My Saxo Track Car Project

[Saner]

After recently selling my 182 to free up some money it wasn't long before I missed being able to actually drive a car!

I have always wanted to compete in a race series and it seemed that maybe I had an oppertunity to give it ago. The idea being, buy a car, prepare for track / race, get Racing licence, race. Simple. But expensive, so I will be doing this over a number of years.

My only experience of driving a saxo was that of Sir_Dave's, and that was only round a car park for 5 mins too! Safe to say I was sold on the idea of a Saxo VTS. Nick172Cup had one which he was going to turn into a track car but decided to instead keep his Cup and fund that. Couple that with Budgie buying Sir_Dave's Saxo Rolling Shell and needing an interior, I'm left with a VTS with no interior for a very reasonable price!

Wanting to emulate and improve on what I had experienced in Dave's you may be familiar with some of the modifications. Please bear in mind though that at the moment I am heading for a track setup, and when I can changing parts for more race orientated.

I have booked myself onto a track day at Snetteron at the begining of August which has become my deadline for the initial work. I would also like to add that I have never done anything like this before so its all an education! The wiring has all been removed with the help of a good friend and a Haynes Manual and I wouldn't have got anywhere on the suspension side of things without Budgies help.

I also tend to be rubbish at documenting things, so my first pictures are quite a way through the initial stages.


What I have done:

Removed all interior except dash
Removed all sound deadening
Removed Alarm
Removed Central Locking
Removed Rear Wash Wipe + Motor
Removed Air Bags
Replaced Electric Windows for Manual
Peplaced Electric Mirrors for Manual
Removed all wiring not needed for MOT, eg, interior lighting, rear heated screen, wiring for ablove electric items

Installed Supersprint Manifold Centre Section and Backbox. No Cat, No Center Silencer
Installed Bilstein B8 Dampers Front and Rear
Faulkner Springs on Front
New Drop Links
New Ball Joints
New Front Bearings
New Nearside Outer CV Joint
New Driveshaft Seals
Gearbox Oil Change
OMP Upper Strut Brace
OMP Lower Brace
Griffiths Engineering Quickshift - X-Sport Gear linkages already installed
BMC CDA Induction Kit
Tow Eye

​

What I have still to do before Snetterton:

Bucket Seat
Seat Frame
Harness
Steering Wheel & Boss
Lower Rear Torsion Bar
15" Lightweight Alloys - R888's Already pruchased

​

Here are a few pictures taken this eveing:

 

[Ollie82.]

Awesome. I've been waiting for this. Good work Jon lad...

 

[Magic Johnson]

Nice, looks bare! What's the bhp/tonne on this wee thing?

 

[Saner]

Awesome. I've been waiting for this. Good work Jon lad...

It's getting there! Snet should be fun.

Nice, looks bare! What's the bhp/tonne on this wee thing?

Parkers state 120bhp and 935kg so 130 bhp per ton

I'm hoping to get the weight down to 800kg and bhp up to 130 initially so that would be about 165 bhp per ton

 

[Matthew]

* subscribed to thread.

Looking good mate.

 

[jamesybear]

looks like this is gonna be an awesome car!

 

[Nick172Cup]

Wow! I'm feeling a little bit emotional now, you've done a fantastic job so far matey! Will be great to see my old car running rings around me at Snetterton

 

[maynard]

no problems with getting the mirrors then?

 

[Budgie]

This is going to be awesome, mate.

 

[RichCup]

Great progress!

 

[car.crash]

You better do somthing about those doors because the marshals may refuse you to go on track.

 

[Budgie]

What's wrong with the doors?

 

[car.crash]

No cards and they are leaving sharp edges. A friend was not allowed on because of this.

 

[Saner]

Wow! I'm feeling a little bit emotional now, you've done a fantastic job so far matey! Will be great to see my old car running rings around me at Snetterton

lol, it is just a 1.6. you'll be passing me on the straights for sure!

no problems with getting the mirrors then?

