Project Bug - Time to make a good car great.
16 January 2011, 11:21 AM
#31
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Time for a bit of an update! 
With the Syvecs fitted, a base map was piped through the Ethernet cable to get the car up and running. The tuning got underway with the fully excellent Duncan from Race Dynamix (www.RaceDynamix.co.uk / 07540 185754) at the helm and all was going well until disaster struck – the boost just suddenly disappeared taking all the lovely horses with it. Fearing the worst and expecting to see a dead turbo smouldering under the bonnet, we discovered it was actually an issue with the TGV’s snapping shut.
The old ECU was re-fitted to the car to allow me to drive home, and a plan was hatched to sort the problem out.
Fast forward 2 weeks and project Scoob was on the rollers at Zen Performance in Wellingborough. Race Dynamix, don’t normally undertake engine work, but after some begging, Duncan helped fit a replacement TGV-less manifold curing the boost issue. I say help, the truth of the matter is he did it all. Had I attempted it, my car would likely still be in bits...
The Syvecs allows for 8 user-selectable ‘maps, so Duncan got to work squeezing the most out of the engine and saving various ‘maps for different occasions. Once we had the V Power ‘map set, it was time to play with various fuel mixes to see what else we could achieve. Having the selectable ‘maps allows me to run with a fuel mix, or just regular V Power at the flick of a switch. It also allows me to turn on the anti-lag and launch control ‘maps for when they’re needed / wanted – lucky, as they’re not subtle!
We tried a 20% meth mix, but much to my disappointment we barely saw much, if any, power increase.
I think we're at the top end of what the turbo (VF34) can push, so that really is the next thing on the list to replace.
All in, the car is now hitting a respectable 340ish BHP with bags of torque. Duncan has managed to eek out the power, but at the same time make for a very driveable car – In plain English, the man is awesome.
So...
With the driving side of the car bubbling away at ‘awesome for the time being’, it was time to give the outside some love.
A small bit of rot had started to eat away at the paintwork on the roof, and with winter hitting hard, this was the priority. Rather than blend the roof back in silver, I thought it was about time for a little colour.
Having loved the two matt black BMW’s bodywork legend and friend Perky - of Perkins automotive - had turned out for the modball, I decided that the only way forward for the roof was a dose of the same.
Perky’s a busy man and in great demand so getting some time with him and Adam was a joyous occasion for me. With the car driven over to Perkins Automotive (www.PerkinsAutomotive / 0121 711 3553) in Solihull, they wasted no time in attacking and treating the rot.
With paint being loaded into the gun anyway, it was deemed rude to not do a little colour coding whilst there, so off came the bonnet scoop, front grille and headlight covers ready for a rub down.
With the tin worm removed a base coat was sprayed over the entire roof, baked, and then a healthy coat of matt black was liberally applied.
Once dried and cleaned up, the result is fantastic. The colour follows up from the front of the car, right over the roof and looks ace. The silver and black make for an awesome colour combo and Perky, as always, has done a flawless job.
With the Syvecs fitted, a base map was piped through the Ethernet cable to get the car up and running. The tuning got underway with the fully excellent Duncan from Race Dynamix (www.RaceDynamix.co.uk / 07540 185754) at the helm and all was going well until disaster struck – the boost just suddenly disappeared taking all the lovely horses with it. Fearing the worst and expecting to see a dead turbo smouldering under the bonnet, we discovered it was actually an issue with the TGV’s snapping shut.
The old ECU was re-fitted to the car to allow me to drive home, and a plan was hatched to sort the problem out.
Fast forward 2 weeks and project Scoob was on the rollers at Zen Performance in Wellingborough. Race Dynamix, don’t normally undertake engine work, but after some begging, Duncan helped fit a replacement TGV-less manifold curing the boost issue. I say help, the truth of the matter is he did it all. Had I attempted it, my car would likely still be in bits...
The Syvecs allows for 8 user-selectable ‘maps, so Duncan got to work squeezing the most out of the engine and saving various ‘maps for different occasions. Once we had the V Power ‘map set, it was time to play with various fuel mixes to see what else we could achieve. Having the selectable ‘maps allows me to run with a fuel mix, or just regular V Power at the flick of a switch. It also allows me to turn on the anti-lag and launch control ‘maps for when they’re needed / wanted – lucky, as they’re not subtle!
We tried a 20% meth mix, but much to my disappointment we barely saw much, if any, power increase.
