GTE valver fast road/track car project

[DarrenH]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

good work i like the speedo work around, thats neat.

welding stuff that thick with high end hobby welder you can usually get away with max settings without fear, guarantees penetration (oooh matron)

as i found out with the rotisserie, steel grain is a bit like onion skin, lower mig settings look like its taken very well but with a bit of fatigue it kind of peels off the outer layers and detaches next to the weld point

[Roger]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Nice tool! will check if they got something here..

[ant]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Harvey great read and all the bits look fantastic... especially liked the track side repairs it annoys me when I see people packup and go home for less.

The brake pedal switch is something I fixed recently as I had the same issues with the STD brake switch... the Daewoo version although the same where made of chewing gum and lasted only a year before the tabs wore out. I fitted a Hydraulic Brake Pressure Switch (which is a Mini one from memory) into my front brake line... never have to touch it again.

The sump plug I did for a guy I made the same mistake... I just got a 3mm spacer laser cut and used 2 gaskets.

I'd Kill for 4.5:1 my 4.8:1 is way low for a day car and limits me to what track I can run on... ok fantastic for rally tyres and tight stages but I don't see them anymore.

The wiring adapter for the front wheel sensor to speedo is this the same wiring diagram you posted on the F28 conversion post? I am about to do that now and what you have done is what I need.

Anyway wow the upgrades will be exciting and I look forward to hearing how you thing the box and selector feel on track... maybe some video would be great... lol no pressure.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Hi Ant, hope you're well after the New Year celebrations.

I'm use to servicing rally cars so anything goes to get the car back out on track

I'm happy with my brake switch now but if I get any further issues I'll look into your solution as it sounds interesting.

Chopping the drain plug in half has given me around 3mm clearance.

I'm hoping the 4.2:1 will be fine with the Quaife gearing for my track use but if not the 4.5:1 is my backup plan.

The speedo feed I'll be using is the same as I mentioned in the F28 thread here. Happy to get you some parts together as I have a spare impulse amp (orange relay thingy) and Astra mk3 drivers door plug. Drop me a PM and we'll have a chat about it off-line if you wish.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

After six and half years of faithful service with my old one and the fact they were at a very good price at the Autosport show today I took the plunge and bough another Odyssey PC680 battery from the Power Vamp stand. My existing battery has begun to show signs of being on its last legs so best to do it now rather than sit on the side lines at my next track day.



I also got a free work mat so luxury lying for me while working on the car.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Out with the old (bottom) and in with the new (top).



While replacing the battery I added M4 rivnuts to the foot rest floor fixings as these had always been standard rivets. I then added M5 rivnuts to the back of it to save me struggling with nut and bolt fixing for the battery cage.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

My Autosport show order from Demon Tweaks arrived on Friday. 5 litres of uber expensive Millers transmission fluid and some Mintex brake pads.



After contacting Quaife, Gripper and Millers Oils for advice I decided to stick with a brand I know as I already use CRX 75w90 NT in my existing box with ATB. My new Quaife box with Gripper LSD will use CRX LS 75w90 NT. LS means it’s got the Limited Slip additive which is LSD (plate type) friendly as well as being compatible with synchromesh gearbox.



My existing M1155 stood up well at Donington with no fading and I’ll probably get a couple more track days out of them. So another set of Mintel M1155 were ordered as a spare set.

[CavalierTurbo]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

I use that oil in the jeep diffs. Really good stuff but hurts the wallet every 7,500miles.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

I wasn’t happy with the main case (bell housing) that came with my Quaife box so after a chat with RallyMarshal (Paul) he kindly donated a spare box to strip for the case. It might look a little dirty but it was perfect condition with no thread damage.







Quaife box on the left and the cleaned replacement on the right.



Quaife box stripped to remove the main casing. The end cover was left in place as there was no reason to remove it.



mmm...Quaife cluster, yummy.



Quick check it was a 4.2:1 final drive in there. Stamped on the end of the main shaft, also known as the output shaft.



Main casing bolted on and replaced.



Due to the Gripper diff being so large it required a little tweaking inside the box. So the end of the speedo drive was chopped.



Bit tight in there as the diff wouldn’t spin without further grinding so it was masked and marked up.





Took a few fit/remove/grind sessions as I didn’t want to remove too much.



Next job was to fit the castle nut that bolts the diff in place and loads the bearings.



Fitted the steel diff pan I modded with the oil drain plug.



Re-built and ready for action.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Been thinking about this for a long time so I’ve took the plunge and bought myself a billet flywheel for the GTE. I wanted something that was proven and would take my existing standard diameter 228mm Helix four paddle clutch. May I present a TTV Racing model no.0559 flywheel. On the scales it weighs in at 3.9kg so a nice weight saving over the standard 7.4kg early flat flywheel. As it’s a billet item it’s all one piece with the ring gear teeth machined. In looks almost too good to fit and should be wall art but the wife says “No!”. If anyone out there is interested in one or similar drop www.migweb.co.uk forum member vxlgsi a PM and he’ll sort you out a cracking price, huge thank you Ben for a smooth purchase.







After recently fitting the 3.0 V6 into the wife’s mk3 Astra I noticed it had a spigot bearing in the end of the crank to assist with clutch alignment. Got the part number 90105743 from EPC and cross referenced this to an original equipment INA bearing 33126 and bought one for a few pounds to fit the GTE. Basically the narrow end of the input shaft fits into the end of the crank and passes through the roller bearing. This helps to stop transmission flex which in turn means a more positive and squarer clutch engagement. If you want to read more go Google it yourself.

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and decided to fit the new funky gearbox. Got the car down the side of the house and a few minutes later I got a huge plume of steam so quickly stopped the engine. Rolled the car back and had coolant everywhere.



Engine was covered so began a clean up.





Took some finding but after a poke and prod I found this, the original rear coolant water bar had gone pop. It is 24 years old but never had this happen before as was lucky it was on my drive and not on a track day.

[RallyMarshal]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

and.......

[Harvey]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

More to follow later

[Vinci]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

Crap mate, that's horror! Glad it was not somewhere on the motorway or track indeed!

[DarrenH]

Re: GTE valver fast road/track car project

that flywheel does look good ! like the sort of tapering on the rear of it!

read about those coolant hoses splitting, but not sheering off lol. due to its location, might be injudicious over tightening of hose clamps + age ?

guessing the 3.0 was from an omega, thats probably why its got a spigot. the R25/R28 (is it ?) boxes have longer input shaft and needs the support at crank end. cant see any downsides using it on FWD box though if it fits the nose of the shaft ok