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8000 rpm 3.2 engine?

BIG DAY today for me and the Lola, morning at the rolling road, BHP Performance, very local to me which is nice for a change.

Strapped the car down on the rollers and warmed it up. First time Ben had seen the Clewett ignition system, but no probs, he just thought it strange...

Broke the engine in for 20 mins up and down the rpm in 2nd and 4th to load it all up and then set too setting the advance positions, tick over, 3000 and 8000 rpm, the latter somewhat academic!

Mid way through the engine died suddenly. Loss of power to the ECU, blown 7A fuse, so 10A fitted (max current draw is 10A)
Got going again and did a few runs and a few discussions and ran the engine to peak power.

At this point we hit 295.6 bhp @ 6776 rpm, 243.2 Lbft @5066 rpm.

(transmission losses are 35 bhp)

Engine sounded great, good oil pressure and 100 deg C.

Talked about where more could be gained, filters (oiled KN fitted) and maybe carb chokes (38mm in 50mm carbs)

We decided to leave it there, the curves are great, very smooth and it sounds like it could go much further.
I expected/hoped for a good 300/320, 100 bhp /litre would have been great.

Engine still tight, and we didn't want to push the timing further but did try on deg less and lost 5 bhp, so we could be very close.

Needed to add fuel at 6K so re-jetted the PMO's and that helped.

Very happy with this, smooth engine, lots of torque and no peaks or flats.

Quick little video here, try opening the sound up.
Sounded ballistic in the chamber!

https://youtu.be/Btr1ATBrrLc
 
Thank you both.
Been a long hard bumpy road to get here today.
Was hoping for more than 300, but engine still very much a virgin, so time to loosen up.
Have 2 ideas up my sleeve to get more, but time needed to research.
 
Great news Graham … well done on reaching a successful conclusion to your project!

+1 on hoping that the first competitive outing goes well.

What rev limit have you set? I assume that the Clewett system allows you to do it precisely, maybe with a soft limiter?

Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff, the limiter is set at 7500 and is soft by design.
wish my shoulder and hand were better, but I'll give it a go, but maybe slowly!


 
First event of the Midland Championship at Prescott, so practice today, practice and race runs tomorrow.
So heavy weight players in my class, so not expecting a great result, but will try!
Engine characteristics different to last years engine by a mile so a bit to get used to.
 
Good to hear that all’s going well Graham, despite your (hopefully temporary!) handicap.

All the best for today’s runs … keep it between the kerbs! [;)]

Jeff
 
Yes it looked like a tidy run but I’ve no idea whether your time was what you expected or whether it was quick or slow but I’m sure you will fill us in on the details. Your car sounded quite subdued and not necessarily the screamer I expected. Well done for keeping everything in one piece though ??.
 
Andrew,

I see that Graham was running 47/48 secs last year at Prescott in Class G, so a good outing for the revamped engine, hopefully with more improvements to come.

I’ve neither attended any hillclimbs nor watched them online and was surprised by the non-stop action and the number of cars taking part and the variety.

There was a very quick Cayman with a 3.9L engine (courtesy of Hartech?) participating.

Jeff
 
Apologies to Graham for hijacking his thread.

Jeff, the good thing about Prescott is that cars don’t have to return back down the hill as there’s a return track to the paddock whereas at my local hill, Gurston, each batch of cars is collected in a top paddock before returning down the hill.

I think the live YouTube TV coverage is a fairly recent innovation covering hillclimbs which are rounds of the British Hillclimb Championshi. Last year they covered Gurston where I dual drive a Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, here’s the event link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp31xTDbtlM
 
Live stream started about 3 years ago by Rich Danby and his wife, and has transformed the spectacle of hillclimbing, really good!
We have to run very quietly on the hills, the Lola is about 101 dB, few cars of any sort are noisey.
My pb is 45.33 when these 4 year old slicks were new. After about 100 miles they are a bit hard now, but £1300 a set....

Quick update:

Quite a weekend of things going on. firstly, a full-on hillclimb at Prescott, busy as they come and perfect conditions.

To the car first.
It started fine, bit better than usual on a cold morning on Saturday and sounded solid.
First practice run and the first time I'd pressed the throttle pedal and the pick up is very noticable, as is the time to warm up, much quicker than before, so things still tight inside.
Got to the starting area ok and did the customary tyre warm-up and really noticed the difference, lots more 'go' and a real lack of traction1
The slicks are now entering their 5th year, really need so fresh tyres.

The blast off the line was superb, and what a noise from behind my (warm) head, you really feel the longer run in the gears, at least 1st, and then second, and didn't change gear again through the whole course! Not may fastest run, but more getting used to it.
Got back to the paddock to no 3/4th gears and no reverse. Not good, but down to a silly mistake I made on Thursday to the gear linkage, quickly fixed with a spanner. now have all 4 gears and far more precise shift action, a good change using the WEVO gate shift.

Second practice run was much the same, but the tyre warming was far more 'dramatic' and scattered the start line marshals...
Got a bollocking from the CofC when i got back, first telling-off at a hillclimb ever.
icon_sad.gif


To Sunday and things get serious.
Practice and use 3rd now and the times tumbled to a second of my PB, the engine is fabulous. Get to 4K and the whole thing simply 'swells' with guts breaking traction in second. I don't remember changing to 3rd and back to 2nd, too focused on brakes that seem inadequate.
All over in a blurr, but the car is so different in a really positive way, but have to learn it a bit. Hit the rev limiter in places as i stretched the runs in 1st and 2nd, the base purpose of this exercise.

Second timed run was a bit slower and I lost 2nd in class to the mighty TVR by 2 hundreths of a second. Real hillclimbing stuff.
icon_smile.gif


Shoulder and hand injuries were 'ok' and I survived, and the car too.

Fabulous.

Lots of questions about the engine over the weekend, surprising just how many read my drivvel.
Shelsley in 2 weeks.

The TVR will be my new adversary, the 7.3 litre Pilbeam had a hard weekend, and the EVO1 Mini special blitzzzed all of us by a mile, but that is normal.
 
Sounds as though it was a good first outing Graham, and your two major mods - engine and gearchange - have worked well. It sounds as though the brakes could be the next area of attention? [;)]

The Pilbeam turned out to be a bit of a damp squid on the day … teething problems and a steep learning curve most likely?

Jeff


 
Yes, the big Pilbeam will soon come good.
I hope to get used to the Lola's engine quickly and convince the wife I need new tyres...

Pretty much at the end of this mini adventure of an engine re-build. What a jagged journey it has been.

Thank you all who have been kind in tolerating my story and giving moral support!
I'll leave you all in Modified in Peace and Quiet.

Graham.
 
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