CANAMSA - SA stratch build

[Fred W Ballinger]

I've mentioned the fuel tanks previously.

The left and right hand side tanks design capacity is 36.5 liters each, excluding the filler necks. Fuel flows from the bottom rear of them to a T connection and then through a non-return check valve into a small (11.5 liters) double triangular shape tank positioned in the front left hand corner of the engine bay. The intent of this is that there will always be a head of fuel retained in this center tank. An outlet from the bottom of the center tank connects through a shut off valve to a prefilter, then the fuel pump, regulator, filter and then up to the carburetor / s with a pressure gauge in the line.

A third connection at the bottom allows the system to be drained. The fuel supply lines are connected by -8 AN fittings.

The front top of the side tanks have -6 AN connections to breather lines that lead to the top of the center tank, with a third connection leading to a non-return vent valve to atmosphere.

The supply and vent connection lines to the right (driver) side tank are interrupted by shut off valves so that the car can be used with those closed and the right (driver) side tank empty, to give a fuel capacity of about 48 liters. For endurance racing the valves can be opened and the right tank also used to give a total fuel capacity of about 85 liters. The fuel gauge sensor is in the left side tank so as to read correctly in both cases.

I assembled the system on a bench and did a 0.5 bar (7 psi) soapy water test to check for any leaks, before fitting everything in the chassis.

The side tanks sit on insertion rubber pads on lower supports, with brackets to the front and rear to restrain against longitudinal forces. Rubber strips are fitted to the side chassis members that the tanks are pulled up to.

The side tanks are secured by stainless steel tension straps with rubber insert strips. The tanks are made from 2 mm aluminum and I was reluctant to weld mounting brackets to the larger tanks. The securing straps are positioned over where transverse baffle plates are situated inside the tanks.

Front of right hand side tank showing breather connection and removable forward tank restraint bracket.

Left hand side tank and fuel supply parts in rear of side pod.

View of the system in the engine bay

On the right hand side what looks like the worlds most over engineered "P" clamp support bracket is also the mounting bracket for one of the water pumps.

Detail of center tank. This tank does have 3 welded on mounting brackets which are bolted to frame brackets with rubber washers between. Plumbing supply shops have a useful selection of rubber tap washers that can be used for this. This tank can be removed from the chassis with the engine in position, although you do have to remove the left exhaust manifold to do so.

Detail of the T connection from the side tanks . The black component is the one-way valve. It had a spring inside it which I removed so it functions only as a check valve.

Close up of the valve in the breather line from the right side tank.

To secure the valves and some other components to brackets I made up some mounting blocks. These are not CNCed, I started with some lazer cut 12 mm plate parts, and then linished, drilled and band sawed them. I had to drill and file recesses to allow the valve handles to fully open. The 2 halves of each block are stamped with an identifying letter so you can keep the matching halves together and orientated correctly. This as I drilled the mounting holes in a drill press before I cut them into halves.

This last component is the one way breather valve that will be mounted high at the rear of the car and connected to the top of the center tank. The center tank is slightly taller than the side tanks (excluding the filler necks) so will always have an air space at the top.

The total mass of the system is 22.8 kg (50.2 pounds), made up as below

Left and right tanks - 9.80 kg (21.61 p)
Centre tank - 1.87 kg (4.12 p)
Fuel filler caps - 3.74 kg (8.25 p)
Fuel level sensor - 0.22 kg (0.49 p)
Fuel filler spigots - 1.35 kg (2.98 p)
Fuel Filters, pump, hoses etc - 5.00 kg (11.0 p)
Tank mounting brackets - 0.80 kg (1.76 p)

 

[Neil]

I've mentioned the fuel tanks previously.

The left and right hand side tanks design capacity is 36.5 liters each, excluding the filler necks. Fuel flows from the bottom rear of them to a T connection and then through a non-return check valve into a small (11.5 liters) double triangular shape tank positioned in the front left hand corner of the engine bay. The intent of this is that there will always be a head of fuel retained in this center tank. An outlet from the bottom of the center tank connects through a shut off valve to a prefilter, then the fuel pump, regulator, filter and then up to the carburetor / s with a pressure gauge in the line.

