn't bog down like it used to. Best £13 I've spent on the car. It doesn't seem to increase power but refinement and throttle response are immeasurable better.

As above the phasings not that bad. So where do i go from here. Well the coil is now suspect so i will change that use the electronic box with a new set of points and leave it at that for now. I need to finish putting the interior in the car and play with the lamda sensor project.

This will then lead nicely into carb tuning and the dreaded MOT time - Joy. Electronic ignition will be looked at again when I'm not in the potential firing line of redundancy at work.

Spitfire Electronic ignition Part 2

Well Ive got the vellman unit and soldered it up in standard form. I have now connected it to the car as shown below.

Not quite the perfect installation but good enough to try it out, the reel of PTFE tape is just the insulator required. I will need to box it, and i will most likely pot the PCB to stop ingress of damp that could kill it. I will also change the connectors for lucas type connectors and clip the unit properly to the top of the coil. Hopefully it should look like it has always been there once i have finished.

So does it work, of course it does, but it has got a comedy effect. Since the vellman unit is standard i cannot use the straight 12v feed from the ignition switch. The car starts but only when the ignition switch is turned back to normal running mode. At this point the engine is still spinning so starts. if you keep turning the key it won,t start. I sort of guessed this so no problem.

It didn't help that i wired it to the car incorrectly Doh. definitely works now. Also it appears to work ok with the full 12V feed on startup.

Apart from this low RPM running seems more stable and reving the engine is better, the exhaust note has also changed slightly. Performance on the road does not apear to be any better but it's early day on that from.

The pcb stays very cool so it is not getting near overheating so once i have used the car for a longer run and am satisfied that the unit will work i will reconnect the 12v feed and see what happens. At this point my guess is that it will work ok, we will see.

Once i have done 50 plus miles and 20 or so starts from hot and cold i will introduce the electronic dizzy module to the mix. After that a nice high powered coil will complete the package.

Spitfire Electronic ignition Part 1

I've been looking at electronic ignitions and there various merits.

Lumenition - loads around, expensive and plenty of rumors of failures.

MSD - the daddy of ignitions but v expensive, good selection of good high powered coils.

Magnetronic and similar in dizzyunits - Take care of spark scatter but are generally limited to coil switching capability of 4 A. The exception is Aldons ignitor 2.

So where do i go next well the answer is i would like the MSD setup. However i have found i cheap source for a dizzy sensor. for £12 delivered ! amazing as the nearest competitors price is £67. Now the drawback as stated above is that it can only handle 4 amps.

I have just seen a report on the no brand module i have bought, there might be an issue with phasing of the rotor in the dizzy- i will check it out when it arrives.

The solution comes in the form of a Vellman kit supplied by Maplin. This is meant to make point setup last longer by not putting the same amount of current through the points. The dizzy module works in the same way as points so no problems. The only issue is the 4 Amp one.

The clever bits is that the kit needs to be assembled and some components changed To cope with a higher amperage rating. In all fairness Vellman say that there kit can handle 4 amps the components are rated to 10 amps. Now they must have tested there units and concluded they need the extra headroom. So i will follow suit i need 8 amps capability so i need to respec the vellman unit to cope with nearer 20 amps.

The reason for going to the effort make these changes are so that i can keep the standard Ballast resistor circuit. Simply because a boost function for better starting is definitely the way to go.

If this works i will be offering for sale complete systems for use on lucas 45 and 25 dizzys.

So at the rate i work that probably never ! DOh

Gearbox back in again

Well i got the engine out over Christmas, the spigot bearing was damaged slightly. Apart from that there was nothing wrong, so the noise i heard was - Drum roll don't know. I've done about 15 miles and all is fine. Wilst the engine was out this time i made a baffle for the sump to help with oil surge, Don't know if this is going to work yet need better days to get the car out and drive it.

The speedometer is sorted and works well, i just need to add a bracket to the bellhousing to support the speedo cable.

I'm just tidying up the build now, getting the gearlever correct, replacing all the wiring,sealing the engine cover and a load of other small jobs and i hope i can call this one done.

Over and above this I've got caught up in the technicalities of ignitions and that where the next challenge lies i think.

Type 9 gearbox first drive / The good The bad and the Ugly

THE GOOD

Well the long awaited drive has been done. The gearing is very good and slipping into fifth gear makes the spit now very usable at motorway speeds. Can't wait for summer .

THE BAD

Either the clutch spigot bearing or clutch driven plate have just gone bang and only after 15 miles covered ! Bugger. I will pull the motor for the third time over the Christmas hols. I have ordered a new bearing from Frontline Spridget in the hope it's more robust than just drilling out the old triumph spigot bearing.

