SUZUKI CARRY GA413 SERVICE MANUAL

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GROUND ZERO TOYOTA

WE TAKE A WALK BACK IN TOYOTAS HISTORY, TO A TIME BEFORE IT BECAME THE AUTOMOTIVE GIANT WE KNOW TODAY.

It isn’t the strongest species that survives; it is the one that is most adaptable to change, and Sakichi Toyoda and his son, Kiichiro Toyoda, were exactly that. The founders of our beloved Toyota marque didn’t always dabble in the auto industry — this story is one of adaptability, and goes something along the lines of ‘from cotton to cars’. It’s a fascinating tale, so, when the chance to visit the very first Toyota premises came up while I was visiting Nagoya, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and set off to see how the Toyoda family created one of the most famous automotive marques in the world. The Toyoda Power Loom was released in 1905 and quickly gained public attention for producing quality cotton fabric. By 1925, the business was a major player in the loom industry, with full automation capability, and the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd was formed in 1926. In 1929, the patent to the looms was sold to a British company, generating the capital for Kiichiro Toyoda to begin automobile development. After taking apart a 1933 Chevrolet, he blueprinted the car for a prototype engine he had been working on and used the disassembled Chevrolet car parts to test for strength and rigidity. From this research and development was born the Toyota model AA, which sold for a unit price of ¥3350, or $45 dollars. The name also underwent a change, from ‘Toyoda’ to ‘Toyota’, as it was easier to pronounce, and to write it in the katakana script took eight strokes, a number considered lucky by the Japanese. The Toyota Motor Company Ltd launched in 1937. 

When I visited the original premises and stood on the original production line, it gave me an eerie feeling: as I looked down the building, the wooden skeleton produced perfect ‘tunnels’ for industrial production lines. You could almost feel the ghosts of the first employees running around crafting looms and, later, the first automobile prototypes. Nowadays, it is a museum showcasing the entire history of Toyota with original, working machines spread throughout the complex. Of course, I was more interested in the automotive side of things, so I skipped on into the next room. Walking through the door, we transitioned from fabric to internal combustion, and greeting me was a restored example of an original AA chassis. Though I’m more of a sports car fanatic, I felt privileged to see the beginnings of the Toyota we all know and love today. I guess you could say that this car paved the way for icons such as the Hachi-Roku, Celica, and Supra. The museum has been set up to showcase pristine examples of some of the best cars in Toyota’s arsenal. Everything from original bare- metal chassis to an impressive engine line-up, and even metal presses that create engine internals are on display. Watching a 120-tonne forge press making miniature connecting rods was impressive, until we were told that the full-size ones are done with a 2000-tonne press.

If you’re a Toyota fanatic, this is one experience you wouldn’t want to miss out on. Many of the classic cars are some of the first to have ever rolled off the production lines and would easily be the most immaculate original examples in existence, since Toyota has time-capsuled them. But perhaps the most impressive thing of all was getting an insight into the industrial production lines used by Toyota today. Watching a chassis go from multiple panels to a finished, welded product in mere minutes, then through the automated paint process, finally to be mated up with its engine and drivetrain was a mind-boggling experience. Seeing this makes you realize just how a single Toyota production facility is capable of producing 463 vehicles per day. At the end of the production line was a small image of Kiichiro Toyoda, with the simple phrase, “Before you say you can’t do something — try it.” This family came from poor, humble beginnings and created the world’s largest automobile manufacturer, a true rags-to-riches story. Visiting Toyota and standing beneath the roof that Toyota’s full-scale manufacture began under is a must-do for any true Toyota fan.

MAKE MINE A CORONA! 1996 NISSAN SILVA (S14)

If you’re reading this, it’s a pretty reasonable assumption for us to make that you consider yourself something of a connoisseur of all things automotive — or, to put it more concisely, you’re a car enthusiast, a boy racer, or as our Australian cousins tend to put it, a hoon. Regardless of label, stripped to the core, we all subscribe to the same basic infatuation — a passion for four-wheeled octane burning money sponges. But the journey that culminates in the dedication to the thrill of mashing the right foot to the floor varies. Some see the light as they enter their formative young-adult years, enthralled by the promise of freedom and social mobility, while some — like Manawatu native Jaron Olivecrona — hail from a background rich in all things automotive. See, for Jaron — owner of this striking slideways S14 Silvia and fresh off the back of his first full-season Demon Energy D1NZ Pro campaign — cars have always featured prominently in his life. The Olivecrona surname is near synonymous with motorsports in the Manawatu region, thanks to a solid history beginning with Jaron’s great-great-grandfather, Jack Nash, famed in the region for his antics at the helm of a Studebaker throughout the circuit scene of the 1950s. The motorsport gene was passed through the generations to Jaron’s father, Kester Olivecrona, who, as well as crewing for the late Brian Green’s Group B Quattro, in the mid 1980s, went on to build and campaign a rapid FD3S RX 7 in GT Racing New Zealand (GTRNZ). As Jaron grew up amid such a flurry of motorsport activity, not to mention an immersion in a selection of quality high-performance road cars throughout his childhood, an interest in motorsport was always inevitable — if not absolutely compulsory! At 12, Jaron was ripping around Manfeild at the wheel of an ex–Shell Sport Toyota Starlet, with the aim of keeping things stuck to the tarmac in search of the quickest line from apex to apex. Around this time, Kiwi drifting began to be popular, and, with D1NZ in its infancy attracting huge crowds, Jaron soon aspired towards the speed, angle, and plumes of smoke that drifting promised. 

The S14 build started around six years ago. Jaron and his father initially acquired the car — as is the case with many fresh race-car builds — as a derelict road vehicle. However, this wasn’t to be a case of a street car eventually morphing into a full-blown drift car; from the outset, the the intention with the S14 was always to construct a chassis dedicated to the pursuit of being flung sideways. While the S14 was conceived with this single focus in mind, to say the Silvia has been exempt from development would be highly inaccurate. Take the engine set-up, for example. Early in its development, the Silvia saw the substitution of Nissan’s halo motor, the venerable RB26DETT for its original, non functional SR20, and, over the years, Jaron, Kester, and the team perfected the 2.6-litre straight-six to perfectly cater to their drift needs. It’s unusual to see an RB running at D1NZ Pro level that doesn’t displace three litres or even more — but the Olivecrona Drift Motorsport crew has elected to retain the 2.6-litre bottom end, albeit well stocked with an arsenal of heavy-duty upgrades in the form of Eagle forged rods and custom-crafted CP high-compression pistons, and with the notorious RB26 oiling problems taken care of with a dry-sump set-up — the Brennan three-stage pump sending oil from a large Peterson oil reservoir perched where the rear seats would have been and then throughout the various oil galleries to keep the RB well lubricated while it’s banging off the limiter. 

