Clan JO JASON - New Mirror indicators

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Clan JO JASON - New Mirror indicators

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

OK, I haven't done the Mod Pods yet but hopefully will have them done before the 2012 National... :P
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Realised recently that I have a shed load of info scattered all over the forum in other threads about the development of JOJ 490N so it seems sensible to put it all in one place...might take a while to retrieve the info and put it in some sort of order mind.

So I'll start with this weekends suspension development and add stuff as and when.

Clan std spring rates:
  • Front: 65 lb/in(COC replacements 75); Free length: about 3 foot long! :lol:
    Rear: 260 lb/in; free length: 11.5 inches
    Ride height: 5.5 inches
BTW I have applied a spring rate calculator and the std rears ARE 260 and NOT 210 lbin as stated in one Clan Owners Club mag way back.

JOJAgON (past 3 or 4 years upto this weekend):
  • Front: 100 Ib/in; Free length: 10.5 inches
    Rear: Std Imp; Free length: 9.3 inches (fitted with 3/4" spacer in spring pan).
    Ride height: 5 inches
Now then, I was under the impression that the std Imp rears were rated @ 490 lb/in but once I got them off and worked out that the "active coil count" = 5... my spring calculator says 420 lb/in, which is a bit frustrating 'cos i ordered softer new rears based on the higher rating (BTW. the active spring count for 490 lb/in would be 4.27). :?

The stability of the rear of the Clan is much better with std imp springs but the ride quality on back roads is pants! One of the nice aspects of the std Clan soft springing is the ride quality but there is far too much roll for my liking hence stiffening the rear. So looking for a better ride quality/ handling compromise I followed Richard Ceens (Clan Rally man) advice and looked to fit rears rated around 350 lb/in....he used TR2/6 rears (11.4 inch long ones to get a raised 6.75 inch ride height). (I don't know how well these fitted as the TR/2/6 rears are 3.75 inch OD, not 4 inch as per Clan /Imp rear?)

I don't want the ride height that high so i looked for shorter versions. Std TR/2/6 fronts are 4 in OD with 0.5 inch wire same as the std Imp but rated @ 310 lb/in and are 11.5 inches long (too long) so I ended up with uprated 390 lb/in TR2/6 fronts that have a free length of 9.25 inches (same as Imp rears). I got these from RACETORATIONS in lincolnshire ...very helpful.


I fitted the new TR2/6 fronts to the rear without spacers:
  • Front: 100 Ib/in; Free length: 10.5 inches (on adj platform Protechs)
    Rear: 390 lb/in ; Free length: 9.25 inches (no spacer in spring pan).
    Ride height: 4.5inches :shock: might be a problem over speed bumps
I also fitted a pair of SHORT 8 in bodied Protechs to the rear because the GAZ rears were; a) bodies too long so hitting the bump stops...and b) the valves where "knocking" prematurely (not that old :x )

Have only done a 4 mile back-road test so far but the rate reduction to 390 lb/in does give a better ride. So despite me getting the std Imp rate wrong (I thought was making a 100 lb reduction not 30 lb as it turns out!) the reduction is worth while....and that bl***y awful knocking has GONE...disappointed with GAZ for that 'cos otherwise the shocks are still useable!

Please can someone confirm or otherwise the std Imp spring rate in lb/in ..'cos the ride on the new 390 lb/in TR2/6 springs seem to feel softer than the 30 lb reduction as I have calculated it....maybe the very old Imp springs had work-hardened :lol: :?

More when I get time..
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JAgON

Post by ImpManiac »

I'm glad you've got a thread for your Clan, Peter. :D It's about time! :wink:

IM 8)
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JAgON

Post by basil imp »

Brilliant news! Now I don't have to search for things you've wrote and I've forgotten!
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JAgON

Post by ChrisBenoy »

This should be a very interesting thread 8)
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JAgON

Post by james »

ChrisBenoy wrote:This should be a very interesting thread 8)
Indeed. :)

Millington lists the standard Imp springs as 460lbs.
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Thanks James and everyone :D .

Yep, just from the road feel I can believe a 70lb difference (rather than just 30 lb) between the old Imp rears and the new 390 TR/2/6 springs. My Spring calculator shows 4.5 active coils = 465 lb/ins, so after factoring-in the 2 closed/ground end coils it might make sense?

