The Black Rat

greenMachine · Postby **greenMachine** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:47 pm

That is a bummer!

A sleeve, never heard of that? Sleeve the crank, or the seal itself? You are not pressurising the crankcase are you, IIRC there have been cases on MTnet of turbos pumping oil out of crank seals?

:mrgreen:

The American · Postby **The American** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:58 am

Yes, they call it a Speedy Sleeve. It fits over the crankshaft end where the seal runs and provides a new hardened surface for the seal to run on.

My cam cover has been opened up internally (“tiny hole mod” is now two 10mm passages) and has two 10an ports welded on to new holes. It’s breathes very easily. The only additional thing I could do is vent the sump - but I don’t think it’s crank case pressure to blame as it is only that one seal and it’s doing it without putting the engine under load/boost.

Fingers crossed!

rascal · Postby **rascal** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:43 am

Do you have any pics of the cam cover setup? Did you put any mesh inside the cover or just enlarged the holes?

I have done a single tiny hole mod out to 10mm and factory exit tube to catch can and blocked PCv side, but I think I need to do more. Thinking of two an10s .

The American · Postby **The American** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:17 pm

rascal wrote:Do you have any pics of the cam cover setup? Did you put any mesh inside the cover or just enlarged the holes?

I have done a single tiny hole mod out to 10mm and factory exit tube to catch can and blocked PCv side, but I think I need to do more. Thinking of two an10s .

I don’t have any photos of the inside. There are some of the outside in an album on Facebook. If you follow the link in my sig to Facebook, and look for the album “The Black Rat” there are some shots of the location of the AN fittings there. I didn’t use the factory vent locations. I used two AN weld on fittings on the top of the hotside of the cam cover.

rascal · Postby **rascal** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 6:41 am

Perfect. Thanks

The American · Postby **The American** » Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:00 am

Bolted the passenger seat in, fitted the driver’s side harness except for the crotch strap (need two backing plates), and booked it in for an alignment.

Left to do:
Swap in the assembled diff and housing.
Fit crotch straps
Purchase and fit an extinguisher.
Fit steering wheel boss, quick release and wheel.
Nut and bolt check.

The American · Postby **The American** » Sat Mar 30, 2024 7:32 pm

First drive
I had an opportunity for a short drive this afternoon. Last time I drove it, other than on and off a trailer, it was freshly tuned but still on stock suspension and ten year old tires.

This time, it is on sem-slicks, fresh wheel alignment and set up coilovers: Oh my.

First impression is the straight cut gearset is very loud. It sounds like a proper race car inside.

The second most apparent thing is the transition from grip to wheel spin in every gear I pressed the throttle in. Oh my. It’s definitely the fastest wheel-driven vehicle I’ve ever been in or dríven and is going to take some practice.

greenMachine · Postby **greenMachine** » Sat Mar 30, 2024 8:26 pm

That sounds like progress!

Lack of traction may be due, in part, to cold tyres? A couple of warm-up laps may make a big difference, I presume not an option this time?

:mrgreen:

The American · Postby **The American** » Sun Mar 31, 2024 7:09 am

greenMachine wrote:That sounds like progress!

Lack of traction may be due, in part, to cold tyres? A couple of warm-up laps may make a big difference, I presume not an option this time?

I dare say, warm tyres would help. It’s still got the open diff in it, which is not helping the tyres. The diff is next, and I hope to have it installed this weekend.

I’m used to traction coming back as the car accelerates, rather than falling off as RPM rises.