Up top, the RB features a heavily worked-over head, courtesy of Bryan Hartley at The Head Shop in Palmerston North. Bryan’s a bit of a whizz with cylinder heads, and his recent CNC- porting developments for the RB26 head are no exception, with artisan-level workmanship poured into the flowed inlet and exhaust ports. Hartley also supplied a pair of billet camshafts, while titanium double valve springs maintain control of the valves at high revs. Boost comes courtesy of a large Holset twin-scroll turbo, sitting atop one of Sinco’s rock-solid exhaust manifolds and pushing compressed air through a modified OEM manifold and six GT-R throttle bodies. You may have noticed the words ‘high compression’. Jaron’s RB runs around 10:1 compression, fuelled by E85, with boost levels kept relatively moderate — but the net result is a responsive 500kW, as well as over 700Nm of torque available from low rpm, lending the RB a tractable power curve with the ability to get on the throttle at any opportunity and have power available on demand. Then there’s that trademark RB26 sound ... Visually, Jaron’s car looks somewhat different to the usual S14 offering — and, on closer inspection, you’ll see that the Silvia now sports a custom one-piece fibreglass rear clip, a development explained through the good-old-fashioned race- car principle of ‘less is more’. Jaron and Kester reckon a lighter car permits quicker acceleration between turns and the ability to switch angle faster. A mould of the standard S14 rear was taken, then Kester hacked the back of the car off, replacing everything from the rear firewall back with a custom tube-frame structure, its function purely to accommodate the fuel system and support the newly formed rear clip. It’s an elegant and innovative solution, more reminiscent of something you’d see on a dedicated circuit car — a silhouette, if you will. The deep vents aft of the doors encourage airflow through the arches, permitting smoke to flow from the tyres in a fashion just as unique as the bodywork treatment. Up front, a Supermade-style front bar complements - 

Beautiful in its functional appearance, the forged Hartley-built RB26DETT now sports a large Holset HRC40RS turbo, while retaining the 2.6-litre capacity and trademark RB26 sound

SUPPORT

STRUTS: Tein Super Drift coilovers, TDP steering kit, Parts Shop Max hub carriers, camber arms, traction arms, toe arms, and solid-mount subframe bushes BRAKES: (F) R32 GT-R four-pot calipers, (R) dual R32 GT-R calipers for separate brake/handbrake.

Keeping the OEM dashboard is key to a winning drift car interior aesthetic. In the case of the Silvia, Jaron has seamlessly integrated the R32 GT-R cluster to match the RB26 beneath the carbon bonnet.

SHOES

WHEELS: 18x10.5-inch TBC DK

TYRES: (F) 265/40R18 Nitto NT01, (R) 265/40R18 HiFly 

HEART

ENGINE: Nissan RB26DETT, 2600cc, six-cylinder.

BLOCK: RB26DETT block, Eagle forged rods, Custom CP high-compression pistons, Brennan three-stage dry-sump pump, dry-sump pan

HEAD: RB26DETT head, Hartley CNC-ports, Hartley billet cams, titanium double valve springs, radius-cut valve seats, 1mm Cometic head gasket, dry- sump scavenge oil return from back of head, original oil galleries blocked INTAKE: Modified R32 GT-R six-throttle body manifold, port matched to head, 102mm K&N filter, Fenix Performance intercooler

EXHAUST: 3.5-inch straight-through system, Sinco Customs high-mount turbo manifold.

TURBO: Holset HRC40RS, twin-scroll
WASTEGATE: TiAL

BOV: TiAL

FUEL: Walbro lift pump, Bosch 044 fuel pump, custom alloy surge tank, -10 braided lines, -8 return line, Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors, Turbosmart fuel-pressure regulator.
IGNITION: Splitfire coils, NGK racing spark plugs

ECU: Link G4

COOLING: Fenix Performance radiator, dual 305mm electric fans.

EXTRA: Custom motorsport wiring loom, Petersen dry-sump oil tank. 

POWER

500kW/700Nm at the wheels.

INTERIOR

SEATS:RaceTech

STEERING WHEEL:OMP suede competition 

INSTRUMENTATION: R32GT - R CLUSTER, R32 GT - R AUXILLIARY GAUGES.

DRIVELINE

GEARBOX: TTi five-speed sequential CLUTCH: Custom-specced FLYWHEEL: Custom lightweight

DIFF: R32 GT-R, Nismo two-way mechanical limited-slip, R33 GT-R axles and custom axle spacers

EXTERIOR

PAINT: Gunmetal grey base by Designer Paints, Feilding

ENHANCEMENTS: Custom fibreglass removable one-piece rear clip, custom fibreglass side skirts, carbon-fibre bonnet, Supermade-style front bumper, carbon rear wing with water-cut alloy stays, Lexan rear quarter windows, Lexan rear screen, tube-frame front and rear by Kester Olivecrona

The bespoke fibreglass rear clip is a product of Jaron’s dad, Kester, and his considerable experience in race-car fabrication. It’s light, easily replaceable, and, of course, the deep air vents mean that the S14 puts on a great smoke show when the treads are spinning! the kouki front end, with the usual wide front guards enveloping the semi-slick-shod TBC DK 18x10.5-inch wheels. To keep everything glued to the black top, there is a fairly tried-and-true combo. The front end geometry is kept in check with the proven TDP S-body kit, while Tein Super Drift coilovers with custom spring rates tailor the S14’s behaviour to each track. It’s business as usual inside — a comprehensive roll cage ensures occupant safety should things go pear-shaped, while a Racetech bucket seat keeps Jaron in close proximity to the OMP suede wheel and the shifter for the TTI five-speed sequential. The retention of the stock S14 dash is a welcome sight, a nod to the street roots of drifting, but, in Jaron’s case, nicely integrating an R32 GT-R cluster (10K tacho, anyone?) and auxiliary gauges in the console. His first full-season D1NZ campaign is behind him, and Jaron explained it was a challenge at times — the newly complete engine set-up causing some strife prior to round one, with the car reassembled and back on the dyno at 6am on the morning of qualifying. If anything, though, the constant exposure to motorsport throughout life has stood him in good stead to deal with the teething issues associated with a fresh build, trying innovative techniques, and competing at the peak of a sport on a national level — which he proved capable of from the moment the pedal hit the floor for round one. But, with a couple of generations of passion behind them, Jaron and Kester have digested the education of that first full season, put their heads together, and collectively begun to develop the car for the upcoming summer of sliding, with some tweaks and changes imminent in order to keep the team competitive. With a background of success and that rich family tapestry of motorsport, you can bet the Olivecrona Drift Motorsport team will be here for the long haul, and with that history of success comes the thirst for more. Expect to see the S14 tearing up the tracks of Demon Energy D1NZ across 2016–’17 and the boys as personable, detailed, and enthusiastic as usual as the development of another chapter in the Olivecrona motorsport history continues. 

 Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gauges INTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gaugesINTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary INTERIO

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gausTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R auxiliary gauge 

CHEMICAL BOOST

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING SOME NITROUS OXIDE ON YOUR ENGINE? WE RUN DOWN THE FUNDAMENTAL BASICS SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOURE DEALING WITH.

We all remember that scene in the original The Fast and the Furious when Brian (may he rest in peace), rocks into The Racers Edge and demands that two of the biggest NOS bottles be installed in his sweet Mitsubishi Eclipse by that evening — then, later that night, his manifold pressure is so high that it somehow blows the passenger floor panel out. Well, we are here to let you know that this will 100-per-cent never happen to you if you decide to go down the nitrous-oxide route. But bad things can happen if you don’t treat the stuff like any other power addition. Think of nitrous like a chemical boost, a facilitator that does exactly the same as a turbo or supercharger, by forcing more air into the combustion chamber, allowing your engine to use more fuel to create a bigger bang and thus more energy (power). The use of nitrous oxide as a power additive can be traced all the way back to World War II, when our allies used it in their higher-altitude planes, at the time before jet engines. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that it became a popular automotive performance product, thanks to the formation of the company Nitrous Oxide Systems, or ‘NOS’ for short. You’re probably more likely to hear the liquid gas referred to as ‘NOS’, a clear indicator that these guys put the product on the map for us car-loving folk. Here in New Zealand, it’s been a popular drag-racing additive for just as long, but a recent rule rework by MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) now allows its use in circuit racing and drifting for the first time, provided the series regs allow for it. This is something that D1NZ has gone for, and it’s aimed at the likes of four-cylinder engines looking to kick it with the big guns. So, what exactly is ‘nitrous oxide’, and how the hell does this magic bottle make so much power?

HOW IT WORKS 

Nitrous oxide is a strongly bonded three-atom molecule consisting of two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. The nitrogen atoms help to reduce detonation and control the burn of the combustion mix inside the chamber. It’s the oxygen that is the real power additive here, though, due to its weight percentage in the mix compared with the normal atmospheric air your engine usually breathes — 36 per cent oxygen versus 23.6 per cent, which means that you end up with much more air in the combustion chamber to fuel the fire. Stored in a liquid state between 900psi and 950psi, it changes state from a liquid to a gas when released into the intake manifold. During this process, its temperature drops to –88°C, absorbing massive amounts of heat from the intake charge and thus allowing increased oxygen content. As a bonded molecule, nitrous oxide will not burn; the atoms need to be split first. This happens inside the combustion chamber at just over 300°C. Once parted, the two gasses go about their work. But both nitrogen and oxygen are inert gasses, so adding all that extra oxygen is pointless unless you add more combustible fuel to feed off it. So, while many people incorrectly assume the extra power comes from the gas exploding, this is not the case; it simply injects a ton more air into the chamber, just as a turbo or supercharger would.

TYPES OF NITROUS SYSTEM 

There are two types of systems to feed nitrous into your engine, dry and wet, with wet involved in both plate and direct port–style systems. Which type to use depends on exactly what your desired power output and application are. The dry system is the simplest, as it only adds nitrous, relying on the factory fuel system to supply the extra fuel needed. Basically, when the nitrous is added, the factory oxygen sensor picks up the increased oxygen content and adds more fuel to match. The limitations with such a kit are that your injectors and fuel system will probably need upgrading to accommodate the extra strain, and you must have electronic fuel injection (EFI). The dry system is typically used on smaller power systems using under 112kW (150hp) shots. The more common set-up is a wet system. With this, the nitrous is either delivered via a plate system or fed directly into each port. It adds both the nitrous and the extra fuel it needs, so your existing fuel system remains separate and does not need to be upgraded, even if you’re adding a big shot of the giggle gas. The plate style is the easier of the two in terms of installation, as you simply bolt the plate in between the throttle body or carb and the manifold. The plate houses both the nitrous and extra fuel jets/injectors. The direct-port style sees the nitrous and fuel jets/injectors mounted directly on each port runner of the manifold. On the likes of in-line four- and six-cylinder engines, this ensures an even amount of nitrous is supplied to each combustion chamber.

WHAT THE LVVTA SAYS ABOUT THE USE OF
NITROUS IN A STREET CAR

 Nitrous-oxide systems can be LVV certified for use in road cars provided that some fairly basic technical requirements are met. Among these requirements are that hoses need to be routed outside the occupant cell and there needs to be a fail-safe arming switch to prevent unintentional activation. In addition, the bottle must be of an approved type; have a current test mark; be securely mounted, sealed, and vented to the outside of the vehicle if mounted in the occupant cell; and have a pressure safety blow-off valve. The full technical requirements for nitrous-oxide systems can be downloaded for free from LVVTA website (lvvta.org.nz; see LVV Standard 85-40(00) [Engine and Drive-Train Conversions]), or found in section 9.7 of the Engine and Drive-Train chapter of the NZ Hobby Car Technical Manual.

HOW ARE THE FLOW AND TIMING CONTROLLED?
Nitrous does not flow continuously while the engine is running if it did, your supply (generally from a single or perhaps twin bottles) would run out really fast. It is usually used only at wide-open throttle but can be controlled a few different ways. Speed, rpm, boost, and gear selection are all typical ways used to signal the solenoid to get the party started. However, the simplest method is manual control, as in that famous scene we spoke of earlier, via a button typically mounted on the steering wheel. Just how much nitrous and extra fuel get added (with a wet system) is dictated by the predetermined jets inside the injector/nozzle. It is recommended that any system supplying a shot over 112kW be delivered in stages. Nothing good will come from you throwing an extra 300kW at the wheels instantly, unless you plan to break something, with the best-case scenario being traction that you break, but more likely, engine or driveline components.

AGE-OLD PROBLEM

If you are purchasing a secondhand kit, be sure to check the manufacturing date stamped on the top of the bottle. Bottles only have a 10-year life span.

WILL IT BLOW UP MY ENGINE?

As with any boosted engine, the pressure and heat inside the combustion chamber will increase with nitrous oxide. If you’re running a small amount of nitrous, this will be OK (most companies recommend around 45kW [60hp] max for four-cylinder and 75kW [100hp] max for six-cylinder). But, if you plan to introduce more than that, you will need forged pistons and different pistonring clearances. Go over a 186kW (250hp) shot, and you’ll have to add forged rods and a forged crank to the list. Basically, nitrous should be treated just like a turbo or supercharger — you wouldn’t go sticking 30psi into a stock block, so the same applies here.

