The Phoenix - The GP Roadster Project

Discussion in 'Car Builds, Projects, Idea's Experiments' started by BlimeyCabrio, Jun 24, 2014.

  1. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    You still have a while before the Dragon... No need to rush.
     
  2. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Add some of these....
    They might give you some advanced warning of curb drop off...
    Would probably be useful while on the Dragon as well...

    Angle them down so they are always rubbin the asphalt...
    The second they go quiet, react immediately...:D

    [​IMG]
     
  3. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Locutus - The GP Roadster Project

    Those wouldn't have helped me... [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Interesting picture here...

    Seems as though you increased the pedal pressure to the point where the left front tire locked up partway across the median... Must have been caused by the speed of the approach of the ash tree as it grew in size through the windshield... Did the vocals in the cabin increase at the same approach speed?

    [​IMG]
     
  5. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Pretty sure it was increased pedal pressure due to "prairie dogging" at that point
     
  6. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    You guys really need to take up bumper cars, get that crap out of your system before you destroy your GPenises and Ratrods...
     
  7. sethat46

    sethat46 Well-Known Member

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    #747 sethat46, Aug 14, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2015
    Locutus - The GP Roadster Project


    Maybe Jans new mantra should be: "RMW, the replacement for YOUR displacement" Haha. All in good fun Dick/Paul. Glad you're alive to give me more part numbers!
     
  8. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Pretty sure my word was "SSSSHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIfTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!! About as long as those skidmarks!
     
  9. old81

    old81 Club Coordinator
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    'skidmarks' and a change of pants. Both lucky SOBs. Now, get back to work. :)
     
  10. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    #750 BlimeyCabrio, Aug 16, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2015
    After a couple of days off to ride coasters at Cedar Point (yes, with a concussion!) and visit Wellzy... I'm back home and back to work.

    Today's task: More engine diagnosis. Pull remnants of bumper and put car in service mode so I can further inspect engine and sensors. Do compression and leak down tests (using new tools that arrived yesterday). If OK, let it run a bit to burn oil out of cylinders, see how it runs, and let the bearings work a bit. Pull oil sample to test for bearing damage.

    First, took an opportunity to look at my left GP skirt which got removed WITH MALICE by the ditch. Sadly, it sheared off EVERY SINGLE MOUNT in the painted part of the skirt, and also ground it up pretty well. Also cracked up the GP sill plate.
    59F2EF72-EE15-4B61-BB5F-3B5C4625CE9C_zpsdtoeu3ko.jpg
    I'm gonna see if I can get replacements; I DO own a GP, after all. If not, I'll fabricate replacement mounts and epoxy them in, and fix the other problems.

    Then time to get started on the motor...
    6BE120B5-31A4-4C9D-9457-8ADF5E36AEE2_zpsxj7opszk.jpg

    Took about an hour to get the remains of the front bumper off. The left crush tube was CRUSHED, and bent with the bumper frame in such a way that the only hope (without cutting) was to get the tube and frame off together. That worked.

    First, I had to fight for awhile to get the M7 air diverter plate off. The bolt holding it was also quite twisted. Sadly, the nice CF plate is history.
    8E2F0BD1-962D-4712-9FD2-0EE5A9254519_zpsnl3tsbow.jpg
    I'm not sure if I can use one anyway with the RMW dual pass radiator I'll be installing. If I decide to use the plate, I'll get a new fiberglass one and paint it to match the GP bumper.

    Took a minute to appreciate the carnage that is my left front suspension, wheel and tire...
    8B94B6DC-B2A9-40D2-9631-8120DA6B02F4_zpszhg8earn.jpg

    And the left front frame arm...
    55DE2945-90E9-48BB-949C-25BA4A16CA76_zpsxqdz5pyr.jpg

    My custom red stainless intercooler diverter plate was mangled, and the corner of the ultra-expensive GP intercooler cover was busted, but it's fixable and usable, I think. Soon I plan to have the RMW FMIC anyway.