Nope, you were right. Scrappys wanted £10 more than if I got them new too!

This is going to be awesome, mate.

Provided the wheels don't fall off . You want your tools back tonight?

No cards and they are leaving sharp edges. A friend was not allowed on because of this.

Thanks for that, i will look into it!

 

[car.crash]

I sheeted my doors with carbon. But if your on a budget a sheet of Perspex will be fine. It's just to help prevent you cutting yourself to bits in a crash. You won't need to do the rear or the passenger if it's just you going in.

 

[Saner]

Will I need to do the passenger door? There will not be a passenger seat.

EDIT:

Proper reading fail. Your a star!

 

[car.crash]

I personally wouldn't bother to do passenger on a single seater. This next sentence doesn't relate to your car but....
Alot of people get s**tters strip them and call them track cars. Some of them are more banger than track Cars and general MOT standards apply on the circuit so make sure everything is neat and bolted down tight and check your car is not over the noise limit or you will be sitting in the pits. The days vary on noise but find out.

 

[Saner]

I know what you mean. I still have alot of tidying up of the wires from stripping the loom. I've re-wrapped them, just need them secure and out the way.

I'm a little concerend about noise. Haven't heard anyone have problems but again haven't heard that the exhaust is fine. The induction kit does seem to have quitened it down a bit.

 

[car.crash]

I was running a side exit exhaust and I was just under and I mean just so I went back to a rear exit. I have seen cars flagged off at several circuits and pulled in for noise testing even though they passed the initial noise test at the beginning of the day. If in doubt then add another silencer to your system.

 

[Saner]

[/INDENT]What I have still to do before Snetterton:

Bucket Seat
Seat Frame
Harness
Steering Wheel & Boss
Lower Rear Torsion Bar
15" Lightweight Alloys - R888's Already pruchased
Door Cards​

Everything in Bold is now down

After a quick test drive on sunday, became apparent that the manifold gives off alot of heat, so a bodge CAF was fitted this morning.

I have to admit i'm not happy with the bucket and its position, so that will be changing.

Also got it weighed this morning 820kg, so about 115kg removed, still more to come out though.

Here are a few pics taken today - minus the wheels and door cards which will be fitted next week.

 

[Saner]

Just had the car down to Surrey Rolling Road where she put out a very healthy 140bhp. In a 820kg car, that =

 

[Gray]

Respectable figure that John!!

If you need a hand with anything give me a shout, now your a "local"

 

[The Boosh!]

Mint.

 

[.GAZ.]

Good job man.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

Nice car, will sub to this thread, want to see the finished thing.
What price did you get on the Bilsteins? I've heard that these are the best dampers for the saxo. I'm curently looking at new ones for my vts, also looking at the Pro race 1.2's, (amongst other things) stripping it out and trying my hand at tracking . Will be a year until its reasy though. Minimum wage FTL!!

 

[Dave..]

Roll cage. You need a.

 

[Jamesstone]

Healthy little engine John!

Keep up the good work!

 

[foRSter.]

Just had the car down to Surrey Rolling Road where she put out a very healthy 140bhp. In a 820kg car, that =

wow a very high figure for the mod's you have, my cam'ed vts with similar spec made 152bhp at the fly and 133bhp at the wheels,


here's a link with graphs

http://www.saxperience.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216645&page=7

better car's then people make them out to be, keep the progress coming

 

[foRSter.]

sorry that didn't mean to be a sarcastic comment be the way, very impressive!

 

[Saner]

Respectable figure that John!!

If you need a hand with anything give me a shout, now your a "local"

That telephone number for an MOT! Also the horn isn't working, so I might be asking for some assitance there!

Mint.

Good job man.

Healthy little engine John!

Keep up the good work!

Nice car, will sub to this thread, want to see the finished thing.
What price did you get on the Bilsteins? I've heard that these are the best dampers for the saxo. I'm curently looking at new ones for my vts, also looking at the Pro race 1.2's, (amongst other things) stripping it out and trying my hand at tracking . Will be a year until its reasy though. Minimum wage FTL!!