REDEMPTION

HEART
ENGINE: Mazda 12A, 1200cc, four-port, twin-rotor
BLOCK: Bridgeported plates
INTAKE: Polished 48mm Weber IDA, chromed alloy low-rise manifold
EXHAUST: 2.25-inch headers, twin 2.25- inch exhaust, twin AdrenalinR resonators, single 2.5-inch pipe to Wolfe truck muffler
FUEL: Polished alloy fuel cell, braided lines throughout
IGNITION: Bosch igniters, Bosch coils, Series 5 crank-angle sensor
COOLING: Real Deal Radiators alloy radiator, Real Deal Radiators oil cooler, chromed Davies Craig electric water pump, -16 braided lines
EXTRA: New wiring loom, remote oil filter, de-loomed and shaved engine bay, chromed everything

INTERIOR
SEATS: (F) Racepro custom upholstered in tan leather, Sparco four-point harnesses
STEERING WHEEL: Sparco
INSTRUMENTATION: Auto Meter tacho, speedo, oil-pressure, water-temp, and fuel-level gauges
EXTRA: Six-point roll cage, custom dash and centre console,
Sparco floor plates, Sparco door pulls, Sparco pedals, Sparco handbrake cover.

DRIVELINE
GEARBOX: Mazda RX-7 Series 3 five-speed
CLUTCH: Four-puk
FLYWHEEL: Ten pound
DIFF: Mazda RX-7 Series 2

EXTERIOR
PAINT: Custom PPG red sprayed by South Suburban Motor Bodies
ENHANCEMENTS: Panel work by Pro Craft and South Suburban Motor Bodies

SUPPORT
STRUTS: (F) Mazda 323 uprights, RX-7 Series 3 inserts, Dobi springs, Toyshop camber plates; (R) Bilstein coilovers
BRAKES: Braided lines; (F) Mazda RX-7 Series 6 calipers, Znoelli drilled and slotted rotors, race pads; (R) Mazda RX-7 Series 2 calipers and rotors
EXTRA: Nolathane bushes throughout

 

SHOES
WHEELS: 17x7-inch ROH ZS
TYRES: 185/35R17 Nankang NS2

When you hear the term ‘period correct’, what usually springs to mind are images of old hot rods from the ’30s or ’40s with a ton of equally old American-made components. It’s not often that 1970s Mazda rotaries are thought of in this light — but you know what? That has all begun to change as the import scene has got a little older. It’s now old enough to have some history and depth to it, sparking a new movement with an appreciation for protecting our heritage, paying homage to the early years of the scene in New Zealand, the stuff that Generation Y grew up on. It should come as no surprise, really, that the guys driving this resurgence are those who were just getting started in cars some 10 to 20 years ago and are now older, their skill sets having  ncreased, knowledge having broadened, and generally having expanded resources, too. When you speak to Podge Reid, the owner and builder of this immaculate RX-7, you soon get a sense of his passion for the Mazda rotary, a passion born during that era when rotaries with no bonnets, loud exhausts, and only a handful of wheel options ruled the streets. It’s a nostalgia he has tried to keep alive with the build on his RX-7. But although he may have taken his inspiration from that bygone era, we think the end result is anything but dated. What it is, is a lesson in OCD levels of badassery served on a polished and chromed platter. Looking at the RX-7 now, you would be hard pressed to believe that, in mid 2010, it was on the fast track to the scrap heap. It was caked in bog, with a lick of matt black, and as rough as guts, and Podge purchased it for a song with the sole intention of building it up as a burnout car. Clearly, though, his idea of a burnout car is not an average beater with its rear quarters pastered in rubber. “We paid $1500 for it with the roll cage already in it. Stevie [Ellicott] and myself started by tidying up the engine bay, making it really nice, similar to Charlie [Stanaway’s] burnout wagon — so when you pop the bonnet, it is still all nice, but the body is rough. We smoothed it all out, and then one thing lead to another,” Podge explained. The turning point in the project came halfway through the panel work, which was taking too long to get done in the backyard, so the car was dropped off at Pro Craft in Takanini, where Geoff Derek hammered and filed the shell, pulled the chassis rails, and stitched on new door skins, as the old doors had been bogged smooth to hide some questionable panel work. It was around halfway through this process that Podge came to the realization that what he was building was going far beyond what a burnout car needed to be, and it was apparent he had the opportunity to build something special. All visions of a deadline were now erased, and the next five years would see the RX-7 become what you now see before you. Podge began searching high and low for as many OEM (new-old-stock) parts as possible. Any Series 1 parts that Mazda still had in the far reaches ofits Japan-based warehouse were soon on a boat to New Zealand, while anything it didn’t have was sourced locally from all those stashes of Mazda parts lurking in people’s sheds. The shell was then handed to South Suburban Motor Bodies, which undertook one last going over of the body before laying on that show-quality deep red gloss. The colour was very nearly going to be yellow but, at the eleventh hour,  seeing seven factory yellow S1s on Trade Me prompted the change to the custom PPG red. “It’s a 37-year-old car that will now last at least another 37 years. We didn’t take any shortcuts and did everything right the first time,” Podge said. It’s a philosophy that was adhered to throughout the build — nothing rushed, nothing half-arsed, and no set deadlines. For Podge, it’s been as much about the process of building the car as it’s been about the finished product — in fact, probably more so: “It’s the beers, the pizzas, those late nights in the shed till 10, 11, midnight, and the boys still in there working away. Without them, especially Stevie, it just would have never got to this stage; learning off — and pushing — eachother to take our builds to that next level.” This is evident when you look at the crowning glory of this build, the engine bay. If you count the number of holes in the bay, you will have fingers spare on a single hand. But while the bay itself is flawless, it’s the time and effort that has gone into detailing the engine hardware that has made all the difference. A cocktail of chrome, polish, and black was painstakingly put together — we are not just talking about a quick lick with some Autosol or a rattle can here; we are talking about each and every component being stripped bare and detailed. For the most part, these were new components, but when that was not possible, a full rebuild was carried out. To get the RX-7 low and also retain enough travel, the rear suspension mounts were raised in the body, with custom-length Bilstein coilovers in place to keep the engine bay as uncluttered and clean as possible, the electric fans have been mounted in front of the radiator and the rear covered by a custom Mazda shroud. A chromed Davies Craig electric water pump and braided lines continue the clean cooling set-up We hope you’re now getting a sense of where those six years went; this is effectively a brand-new Series 1 RX-7. At the heart of all this is a 12A bridgeport with 48mm IDA, the last and only remaining pieces of the vehicle that the RX-7 is serving as redemption for, Podge’s old show-winning B1600, which he wrote off in 2010. By staying on the 12A route, the original driveline the RX-7 came with, the car has remained true to its roots, just how Podge intended it to: “I wanted it to still feel like an RX-7, with the 12A etc., but hot rodded.” The pure simplicity of a carburetted 12A allows so much room in the engine bay that Podge can stand in there to polish the motor. So, while it’s not making headliner power figures, it doesn’t need to; if you have ever driven an S1 RX-7, you’ll know they are fast in factory trim — it is, after all, a race car, with that sleek long bonnet and the swooping lines that made ’70s Japanese sports cars so damn great. The dance between show car and race car is complemented by the re-covered Racepro seats, a swag of Auto Meter and Sparco items, and the full cage the shell originally came with. A local auto trimmer handled the full re-trim in tan leather, with Podge getting the iconic PAC logo embossed in the doors and seats — it’s a bit of