Here is a link to spring info; SpringiPedia

And for budding suspension tuners out there...Spring Calculator Free - download.
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JAgON

Post by Impudence126 »

ChrisBenoy wrote:This should be a very interesting thread 8)
It's what club really needs for those who have never explored the boundaries of Imp/Clan ownership.

Let's get technical!

..........Over to you, Pete!
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by johno »

'Could make a good article for the magazine, lots of people alter the spring rates front/back without considering roll stiffness at each end. Have you played with anti roll bars?
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

No never used an anti-roll bar. Pete Richards has a lot of experience with anti roll bars though.

I've stuck to the 100 lb/inch fronts 'cos I'm not using a front rad AND I've now dumped the spare wheel. So the front is stiff enough even with a passenger and a full tank of petrol on board but there seems to be plenty of spring movement to keep the tyres in contact with the ground on the back roads when riding solo so I believe 100 lb at the front is a good compromise for my rear rad set-up..I wouldn't want it any stiffer at the front.

I've had another longer-faster trip out since fitting the 390 lb/in rears (no spacers) with the new Protechs @ 6 clicks ( under half way as 13 = max) and the rear proved far TOO SOFT and far TOO LOW! :lol: Secondary low speed ride was so much better though than with the std Imp rears.

On acceleration from rest the resultant rear squat caused the rear wheel arches to sit on the tyres with the smell of plently of rubber burning :o . The roll into corners and over yumps also resulted in rear wheel arch contact. Not good as I couldn't exploit the speed of the Clan in the lanes. Clearly the shorter bodied Protechs (ordered through Ben Boult), have been valved properly (soft) to account for the Clan specs and there was definitely more movement available (the previous GAZ rear dampers used to hit the bump stops).

So after a chat with RACETORATIONS they sent me 4 X blue polypropylene spring seats to fit the 4" OD TR2/6 springs. These are effectively 8 mm spacers although there is a touch of compression to account for, but it's not much.

I fitted one 8 mm poly spacer in the spring pan and one 8 mm poly spacer on top of the spring keeping the original upper spring rubbers in place. So 16mm X 1.75 (factor for change in spring length to ride height @ wheel) = 28 mm increase at the wheel, but with the tad of compression in the poly seats in reality this worked out to about 26 mm.

I increased the rear Protech setting to 8 clicks (now just over half way) and went out for a road test.

Now we're talking! Fantastic high speed corner stability with great turn-in and steering feel and the rear felt supple yet planted on the twisty back road. Low speed ride has firmed up though so for my next ride out I'll try 7 clicks (exactly half setting) to see how that goes.

I'm much happier with this as a fast road set-up and the range of adjustment in the Protechs is good. Thanks to Ben and the guy at Protech 'cos these were not off the shelf, but made for me, and thanks to Richard Ceen the rally Clan man for his early COC magazine suspension article. Need to try out a track day ...but I reckon now I've got spring rates and dampers working properly together I have high hopes that on-track handling will be improved too. Clan004
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by james »

Sounding good so far! Maybe extend the bump-stops a little to stop the wheel rubbing? It's what bump-stops are for. :wink:

Having just agreed to buy a Clan, I'll be watching this thread with interest. :D
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

James getting a Clan!

A properly maintained std Clan gives a great ride to handling compromise for every day use as long as the front springs haven't given up. I'm assuming it's standard, but so many are modded in some way these days. I actually hanker after a completely std Clan (with original spec shocks!) as a base line to compare JO JA90N to make sure handling mods are really worthwhile...it's easy to forget how good a std Clan handles and steers ...it's just that they roll a lot on the limit so they don't look cool for track day type driving with acres of wheel arch showing on the unladen side! :lol:

The main bug-bear for everyday use is water leaks into the cabin ...but leaks are fixable.