I have the ProRace 1.2's Will post some pictures in a sec. Everything I have bought for the car has been secondhand. Paid £250 IIRC for all for Bilsteins and they were near new. Can be had for cheaper. If you find a set of Group N's and want to swap let me know! I'm in the same boat re-money, will be a while before it's all finished.

Roll cage. You need a.

Pfft, Structual integraty of these is second to none

wow a very high figure for the mod's you have, my cam'ed vts with similar spec made 152bhp at the fly and 133bhp at the wheels,


here's a link with graphs

http://www.saxperience.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216645&page=7

better car's then people make them out to be, keep the progress coming

They are good cars, not happy with the gearchange in mine, and the back end is a little lively compared to what i'm used to. It is a very good figure. Charlie who runs SRR was surprised, thinks it may have cams but I have no reason to belive it does. The curve on the graph is exellent.

 

[Saner]

Snetterton:

Unfortunatly an oil leak from the Cam Seal ? shortern track time. However the grip from the R888's made for many smiles!

The day here also highlighted the need for the manifold to be wrapped and for a baffled Sump.

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Provided I didn't corner to harsh the oil stayed in the car, so managed to get home okay.

As oil had leaked onto the clutch, when replaceing teh seal I fitted a new clutch. Nothing fancy just cheap as possible!

This meant the car was ready for the airfield day, which was great fun:

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[foRSter.]

Yea it is a wierd one, too low of a figure to have cams and a high figure for the mods, why are you not happy with the gearchanges? I had steel linkages and quickshifter and thought the gear changes was fantastic really solid and a short throw, my piper 4-1 used to nearly set on fire all the time, they run so hot but I couldn't be bothered taking it back off to heat wrap ect a mod worth doing tho

 

[Nick172Cup]

Just had the car down to Surrey Rolling Road where she put out a very healthy 140bhp. In a 820kg car, that =

Told you she was a strong engine! Decent power to weight ratio, certainly wasnt slow at Snetterton, even on the straights!

 

[Saner]

Yea it is a wierd one, too low of a figure to have cams and a high figure for the mods, why are you not happy with the gearchanges? I had steel linkages and quickshifter and thought the gear changes was fantastic really solid and a short throw, my piper 4-1 used to nearly set on fire all the time, they run so hot but I couldn't be bothered taking it back off to heat wrap ect a mod worth doing tho

If it was any other Rolling Road I would just say it was the rollers over reading, but i've known Charlie for years so its not that!

I have X-Sport Linkages and a GE Quickshift but it catches going into every gear, as though your going over a little lump and even then its not a sharp precise box, the Gearchange in my old Suzuki Jeep is 100 times better!

Will be a bitich to take of and heatwrap teh manifold but with the temps I was getting at Snett, its needed!

Told you she was a strong engine! Decent power to weight ratio, certainly wasnt slow at Snetterton, even on the straights!

I'm looking foward to when I can really give you guys a run for your money

 

[Nick172Cup]

I'm looking foward to when I can really give you guys a run for your money

Thats why mines in at JMS atm

 

[foRSter.]

Oh don't get me wrong the gear changes are nothing like they are in a Clio but I still thought after the linkages and quickshift was fitted made a massive difference to standard, I don't know if this is all a myth but I saw a couple of threads on sax-p about "freak" engines that produced alot more power then others but who knows? Drop sone cams in there and you will easily be keeping up with 1*2's mine used to and that was with a full standard interior!

 

[Sir_Dave]

How have i only just found this thread

Me likes :approve:

 

[Chris205]

Gear linkages could be catching on the exhaust, jack it up and make sure, i know sometimes it can be a possibility depending on the manifold/exhaust

 

[Budgie]

<3 this little ****.

Despite my best efforts to fix the leak at Snett, lol.

 

[mr bognor]

Makes me wish i had not sold my one Sunday ( Sir Dave & Budgie old shed ) and had it for just a track toy