MIKE JOHNSON
CONTRIBUTOR
Born slippy? With the cooling issues sorted, Mike and Adam head back out to the skidpan to refine their drift skills.
All of you who have been following this project know that Adam and I have had our fair share of problems with propshafts not fitting, clutch covers not working and killing all the engines we have installed so far.
So... after getting the car running on the rebuilt ST170 engine we seemed to have even more problems with the set-up. The engine was getting really hot, yet the gauge was always showing normal temperatures. Unsurprisingly, we killed a head gasket just by driving the car normally about town. We took this as a sign to rethink the whole cooling system. It had been pointed out that our Granada radiator core was more like an intercooler core with very large water tubes, so even though it was a thick aluminium radiator, it probably wasn’t any more efficient than the original OEM rad that was in the car to begin with.
We spoke with Bespoke Motorsport Radiators who could supply us with a custom-sized aluminium core with the right size water tubes and super fine serrated cooling fins for optimal cooling efficiency.
As soon as the core arrived, I set about fabricating new end tanks, mounting brackets and a revised fan shroud that enclosed the fans in to draw all the air across the whole rad. With this all welded up and pressure tested we set about moving the thermostat into the top hose, as it was previously mounted in the back of the block, which is before all our temperature sensors. This meant if there was an issue with the thermostat not opening, we would be oblivious to the issue as the gauge would be reading the cooler water after the valve.
With all the new parts fitted (including a new thermostat), the engine ran up to an optimal temperature with the fans kicking in and instantly cooling the engine down, which is necessary on a drift car pointing sideways with minimal airflow in through the front grille. Before the car had a chance to play up again Adam and I booked in a Drift What You Brung (DWYB) day in an attempt to get some more seat time.
The guru
Adam and I drove the car up to the track with our friend Steven Morton who is a bit of a guru when it comes to drifting. Steve said he would come along for some moral support and give us some pointers as neither Adam or myself have any idea what we are doing. On arrival we swapped over to some part-worn tyres and ventured out into the pens to get the hang of throwing the car into a slide, doing figure of eights and simple donuts. This was the first real time we had driven the car in anger with the new electric power steering fitted and what a difference it makes. We were told it was a good upgrade, but it’s honestly totally transformed the car!
With the car feeling more predictable and the engine temperatures now under control I felt it was time for me to venture out onto the big track for the first time. Well, that and all my friends were egging me on to do so. With Steve as my co-driver giving me pointers on what and how to drift the car at higher speed, the first outing went really well, I didn’t even spin out once! Getting into second and third gear really made a big difference and I soon felt more confident with the transitions as the car swings from lock to lock.
Testing, testing
As the day progressed Adam and I managed to get loads of seat time in, we played about
with the tyre pressures a little and the resistance on the power steering module to get comfortable with the cars handling and grip levels. I ventured out on the big track multiple times, but I couldn’t replicate my faultless first run. I was really struggling to let go of the steering wheel when the car is self-steering which resulted in a couple of scary moments which knocked my confidence — coupled with the fact I was fully aware that we still needed to drive the car home at the end of the day. At the back of my mind I was now worrying about breaking it, or even worse crashing it. These thoughts are not ideal when your trying to push the car and drive out of your comfort zone. And that’s why a lot of the drift cars out there are ‘missiles’ that are trailered home after a good thrashing.
That said we did have an absolute blast of a day and I cannot recommend a DWYB day enough if you have a rear-wheel drive car that you want to throw about. The only issue the car suffered from being bashed off the limiter all day was the oil breather pipe and plastic overbraiding on the oil lines, which had melted from the heat off the turbo and manifold. When we noticed this we had to really call it a day before hot oil ended up on an even hotter exhaust! We packed up an hour early and drove the car back home slowly and cautiously.
The drift day was a good shakedown for the car, and with Steve on hand we have worked out some improvements that will help us out when trying to go sideways in the future. He suggested we need less camber on the back, with larger tyres for more grip. We also need to look at getting more castor and camber on the front to improve the self-steer alongside looking into modifying the rack and hubs to achieve more steering lock. Coupled with redoing the oil lines there a lot for us to tinker with over the winter ready for the next outing. I’m sure the car will be ready, I’m just not sure if I’m ready to let go of the steering wheel yet!
“I CAN’T RECOMMEND A DWYB DAY ENOUGH IF YOU WANT TO THROW A REAR -WHEEL DRIVE CAR ABOUT”