Australian Kamei replica build.

Just looking at the steering rack mount it also looks different? If I were you I would brace this as it is a known weak point, almost all track cars on here have braced it with a bar between the two mounts. Lovely looking project, keep it up.

 

Actually the early mounts are much stronger than the late ones as the rack bolts directly to the mount at both ends. There's no rubber clamps, just M8 studs. I've seam welded the mounts in any case.

 

Here's a better shot of the rack mounting.

 

It's been a while, it took me quite some time to wet rub back all the panels and clear coat them.

It's all cleared off no so I can start fiddling about with hanging some bits off it.

I trial fitted the rear beam today.

The prothane bushes are a bit under size so I had to pack them outwards a bit.







Still need to remove the powder coating from behind the axle flanges.

Got into cleaning up the fuel tank and sorting out how to bolt up the strut tops too.

There's a lot of figuring out to do around the front suspension as I'm going to run MK2 uprights and need to check all the geomery.

I might build one side stock and one side modified and compare all the scub radius, castor angles etc.

 

Looking damn sexy i must say Peter!!!

 

Someone has been putting a lot of effort in lately.

If you are considering using mk2 Golf front bearing carriers / uprights, why not use mk3 Golf GTI ones? If you are going to widetrack the front to help fill the arches it is a relatively simple job. Looking at the fabrication skills used in this build already, I am sure you could manage the task easily.
Retaining 4 stud wheels is still possible with the use of a bespoke front disc.

 

I'll build up the front suspension with the MK2 16V uprights I've already got.

By the looks of them the ball joint is in the same location but the strut mount holes are further inboard. This should give me better spring to tyre clearance. It will also give me less camber but I should be able to dial it back in with the adjustable strut tops.

The MK2 uprights let me use all sorts of brakes. What I've got initially is 280mm discs and Girling 60 calipers.

I'm worried about the weight of the 60s but they'll do for at least the first season.

I'll use the MK2 19mm ball joints with extenders,, that would seem to put the steering arm in about the right location too.

I've got MK1 and MK2 rack ends, I'll about to find out if either fit.

I want to look into the wide track setup eventually but for the moment I've chosen to start here and baseline the car's performance.

Our MK3s here were 8Vs I guess I'd have to use the VR6 uprights with 4 stud flanges to achieve the wider track.

Once I've got MK2 stuff working OK it's easy to move on from there.

 

I also found time to fit the transponder holder and make up a cover for it.



Most Australian tracks use Dorian transponders.

Mine's an early unit, the newer ones are a lot smaller.



http://www.dorian.com.au/data1_car.htm

 

Mk2 hub setup works well matey.. just remember that the top camber will need move inwards quite abit though.. I have Mk2 G60 strut setup on mine 4x100 180mm using porsche calipers.. Also using the ABS pickups for other things!!




Great looking build matey keep it up...

 

Great to hear from some one that's done it!

I'll have plenty of range in my top mounts to push the mounting position inboard.

I was thinking of using the ABS pickups to drive the wheel speed inputs in my data logger.

 

I was using mine for traction and launch control with the DTA Ecu, But i've now gone OEM so i'm looking at putting the ABS into the car.. I just need to increase the range of the position because its right on the limit.. Groundforce maybe!.. Keep up the Good work...

 

Pulling a lot of stuff out of boxes that I haven't seen for a couple of years.

I got the strut tops in today.
I used 8mm spacers to get them up above the pressings in the sheet metal.

The bolts are loaded in extension so I didn't see any need to try and make the faces meet.

The extra 8mm gives the shock a tiny bit more room to work in too.

The way these are designed I can move the bearing inboard until the spring hits the inside of the tower.







These things aren't simple to put in. It took hours of measurements to figure these out.

Here I'm making sure they're parallel to each other. Getting them square to the car involved a lot of geometry.

I think I've got it to the point where the alignment is settable.



I drilled the 19mm MK2 balljoints to fit in the stock MK1 arm.



Brand new Meyle arms with prothane bushes, 19mm ball joint extender.



Underside of strut mount showing reinforcing plate.



Drilled the scuttle for the centre mounted single wiper storm kit. Need to sort out a supporting bracket for the motor end.

 

Nice updates Peter, nice way of getting around not cutting that lip off the top of the mk1 towers.

We should have a Kamei Rally Car on here soon to from Germany.

 

Cheers Mike, I look forward to seeing the rally car.

Some of the spacers I had to grind a bevel on the underside where they were really close to the raised sections.

Seems to have worked out pretty well, much neater than hacking all the lumps off.

 

Finished off the wiper mod.

I rotated the motor around further to tuck it up under the valance more.

Made a couple of stays out of 3mm aluminum.





With the wiper sorted I was able to mount up the reservoirs.




Installed some lightweight racing headlights.

I saw these in the Pegasus catalogue and had to have them. 7" round dummy headlights.



Used an old headlight base to get the spacing from.



Made up some brackets.



Having a hand punch makes jobs like this a lot quicker and easier than trying to drill something curved that can't be clamped.



Brackets pop riveted to the headlight.



And screwed into place. All the holes lined up perfectly with the factory holes. I use stainless self tappers to hold it in.



Surround on to check fit.

 

Enjoyed the progress.

Nice work on installing and positioning the GC top mounts. I have a similar condundrum on mine, wondering which way to go without hacking the top mounts about, except I have a roll cage tube against the strut top!

19mm ball joints can only mean Mk2 hubs, so looking forward to more geometry work.

Headlights are a nice touch!

 

Am i imagining it or is part of that mechanism upside down?


Also Peter can you do us a favour and measure your single wiper arm as i am having problems finding a replacement arm for my now obsolete bonrath single wiper mechanism...

 

That's the only way it goes together. All the bits at the wiper shaft end are riveted. Does look a bit odd though. You'd think they could have made the wiper shaft shorter and saved having to kink the long arm.

I'll measure up the wiper arm tomorrow.

 

Looked at my mechanism and looks about the same sorry Peter, lust looked odd.

EDIT: Think i just found who does the wiper arm....link in my build.

 

Spent most of yesterday running around trying to find fasteners and brake fittings.

Stripped down 3 separate steering columns to find good bearings which I cleaned up and re greased.

I sandblasted the rack and column before painting them black.

The column got a couple of extra braces welded to it as stock ones tend to fail.

The steering shaft boot is original from the car, oddly the best one second hand I've ever come across.





Sorted out the lines to the reservoirs. Probably overkill. I'll make a stay to make sure the clutch line doesn't get near the column or perhaps a right angle elbow.









I cut the steering lock off the column. Some racing classes demand that the steering lock is removed.

For the moment the column is in the stock location, once the seat is in I might lower it a few inches