A third connection at the bottom allows the system to be drained. The fuel supply lines are connected by -8 AN fittings.

The front top of the side tanks have -6 AN connections to breather lines that lead to the top of the center tank, with a third connection leading to a non-return vent valve to atmosphere.

The supply and vent connection lines to the right (driver) side tank are interrupted by shut off valves so that the car can be used with those closed and the right (driver) side tank empty, to give a fuel capacity of about 48 liters. For endurance racing the valves can be opened and the right tank also used to give a total fuel capacity of about 85 liters. The fuel gauge sensor is in the left side tank so as to read correctly in both cases.

I assembled the system on a bench and did a 0.5 bar (7 psi) soapy water test to check for any leaks, before fitting everything in the chassis.

The side tanks sit on insertion rubber pads on lower supports, with brackets to the front and rear to restrain against longitudinal forces. Rubber strips are fitted to the side chassis members that the tanks are pulled up to.

The side tanks are secured by stainless steel tension straps with rubber insert strips. The tanks are made from 2 mm aluminum and I was reluctant to weld mounting brackets to the larger tanks. The securing straps are positioned over where transverse baffle plates are situated inside the tanks.

Front of right hand side tank showing breather connection and removable forward tank restraint bracket.

Left hand side tank and fuel supply parts in rear of side pod.

View of the system in the engine bay

On the right hand side what looks like the worlds most over engineered "P" clamp support bracket is also the mounting bracket for one of the water pumps.

Detail of center tank. This tank does have 3 welded on mounting brackets which are bolted to frame brackets with rubber washers between. Plumbing supply shops have a useful selection of rubber tap washers that can be used for this. This tank can be removed from the chassis with the engine in position, although you do have to remove the left exhaust manifold to do so.

Detail of the T connection from the side tanks . The black component is the one-way valve. It had a spring inside it which I removed so it functions only as a check valve.

Close up of the valve in the breather line from the right side tank.

To secure the valves and some other components to brackets I made up some mounting blocks. These are not CNCed, I started with some lazer cut 12 mm plate parts, and then linished, drilled and band sawed them. I had to drill and file recesses to allow the valve handles to fully open. The 2 halves of each block are stamped with an identifying letter so you can keep the matching halves together and orientated correctly. This as I drilled the mounting holes in a drill press before I cut them into halves.

This last component is the one way breather valve that will be mounted high at the rear of the car and connected to the top of the center tank. The center tank is slightly taller than the side tanks (excluding the filler necks) so will always have an air space at the top.

The total mass of the system is 22.8 kg (50.2 pounds), made up as below

Left and right tanks - 9.80 kg (21.61 p)
Centre tank - 1.87 kg (4.12 p)
Fuel filler caps - 3.74 kg (8.25 p)
Fuel level sensor - 0.22 kg (0.49 p)
Fuel filler spigots - 1.35 kg (2.98 p)
Fuel Filters, pump, hoses etc - 5.00 kg (11.0 p)
Tank mounting brackets - 0.80 kg (1.76 p)

Are your fuel tanks actually true bladder- type fuel cells or only tanks?

 

[John]

Thanks for your fuel system post! I will have to deal with similar dual tank issues with my 037 build.

 

[Ian Anderson]

In the pictures the triangular tank looks to be higher above ground than the side tanks.
What will propel the fuel from the side tanks upwards to in turn feed the triangle tank at the top….where the current inlets appear to be located?

Will you be able to pull up at a filling pump and fill both tanks (all be it slowly) as the fuel finds the level via th T piece?

Ian

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

Thanks for the comments guys .

Neil - There are no bladders.

John - I'm glad you found the post helpful.

Ian - Good eye, the rearmost end of the side tanks are just 5 mm below the floor of the center tank. However the side tanks are mounted with a slope to the front end, which is 20 mm higher up. Any rake in the chassis set up will reduce this dimension slightly. So the majority of the side tanks are above the floor of the center tank. The center tank is fed from the bottom T connection.

