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Team Dark Horse

admin / December 7, 2011 / No comments

From the Looks of it our Friends over across the big blue have been quite busy. We have another part of a great build story for you, our readers, to you know read. Plus we have more of your favorite part, pictures. I would like to thank Malcom for sending us this great story.

www.teamfoskett.co.uk

The rear of the car is now all welded in place and strength is the key to this build, the new areas Marc has created all run along the same dimensions as the original car,

With the inner arches complete we will be running the same wheel base as in ’59, the difference being the shock absorber towers and the 5 ling boxes for the up rated suspension, (ford escort rear axle) and of course the bigger gear box tunnel,

And a brace across the link boxes has also been fitted.
And then a final seam weld of the rear floor, Marc could easily have just riveted a few plates in at this point (like the last owner!) but that was never going to happen, for the extra hours spent the finish and the build quality are all the better for it.

The more I look at this picture the more I see a single rear seat fitting here, I really want to get as many people as possible to enjoy this car, we have at the drift practice days at Norfolk focused on giving people the chance to experience the thrill of a race or drift car, and I want to continue that theme with the 59, time to look around for a ‘small’ seat!!

And ALL of this is hand made, epic start and all done by Marc on his own, after work, I feel more humble by the minute.

What’s this I hear you say; it’s a 2ltr pinto, not any 2ltr pinto but an alloy 2ltr pinto! (More build details later)

As we said we want to be able to try different engines in the 59, the guys at Burtons are always trying new stuff, so we want to repay their faith in us by ‘testing’ what ever they send, to that end Marc has based the gearbox tunnel, the front bulk head (more on that coming soon) and the fitment of the front cross member to accept what ever they throw at us, the largest engine will be the Duratec, but this will be the first engine in 59, rated at OVER 250 bhp on throttle bodies! Got a bit nervous then!
For us the Guys have ‘de-tuned’ down to just a mere!! 210bhp on carbs (still going to need a fresh under wear set handy), but the torque curve is amassing, and it will mean that we can use a bigger power band rather than just a 2000rpm window you would normally get with a wild cam motor, with the total weight of the car and the podgy! driver the BHP per tonne figure is going to be rather good…
SO we need a good gearbox!!

We have also received a offer of help from Tran-x, the gearbox and axle group, they have, in conjunction with Burtons offered to build a gearbox not just to cope with the power but with gear ratio’s that will help us drift, drag race and do a few circuits as well.

Again Tran-X are a well renown company with world wide support from the racing industry, I hope to visit the factory to see the box being built and report back when we have completed the build.
Tran-X has over three decades of experience in the development and production of high performance Drive train components.
Based in Coventry, our 25,000 sq ft facility offers the latest technology in every aspect of product development: Solid Works CAD modelling, Prototype development, Lifetime failure testing and Final production release. All aspects of this process are quality controlled, ensuring we meet and exceed the exacting standards set by this specialised industry.
Our current product range encompasses a wide selection of Differentials, Gearboxes, Driveshaft’s, Gear Kits, bespoke gear kits and much more. Installed in isolation or as an entire drive train upgrade, the end result is guaranteed to offer the pinnacle of performance and reliability.
Our customer base could not be more diverse, and include: Specialist car manufacturers, Professional motorsport teams, Club racers and Car enthusiasts alike.
Our technical team are here to help so if you have any queries or just need some further information, please call and they will assist you in any way possible to meet your needs.

Tel:
02476 659061
Email:
sales.enquiries@tran-x.com

Mon-Thurs: 09:00-18:00
Fri: 09:00-17:00
Sat: 08:00-12:00

With the drive train slowly coming together and the rear floor pan sorted its time to move to the front END

The bulk head had been hammered and patched and did look ok’ish, but Marc decided to remake the whole thing, we have a spare car (well Burtons do) to take all the shape and measurements from so that we can remake the front bulk head, to original 59 spec, once all the rather bright paint was removed we also discovered that the chassis legs had massive plates welded to them, for no apparent reason and the front chassis rail had been damaged and covered in filler to make it look straight, considering there is so little rust in the body and floor of the car Marc decided to remake the rails, so with them removed and placed on the workshop floor, measurements were taken and we also took Pic’s of the rails in the spare 59 pop,

Now at this point I am thinking that we need to ring someone for help as we think Hux has gone past his sell buy date!! I would have been laying in a heap crying by now with the extra work.

But undeterred or apparently ‘bothered’ at the extra work Marc has re built the front chassis, as said before we will be running the same wheel base as the 59 was built with, the front tracking width will be slightly wider but we are going for as near stock sizes as we can.
With the front end removed, stored and measured its time to start ‘making stuff’
First up is the front of the foot wells, left and right, to keep the style Marc has had to hand roll to get the curves, he has opened them out a bit to allow the wheels to travel on more lock, but still to the original lines.

And now fitted.