PODGE HAS PICKED UP BEST RX-7 SERIES 1-5 TWO YEARS RUNNING AT THE V 4&ROTARY NATIONALS AND THIS YEAR HE ALSO TOOK HOME BEST MODIFIED INTERIOR

a homage to the trans-Tasman brotherhood that the rotary community feels, one Podge has been a good advocate for, schooling more than one Aussie RX-7 owner on how to get their S1 as low as his while still retaining suspension travel. This was one area that took a little trial and error to get right, but Podge is confident about the current set-up, with its raised rear strut towers — and yes, the whole package will be certed at this height. It’s been a long road to get to this point, but it’s not one that Podge would change. He just hopes that it inspires and pushes the next generation to undertake more high-quality builds like the ones he and the rest of his mates have produced. Meanwhile, he told us, “I want to enjoy it as much as I want to show it off for other people to enjoy. Part of it is showing the appreciation about the journey. Yeah, it’s my car, and I have spent a lot of money, but there are mates [who] … have given up their time; it’s the appreciation of the effort they have put into it. It’s those guys [who] … push you to actually build cars like this. You have a few beers and start bouncing ideas off each other: what’s next, what else can we do, what’s next level, and how do we push boundaries?” It’s this sort of thinking that got the scene to where it is today — pushing hard to take things to the next level. So the real question is, who is ready to step up to the plate and take on Podge? Is it you?

 

When it came to wheel options, Podge had to keep it old school, rocking 17x7-inch ROH ZSs, while, back in the shed, he has a few other old-school options waiting, so he can change it up when he feels like it

WHAT’S ONLINE AT ENGINEOVERHAULING.COM THIS MONTH?

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE — 2JZ RAT ROD

Never in a million years did we expect to see a Garrett GT42 strapped on the side of a 2JZ-GTE sitting in the exposed engine bay of a Model A rat rod, especially one with a custom-painted rocker cover and stainless manifolds. It’s an odd marriage of new and old, which on paper would sound wrong to most car builders, but, in practice, Brandon Dejesus has nailed the mish-mash of styles perfectly. When your car is airbagged and sitting on 20-inch Stance wheels, you would be sure to steal the show at any event you attend, whether it be import or V8 in flavour.

 

HANGING AT TJM

The night before the final round of the Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championship, we found ourselves at the workshop of Team Jenkins Motorsports (TJM) as a bunch of unfamiliar faces thrashed away in two unfamiliar cars. TJM had been taken over by two Aussie drifters, who were over here to contest the Hi-Tec Oils trans-Tasman competition. After a disastrous round in Christchurch, new engine builds and dogbox conversions were underway. These Aussies certainly don’t give up without a fight. We took a closer look at Matty Hill’s Nissan S15, running a 2JZ engine that had literally just been bolted in.

A VISIT TO MAATOUKS RACING

When one of Sydney, Australia’s most famous RB workshops holds a party, you can be sure the line-up of cars in attendance will be outstanding. From 500kW R34s and 600kW Evos to Liberty Walk–kitted Lambos and GT-Rs and record-holding hectic Vl Turbos, this is pure Aussie car porn at its best. With René on the ground in Sydney, we were there to capture all the mega-power street cars that dreams are made of.

THE RED PANDA

He was raised by a street-racing father, so it’s no surprise that Jay Kho ended up with a deep love and appreciation for car modifying. Living in the US, where Skylines are extremely rare, he wasn’t going to turn down the chance to own a DR30. Produced by the talented team at Petrolicious, the six-minute video The Red Panda chronicles Jay’s journey with the DR30, a car with a super-rad livery and an interesting engine conversion.

ENGINE BLOCK REBUILD COSTS

Aside from a zillion technical questions, the most popular start to any conversation about power units tends to concern the cost. That could be a cylinder head, engine, gearbox or the whole unit, reconditioned to standard spec, full race or something in between. It’s also a question that is difficult to answer accurately as the amount of work needed depends on the state of the parts supplied. As such I don’t have a build price list for anything other than modified cylinder heads – that’s easy because they are all done to a specific recipe using the same processes and parts each time. Looking through the ads in the mag, there are companies that offer engine and gearbox builds at set prices, so I guess they must use the same principle as I do for the heads – a set recipe for machining, parts and labour that they duplicate. But there is nothing to cater for the enthusiast who is considering having a go themselves, so just wants to know the essentials that will likely need replacing and an idea of total component and engineering costs. In response I thought I’d oblige and do a breakdown of a very basic engine and gearbox rebuild, covering the engine this month, cylinder head next month and gearbox after that. This should help achieve two goals; one is a list of the basic parts and engineering tasks that are likely to be needed with an idea on cost, the second is a list to work to in order to price up to anywhere you want to. Though there are cheaper components out there, I have steered clear of them and stuck to good quality recognised brands. Realistically, you won’t know what needs doing/replacing until you have stripped the unit down and thoroughly inspected everything. Anything you are not sure on, either ask your local engineering shop to take a look (though it has to be remembered that it is likely to want to sell you as much as it can) or consult somebody from your local Mini club. I have simply started with the most basic of lists from the majority of units that have been through my hands. For instance, some low-mileage, well-serviced and cared-for engines may have piston to bore clearances within the necessary tolerance, so need no more than a hone and re-ring. The crankshaft bearings may even be in good enough condition to be used again following careful inspection.
 

BLOCK
After any machining work carried out on the block, it is absolutely essential the engine is cleaned inside and out prior to reassembly. To do this you will need to remove the oil gallery plugs and coolant jacket core plugs. This is pretty straightforward with the later ‘cap’ type plugs, but a little more difficult on the earlier solid brass plugs in the oil gallery ends. If in doubt, get an engineering company to remove them for you. Most automotive engineering shops have a parts washer that they run all engine components through after machining. The best way to ensure the oil galleries are clean and clear of debris is to use special radial type brushes, available from the likes of Frost Restoration along with contact or brake cleaner and compressed air. Cam bearings regularly crop up in conversations on engine rebuilds – should you change them or not? As they are nigh-on impossible to change correctly without special tools, if they are only very slightly scored I would leave well alone.
 