    Once I got the covers off, I saw this. What's wrong with this picture?
    B34CD45A-D6C7-464D-9BD5-E3ECFDEF58B3_zpslamscik3.jpg

    Uh, the intercooler really shouldn't sit at an angle like that...

    80945166-7FCD-407C-839D-052B1E73A9E5_zpsbf3k1ht5.jpg
    Right intercooler mount bent, and intercooler pushed back a bit, but otherwise OK. But the horn between the IC and the intake manifold is broken.

    Oh well, I have a spare. And that will go away with the RMW front mount and custom manifold, anyway.

    Also, my TMAP sensor was squished. That's probably one reason it was "chugging" when I ran it for a few seconds last week. I have an old spare TMAP in a box... put it on.

    Pulled off my strut bar. It seems fine.

    But the strut towers... not so much.
    49773018-4B3D-4A63-BE13-DCC35BCAF3FE_zpsg1r7oghi.jpg

    And looks like this Vorschlag plate may have some issues also. Won't know for sure until I get it out.
    B1F575BC-55BA-4084-9851-59790FA18299_zpseeqycven.jpg

    Ready to pull the coil, wires and plugs for testing.
    A5DB9A01-D5E9-4DE8-9A60-6C79A7203B9F_zpsmd9dwd9k.jpg

    Plugs were super fouled with oil (shocker... the car was upside down for an hour or two).
    [​IMG]

    Once the plugs were out, I pulled the fuel pump fuse and did compression testing. Results:
    1: 190 psi
    2: 190 psi
    3: 190 psi
    4: 200 psi

    That looks good.

    Then did leak down tests, at 80psi. All cylinders held at 75-78psi, cold (you're really supposed to warm up the engine first). That's only 5-6% leak down, which is quite good for a cold engine. The oily cylinders & rings probably helped that a bit.

    Since compression and leak down seemed OK, decided to top up the cooling system with water, replace the crushed TMAP sensor, and try to run it...

    [ame=""]The Stroker LIVES - YouTube[/ame]

    It's amazing how well the motor runs, considering how broken the rest of the car is, and what it's been through.

    I pulled an oil sample for analysis. If it shows high lead, that's an indicator that I may have bearing damage. If it doesn't... I'm probably good to go with the motor as-is.

    A friend sent me this oil analysis kit, he had extras. He gets them from the local Caterpillar equipment dealer... only $15 per test. I've used Blackstone and BobIsTheOilGuy previously... but will be using this service from now on, the price is RIGHT. Comes with a great little pump for filling the sample bottle from the dipstick tube.
    [​IMG]

    And the oil lab they use is right here in town... so I expect to have results this week. Then can make a go/no-go decision on whether I'll run the engine as-is, or send back to RMW for rework.
     
  11. UKCoopeR

    UKCoopeR Active Member

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    Thanks for keeping Jan in business while I work on saving more money :p

    Haha jk but seriously those plans sound pretty badass, totally jelly over here!
     
  12. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Got started on some disassembly today...

    Came across my GP mirror caps. When you manage to get asphalt scrapes on BOTH your side mirrors... you're doing it wrong.
    70EF5B62-EBF5-4D87-8C6A-10B97D183B28_zpsn1o8zd5e.jpg

    Started pulling out the left interior bits, in hopes that I could get the door open once I got that out of the way...

    Corbeau LG1 driver's seat is in good shape, mechanism works just like it did before the crash...
    62E0124B-CCEC-4F10-AD04-7C41D876BB55_zpssflvkfhj.jpg
    But note that the side bolster on the left side (right in the photo) is bent outward. Must have happened when I landed the car on the right rear corner, and all my mass hit that HARD. I wasn't sore or bruised there, but I must have done that. There's a steel frame inside there, I can't bend it back by hand. I'll probably disassemble the seat and inspect the frame, if it looks sound I may try to massage it back into shape.

    Lots of Cool Blue paint flecks everywhere...
    C181C177-F35F-4E48-8495-8E6C52F2B003_zpsv6eo5dlh.jpg

    It's really starting to sink in, just how much punishment this car took for me.