Although this is a race car! And if it had been anyone else I doubt if this pic would exist, because a lesser builder would have used filler and paint,, the fact that Hux has a passion to get it right is a credit to him, the look and quality is what I am getting at here, it’s a race car, lap 1 it could well get bent! And then rebuilt again, But there are no short cuts, to my mind that deservers applause, the next project for Marc will be another POP for the road and I get a strong feeling that the dedication and passion is the same for all the cars he works on.

With the Hand crafted front rails now fitted the front towers can now be replaced, but we are starting with the bulkhead, as you can see its not a straight forward job, we could have just made it straight but we want to keep the character of the car, and the big lip on the top is great for putting the cups of tea and chips!!

This view shows the work involved to make the bulk head, again hand crafted, and matched to the original, including the main section for the start of the gearbox tunnel, the shot below shows the small amount of space available and again some nice detailing on the ‘kick plates, that will probably not be visible, but there ‘because he can’

We return soon with part 3
We give the car LEGS>>>>>>

Category: automotive, made in England, project / Tags: drift car, england, ford, Pop59, project car

Team Dark Horse, Part II

admin / November 25, 2011 / No comments

And a cracking job it is to, seam welded and even detailed on the

tubs,

I have to say that they really look the ‘nuts’ the chassis rails are stronger than the originals and now with the rear tubs welded in the strength is back and better than NEW.

So this is the stage after 2 weeks of spare time working from Marc, a tremendous achievement considering the lack of any thing to ‘copy’ other than the rails so all work is calculated from scratch, the shock absorber mounts are set up and in, the next job is to refit the WRONGLY removed boot floor this along with the seam welded tubs will stop smoke from the rear tyres filling the car, add strength and LOOK good.

Before starting the boot floor, Marc has refurbished the side panels of the floor left during the previous savage cutting process, some small areas of the rust being cut back and metal filled, now a good strong surface to work with and ready for the next stage

THE BOOT FLOOR.

Marc’s next task is to re-floor the boot area and to follow the contours of the chassis rails, sounds easy but I think not, not content with just bending a flat sheet and tack welding he has ‘formed’ and curved sections to follow the lines of the floor and the chassis, and also added to the metal some detailing, which not only looks nice but also adds rigidity.

The reason for starting at the rear was so that we can locate the axle nice and square but also as far back as possible and it was what Marc wanted to do, no argument there,

We haven’t forgot the front, during a quiet spell Marc also attacked the front of the car removing a fare bit of excess metal added in by the previous owner, the car as said before was designed to take a pinto, common in a POP but that also means that the engine bay has to be chopped about a bit to make things fit, carb’s and exhaust the main offenders, and we were waiting to see what engine was offered up for the 59.

We had again decided that the front end did look shabby and we really want to go for a one piece front end, so Marc has removed the ‘box section’ leaving the front chassis rails only

Ford Duratec HE

This is the latest exciting power unit to come from Ford and looks very much like the Zetec – especially when that engine’s badged as such! But there are big differences – the engine has chain-driven cams as opposed to the Zetec’s belt, plus the induction and exhausts are respectively on the opposite sides.

You’ll find this Mazda/Ford designed unit in Mondeos from 2001, plus the current new Focus and Fiesta ST150. Capacities are 1.8, 2 litre plus an American 2.3 litre version, which is available in this country too.

The engine features an alloy block and head plus some clever technology straight from the race track. The crank sits up inside the block and is held in place and braced at the same time, with an aluminum girdle. Oil drain galleries run down the side of the block directing the returning oil away from the crank thus not slowing it down.

The crank is strong but the rods and pistons aren’t necessarily so. They owe their appearance to proper race items but in truth, the ultra-slim skirted pistons are cast rather than forged. The rods are a touch boxy although they’re svelte. The combination though results in a free-revving assembly ideal for controlling emissions – it spins up quickly thus negating the need to use up fuel doing so.

Unlike the Zetec, the head has big ports and very large valves, again adding to its well-breathing/low emissions status.

What this means to us is it doesn’t take much to tune the Duratec to around 200 bhp, at which point, you need to switch the rods and pistons to more reliable components. We already stock Forged Accralite pistons and H-section Farndon steel rods for such conversions.

To see increases from standard power however, it is necessary to perform an induction change, preferably to throttle bodies although a manifold is available for DCOE side-draughts. We list the Weber Alpha and Omex throttle body kits as well as Cosworth and Titan throttle body assemblies which should cover most requirements for induction.

The Duratec is currently a very popular choice in kit cars, where it completely transforms the car into a reliable road rocket with the best modern engine combination. In this format though, it needs turning round to rear-wheel drive. Like the components we offer for the Zetec, we also do a full range for this engine too, including re-directing water manifolds, sumps and bell housings to adapt the engine to a Ford type RWD transmission – in standard form the unit doesn’t comply to the classic Ford bolt pattern.

We can also supply complete Duratecs built by Cosworth on the same assembly line as their Formula 1 race engines. This kind of speaks for itself in terms of quality! These are available in several levels of tune ranging from a 195bhp full engine to a 300 bhp unit.

