Well this is a bit overdue! And tbh not a super lot has happened! But there has been progress!
So took the car to a localish car show, good 60 mile trip for the car! Zero issues and came away with best modded car of the show!
And as always every time i have the car out I'm always interested in the data i can gather. Iv yet to go through the logs from its run but in the main time here's some real life data from the car and the various heat protection in place.
Car was driven in the lock-up, parked up for about 5 mins before i tool these readings. (no direct sunlight effecting the readings).
First photo showing the location of the DEI Gold Tape, Its directly above the exhaust manifold only.
I sadly never got photos of the gold side but if i had to guess its going to be around the 170oC range.
Next to photos of the bonnet shows the difference between a protected part with a manifold directly under it and a bit with no heat protection OR a manifold!
67.7oC on the unprotected bit (like i say with out a manifold below it)
vs.
58.9oC on the other side with the gold tape below and the exhaust manifold below that!
Next up is the Zircotec Zircoflex.
167.4oC surface temp on the manifold side.
vs.
61oC surface temp on the carbon side!
That's a 63% reduction in temp! Well worth it!
If it wasn't so expensive, id have my exhaust tunnel coated it in
Like i said before the car had been parked for a few mins and even though the manifold is also coated it was reading 256oC at the time of me probing my temp gun about.
Now i know there are probably flaws in my science but this isn't the Discovery Channel so bite me
Studs, something that i should of 100% done before now but never did.
Moving to the Comps it was clear they must have a shallower set taper for the wheel nuts. This meant although more meat for the wheel flange, there was now less stud showing, and in turn less thread engagement for the nuts.
Quick phone call to my 2 favourite Paul's, first Paul at
Part-box.com to get some high quality extended studs ordered.
Followed by another call to fellow track FRS owner to Paul to pick his brains about making clearance on the front hub allowing the extended studs to be fitted/changed at track side without hub disassembly.
So with correct studs and nuts, and a sacrificial nut (hence it being blue) and i stud installer tool which makes life so much easier, the focus is now fitted with extended wheel studs all round!
Long overdue, both post and job.
While doing the extended wheel studs, i noticed the hubs were WELL overdue a refurb. That combined with the wheel bearings having a bit of play in them (3500 odd miles of kerb hopping will do that) i thought it was time to give them a bit of TLC.
I had been putting this off, and the reason i didnt do them when doing the underside refurb was the fact i knew the ABS sensors were not going to come out in 1 bit
So anyway stripped the crusty hubs off and sent them to Joe at
Surface Excel to be blasted. Joe actually removed the bearings as well for me which was prime! Got the hubs back and they looked extremely pleasing to the eye!
Got Zack at
Oldmill Garage Services to press in the new RS bearings and i gave the hubs a lick of paint, treated to new ABS sensors and then built the car back up and got it back down on the ground!
Another little annoying job competed!
And this for me, Final piece of the puzzle!
Im not 100% sure if its the first,i "think" it might well be the first in the UK but who really knows!
Carbon Fibre Roof..... and if that's not the first, im 99% sure its the First Fully Composite Panelled Focus RS!
So like the roof came from
JTK Composites in finland, I weighed up making the roof myself but this worked and i didn't then have a roof mould to store! haha
So being a true Scots min i wanted to try save the carbon roof scoop.... Now see if i could have words with 23 year old jack armed with the tiger seal gun.... there was no need at all for the amount of tiger seal holding on this 300g roof vent... but hey i guess it never leaked or flew off!
With that removed, it was Martin the glass man in to remove the heated window in 1 piece - success
This allowed me to then have the fun job of removing seam sealer (flashbacks of the underside restro-not fun) and then drilling out the spot welds, which is also not a fun job.
Roof skin actually came off easy enough, so after a lot of reading, messaging and seeing a few other cars, Tigerseal was selected for the bond. Roof was trial fitted and fitted nearly perfect wit a tiny tiny bit of metal work at the window to tap down a little.
So armed with a few tubes of TS and some clamps from my mates i set about gluing the roof on.
And if that wasnt bad enough i then went about and cut a hole in it the next day so i could fit my (saved) roof vent
(ca help it, i love my grinder)
Window popped back in and left to set it was time to get the car dusted off and out for a photo or two!
Now for the science, the total weight saved including the Tiger seal that was needed to bond the roof back on, is Exactly 10.2KG. Might not sound ground breaking but for 1 panel and that panel then lowering the COG, plus the car is already light, im more than happy with that! and if not, i can always just stop what im doing and look at it!
Thanks