I think we're at the top end of what the turbo (VF34) can push, so that really is the next thing on the list to replace. All in, the car is now hitting a respectable 340ish BHP with bags of torque. Duncan has managed to eek out the power, but at the same time make for a very driveable car – In plain English, the man is awesome.
So...
With the driving side of the car bubbling away at ‘awesome for the time being’, it was time to give the outside some love.
A small bit of rot had started to eat away at the paintwork on the roof, and with winter hitting hard, this was the priority. Rather than blend the roof back in silver, I thought it was about time for a little colour.
Having loved the two matt black BMW’s bodywork legend and friend Perky - of Perkins automotive - had turned out for the modball, I decided that the only way forward for the roof was a dose of the same.
Perky’s a busy man and in great demand so getting some time with him and Adam was a joyous occasion for me. With the car driven over to Perkins Automotive (www.PerkinsAutomotive / 0121 711 3553) in Solihull, they wasted no time in attacking and treating the rot.
With paint being loaded into the gun anyway, it was deemed rude to not do a little colour coding whilst there, so off came the bonnet scoop, front grille and headlight covers ready for a rub down.
With the tin worm removed a base coat was sprayed over the entire roof, baked, and then a healthy coat of matt black was liberally applied.
Once dried and cleaned up, the result is fantastic. The colour follows up from the front of the car, right over the roof and looks ace. The silver and black make for an awesome colour combo and Perky, as always, has done a flawless job.
17 January 2011, 01:02 PM
#35
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Nicest guys you'll ever meet and their work is spot on. They do everything from touch ups to full on restos. Classics to heavily modded cars, they do it all
28 January 2011, 07:56 PM
#36
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
So, sadly it looks like my clutch is trying to commit suicide.
I now need a replacement and am talking to the usual suspects about a replacement. If anyone has any suggestions though, i'd love to hear what people would recommend
I now need a replacement and am talking to the usual suspects about a replacement. If anyone has any suggestions though, i'd love to hear what people would recommend
28 January 2011, 08:30 PM
#38
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AP organic going into my build ( forged 2.5, 450+ ) it was recommended over the exedy units which are prone to judder.
Dave
Edit: Nice work btw, those gauges are tempting me to spend more cash.
Dave
Edit: Nice work btw, those gauges are tempting me to spend more cash.
Last edited by spanner monkey; 28 January 2011 at 08:35 PM.
29 January 2011, 11:19 PM
#44
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You shouldn't need a paddle clutch for your current requirements unless your going big power, it will just make it a pig to drive to slow traffic,
An uprated organic will do fine, have a chat with David at API, he offers lots of options including fittting. He does a very nice exedy one rated to 400/400 for a very good price, drives like stock OEM also
An uprated organic will do fine, have a chat with David at API, he offers lots of options including fittting. He does a very nice exedy one rated to 400/400 for a very good price, drives like stock OEM also
13 February 2011, 03:03 PM
#47
Nice write up and a really good read, thanks for sharing...
As for the Clutch, are you still on the standard 5 speed WRX box? I dont think a paddle clutch will be very forgiving and you would quickly be looking at a tranny rebuild or replacement. STI 6 Speeds appear to be very strong.
HTH and GL
Rob
As for the Clutch, are you still on the standard 5 speed WRX box? I dont think a paddle clutch will be very forgiving and you would quickly be looking at a tranny rebuild or replacement. STI 6 Speeds appear to be very strong.
HTH and GL
Rob
13 February 2011, 08:44 PM
#48
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
The clutch switcharoo is indeed done now, and went for a paddle. High likely hood i'll burn it out in next to no time, so may look at going non paddle next time.
At first it was a bitch to drive at slow speeds, however a week in and with it bedded in a bit more, it's actually fine to drive. I still get the occasional judder moving off in first gear, but I think as I get more used to the technique, it'll be no problem. Have suffered slow traffic, and although not great, it's fine.
At speed, and for launching however, the paddle is absolutely excellent. Loving it in everything but first gear - which will come
Yes, still on the 5spd box. Hoping with keeping the juddering right down, and taking it easy at low speed should keep the box alive for as long as possible. Certainly can't afford a new box right now!
Anyhow, as per usual, here's how it went down...
I spoke to quite a few places about my needs and the various options available to me. After a lot of thought, I decided to take project scoob down the guys at X Spec (www.xspec.co.uk or 01455 617991) down in Hinckley and go for one of their ceremetallic 4 puck paddle clutches.
They're a great bunch of lads down at X Spec and having taken my car to them when I first bought it for a once over, knew they knew what they were doing.
