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Doesnt the offset go towards the max thrust side i.e. the bulkhead direction if the engine rotates clockwise when viewed from the offside of the car?! .

I agree that large low speed diesel engines will run off virtually anything that is combustable (after all they use to run on coal before they went over to the dual-combustion cycle), but I find it hard to believe that a 1.0l turbo diesel would run on engine oil. It certainly wouldnt rev to max...

Diesels might be called "oil burners" but they havent burnt oil as we know it for about 80 years! The engine speed is controlled by the amount of fuel going in. The more fuel you inject, the more air it sucks in, and away it goes. They run about 120:1 AFR at idle up to about 20:1 at full...

"Standard" throttle bodies are horizontally mounted, whilst "downdraft" are for cars where there is limited clearance between the bulkhead, so they are mounted vertically on a manifold with a 90 degree bend in it. The trade-off is normally lower performance.

Yup - bloody Ford suspension! :D

Ah - ok. It was just that I was getting confused by the fact that you mentioned XR3i arms, which as far as I know are track control arms with the roll bar used for for-aft location, instead of the two mounting points on Festa wishbones. Ive seen some adjustable wishbones from TAS Motorsport...

oh dear - you could do sommersaults with those ship anchors!

I thought mk3 Festas had wishbones - the ones with the crappy donut bush that always falls apart?!

Yes - I did actually. Nice work on such a tight budget! We were due to have our Formula Student car in there but it went to Racecar magazine instead. Reading about competition cars was my fav bit in the mag - it gave me loads of ideas for ours!

Does any one know of any good technical but practical car tuning magazines out there to replace good ol CCC - Im absolutely lost without it. It was the only thing that kept me on the straight and narrow when I was a teenager, rather than falling in to the absyss of Peco Big Bore 4s, Novas, and...

Doh! - I should have realised...

From your graph, your peak torque is about 123lbft if you calculate it at 4500rpm and 105bhp. Thats pretty pants, especially for a 2.0 16valver. The way the torque curve drops off suggests its a breathing problem. Im pretty sure Simon172 is right. Weve fiddled around with his pipes (oh er)...

VVT seems to be just there to get modern cars through tough EURO emissions tests without sacrificing "on paper" power (peak power figures sell cars afterall!). The K-series is going to be killed off soon because the continously VVT system means its emissions are worse than stuff like VTECs...

Unless youre really determined I wouldnt bother. I made some race car bodywork a while ago and I found out how difficult it is. You have to get the mould ridiculously smooth to get a good finish, and then sometimes you end up with light patches where you can almost see through it. Doh!

I think you should get one of those Mongoose stainless specials to wake up the groaders on the copse corner.

If the manual says specifically not to use any type of oil with a cold index of 5W, then I would recommend something like Castrol Magnatec 10W-40. Its reasonably priced and will protect from cold as well as a 5W because of its ability to "cling" to the metal when cold (although the "special"...

Yep, could be a badly tempered/broken spring. Take them both off and get someone to test the spring rates on a properly calibrated machine.

If you put those platinum electrode ones in, theyll last for about 50K or longer. They definitely work out cheaper in the long run.

Definitely straight-line weapons. They wop-ass on standard wheels and a new turbo/chip. Stone-age 4wd technology and shimano V-brakes make it very interesting to drive (good if you like making your passengers sh*t themselves or if you like racing up and down a runway with spectators).

Why does lead clog up platinum plugs?

I should think you could run it in at 3-4k rpm for 500-1000 miles on running-in oil (i.e. doesnt contain anti-wear additives) and then it will fly forever after that with some Magnatec 5W-40 in there.

If you wear sunglasses you cant see it, so it wont bother you....:)

I agree with BenR. Might be a good idea to get it skimmed so it definitely sits flush on the block and raise the compression a bit (dont know what it is as standard). Dont forget to get a new set of gaskets (head, exhaust, inlet, and cam cover) because reusing old ones is always a bit dodgy.

Sounds like youve got a castor angle problem. A similar thing happened to my Fiesta when I hit a kerb during a swerve manoeuvre. Although I have had the wishbone replaced since with new bushes it still pulls gently to the left. Castor is designed in to a car from new, and is never adjusted...

Have you checked out www.collardracing.co.uk? Rob Collard campaigned a Clio last year in the BTCC as a privateer production entry. I think when we spoke to him at Thruxton, it had 220bhp with individual throttle bodies. They said the engine had loads of potential but didnt prove very reliable...

Ah, thats the compromise bit. No suspension travel = no problem! lol Looks like youve got your work cut out. Sounds like youve got a good excuse to make it RWD :)

James, sorry dude, I thought about it and realised I am being an idiot. The new bushes should alleviate the problem and bring the wheels more upright, but not by much. My Festa used to pull to the left at highish speeds after I whacked a kerb during a swerve manoeuvre with a manic in a 4x4...

Toe link is the bit that acts as a prop for the TCA - bit like converting it into a wishbone. Panhard rod?! Brings back days of the Escort Mk1/2. Suppose they didnt make any forest spec XR2s. lol

Oh yeah, I forgot. Ive seen on the Triple Eight Astra touring cars that theyve got a spacer block under the hub where the wishbones join it. This could raise your roll centre without raising your C of G. Means you dont have to modify pick up points. Well worth it if youve got clearance...

Its a Robin Hood 2B...silence....yeap, theyre a pile of crap and Ive spent three years trying to build the thing from my 2K worth of scrap metal they sent me. It has awful sliding pillar suspension which Ive fitted to get through the SVA, but Im now in the process of making a double wishbone...