Nlc - Lister Bell Stratos Build Thread

[Dr H]

Spoke to engine builder. He doesn't see much of an issue and (quite rightly) said there are 2 options. Take it out and pull it to bits to check / clean etc or bung some oil in it and run it again as it's showing no issues. So option 2 it is at this stage I think!

Oil filter relocation seems to be pretty easy. Blocked off the Alfa oil cooler inlet / outlet with plugs and dowty seals.

Got a nice Mocal billet take off:







And a Canton Racing remote filter head like this:





Mocked it up yesterday and worked out the hoses and fitting required. Will go from engine through remote filter, out to oil cooler and back from cooler to engine inlet. Luckily I had shit loads of expensive Aeroflow kryptalon hose and fittings from my previous oil cooler fitting exploits. So this time all I need to spend on is a set of olives for the current fittings so I can remove and reuse them and on 45 degree fitting. Unusual for me to not have to spend!

Should have all the bits for next week and can then show how it all works. One thing it will allow me to do is run a bigger filter with more capacity. OE Alfa is only about 75mm high. With this setup I can use pretty much anything. Might go for a Jag XF 3.0 filter which is 120mm tall and has the same bypass valve setting of 1.5bar. I've read loads on oil filters and bypass setting etc. recently so I now understand it all I think.....

Also took my cam covers off to check the cams as they were reground and needed bedding in when we first ran the car. Still have some running it to do by the looks of it but can't see anything wrong so far??






No sign of my dash and centre tunnel from the trimmers yet.

[The Cakes]

Happy days 👏

[Dr H]

6 minutes ago, The Cakes said:

Happy days 👏

Until it blows up 😉

[Dr H]

A break from my build to show you another LB currently under construction. The owner is registered on SELOC but has only ever posted once. The car is being built by a third party and LB.

I love the exhaust manifold, it's very reminiscent of the original. No cats though so not sure how it will get through IVA! Lovely build. Used LB's ITB setup which is re-purposed from an E46 M3 BMW. I've seen it in the flesh and it's top notch.



He's put a website together. http://renmure.com/stratos-menu/

View on YouTube website

[jonnyfox]

So cool! 

[Dr H]

More 'progress' of sorts.

ITBs and DBW actuator removed and taken by a very helpful chap (from the rolling road I used) to modify the arms and fit a new linkage mech he's designed. This will give us the much finer control at small throttle openings.

Oil filter remote head gone to have some machining to make it work with the fittings i want to use, but mounting position all sorted as are the new hoses needed to connect it all up.

Lamp pod brackets done, I'd measured wrong so a modified set ordered. In principle it should work well. Should have them by the end of the week.

Looking at adding a second lambda sensor to the exhaust system. Wiring loom was made so I can have one on each bank of cylinders. This give much better control, should mean better emissions control and ultimately better running. Will mean sacrificing my zircotech coating as it will need to be re-done, but will give me the opportunity to change from flanges to v-bands too.

Today I collected the rest of the interior.

Dash





Including the 3 printer heater control enclosure





Centre console. Handbrake needs a 'boot' of some sort. Will look into getting one made.





Gear stick gaiter nicely done




Footwell divider and passenger footrest fitted







Dash loosely fitted in place











Nice CNC pivot points for windows





New door cards should be ready and trimmed soon.

Slow progress but still heading in the right direction I guess.

[jonnyfox]

I       LIKE IT! 😎

[Dr H]

Not much going on at the minute. Been busy at work and not too many things to go at.

But I have sorted the brackets for the lamp pod. Made from stainless steel so nice and stiff even though very thin. Slip down the front of the louvers and get 'clamped' when the lourves are bolted up to the body




Two 6mm threaded studs welded onto each which go into holes at the base of the lamp pod




Brackets bolted to the lamp pod and look quite discrete.




The front bracket will bolt through the holes drilled for the nose badge. And that will be put once the car is finished so will be designing that in the future.




Did some rewiring of the dash earlier to get rid of a couple of dodgy crimps on connectors. All good and the ll but one of the dials decided to loose their back lights
 

[Dr H]

Slightly off topic but sort of related.....

On Sunday I turned 50.

Good God I'm 50......that's old.

But I got a good cake!




The attention to detail is astounding (done from pics of my garage)











And in the strangest of LB-related twists it turns out the woman who made it is married to a chap who used to work at Ultima at the same time as a certain Craig White.....he's the owner of LB!

How spooky is that? My other half just chose the cake maker from her website and the fact she's close to us (in Loughborough). When she sent over the pics the woman replied to say her husband worked with someone who had gone on to set up their own company making Stratos kit cars.

Small world isn't it?

[Phil S1]

Fabulous cake Leigh...Happy Birthday! Hopefully you'll be able to celebrate your 50th year in real style by driving the real thing 😁

[timbo]

Happy Birthday! Also, thought you might appreciate this - came though my Twitter feed:

"Bloke next door to me drove home in a Stratos one day. My son told me that he’d arrived in a spaceship."

[Dr H]

I reckon we'll see Aliens landing in their spaceships before I get this on the road!

[The Cakes]

That cake is fantastic! Happy 50th 🙌

[Dr H]

Not much progress to report.

All paint repairs were completed lat week. However the repair of the 'burn' mark on the rear clam which was perfect ended up getting damaged as the clam was sat for a few weeks . It was sat on the floor on a cloth and the weight of the calm and the very lightly soft paint mean the weave of the cloth imprinted into the paint so plan is to do it again once car is completely assembled for the final time.....

Fitted the boot wall heat shield. LB do one but I didn't know that and made my own. Sheet of aluminum and standoffs to give a 5mm air gap. Should work well.







Oil filter now relocated and hoses connected. Just waiting for a slightly different hose end (60 degree rather than 45) to make the bend slightly less tight on the one with the fire sleeve and then I'll get it all fully connected up and fire sleeve on both hoses.





Also took the opportunity to move the oil temp sender. This was located right under the exhaust manifold and although I have a small heat shield fitted I'm sure it was helping to give the very high oil temps we saw on the RR when we ran it for the first time. It was where the silver colourred bung and copper washer now are:





And it's been moved to the remote oil head on the feed from the engine before it goes to the cooler.





All this allows me to fit a much bigger oil filter.





Equal length manifolds currently being made, the guy has the OEM ones of the Afla 166 he's using as a pattern so things are moving on there.

Will be putting the rear clam back on to sort out the catches etc and maybe start thinking about bunging the seats, fit the dash etc. Will probably leave the doors off for the time being. Less likelihood of me damaging the paint again and easier to get in and out for fitting interior and the like.

Next RR session will be toward end of Feb next year and then we should really be on the home straight! Famous last words.......
 

[The Cakes]

Think that rear clam would have been the death of me 😂

As always, amazing stuff!