Look forward to hearing about it soon. Clan004
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Re: Clan Crusader JO JA9ON

Post by james »

This one is not entirely standard - I think it's on Spax shocks (there's a spare in a box in the car), and it certainly has the club-recommended addtional suspension crossmember bolts. I might try the anti-roll bar that's currently fitted to the californian, but the springs are staying soft - it'll be used on back roads with rough surfaces, not smooth tracks. :wink:

I'll put a thread up when I collect - I didn't take any photos when I viewed it. Suffice to say that it's been off the road for 30 years and needs some attention (running gear rebuilt, a little plywood, maybe some electrics). It'll get the engine from the Imp, which is coming off the road for bodywork. Can't wait to get stuck in. :D
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Scott
I haven't got pictures handy so here is a crude jpg of the positioning of the weather strips on my Clan doors.
I used common household brown "P" strip adhesive draught excluder.
Two (double P) rows on the door top (solid brown lines):
  • * 1st one in line with the door window frame.
    * 2nd one positioned in-board to catch water that breaches the 1st one.
Both rows continue down the door hinge face to the hinge cut-out, the object is to guide water away from the door top and down toward the door sill.
One (double P) row in the upper door aperture (dotted brown line):
  • * The third one is stuck on the underside of the door aperture (brown dotted line) such that it sort-of meets the first strip on the door top when shut.

This helps guide the "upper" drainage water from the A post area to drip into the area defined by lower P strips and away onto the door sills.

You can do a variation on this to suit your doors. Dependent on door fit, the in-board door P strip might drag on the upper aperture P strip when closing ..you'll have to play around with it ... P strip is cheap enough to have several attempts with.

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by bks974c »

Cheers. It would be nice to trim the Clan but little point until I stop the water coming in :shock:

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by Impecunious »

The way to stop water coming in to the car through a Clan door is:

1. Seal the hinge blade holes where they pass through the grp door shell with silicon.
2. Fit a leather gasket with a horizontal slit in it to the door front face where that well known decoration, the door 'stay', passes through.
3. Eradicate all the steps between the alloy door frame and the grp door together with the alloy steps at the top outer frame corner and front gusset weld.
4. Make sure the frame is not broken at the base of the alloy gusset where it is welded on all three sides - major design flaw. The frame should have been notched on the sides and bent across the top before having the side notches only welded.
5. Adjust the door so it closes on the door seal evenly all round.
6. Modify the front inner wheelarch hinge access panels so they seal all around the inside of the front wing.
7. Ensure the plastic sheet stuck to the door beam is intact all round and the outer furry trim against the glass is in place (not that this 'design' keeps much water out - that trim was designed as an internal silent tape trim for glass but Clan wouldn't pay the tooling fee for a proper curved rubber trim to be made).
8. Adjust the door glass/winder mechanism so the glass fits properly into the channel runners.
9. Put gaffa tape over the lower hinge location plate access hole which is behind the carpet stuck to the vertical sill face at the front.
10. Laminate over (either the hole in the front floor or the rear of the front inner arch) and relocate the heater air inlet to the front of the car; one way is to mount the number plate on protruding bobbins with the panel behind drilled if you don't have a front spoiler. Ditto cold air vent tubes in front wheelarches.

Easy :shock: .

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Wow! :o

Some of those tips I know and have done, others though are new to me. The drivers door is due to come off for a hinge job at some point, so that's an opportunity to apply your full list of fixes.

Actually while you are here Dave, I've had one attempt at the headlight pod cut and shut and it wasn't quite right ... I didn't cut enough away so couldn't blend it properly into the lowered inside edge. So I've deconstructed attempt No1 ready for attempt No2. ...which will probably be full of chicken wire plus filler and weighing a ton by the time I've finished!

Since the first attempt, the wife's had me working in her new Yarn shop making shop fittings etc for most of the summer so the Clan has been on the back-burner and the Excel is my main ride at the moment. In fact, JO J490N is currently up on axle stands awaiting replacement rear trailing arms from Pete R, so no current MOT until I get that job done.

Once I get the Pod right I'll send it back to you for a new matching pair as previously discussed. Just need to set aside the time to get it done now that the wife is off my back! :roll: :lol:
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by Sam G15 »

Hello Peter L-e-C,
I run Protechs on the G15, 6 clicks on the front, 8 or 9 on the rear (I dunno, I pointed at Chris and asked him to turn them) , got 140lb coileys at the front and at the rear it's 550lb monteys, no roll bar. I thought you may be interested for comparison, with the std imp rear and 120s at the front (plans of doing the Nescro rallying originally) although it was apparently superb on the road at a sprint it was really succeptible to shock settings, you could dial in over and understeer readily, but after a massive spin the conclusion was need to go for harder springs, it's to tame the weight transfer when going one way then another. It's still not too bad on the road, but then I don't munch many road miles nor at great speeds. Plus I bet there's some inherent harmonics in a G15 that you fellows don't get!
Anti Roll Bars? For fine tuning, but again springs every time till the last minute, you'll have to go much harder on your rear (ooh matron!) if you fit one unless you like understeer, although it may help tame flapping swing arms? I dunno, never driven and imp or my Dav yet.