While talking through clutch options with them, I mentioned that I had an oil leak that I suspected was from the sump, but wasn't sure. As I was going through Pro S more rapidly than I care for, it was time to find the source and stop it.
Within minutes of arriving the car was on the ramp and hot mug of tea was in my hand. This is the kind of service I like.
Seeing as we were looking for an oil leak, and changing the clutch, the decision was made to hoik out the engine. I thought this was a little drastic, but it's apparently not that much more work (they certainly made it look easy), and would make finding the leak a lot easier.
Roughly an hour after arriving, this is what things looked like
With the engine out, the leak was quickly confirmed as the sump seal, so off it came, and replacement sealant applied. Seeing as the oil was out anyway, and as it was coming up for 5K since the last time I changed it, a new filter was fitted as well as filling up with fresh oil.
What was left of the clutch (not much!) was removed and revealed a flywheel full of cracks. Some big, some small, but more interestingly, the supposed lightened flywheel that was fitted, was, well, standard. Oh well.
No point re-fitting the knackered flywheel, so a replacement second hand one (this time with some lightening done) was put back on.
Here's the new clutch, ready to be fitted. Geekily, from a purely photographic POV, I actually quite like this shot!
Everything was bolted back together, and after a quick spud break for lunch (amazing jackets available locally, seriously. Best ever) the engine was re-fitted and I was ready for the off
As mentioned, it's taken some getting used to changing over to the paddle, but it's certainly no where near as bad as some people have claimed it would be. If I can sort 1st gear out (which I pretty much have), I'll probably stick with a paddle when this one goes. Handily, I can apparently just change the pucks over, saving money over buying a whole new clutch plate.
While at X Spec, I spotted one of their projects, and i've got to say, I fell in love. If i could afford to do it, I really would like to own this... The bodywork has been done really, really well. It looks genuinely OE.
At first it was a bitch to drive at slow speeds, however a week in and with it bedded in a bit more, it's actually fine to drive. I still get the occasional judder moving off in first gear, but I think as I get more used to the technique, it'll be no problem. Have suffered slow traffic, and although not great, it's fine.
At speed, and for launching however, the paddle is absolutely excellent. Loving it in everything but first gear - which will come
Yes, still on the 5spd box. Hoping with keeping the juddering right down, and taking it easy at low speed should keep the box alive for as long as possible. Certainly can't afford a new box right now!
Anyhow, as per usual, here's how it went down...
I spoke to quite a few places about my needs and the various options available to me. After a lot of thought, I decided to take project scoob down the guys at X Spec (www.xspec.co.uk or 01455 617991) down in Hinckley and go for one of their ceremetallic 4 puck paddle clutches.
They're a great bunch of lads down at X Spec and having taken my car to them when I first bought it for a once over, knew they knew what they were doing.
While talking through clutch options with them, I mentioned that I had an oil leak that I suspected was from the sump, but wasn't sure. As I was going through Pro S more rapidly than I care for, it was time to find the source and stop it.
Within minutes of arriving the car was on the ramp and hot mug of tea was in my hand. This is the kind of service I like.
Seeing as we were looking for an oil leak, and changing the clutch, the decision was made to hoik out the engine. I thought this was a little drastic, but it's apparently not that much more work (they certainly made it look easy), and would make finding the leak a lot easier.
Roughly an hour after arriving, this is what things looked like
With the engine out, the leak was quickly confirmed as the sump seal, so off it came, and replacement sealant applied. Seeing as the oil was out anyway, and as it was coming up for 5K since the last time I changed it, a new filter was fitted as well as filling up with fresh oil.
What was left of the clutch (not much!) was removed and revealed a flywheel full of cracks. Some big, some small, but more interestingly, the supposed lightened flywheel that was fitted, was, well, standard. Oh well.
No point re-fitting the knackered flywheel, so a replacement second hand one (this time with some lightening done) was put back on.
Here's the new clutch, ready to be fitted. Geekily, from a purely photographic POV, I actually quite like this shot!
Everything was bolted back together, and after a quick spud break for lunch (amazing jackets available locally, seriously. Best ever) the engine was re-fitted and I was ready for the off
As mentioned, it's taken some getting used to changing over to the paddle, but it's certainly no where near as bad as some people have claimed it would be. If I can sort 1st gear out (which I pretty much have), I'll probably stick with a paddle when this one goes. Handily, I can apparently just change the pucks over, saving money over buying a whole new clutch plate.
While at X Spec, I spotted one of their projects, and i've got to say, I fell in love. If i could afford to do it, I really would like to own this... The bodywork has been done really, really well. It looks genuinely OE.