BORES AND PISTONS
Before getting the block re-bored, make sure you can get pistons to fit. It may sound obvious but I have heard several stories of folks getting a block bored then finding they can’t get the pistons. You need to make sure the new pistons are the same compression height as the ones you are replacing to avoid issues on reassembly with the pistons sticking out the top of the block. The easiest way to check is to push the wrist pin from the new piston into the pin bore of the old one and compare the crown heights. Compression ratio also needs to be considered. Pistons with bigger dishes in them than the ones being replaced will lower the compression ratio, so dull the engine’s performance. Pin-to-crown height and dish capacity details are generally available in catalogues at engine reconditioners/engineers or from Mini/ASeries specialists.
 

CRANKSHAFT
Take the crankshaft along to whoever you choose to carry out the machine work on your rebuild and get them to check it over. Journals need checking for size, roundness and taper. If there are any scores or signs or wear in the journal surfaces, get it reground. I have my cranks reground regardless as the process also takes out any slight bending that may have occurred in use from when it was new. It also allows for consistent sizing of the journals and stroke correction.

CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS
If the crank turns out to be in perfect condition, not requiring a grind, I would strongly recommend fitting new bearings anyway, even if those that came out looked fine – there is bound to be some wear there after thousands of miles of use. Before deciding to go with the existing bearings, I would strongly recommend using Plasti-gauge to check the journal to-bearing clearances. If the crank needs a regrind, you will need over-size bearings anyway. You need two sets of bearings – one for the main journals that run in the block, and one set for the big end journals where the rods fit to the crank. Material-wise, as standard they are steel-backed aluminium (bi-metal) type bearings. These bearings are very wear resistant, so have a very hard facing on them. The issue here is that if any small particles make it past the filter, they tend to gouge the crank journal rather thanor as well as the bearing facing. I always use competition spec lead/indium (tri-metal) bearings in everything I build as they have a softer facing that will absorb small particles without damaging the crank.

CENTRE MAIN THRUST WASHERS
The copper-coloured faces of the thrust washers allow the crank to rotate easily while you have the clutch engaged. They must be fitted with the copper-coloured face towards the crankshaft thrust faces, away from their block seats. Many have got this incorrect and ended up trashing the crank, thrust washers, and on occasions the block as well. They are put under load every time the clutch pedal is depressed, so need to be in good condition. If there are any signs of scoring or uneven wear, replace them. Go for standard size initially; you  will need to check the crank end float when re-building the engine.
 

CON ROD BOLTS
The small-bore rod bolts seem to be pretty reliable even when reused a couple of times, so no need to replace them. The large bore rod bolts, however, have a bit of a chequered history. I know there are hundreds of folk that have probably reused them without any issues. I have seen way too many fail, even on standard rebuilt engines. Consequently I would strongly advise fitting new rod bolts and nuts for peace of mind.
 

CAMSHAFT
If the cam shows signs of wear, such as pitting near the peak of the lobes or misshapen flanks either side of the peaks, then it will need replacing. You could take the opportunity to replace it with a sportier cam to give the engine a little more power. You will also need at the very least some good quality anti-scuffing paste or proper cam assembly lube – essential to protect the cam lobes and followers during the break-in period of a newly-assembled engine. 

CAM FOLLOWERS
The cam followers should have smooth, shiny faces where they run against the cam lobe. The sides will also have a band around them, top and bottom, shined up due to the follower rocking, rotating and rising and falling. The faces may show rings radiating out from the centre of the follower. These are normal, known as ‘sombrero-ing’, caused by the follower rotating. If the faces are pitted in any way or look like they are flaking/breaking up, they will need replacing. This applies even if the camshaft looks to be in mint condition.
 

CAM DRIVE COMPONENTS
The vast majority of standard engines you are likely to come across these days will be equipped with a shoe-type timing chain tensioner and single row (Simplex) timing chain, instigated in the late 1970s. Earlier engines just used a single row chain, some with ‘tensioner rings’ that were simply nitrile rubber rings placed either side of the cam gear teeth that the chain would cushion against. As a bare minimum replace the chain and tensioner pad. The factory-fitted sintered steel gears are actually pretty tough and do not wear much at all, so rarely need replacing. Even so a whole chain and gears kit is not that expensive. Many take the opportunity to fit a dual row (Duplex) chain cam drive kit in the belief that the chain is substantially stronger and therefore longer lasting before chain stretch becomes an issue. However, there are some very cheap and cheerful kits on the market using extremely cheap chains that stretch badly within several hundred miles of use. For the vast majority of standard and even modified road engines, the Simplex set-up with tensioner is more than adequate. That’s providing a decent quality chain is used. OIL PUMP The oil pump sees the oil it is feeding to the rest of the engine before it passes through the oil filter. It therefore also gets to see any detritus hanging about in the oil, and consequently is prone to damage. It is surprising how much damage the oil pump can sustain and still provide an adequate stream of oil to the engine. I would strongly advise you fit a new oil pump unless it is unquestionably in excellent health with no marks in the rotor and annulus faces.

OIL GALLERY PLUGS 2.90 5.80
COOLANT JACKET PLUG 3.00 3.75
(CAM BEARINGS) (10.50) (11.58)
PISTON SET 188.50 149.96
CON ROD BOLT (AND NUT) SET (48.80) 42.32
(CAM ON NEW BLANK) (160.00) (160.00)
(RE-PROFILED CAM) (110.00) (110.00)
(CAM FOLLOWER SET) (16.00) (16.00)
CRANK MAIN BEARINGS: RETICULAR TIN 20.22 20.22
(CRANK MAIN BEARINGS: COMPETITION) (37.50) (28.50)
CRANK BIG END BEARINGS: RETICULAR TIN 18.50 18.50
(CRANK BIG END BEARINGS: COMPETITION) (33.00) (31.50)
(CENTRE MAIN THRUST WASHERS) (7.83) (7.13)
OIL PUMP 13.19 13.19
IWIS STANDARD SIMPLEX CHAIN 16.20 16.20
(IWIS BIG-PIN SIMPLEX CHAIN) (29.25) (29.25)
TENSIONER PAD 5.44 5.44
(SIMPLEX CHAIN/GEAR KIT) (19.01) (19.01)
(DUPLEX CHAIN/GEAR KIT) (23.00) (23.00)
(DUPLEX CHAIN, IWIS TOP GRADE) (29.25) (29.25)
ENGINE GASKET SET 10.89 9.21
PRIMARY GEAR OIL SEAL 3.50 3.50
TOTAL COST £282.34 £288.09
ENGINEERING PRICE LIST
BORE/HONE BLOCK 88.00
FACE BLOCK 45.00
CRANKSHAFT REGRIND 70.00
(FIT NEW CAM BEARINGS) (25.00)
TOTAL COST £203.00
SUNDRIES
ENGINE CLEANING BRUSH SET 10.00
BRAKE CLEANER – 4 LITRES 18.00
ENGINE ASSEMBLY LUBE 7.52
CAM ASSEMBLY LUBE 4.13
ENGINE OIL – 5 LITRES 21.50
TOTAL COST £61.15
 

TOTAL LIGHT WEIGHT - MINI PROJECT

Striking Clubman may look like a well-sorted track car from the outside, but there’s a whole lot more to it than that...