Cheers,

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON -Scott L@@K

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Hi Sam,

I've driven mine on the road mostly (about 15k miles with the 1040).... less so on the track, so it's a compromise. Having spun the thing on track whilst trying to change direction following braking from 100 mph into a 100 deg sharp left, I got a scary lesson in how it's definitely far too soft for serious track work. You are right about loss of control of weight transfer - that's exactly how it felt immediately before, AND during, the spin! :lol:

As explained in the startup posts to this thread I have since gone softer at the rear (from std Imp 420 to 390 lb/in) so I'm sure it would readily spin if I tried the high speed direction change trick again ...but the 420s were a bit too jarring and jiggly for "back" road work and so the 390s give a ride improvement without sacrificing too much control of that overhanging lump. Mind you, the original Clan road springs of 260/63 with bespoke damper setting were surprisingly good for normal fast road work - but there is that tipping point where I all too often find myself so I definitely need the stiffer 390 rear to keep me out of the ditches.

Pete Richards race Clan has rear Monties (550) with 150 fronts and an anti roll bar, pretty much sorted by all accounts - but he has a front radiator - mine is lighter at the front with no rad and no spare wheel so 100 lb springs are stiff enough at the moment.

Hope to get out next year to a few Sprints and Climbs (as a spectator mind -NB WEATHER DEPENDENT :lol: ), so might see you there in your compo (but very pretty) machine! :D 8)

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Laminova changes

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

My original Laminova position fixed to the back panel of the engine compartment for the past 4 or 5 years has finally resulted in annoying leak from a hose swathed joint. The mounting position on the radiator side of the engine bay meant using fairly longish hose runs and being braided steel hoses they are heavy and inflexible, factors that have contributed to the engine vibration induced leak.

So I've repositioned the Laminova, attaching it directly to the engine timing cover and used the latest push-on Aeroquip hoses and with Mocal steel push-on fittings. These DIY hoses are both lighter and more flexible than the braided steel jobbies. The new position results in short hose runs which are harmonious with engine vibes, so hopefully less likely to develop shake-type leaks.

The oil temp sender is inline with the Laminova output (plus another sender in the sump).
Image

Image


The short hose run means quicker oil warm-up too! :D
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

OK, I had TWO oil leaks.

The second one from a cracked sump!

About 9 years ago I decided to ditch the big, long, heavy, stupid, pointlessly big and stupid, extended sump in favour of nice small, clever, std sump, modified with a ball pein hammer in order to clear the main bearing stud extention. About 2 years ago it developed a leak which turned out to be a 1.5 inch crack running along the bottom edge where the drain shelf meets the sump.
I guess I hadn't made the depressions deep enough so the lower middle main bearing stud was stretching / extending and pressing on the sump which eventually caused a fatigue crack.

So I've modified the sump of my spare sport engine ...but this time have made the depressions a little deeper.

The bottom line is I now need another std sump for the Sport engine.

So if anyone local (up North) wants to swap a good std sump for a lovely, nicely extended, double capacity sump complete with baffles (but in need of a clean) (see, I've changed my tune slightly 'cos someone might think big sumps are a good thing :lol: ) ... please get in touch! :lol:

EDIT: I'm also driving south tomorrow down the M1 /M69 from Richmond to Coventry ..will return on Sunday so if you live along that corridor I could do a swap on the way if it's not too inconvenient (will have the wife with me) ..

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Replacement std sump now sorted (Basilmp 8) ).

Amazed by the number of offers via PM. Brings a tear to my eye.

Great club! :D
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by basil imp »

Posted it at lunch time :D

Did you get the modified headlamp pods made at any point like the first pic in the thread?
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Impecunious »

basil imp wrote:
Did you get the modified headlamp pods made at any point like the first pic in the thread?
Good question Peter.... :D

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

basil imp wrote:Posted it at lunch time :D

Did you get the modified headlamp pods made at any point like the first pic in the thread?
Thanks Tom!