In addition, the Cosworth range encompasses plenty of parts to get the best from the engine in whatever car it’s fitted to – whether that’s the standard front wheel drive layout, as in the Focus, Fiesta or Mondeo, where a Cosworth d-Power Inlet manifold really makes the best from the standard type induction. Or, you can replace the lot with a roller barrel assembly, suitable for both front and rear wheel drive – it really does depend how much power you want, since there’s loads for the asking.

An enormous Cosworth range is now currently available for this engine, which practically guarantees the power output they quote. With the name to back it all up, you really can’t go wrong.

If you’re looking for a futuristic engine this is it!

How cool is this going to look and sound?

Follow the build on face book, type in Huxley motorsport and on the projects page atwww.norfolkdriftteam.co.uk.

Thank you everyone from the Norfolk Drift team, thank you England.

Enjoy!!!

There will be more soon keep your eyes peeled.

http://www.norfolkdriftteam.co.uk/

Category: automotive, made in England, project / Tags: drift car, england, team dark horse

Team Dark Horse

admin / November 25, 2011 / No comments

Here we go again, the pop project they called magic! With a total new direction and a new player in the team, well to be fare the main player in the new team linked to an old team, Renamed project 59, team dark horse. That should have cleared that up then!

With the Ford POPULAR (Anglia) project stuck in stalled mode from its start point, (this part of the story can be viewed with pictures at www.norfolkdriftteam.co.ukclick the projects page,)

Our friend Steve Evans made a good start on the revamp of the suspension, but we got to a point were we needed a hand with fabrication of firewall’s and ‘tubs’.

At this point I had been(and still am) heavily involved with the BDC events and a chance chat with Marc Huxley at Tee-side lead to a meeting at Steve’s Workshop, Marc instantly offered help and we agreed that Huxley Motorsport would take over the project.

I have worked out the cost so far and it’s frightening, my entire budget has long gone and I was in effect back at the start! For me this proved to be the last straw in a catalogue of changes, lost promises and wasted costs, the up side was that the offer from Marc was his labour into the project would be at a massive reduced rate, with this offer on the table I have offered the car and project over to him, with the chance to use it when its finished, we may well argue over my offer as I no Marc will not agree, but I am a great believer in TEAM spirit.

With the car dragged up to Marc’s workshop’s, located nr Malvern in Worcestershire, and after a cup of tea and bacon sandwich the plan began!

Huxley Motorsport is what it says, Motorsport run by motorsport people, to that end Marc with help and advice from ‘Dad’ have repaired, built and raced most types of car, the current project in the workshop is a Camaro bodied dragster, being built from the ground up.

Looking over the pic’s and the cars on show I could tell that the start point was going to be just that, START again, the roll cage fitted was no were near up to dragster spec, but more in line with grass track or oval racing so I made the decision to remove the lot, this was carried out with gusto and a bloody big angle grinder, the cage was probably a bit on the heavy side and was also in a non finished state,

Marc and I carried on cutting and removed all of the cage,

mounting points and the extra bars that we just didn’t no what were there for, this took us over 3 hours, once it was all out we had a look at what was left, the boot floor was removed for reasons best known to the last owner, baffled us really as the rest of the car was rot free,

and the chassis rails at the back were left in place but a little rusted, for the BDC drift rules the chassis rails are required to be in the original location, these are but did look shabby,

It’s at this point I have to leave but in the knowledge that the car was in the hands of ‘someone who cares’.

So onto the parts to be removed!!!

Once Marc had time to look at the car with out the grinding dust blurring vision he could see that the main car was as solid as rock, the only part that really bothered him was the rear chassis rails, so he made new ones! Simple as that, looking at the pictures it’s a truly masterful job, we did discus weight and there are several bits of metal that we knew we (Marc) could cut out and have no reduction in body strength, with the roll cage in mind we can also stiffen the shell way beyond the norm and use so much less tubing than was originally fitted, were the rear boot floor had been cut out we could see that the rear sills and back panel would need some work to regain the strength at the back end, so a new section will be hand crafted back in.

The idea in my head from day 1 was to go for a standard look but as noted before, the previous owner had chopped the rear arches, once we taped some bubble arches on it I had to say it did look bloody mean, so Marc is fabricating some rear tubs ( or rear inner arches if you like) that protrude out to the edges of the bubble arch, that way when, not if we blow a rear tyre the metal tubs will hold any debris and save the arches, these tubs will incorporate the rear shock absorber turrets and when seam welded to the new chassis rails not only will they be strong but will look good to.

I am always amassed that in this day and age there are people about that still work ‘just for the passion’ and even more amassed that someone would sponsor me and the pop, when they are struggling a bit to run their own car in a competition, I can see no hidden agenda, so my team and I,(sounded royal then!) are more than happy to promote Marc and his business in the best way we now how, he is in effect building a ‘notice board’ for me to thrash at venues all over the country,

For the first time in over a year I am starting to get excited again, I just no that there will be people of all ages waiting for a passenger ride in what could well be the oldest drift car (built for purpose) in the world.