I don't expect that the center connection pipe will keep up with the flow from a fuel bowser. I'll have to see in practice but with both tanks in use you might have to top up both sides. I expect the car will most often run on only the left and center tank.

 

[Ian Anderson]

Thanks for the comments guys .

Neil - There are no bladders.

John - I'm glad you found the post helpful.

Ian - Good eye, the rearmost end of the side tanks are just 5 mm below the floor of the center tank. However the side tanks are mounted with a slope to the front end, which is 20 mm higher up. Any rake in the chassis set up will reduce this dimension slightly. So the majority of the side tanks are above the floor of the center tank. The center tank is fed from the bottom T connection.

I don't expect that the center connection pipe will keep up with the flow from a fuel bowser. I'll have to see in practice but with both tanks in use you might have to top up both sides. I expect the car will most often run on only the left and center tank.

Hi Fred
So the fuel from the main tanks will have to flow uphill to get into the triangle tank.

So say after 20 laps and half tank in main. What would then make the fuel enter the triangle? I think another pump will be required

 

[Mark H.]

So impressed with the skill and workmanship! Epic build to say the least. One question is what alloy aluminum are you using for the panels?

 

[Neil]

Thanks for the comments guys .

Neil - There are no bladders.

John - I'm glad you found the post helpful.

Ian - Good eye, the rearmost end of the side tanks are just 5 mm below the floor of the center tank. However the side tanks are mounted with a slope to the front end, which is 20 mm higher up. Any rake in the chassis set up will reduce this dimension slightly. So the majority of the side tanks are above the floor of the center tank. The center tank is fed from the bottom T connection.

I don't expect that the center connection pipe will keep up with the flow from a fuel bowser. I'll have to see in practice but with both tanks in use you might have to top up both sides. I expect the car will most often run on only the left and center tank.

The reason I asked if these were true fuel cells was because you mentioned "endurance racing". You may need them, depending on the sanctioning organization. They are a good safety measure for sure.

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

Hi Ian. I'm not sure I understand your concern. If the car is standing still and you start to fill the side tanks (once you are past the tiny 5mm lowest point) the fuel level will be the same in the center tank as in the side tanks. Once fuel is in the center tank and the car moves around it can't get back out the center tank.

Mark H - Thanks for the kind words. The ally is easily available 1.2 mm 1050 h14 grade. It bends well in a press brake provided you use the correct radius die but I order it with plastic protective film on one side as it marks / scratches if you so much as look at it. You need to think about which will be the "good" side all the time as you fabricate with it.

Neil - Thanks for your concern, which I understand. What I am doing will be sufficient for our local classes of racing. We are pretty 'grass roots" here.

 

[Ian Anderson]

Hi Ian. I'm not sure I understand your concern. If the car is standing still and you start to fill the side tanks (once you are past the tiny 5mm lowest point) the fuel level will be the same in the center tank as in the side tanks. Once fuel is in the center tank and the car moves around it can't get back out the center tank.

Mark H - Thanks for the kind words. The ally is easily available 1.2 mm 1050 h14 grade. It bends well in a press brake provided you use the correct radius die but I order it with plastic protective film on one side as it marks / scratches if you so much as look at it. You need to think about which will be the "good" side all the time as you fabricate with it.

Neil - Thanks for your concern, which I understand. What I am doing will be sufficient for our local classes of racing. We are pretty 'grass roots" here.

Fred
Apologies when I was looking at the pictures I had presumed that you were filling the triangle using the top connections and then drawing out the bottom and the second at the bottom would be for draining. I now see there is a third bottom connector near the bulkhead…… I had missed this

Possible problem pumping fuel out and allowing “gravity” to refill could lead in the triangle tank running low.

I probably would have pumped from side tank to triangle then draw from there via another pump to the carb / EFI
I used this system on my Gt40 with a swirl pot instead of the triangle.

Ian

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

The next items I installed are the steering rack and column.

Figuring this all out proved to be one of the more challenging aspects of this project. On a rear engined car the problem is that the feet of a taller driver, the pedals, the steering rack, and the inner ends of the front suspension are all wanting to be in the same space. I had decided to go with top mounted pedals which also adds to the problem.