Answer .... err no :oops:

The prototype pod has been through two versions and then life got in the way! :lol:

It's a job that turned out to be harder than I anticipated (although one poster did point out getting the curves right would be difficult :roll: ).

I cut the prototype pod diagonally from the inside rear corner through to the mid (-ish) point at the front. I then used chicken wire to form the slope /blend down to the bonnet line and filled the wire shape with plastic padding ...it was a disaster! So I had another go then ran out of plastic padding! I thought about a more streamlined pod sloping also from the front (lens cover) ..but abandoned that idea as a little too ambitious!

Then life (and the cold weather at the time) took over. Last summers hot weather would have seen a re-start but family stuff got in the way and the Clan was out of my mind (off the road for brakes/suspension refurb etc).

I walk past and stare at the protype pod on the garage bench almost daily and the idea of a restart leaves me quaking slightly.

Dave Clan003

If you have any suggestions to help me do it more efficiently or are happy (if you have time) to do more of the protype work too, I think it might be a more sensible option. I have the prototype pod stripped back to the original cutline (for clearance) with wire frame /padding removed and discarded.

I still like the look of the photoshopped simulation in the first picture of this readers car thread ..so that's more or less what I'm aiming for.

(btw Haven't forgot about payment for proto pod it was always going to come back to you for the final production of the proper pair ..but granted, it has been a very long time ... :mrgreen: )
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Impecunious »

Peter - forget about payment.

What you need to do is fit the headlight units you intend to use in their finished positions on the car. Cut as much of the pattern pod away to enable it to fit in the desired position on the car without fouling the lights units. Cut a piece of thin card (eg. cereal box) to represent the inside of the finished pod and stick it to the edges of the pod cut lines with a hot glue gun whilst it is resting against the light units. Lay up two layers of 100gsm csm over the cardboard and use that as the pattern base for bodyfiller to get your surface contour.

Cut, shut and contour until you are happy with the end result. Repeat mirror image for the other side, paint and prep the patterns, make the moulds.

25 hours a side once the light units are fitted 8) .

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Impecunious wrote:Peter - forget about payment.

What you need to do is fit the headlight units you intend to use in their finished positions on the car. Cut as much of the pattern pod away to enable it to fit in the desired position on the car without fouling the lights units. Cut a piece of thin card (eg. cereal box) to represent the inside of the finished pod and stick it to the edges of the pod cut lines with a hot glue gun whilst it is resting against the light units. Lay up two layers of 100gsm csm over the cardboard and use that as the pattern base for bodyfiller to get your surface contour.

Cut, shut and contour until you are happy with the end result. Repeat mirror image for the other side, paint and prep the patterns, make the moulds.

25 hours a side once the light units are fitted 8) .

Dave W.

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Yep it was a stupid idea to use chicken wire and plastic padding...why didn't I think to use cardboard and CSM! :lol:

Thanks for that... it'll put me back on track ...

After looking at the photo shopped pictures it's a real disappointment to see my Clan in the flesh with the std pods, they look so clunky in comparison... if only photoshop would do the real thing... :|
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by itsshelby »

realy like that reg,spells out my name :lol:
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

itsshelby wrote:realy like that reg,spells out my name :lol:
What's your name?

Joe Jason?
Joe Jagon?

8)
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by itsshelby »

Lotus-e-Clan wrote:
itsshelby wrote:realy like that reg,spells out my name :lol:
What's your name?

Joe Jason?
Joe Jagon?

8)
:lol: ,my name is jason,is it the clans own reg
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Yes it's original to the Clan.

Perhaps worth more if were JOJ 450N mind you. :)

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by basil imp »

Has the sump turned up yet Pete?
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Not yet ...plenty of time ..our post is slow...no need for spare motor atm ...<touches wood>

But the good news is the Clan is oil leak free again! :D
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by itsshelby »

:) yes it would be :)
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Tom! forgot to say sump arrived on Wednesday! :oops:

Many thanks! I owe you one. 8)

Stake a claim for the National at Huntingdon! :lol:
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - Sump swap..