14 February 2011, 08:40 AM
#49
Another nice write up mate..... Im pleased the paddle turned out to be a good choice, although from what I have read I would keep away from standing launches.
I was overtaking last year when I dropped from 4th to 2nd (2nd put me at 4'500rpm) and booted it and the as I entered 3rd from 6'500rpm in 2nd I stripped 3rd gear clean off....
Rob
PS for what its worth if you do your homework you can get some cracking deals on 6 speeds
PPS that Classic Blob looks very odd.... in a nice way though
I was overtaking last year when I dropped from 4th to 2nd (2nd put me at 4'500rpm) and booted it and the as I entered 3rd from 6'500rpm in 2nd I stripped 3rd gear clean off....
Rob
PS for what its worth if you do your homework you can get some cracking deals on 6 speeds
PPS that Classic Blob looks very odd.... in a nice way though
14 February 2011, 09:43 AM
#50
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
<worried curiosity>Weird. How did you managed to knacker up 3rd? Were you running a paddle clutch?</worried curiosity>
May have to do some serious homework and look for the 6spd
It's a type R shell - so true 2 door - with the blob front end, but done really well. The wings could all be easily replaced if broken, just as if it were a blob at the front. I believe all the running gear is from a hawk, but can't remember what the engine will be. Something fun no doubt!
May have to do some serious homework and look for the 6spd
It's a type R shell - so true 2 door - with the blob front end, but done really well. The wings could all be easily replaced if broken, just as if it were a blob at the front. I believe all the running gear is from a hawk, but can't remember what the engine will be. Something fun no doubt!
14 February 2011, 12:41 PM
#51
. I had STI Injectors, STI TMIC, Walbro, 3" full decat, STI Up-pipe, VF30, Light Flywheel and a few others to get it somewhere near 330ish.I guess at 330+ as I only had it on the rollers "once" after a fresh engine running in miles (2'000 ish) and the engine spat the dummy out of the pram, it weed itself on the rollers leaving Motul over the place, fortunatly this was only a rocker cover seal that hadnt been located correctly, then at 5'000rpm it went into limp mode as the NPS thought the car was in neutral
.... so 293bhp is all we achieved on the day 
.. After some further power modifications and a fresh NPS, followed by a remap the car seemed completly different and much more aggresive 
So In terms of stripping 3rd, it was just a case of dropping a peg, albeit aggressive' just as I attempted an overtaking and it just went bang...... but as I was along side another car, with plenty room I selected 4th and got passed the traffic. 1/4mile up the road pulled over to find that I had indeed stripped 3rd and there was a whole load of noise coming from the transmission as it was being blended around. I replaced this soon after with another 5 speed and sold the car....You wont need to look to far, some on eBay fro £2500 with all the hubs, props etc, but tbh you can source ones off here for a grand less from time to time....
This was my UK300
Rob
Rob
14 February 2011, 09:00 PM
#52
As the 5 speeds are relatively cheap, I would see how far you get on your current setup, and if it lets loose then consider the 6 speed, I mean Ive heard of someone on here was running over 400bhp on his 5 speed 
, but he nursed it.... I cant recall who that was, i may have a search....
Edit= found the thread: https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...-bhp-wise.html
6 Speed here that ive just seen in the Sale section, https://www.scoobynet.com/private-fo...-breaking.html
Rob
, but he nursed it.... I cant recall who that was, i may have a search....Edit= found the thread: https://www.scoobynet.com/general-te...-bhp-wise.html
6 Speed here that ive just seen in the Sale section, https://www.scoobynet.com/private-fo...-breaking.html
Rob
Last edited by Rob Day; 14 February 2011 at 09:06 PM.
15 February 2011, 09:27 PM
#53
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless:
New filter was ordered from Alan Jefferies - A Cosworth panel filter jobby. Looks good, and have heard good things about them, so going to give it a go. The old one was so caked in crap i'd be amazed if any air was actually getting through it!
Duncan from Racedynamix (www.RaceDynamix.co.uk / 07540 185754) dropped by work today to fit a rotary switch for the Syvecs. This now allows me to switch between the various maps that we've set up, including meth mixes, lower RON fuel, normal fuel, a 'limp mode' for when Mrs Macca drives the car (if she ever gets to drive it again!) and of course the ubiquitous anti-lag.
Holy. ****.
AL is retarded and certainly not for road use - although to be fair, i've only driven the car a short distance and in traffic. I can confirm, however, that it is EXCELLENT for stopping tailgaters! Someone was right up my **** until the AL kicked in, then like magic they dropped right back. Ace!