The rack is Ford Escort which I bought new. I had a friend turn the shaped block next to the pinion input to round and removed the welded on mounting bracket on the other end of the rack hosing so that it could be secured in machined clamp blocks. I had previously mocked it up to check bump steer but sized the blocks to fit with a spacer underneath so that the vertical position can be adjusted later if necessary.

The column sections are made up from various Toyota pick up and light van parts I collected from scrap yards. The universal joints are from the same source, I had them refurbished with new bearings.

The steering wheel I bought from Merlin Motorsport in Castle Combe UK.

The steering rack alone weighs 4 kg (8.8 lbs), the rest of the components add up to 8.1 kg (17.9 lbs).

The upper part of the column is supported in two bearings bolted to a bracket welded to the dash bulkhead, like a small Kart axle. If I did it again I would do this differently, this bracket caused trouble when I started to lay out the dashboard instruments.

The Toyota parts have a nice sliding joint which I incorporated into the lower column section. In the OE application it has plastic button inserts that take up the play in the sliding section. I tapped the outer sleeve M5 and fitted bolts just snugged up with lock nuts to eliminate the play. The upper and lower sections connect through a universal joint.

The front end of the lower section is supported by a 14 mm rod end bolted through yet another bracket. The end of this shaft is connected to the rack though 2 more universal joints fitted back to back .

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

As I didn't design the car fully on paper / CAD first, sometimes you come across issues where a previous decision causes trouble later. I already mentioned one example.

I tried to keep the column high up to provide good clearance for feet on the pedals, but then the lower steering column wanted to foul a frame member. I made this cut out to rectify that.

Another issue was that the last universal joint came through the front bulkhead at an awkward angle, such that a large cut out was needed to provide clearance for it to be fitted and rotate in operation. This needed a cover plate. Still unsure if I will try to provide some sort of sealing here.

The wheel is secured to the top of the column by a quick release which uses a hex register. While this is simple and cheap, it does allow a little play in the assembly. As I don't need to remove the wheel to get in and out the car I drilled and tapped the boss for an M8 bolt that removes the play when tightened. Half a turn with an Allen key does allow the wheel to be removed for better access. I might yet make this a wing nut.

 

[Neil]

I used a hex quick release on my red Mirage steering wheel and found the same amount of play that you did. I solved it in the same way. My black Mirage uses a Sweet Mfg spline coupler that is very much better.

 

[Jean-Marc]

Fred, very interesting post !
I see that you are using a Caretek as battery isolator, be carefull, it seems that the model you are using is mainly used for small engine, I think the one that should be use is the Caretek X-pro. It is what I put on my RCR GT40.

Battery Isolator X-Pro | CARTEK Motorsport Electronics

The most powerful solid-state Battery Isolator from CARTEK - designed with high cranking currents in mind.

www.cartekmotorsport.com

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

Hi Jean-Marc. Thanks for the kind comment and the information on the Cartek X Pro. The link you posted shows the improvements over the GT model, the multiplug connection is a good feature. It also says that it was "new for 2025". I bought my part in 2023. I did Email Cartek with a query about wiring the GT on a car using a Rover V8 engine with a MSD 6AL ignition system, they sent a very helpful response. I'm aware that others here have used the GT model so I'm hoping it will work fine.

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

I moved onto the cooling system.

I started with a radiator that I had imported as part of a batch of parts from Summit Racing early on in the project. I ordered the widest they listed , at 31" (787 mm). I made the width of the duct in the nose of the body to fit the width, I had to cut the height down to 360 mm (14 1/8") in order to fit it almost vertically into the nose. I just pushed it through the bandsaw, and then made new closing plates and a connection pressing to go across the top of the rad. My aluminum welding expert welded it up.

This picture taken early on in the development process shows how the rad sits in the nose.

We added an angle frame to the rear face of the rad to butt up against the opening in the nose. I will fit some closed cell foam strip here. With the rear of the rad flush to the body the pipe connections needed to be to the sides of the tanks, so aluminum elbows were welded in, as well as bosses for a breather and water temperature sensor on the left-hand side.