Post by basil imp »

Lotus-e-Clan wrote:Tom! forgot to say sump arrived on Wednesday! :oops:

Many thanks! I owe you one. 8)

Stake a claim for the National at Huntingdon! :lol:
I think I owe you more than one anyway so I'll be forever in debt to you :D. I'll be honest I only realised I forgot to send the gasket with it yesterday!
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Here is my best attempt so far! PLEASE ignore the paint runs ...
I gave it a quick flashover with a red rattle-can to see what the overall effect would be. ..and to expose awkward shaping etc.
... the black one is the original shape for comparison ...
img4104.jpg
..slight step in the back edge apparent here but doesn't look too bad in the flesh ..
img4107.jpg
Front face is SLASHED-BACK but I haven't CUT the aperture/window for lights yet ...haven't made my mind-up how to do that
img4111.jpg
img4092.jpg
img4116.jpg
As well as slash-back, the front lower edge is sloped forward to match the slot leading edge ..
img4122.jpg
img4119.jpg
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by cov_climax »

Peter,

Looks good to me but the purests won't like it; you've introduced a compound curve :lol:

:wink: Brian
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Cheers, and I know exactly what you mean Brian... :roll:

When at the 2010 National where most people wouldn't recognise me from Adam, I stood within ear shot of my Clan to listen to what the purists might say. I watched the judging progress along the line of Clans and a couple of prominent Clansters /well-known Impsters, who have won stuff themselves, took some time looking at each Clan making notes, they got to my Clan and the 'biggest' of them said something to the effect, 'we'll give that one a miss, it's not original and we know who that belongs to'. I had an internal chuckle at their stereotypical views, small-minded shallowness and felt very sorry for their wives!
But there's room on this planet for all types so I don't hold anything against them tbh. 8)

I'm hoping Dave W can make a mirror image and a proper set for me ..the prototype has a ton of Plastic Padding in it ..need to do a bit more fettling and work out how to fit the perspex window first mind you. :D
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by ImpManiac »

The new pod looks good, Peter, IMHO. :D

Speaking personally, I have a lot of time for your car. It is very well developed, used all the time and looks really good. It is a very good example of a Clan. :wink:

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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

ImpManiac wrote:The new pod looks good, Peter, IMHO. :D

Speaking personally, I have a lot of time for your car. It is very well developed, used all the time and looks really good. It is a very good example of a Clan. :wink:

IM 8)
Thanks Paul. :D

...more progress ...about to cut an aperture ...(?)

I didn't realise just how much the original pod curves and rises from the top edge of the cut aperture until I drew the light positions on the front of the new pod!

Because I'd slashed the new pod back the roof now seems a lot higher than the original (it's not though). So to retain a mean-looking part-covered main beam lens there would be a large thick eye-brow above the aperture like so ...
(going to cut the aperture smaller than the pencil line to begin with 'cos I can always open it up more ..
img4127.jpg
img4128.jpg
img4129.jpg
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

OK ROUGH first cut - but a bit TOO mean and SLY-looking! :lol:
I went for a steeper angle than drawn ...
Inner liner will need to be made at some point but that's relatively easy and can wait until I get a pair made.
img4131.jpg
The perspex window could be a bit problematic ...was going to fit it flush with a lip glassed-in behind but the pod just touches the lens at the top and no room for a lip behind ...can't move the lens back much more either!
Need to cut a bit more out and reduce the angle a tad ... :wink:
img4133.jpg
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Keith 'Supaimpy' Laming »

Looks like its winking :wink: or maybe its an alligator looking out thru one eye? personally not keen on the shape but just my opinion, I'd like to try lowering the overall height of the pod, think the old construction and use regs had a reg regarding reflector area though.
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Yes the shape is derived out of the height of the 90 mm bi-halogen lens unit and my desire to pull the pod down to bonnet level on the inside - it's one of the those form and function things. If the bi-halogen is lowered then it must go forward OR a hole cut out of the back of the slot -such is the length of the light unit. I'm expecting the overall shape/effect to look more integrated than the original pods (can't be difficult!) ...the photos are missing the 3D effect of the overall integration so it's a case of work in progress atm. Cut-out shape not final ..nor is the contour of the slash-back face ...I worked-out that to clear the lens I have to fit a perspex window to the OUTSIDE and then re-glass/shape the front face to meet the perspex flush ..that will change the contour a tad.