At first glance you’d never suspect anything. Sure, there’s a dirty great intercooler hanging out of the grille, plastic windows and slick tyres, but the perfect shiny paint, steel front end and even the proper narrow sills belie the true nature of Rick Jessop’s stunning Mini. It’s obviously a pretty serious bit of kit – a Clubman-fronted Miglia rival perhaps – but it’s only when you peer inside it becomes apparent that there’s a whole lot more to this striking creation than initially meets the eye. A lot more, but paradoxically a lot less, too. You won’t find the normal exposed floorpans, inner LIGHTWEIGHT sills or rear bulkhead you’d normally expect to see in a stripped-out Mini, but a beautiful web of intricate metal tubes and aluminium panelling in their place instead. Yep, this isn’t just a tidy looking track car, it’s a radical spaceframed one-off built to an incredibly high standard – oh, and it’s turbocharged too. No wonder it’s taken the best of part of a decade to complete... UPPING STANDARDS Rick knows a thing or two or about turning out top-notch builds, working alongside his dad and younger bother for the family business, Jessop Motor Bodies in Wakefield. Minis have always been heavily involved too, as Rick explains. “When I was 15 I bought a Sandglow Clubman Estate out of the local paper for something like £150, and it was still MoT’d. I used it for messing about, trying to learn to weld and trying to learn to fill. To be honest, my dad probably did the bulk of the work on that one! “We ended up selling it on, and I bought a white Advantage to pass my test in,” he continues. “It was the usual thing... we striped the doors off, then the wings and the sills. The boot floor had fallen out, and it got to the point where it was virtually a bare shell. So I ended up getting another Mini in the meantime to actually use.” Nevertheless, work on the Advantage would eventually progress. “The plan was to build it back up and move it on,” says Rick, “but once the paint was done it was too good to sell, so I thought I may as well build it as a toy to have alongside my other one. I had a turbo engine built by MED, and I fitted a pair of bucket seats and a six-point bolt-in ‘cage. I used it for a couple of summers, and then a MkI shell came along. The idea was to build it into a proper lightweight racer with a weld-in cage and a fibreglass front, so the turbo engine was taken out of the Advantage and I sold the shell to another lad who was building a road car.” INTO SPACE Soon after starting work on the MkI shell however, the project would take on a more serious turn. “Although I can weld panels on and put floors in, I wanted a proper Migliaspec ‘cage putting in it,” Rick explains. “With all the welds on show the joins had to look right, so I went to see a local lad and we got talking. The plan was always to keep the car long term, but the only downside to that was the rust. If I’d have rebuilt the MkI 10 years ago, I would probably be putting sills on now, or fitting a floor. So the crazy theory behind it was that if I got rid of all that, there was nothing to corrode. All I’ve got now is essentially an outer skin with a roof, rear quarters and door frames; there’s no floors, no bulkhead, no boot floor and no inner sills.” But it wasn’t just about stopping rust – the idea of a spaceframed Mini had its own unique appeal. “Years and years ago, when there wasn’t so much on the internet, I liked the idea of building a proper Maguire spaceframed Mini,” he explains.“Trying to find any information was hard, but I could see that the fibreglass shells didn’t have proper sills on. I wanted it to have a proper sill, so it still looked like a normal Mini from the outside.” In order for the frame to be built, Rick delivered the rolling MkI shell to Dean Forward Motorsport in nearby Barnsley. Dean now has several people working for him, doing everything from basic set-ups to full-on, ground-up builds. Back then though, he was still a one-man band, with Rick’s spaceframe a total one-off. The shell effectively acted as a jig, with Dean adding bits to it and cutting the old metal away when he was done. “It’s not been something built on the bench that’s had a shell popped over the top – it’s basically been built inside the Mini,” says Rick. “As a one-off it was easier to do it that way, but if you were making a conversion kit, you would have made a jig so you could repeat it time and time again.” Effectively, Dean started in the middle and worked outwards. “He built a square and sat that in the car, then braced it in between where the seats and tunnel go,” Rick explains. “Once he’d made the floor he built the rollcage around it, then tied that into the front subframe. The front subframe was already bolted up in the car, so he’s managed cut out bits of the front bulkhead to bring the tubes through to meet it, before cutting the rest of the bulkhead away. “It’s still got the lower part of the Mini front subframe, which took out the guesswork of mounting an engine in a load of tubes,” adds Rick. “In theory it uses the standard Mini geometry – the only thing that’s different is that the top arm is a mirror image of the lower arm and tie-rod set up. At the rear it’s got some lightweight steel radius arms that I bought from John Kimmins at Specialist Components years ago. They’re fastened to the rollcage itself rather than to a rear beam or subframe, but they are still sat in the same place as they would be on a normal Mini.” The final frame is hugely comprehensive, and includes a custom pedal box and a Rose-jointed steering column, as well the provision for the internal gear change and the top mounts for the coil-over suspension units. “The seats and pedals are a lot further back than a normal Mini,” says Rick. “And because everything is further back, there’s loads of space for the turbo and exhaust under the bonnet.” However, there was still plenty of work to do. “When I got it back, you put your foot straight through the tubes on to the concrete floor,” says Rick. “I worked out what to panel and how to do it, knowing I obviously had to put a floor in. For the front bulkhead I didn’t want to just rivet aluminium panels over the tubing, so I’ve welded little tags to the framework, then inlayed the panelling so that it’s inset and you can still see the frame.” Indeed, the panelling is extremely neat, particularly the rear inner arches where the KAD anti-roll bar passes through, and the curved rear firewall arrangement. “The exhaust was going to sit alongside the fuel tank and enter through the bootlid, but with the fuel pump and fuel lines, it all looked a bit close,” says Rick. “I had a local sheet metal guy make up the shape for the exhaust tunnel, but all the rest of the flat panelling -

“The roof ended up inside out and the rest of the panels weren’t much better...”