Having read on here of people having problems with radiators cracking in GT40s I didn't want to weld mounting brackets to the radiator itself. I made up a frame in 12.5 mm square tubing with mountings that accept bolt on aluminum brackets that clamp around the side tanks with rubber inserts. This frame also supports two fans, Bosch part number 3 135 103 344, as found in Opel's etc. The mountings between this frame and the chassis allow some longitudinal and angle adjustment of the entire radiator assembly, in order to adjust for a snug fit to the nose duct opening.

I mentioned earlier that I am using electric water pumps. One is located in the lower front right-hand side of the engine bay. I bought a Davis Craig EWP 80 pump many years ago, it has a plastic / nylon case. I'm aware that the Internet opinion of these pumps is mixed. I know of cars that use them successfully so I'm going to give it a try. This pump pushes water into the engine, the original pump is removed and replaced with a blanking plate with a connection spigot. The hard pipes are 38 mm (1.5") OD, while the pump output is 35 mm OD, a 90-degree reducing elbow solves this issue.

The water exits the engine into a swirl pot and then travels through several hose bends and significant length of hard pipes to the front of the car. I thought it prudent to fit a second pump. This is located in the front of the right-hand side pod, in the line going towards the radiator. The second pump I ordered arrived with an aluminum body, which seems a good upgrade. A slight problem was that this casting put the pump outlet in a slightly different place relative to the pump body, which then did not suit the mountings I had welded on previously using the plastic body pump as a template. Also, unlike the plastic pump, the aluminum pump does not have any provision for mounting attachments. The pump literature recommends just letting the pump hang from the hoses, but I did not fancy that so I drilled and tapped the body to attach mounting brackets. Rubber bush mountings go between the pump brackets and the attachment brackets on the chassis.

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

The following picture shows most of the plumbing parts. At the bottom are the header tank and swirl pot, these are fabricated in stainless steel as when I made them I had not yet discovered my aluminum welding expert. The 4 pipes on the right-hand side are stainless steel, again because I can fabricate in stainless and I had a source that could mandrill bend the stainless material. I first mocked up the parts with tacked together sections and then had them bent in one piece. The 3 aluminum pipes on the left-hand side were made later from pipe and bought in elbows. If anyone is looking to source 38 mm aluminum pipe I found suitable material for sale in DIY shops as TV aerial poles and also curtain hanging rails, the latter available in fancy anodized colors if that should be your desire.

I bought the cheap Chinese bead roller to put beads on the ends of the pipes. This worked very well on the aluminum parts but didn't seem up to doing the stainless parts. On these I tacked on a ring cut from the tubing material to make an end step.

The pic shows the piping assembly on the right-hand side of the chassis. A 45 degree 38 to 35 mm reducing elbow is not available, so I welded a piece of 35 mm OD pipe into the end of the one 38 mm pipe to connect to the pump.

The water enters the rad at the top of the right-hand side tank and exits at the bottom of the left had side tank. A cross pipe brings the water back to the right-hand side.

At the top of the left side tank a breather line connects back to the header tank mounted high on the left-hand side front of the engine bay. From the bottom of the header tank a pipe connects to the T just before the inlet of the engine bay water pump. There is also a connection pipe from the top of the header tank to the engine outlet swirl pump, these latter 2 pipes are not yet fitted. This should make the system self-bleeding.

The mass of all these parts add up to a total of 33 kg (74 lbs).

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

You may have noticed in a photo in a previous post that I have also been fitting the hydraulic lines.

In the following pictures please excuse the dents in the dashboard bulkhead frame top crossmember. The paint shop apparently dropped the chassis when turning it over and caused some damage. Some things you just have to live with.

I had started with making up a pedal assembly from scratch, but then when an American vendor I was sourcing some other parts from could offer a Wilwood pedal assembly at a reasonable price I went with that. I read somewhere that you must pay attention to all the points where you touch the car when driving and the assembly has a nice solid feel to it. It's easy to mount and includes a bias bar in one convenient package. Wilwood offer several varieties, this is with top hung pedals with rearward facing cylinders. I made the mounting brackets with several holes, to allow 100 mm of longitudinal adjustment. The assembly weighs 5.5 kg (12.1 lbs) with the 3 cylinders. The right angle gearbox for the bias remote cable is a Tilton part.