The new bearing has just arrived it slightly longer i think than the standard item. But it is essentially the same as what i fitted. I am still considering using the ford roller bearing, it is 2mm bigger than the triumph item and i will need to construct a jig so that i can ream the hole out in the crankshaft accurately. However i have found a very cheap source for the bearing. The suppier is RS and comes in at a quarter of the price of gearbox part suppliers and yes the quality is the same or even a little better.

THE UGLY

The engine had to be pulled when it lost it's fluids nearly as quickly as i poured them into the gearbox. Three reasons

1. The welding around the nose casting was porous like i expected but did i seal it no !
2. The Drive shaft seal was knackered why i didn't replace it when i had i chance i don't know, i guess we all make mistakes.
3. A machining hole in the gearbox adapter let fluid pour out.


The build

The Caterham gearbox mount arrived and was fitted to a modded gearbox mount plate, not pretty, i will replace the mount soon for a flat plate that is properly painted.

The propshaft was welded, was easy in the end and there is no vibration even at 80MPH job done just remember if you do this to get the universal joints at 90 degrees from each other.

The speedo parts are here, it uses

A 1500 J type overdrive speedo cable.
A angle speedo drive gearbox from the same.
An adapter flange for the same but turned down to fit the ford gearbox.

All of these parts were picked up from Moss in Bristol.

The angle drive does not fit ford hole, the plan is to heat the pin from the angle drive and melt the plastic part in the ford gearbox. If the plastic won't melt then i will have to grind a broaching cutter to enlarge the hole.

Things to do.

Get the clutch fixed.
Refit.
Clean the car.
Refit the interior, i might even replace the cardboard tunnel cover with a GRP item, well see what Santa brings.
Drive it.

I have also been reading up on diff overhauls, mine is now very noisy and requires setting up. I don't however think the unit is worn as i inspected it prior to fitting. I did however lose the shim spacings for the diff as oil erased my careful pen marks. So i guessed when i put it back together.

That will be looked at next year, After that i will prep the car for it's MOT if i can i will get the Lamda sensor working and fit electronic ignition. Should make the emissions test a little less interesting than last year.

Then drive it, work out how to get the brakes to stop QUICKLY.

After that i think i will be on the lookout for project number three.

The critea will be

1 It must be road legal.

2 Would be better if it was a classic

3. Will be significantly re-engineered.

4. Will be raced competitively.

5. Must be quick

6. Will not be a Caterham or Westy, but a Lotus 7 would do.


Ideas so far are

MG Metro
BMW 2002
MGB- would use new shell.
Modern hatchback like fiesta
Frogeye sprite.
Kit car with hybusa engine.

Type 9 gearbox fitted into the spit at last

Well iv'e finally go t the engine resting on it's front mounts again. And i must say that it looks good. The gearlever pokes up in the right place. as shown below.





So i can now get on with making a gearbox mount. At present it's just resting on the old mounting plate. It also looks like my plan to use the sierra mount will not work, so i will buy a mount from caterham cars along with a few other bits and pieces. That will be next week.
Hopefully i will make the propshaft tommorow so that ready to be fitted.

Also as can be seen below there is a clearance issue between the chassis on the left hand side and the new gearbox so a tweak might have to be done to get over that.



As well as this i think the exhaust is also a touch to close, so that will have to be looked at as well. The gearlever also needs work as in it's to long, needs a triumph gearknob fitted, the plastic saddle bush in the gearbox needs replacing and the lever needs to be tilted by about 5 degrees to the left as moving the lever into 5th gear put the lever out of sight behind the steering wheel rim. minor tweaks that will make a difference.

All in all a job well done i think but still some way off actually driving it.

Type 9 gearbox progress ! My Ar**

Well another month gone and very little progress. Why ?

Simple the company i work for is a large multinational tier 1 automotive supplier. All the engineering work that i can possible do must be aimed at cutting cost before i see any more of my workmates join the dole queue. As did 9 of them last week.

So for now the spit has taken the backseat, and will probably for a while yet. That is unless i get made redundant! umm Maybe i won't think about that.

Anyway progress i have made is to machine the gearbox adapter to the point where i can now bolt the assembly together. I still need to machine the clearance for the clutch slave bracket. The slave bracket itself has been tweaked by welding more metal onto the mounting boss and angling the bottom face.

In bolting the assembly together and then bolting that to the engine a problem arose the inch diameter gearbox input shaft fouls on the flywheel, this will have to be opened up to provide clearance.

Other than that it will not take many man hours to get the engine back in the car. Other things achieved are

Got a propshaft from a sierra. It has the same size outer tube as the spit. these will be welded together soon as i can measure the overall length required. A simple butt weld will suffice but aligning the shaft before and during welding could be interesting. i have got some ideas to overcome this.

Iv'e also got an acquaintance that races an MG metro and has some old turbo calipers that he will let me borrow for brake mockup before i take the plunge and buy some new ones.