It does sound awesome, however, so it may come out to play every now and then.
I also want to see if it makes much, if any difference to my current turbo set up. There are plans to upgrade the turbo in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later), so it should come in to its own later down the line.
New filter was ordered from Alan Jefferies - A Cosworth panel filter jobby. Looks good, and have heard good things about them, so going to give it a go. The old one was so caked in crap i'd be amazed if any air was actually getting through it!
Duncan from Racedynamix (www.RaceDynamix.co.uk / 07540 185754) dropped by work today to fit a rotary switch for the Syvecs. This now allows me to switch between the various maps that we've set up, including meth mixes, lower RON fuel, normal fuel, a 'limp mode' for when Mrs Macca drives the car (if she ever gets to drive it again!) and of course the ubiquitous anti-lag.
Holy. ****.
AL is retarded and certainly not for road use - although to be fair, i've only driven the car a short distance and in traffic. I can confirm, however, that it is EXCELLENT for stopping tailgaters! Someone was right up my **** until the AL kicked in, then like magic they dropped right back. Ace!
It does sound awesome, however, so it may come out to play every now and then.
I also want to see if it makes much, if any difference to my current turbo set up. There are plans to upgrade the turbo in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later), so it should come in to its own later down the line.
16 February 2011, 10:04 PM
#58
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Time for another update!
CDF had a group buy on their short shifters, and seeing as how I was after one, at £38, it was a no brainer.
I ordered it back before Christmas, but due to some build issues (the first batch were prototype-esque) only received it on Monday.
As soon as I opened the box I could tell it was a quality bit of kit. Beautifully crafted and part of me wanted to hang it on the wall rather than fit it!
With Mrs Macca out tonight, it was the perfect time to get it into project scoob, so I set about getting it fitted.
Here's the before photo, showing the current height:
Next up was to remove the plastic cover around the gear stick, so I unscrewed the gear ****, then used a little force to get the cover off, leaving me with this:
I undid the bolt holding the stick to the linkage, then popped the stick out of the socket.
The new CDF shifter took a bit of 'persuading' to fit, but a wooden hammer soon got it in. At this point I realised the block must have been on the linkage, which probably didn't help getting it in. I could tell this as the block had moved up the shifter. Oooops...
Undoing the grub screws, i moved the block back into place, and bolted in the linkage with the new bolt supplied.
I think there might be slight rubbage from the linkage on the metal plate, so will keep an eye on that, and if so, will remove a bit of the plate.
With the new shifter fitted, it was just a case of re-fitting the surround and job done! Although a lovely looking **** was supplied by CDF, I decided to stick with my plastic OMP one.
You may be able to see from this photo that the gear **** sits a bit lower than before:
Having taken project scoob for a spin, the gear changes are noticeably shorter and you can really feel when you've got it in gear.
Top quality bit of kit, and if you're looking for a short shifter, this may well be the one for you!
CDF had a group buy on their short shifters, and seeing as how I was after one, at £38, it was a no brainer.
I ordered it back before Christmas, but due to some build issues (the first batch were prototype-esque) only received it on Monday.
As soon as I opened the box I could tell it was a quality bit of kit. Beautifully crafted and part of me wanted to hang it on the wall rather than fit it!
With Mrs Macca out tonight, it was the perfect time to get it into project scoob, so I set about getting it fitted.
Here's the before photo, showing the current height:
Next up was to remove the plastic cover around the gear stick, so I unscrewed the gear ****, then used a little force to get the cover off, leaving me with this:
I undid the bolt holding the stick to the linkage, then popped the stick out of the socket.
The new CDF shifter took a bit of 'persuading' to fit, but a wooden hammer soon got it in. At this point I realised the block must have been on the linkage, which probably didn't help getting it in. I could tell this as the block had moved up the shifter. Oooops...
Undoing the grub screws, i moved the block back into place, and bolted in the linkage with the new bolt supplied.
I think there might be slight rubbage from the linkage on the metal plate, so will keep an eye on that, and if so, will remove a bit of the plate.
With the new shifter fitted, it was just a case of re-fitting the surround and job done! Although a lovely looking **** was supplied by CDF, I decided to stick with my plastic OMP one.
You may be able to see from this photo that the gear **** sits a bit lower than before:
Having taken project scoob for a spin, the gear changes are noticeably shorter and you can really feel when you've got it in gear.
Top quality bit of kit, and if you're looking for a short shifter, this may well be the one for you!