I discovered that a problem with top hung pedals in a low car is where to put the fluid reservoirs. They obviously need to be above the master cylinders and the masters are just under the body line. After a bit of fiddling around I decided to order a Tilton combined reservoir assembly. It's an expensive part but it solved some problems for me. It's positioned inside the cockpit on the passenger side just forward of where the dashboard will be. A removable panel in the dashboard will allow access and can be left off in competition as I think it is an advantage for the driver to be able to see the fluid level in case of brake trouble. The reservoir weighs very little, 390 grams (0.86 lbs).

I had the full lengths of the hydraulic lines made up in braided stainless, -3 for the brake and -4 for the clutch and reservoirs. The lines need to be long enough and routed to accommodate the pedal box in all positions. I worked with a very helpful supplier who let me take various end fittings and mock up the hoses with plastic tubing before I went back to him for the hoses to be assembled. The hoses with banjo fittings on one end and elbow fittings on the other needed to be carefully "clocked". At the price of the hose and fittings you don't want to make too many errors. All the hoses together weigh 1 kg (2.2 lbs). They are not yet finally secured.

I also fitted the adjustment knob for the brake bias.

 

[Ian Anderson]

You may have noticed in a photo in a previous post that I have also been fitting the hydraulic lines.

In the following pictures please excuse the dents in the dashboard bulkhead frame top crossmember. The paint shop apparently dropped the chassis when turning it over and caused some damage. Some things you just have to live with.

I had started with making up a pedal assembly from scratch, but then when an American vendor I was sourcing some other parts from could offer a Wilwood pedal assembly at a reasonable price I went with that. I read somewhere that you must pay attention to all the points where you touch the car when driving and the assembly has a nice solid feel to it. It's easy to mount and includes a bias bar in one convenient package. Wilwood offer several varieties, this is with top hung pedals with rearward facing cylinders. I made the mounting brackets with several holes, to allow 100 mm of longitudinal adjustment. The assembly weighs 5.5 kg (12.1 lbs) with the 3 cylinders. The right angle gearbox for the bias remote cable is a Tilton part.

I discovered that a problem with top hung pedals in a low car is where to put the fluid reservoirs. They obviously need to be above the master cylinders and the masters are just under the body line. After a bit of fiddling around I decided to order a Tilton combined reservoir assembly. It's an expensive part but it solved some problems for me. It's positioned inside the cockpit on the passenger side just forward of where the dashboard will be. A removable panel in the dashboard will allow access and can be left off in competition as I think it is an advantage for the driver to be able to see the fluid level in case of brake trouble. The reservoir weighs very little, 390 grams (0.86 lbs).

I had the full lengths of the hydraulic lines made up in braided stainless, -3 for the brake and -4 for the clutch and reservoirs. The lines need to be long enough and routed to accommodate the pedal box in all positions. I worked with a very helpful supplier who let me take various end fittings and mock up the hoses with plastic tubing before I went back to him for the hoses to be assembled. The hoses with banjo fittings on one end and elbow fittings on the other needed to be carefully "clocked". At the price of the hose and fittings you don't want to make too many errors. All the hoses together weigh 1 kg (2.2 lbs). They are not yet finally secured.

I also fitted the adjustment knob for the brake bias.

Looking good

Is your seat adjustable front to back? Or is the adjustment all done by pedal position?

If so perhaps remodel and attach the pedal box to seat runners to allow quick and easy adjustment

 

[Doug Clark]

Hi Fred,

I've been following your thread since the start, it's great to see you're nearly there now and have had the perseverance to see it through.
The car is looking awesome, a great credit to you.
My car is I'd guess at about the same % complete as yours, which also started in 2006. Seeing other people out there never giving up, helps with the motivation, so just know you're inspiring other people along the path too.

Also, I have the same type of steering rack, purchased new which came a bunch of free swarf in with the grease, so have a look under the rubber boots if you've not done so already.