    The amount the left rear corner deformed. The open-wheel MINI look...
    F6D1EB6E-19FF-4264-A542-163F1F5276C2_zpswjfnnqce.jpg

    The amount of deformation of the windshield frame...
    36082F60-02CC-44C4-8827-ED7406F694DE_zpsewywn4nx.jpg
    3DE38566-B80F-4010-A832-319DA548C954_zpskeiih6qo.jpg

    In spite of that... the GoPro mounts stayed in place. Those things are STICKY...
    80E3FC3F-FAD9-49C1-A8C9-D93FD512FD21_zpsygz9v6kh.jpg
    FEF3D40B-93BC-4033-8A9C-A905276ACC91_zpsvn40mtvo.jpg

    When a window shatters, it makes a LOT of pieces inside the door...
    DCFFD72D-A072-44A2-8AB8-B9D5CC7EDEE6_zps72dpynho.jpg

    I thought the roll bar was just scraped from when the car settled into place... but it took a harder hit than I thought. There's a definite flat spot on this corner, right beside my head, probably happened the same time I got road rash on my scalp at the same spot...
    80E3FC3F-FAD9-49C1-A8C9-D93FD512FD21_zpsygz9v6kh.jpg

    Even with all the interior panels out of the way, prying and using the BFH, I can't get the door to budge. I may just leave it, or I'll have to cut it open. There's some serious sheet metal origami going on here...
    [​IMG]

    Started pulling some stuff off the front, and got a better view of the left front frame arm. Some good folding action here, too. This airbag sensor did its job.
    [​IMG]

    Worked for a couple of hours to get the front wheels and suspension wreckage off. This was the part I was dreading the most, because it was a mess and the wheels were really jammed in there. Took a lot of doing, but finally got one free.
    [​IMG]

    Repeated the process on the other side, then had some fun on LXM...
    [​IMG]

    This tie rod met physics... and physics won.
    [​IMG]

    The sense of urgency for this, is I need to send my RMW axles back for a rebuild. They're rated for 500HP... but not for vertical or inverted flight, or for deep ditch trailblazing. Still, with some cleaning, reassembly and maybe new tripod bearings, they'll be good as new.
    [​IMG]

    And... new parts are arriving already.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    I'm looking at this, and two things I always thought could be "beefier" in our cars that I haven't seen a good aftermarket solution to is the tie rod assembly, and the outer ball joints...

    And front control arms, forgot that one. The oem ones are plenty strong but some decent lighter ones would be great (and if anyone suggests ALTA I'll send DaveO. your way, don't want anything that almost killed the tuner building my car).
     
  14. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Definitely I'd like to see some good, strong, light, tubular control arms.

    But I've never seen the OEM ball joint fail catastrophically, maybe others have. This is the first tie rod I've seen broken (in person). But nothing is designed to drive down ditches like this...
    F4AD3990-D56E-4F9C-9B20-B4DA93DEE2DB_zps5snyrwer.jpg

    During which you hit rock piles like this...
    924A3C6D-8554-4376-9B41-681F1F8AA58E_zpscfzvesep.jpg

    Shredding your car like this, as you go...
    1946EB28-58EF-4821-9977-95F912FE681D_zpsqaou84xd.jpg

    It really was pretty much the worst case of what you can do to a suspension, without another car involved.
     
  15. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    I thought the tubular arms were a MINI-Madness failure?
     
  16. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    I think you're correct.
     
  17. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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  18. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Well I'm sure ALTA had something to do with it. I might not be able to prove it, but I firmly believe it, because I want to.

    The tie rods look delicate for what we're doing to these cars IMHO. The ball joints it's not so much about catastrophic failure, I'm just tired of the boots wearing out and needing to replace them. Just wish there was a more durable alternative.
     
  19. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Just use more zip ties
     
  20. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Have to, it's the first time duct tape has ever failed me.
     

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