I didn't want to go any lower with the lights because you see less up the road if they are too low ..the current position is great for night time driving.

As it stands now, I'm using the original headlight bracket location so it'd be quick and easy to refit the old rectangular headlamps and pods to bring back to std with less than an hours work....wouldn't want to go back to those candle-strength lamps though!

I remember one Clan years ago pictured in the COC (a Black one with a 998 twin 40 plus R20 IIRC) had simple cut down std pods just proud of bonnet level which used AUDI low profile rectangular square headlamps ..it looked OK mind ..better to have some sort of POD than pop-ups which tends to emphasise the chisel nose.

Again, not too keen on lowering the lamps 'cos of light beam reach. Don't know what you mean about reflector area though :? ..my wife's Smart roadster has only inset round units with no additional reflector area and they are smaller than the 90 mm diameter bi-halogen ones I have?
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Keith 'Supaimpy' Laming »

[quote=" Don't know what you mean about reflector area though :? ..my wife's Smart roadster has only inset round units with no additional reflector area and they are smaller than the 90 mm diameter bi-halogen ones I have?[/quote]


My mistake its actually reflectors (rear red) not illuminated area of the lights, but you know the feeling when you have one of those nagging feelings you've learnt or heard something years ago but can't quite recall where :?

I follow the thinking though on the linking to the centre of the car and not a fan of the Irish pop ups, think a lot of the character is in the pods, although Erics looks good with no Headlamps.
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Yes Eric's Turbo Clan looks great with no headlights helped I think by the louvered rad vents, the colour scheme, the wide arches etc, the whole package works well aesthetically. 8)

More MOD POD work today (no pics atm).
  • 1) Trimmed and reshaped the aperture (eg contoured the top straight edge of the aperture) ..
    2) Cut a dummy perspex window to shape and taped it to the front face ...
    3) Glassed and filled the front edge of the POD flush up to the perspex window
    4) Rough shaped and sanded (again!)
Realise now I should have taped a DOUBLE thickness window to the front to allow for edge-shaping, sanding, & wastage! :o

Also need to adjust the contour of the POD rear quarter to more smoothly meet bonnet level. :|

Getting there slowly but not doing anymore until after Easter ... :)
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

MOD POD off the car to show similarity between a std pod - ie it's a simple direct replacement - the lower tray is trapped by extended studs projecting from the std clan headlight brackets - that prevents the pod from rising at the front and it's secured at the back by a single self-tapper as normal - quick and easy to remove.
img4181.jpg
Perspex window taped to the front face - I've since filled in the front face flush with the perspex ..
img4179.jpg
Perspex will maybe sit on a bed of black mastic in a recess when finished?
img4177.jpg
Top edge of aperture contoured to match curve of MOD POD (PRE-face filling picture obviously)
img4166.jpg
img4163.jpg
And I think it's looking a bit better now (but not finished in this shot) - more integrated I think.
img4173.jpg
More after Easter when I get to finish the front face contour and fit the perpsex into the recess.
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MOD POD progress..

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

SMOOTHED-out the MOD POD a tad!
Perpex (bolted!) on and BLACK liner fitted.:D
I tried a silver liner but was too conspicuous on close-up views... :)
1PODsleek.jpg
A lot more filler added compared to previous posts ...POD is now VERY heavy! :shock:
2PODside0.jpg
3PODside2.jpg
4PODsiderear.jpg
5PODaglOFF.jpg
DRL ON! 8)
6PODangON.jpg
7PODangsmth.jpg
I've been driving it around with ODD PODS ...getting lots of L@@Ks ... no surprise there then! :lol:
8PODangBth1.jpg
DIP lights:
9aPODdip.jpg
WINKER:
9cPODclosewink.jpg
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MODPOD SMOOTHED!

Post by GJM »

Holy cow - that looks proper cool :shock:
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MODPOD SMOOTHED!

Post by Dave ' Linwood ' Lane »

Looks angry therefore its full of win , lovely job
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Re: Clan JO JA9ON - MODPOD SMOOTHED!

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Thanks Chaps! :mrgreen:

Need to persuade Dave Weedon to make me a proper pair that don't weigh a ton!

Maybe he could refine the design a tad too? 8)
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