- is what I’ve made. It’s been a case of making cardboard templates to ensure it will fit. The panelling is thicker for the floors as they needed to be more substantial.” BODY BEAUTIFUL The new frame initially had the MkI outer skin welded on, but Rick wasn’t happy with the condition of it. “The MkI needed all new panels or a lot of filler,” he says. “I had it blasted, but didn’t explain what I wanted doing, so the roof ended up inside out and the rest of the panels weren’t much better. I got offered a mint shell cheap, so I ended up using that instead.” Rick fitted his new shell with the MkI rear light panels salvaged from the old one, and added a removable Clubman front end while he was at it. “I bought a fibreglass front, but the quality was poor,” he says. “So I welded some steel panels together and made my own. The bonnet and boot are fibreglass though. The bonnet’s a bit rippled, but I wasn’t going to put a steel one because of the weight. You could probably get a better quality fibreglass front now, so I may look at that in future to get the weight down.” As for the doors, the steel frames have been retained, but they’ve been hollowed out and had aluminium outer skins fitted. The inner panels are also aluminium, but with a neat swaged line that also features on the top of the dash and what would be the rear parcel shelf. “It puts strength in the panel and stops it vibrating, as well as being good for the aesthetics,” says Rick. “A friend of mine has a really old beading tool. It’s basically two rollers with a winding handle. When you get to a corner you have to try and turn it, so it was a bit of nightmare.” But not as much of a nightmare as painting the spaceframe and the panelling – a job made doubly difficult by Rick’s insistence that they couldn’t be the same colour. So, in between swapping shells, he sat the bare frame on axle stands in the spray booth and painted it in Honda Thunder Grey. The inside of the shell and panelling meanwhile, were coated in Honda Storm Silver, with final touch ups made when everything was welded back together. “If you look at the kit cars that people build, the aluminium panelling can start to look tatty very fast. I decided to paint everything aluminium so it would keep for longer. The simple solution would’ve been to weld the shell on, fasten the alloy panelling and lean inside to paint all the inside the same colour like a normal car. But I didn’t want to do it like that – I wanted to show that the frame was separate.” As for the outside, that’s now Porsche Riviera Blue, with the top half and the fibreglass bumpers in the same Honda silver as the inside. “I don’t really know why I ended with the blue, but I’d always liked it,” says Rick. “I could’ve painted it any colour I wanted, but that just makes the process of choosing one harder. If you’ve got a MkI Cooper you pick a MkI Cooper colour, but this could’ve been anything really. I’d seold Minis with the top painted a different colour round to the scuttle, and always thought it looked interesting.” Separating the metallic and solid colours from each other is a neat pinstripe – painted on obviously – but you wont feel a ridge between the two. “The whole car has been lacquered, so if you run your hand over it, you can’t feel an edge,” says Rick. “I could’ve just masked it and had an edge there like a normal pinstripe, but I didn’t want that – that’s not what I do. I’ve probably added more weight with all the lacquer, but I wanted it to have a nice paint finish.” TURBO POWER So remarkable is the body treatment that any discussions about the engine almost seem like a footnote, but with a fully lightened and balanced bottom end, forged pistons and an 11-stud MED Forced -

“It’s got a really low compression ratio, so it should take a lot more boost...”

- got the Forge Motorsport intercooler set-up The gearbox was originally a Jack Knight straight-cut close-ratio one that I bought second-hand, and MED rebuilt that. It had a Mini Spares cross-pin diff but I’ve replaced it with a Quaife one. Otherwise it’s all the same internally.” Rick has also retained the Metro manifold and T3 turbo unit, although the latter has been rebuilt with a 360-degree bearing. “That was done when I first started rebuilding the car, and a local company made the exhaust system for me. Ideally now I’d fit the more modern GT20 turbo I’ve got, but the downpipe has been made to bolt direct to the exhaust housing on the turbo to do away with the troublesome elbow and clamp, so it would have to be cut and altered. As the existing turbo is newly rebuilt anyway, I thought I may as well try it out. It can be changed later on if needs be.” During its last rolling road session the car reached 137bhp at the flywheel on 12psi of boost, but that was with the clutch slipping. “At around 14psi it should give a nice easy 150bhp,” says Rick. “It’s got forged pistons and a really low compression ratio of 7.5:1, so it should take a lot more boost – say 20-25psi. The thing is though, I want to enjoy using it and keep it reliable, and because of the weight, it should be plenty quick enough. Any more power and it’ll send me into another corner somewhere! It’s 544kg, and that’s with a good 15 kilos worth of fuel in it and all the fluids.” With a potential power-to-weight ratio of around 300bhp per tonne, the suspension and brakes have naturally been fettled to cope. Joining the adjustable geometry provisions all round are Protech coil-overs (with Eibach springs on the front and Hypercoil versions on the rear), with KAD six-pot front callipers on vented discs to bring it to a stop. The rear brake set-up features aluminium drums with the fins shaved off, and there are three master cylinders too – one for the clutch, one for the front brakes and one for the rear, with an adjustable bias control in there too. Concealing the brakes are a set of 7x10- inch Force Racing V4 Wheels with painted Riviera Blue centres and Yokohama A032R tyres for the wet, while a set of ST10 fourspokes with anodised centres, titaniumfinish rims and Dunlop Miglia slicks go on in the dry. Both sets use a trick centre lock fixing. “These are the first set of four spokes without the holes for the normal wheel nuts,” says Rick. “In place of where the normal wheel studs would go there are bolts in the drive flange, with a locating hole machined in the back of each spoke to locate the wheel. In theory the big nut just holds the wheel in place, as that alone won’t stop the wheel from spinning on itself.” Finishing off the trick spaceframed interior is a Sparco fibreglass bucket seat with Sabelt harness, a Sparco steering wheel and all the regular safety provisions, such as a battery cut-off switch and plumbed-in fire extinguisher. Extra switches have been located in a neat roof-mounted panel, while a Curley carbon-fibre dash has been cut down to leave just the central tower, housing an AEM air/fuel ratio gauge and a trick Stack display. “I bought the Stack dash second-hand,” says Rick. “It keeps things simple, and if I’d bought every gauge at £50, it would’ve cost more anyway.” TRACK TIME Although the car is now effectively complete, we can expect it to continue evolving in the future. “Some of it’s been together for eight years, so there are bits that need to come out for refreshing even though it’s not been anywhere,” says Rick. “Trends change and new things come out, so you try and keep up. The rear arms for example are available in billet now, so that would save some more weight.” For the moment though, Rick can finally think about enjoying his many years of hard work. “I’ve had a couple of Escort Cosworths, I’ve had a Porsche, and done trackdays in them and used them as my normal road cars, but the Mini is solely a toy,” he explains. “I’ve booked a trackday at Cadwell Park, and I’d like to do a bit of hillclimbing too. Basically it’s time to go and have fun with it...”